Luke took the newspaper. Before he read the article, he saw the photo in which Luca stepped into his car. He frowned but soon composed himself. "You don't have to worry about it. I've already gotten someone to handle this," Old Master Crawford said. "Let me handle this, Grandfather." Luke did not want to trouble Old Master Crawford. "No. I've already sent someone to hunt the reporter down." Old Master Crawford stroked his beard. Other than what happened to Bianca two years ago, the Crawford family had been relatively peaceful for the past two years. Now, someone was challenging their authority once more. The butler came into the dining hall and reported to them, "Old Master Crawford, Sir, we have found that the five major media outlets in A City are increasing their circulation to report on this issue. Also, online versions of the article have been read at least three million times." The news was only published an hour ago, but it had already received three million views. C
"Yes. Mr. Crawford changed his mind this morning," Mo said. "Mm, understood." Luca was frustrated by the news article. She would have to face Luke later… She quickly walked into the office to make some preparations for the meeting. Mo watched her walk away and mumbled, "Why does Dr. Craw look so much like the woman in the photo?" Fifteen minutes later, Luca came out of the office. When she arrived at the conference room, almost all the other personnel from the Technical Department were there. Luca looked at the nameplates on the oval table and found her seat. She was relieved when she found out that her seat was some distance away from the CEO. She casually glanced around the room and noticed that no one was paying any attention to her. It seemed that no one recognized her in the photo. Luca felt a lot more at ease. All she wanted was to do her job and not cause any trouble. She knew that Luke would deal with the media outlets, so she was not worried that the news wou
Luca followed Jason to the CEO's office. Watson Biopharmaceuticals was only a subsidiary company, so the furnishings in the CEO's office were not as lavish as that of T Corporation. The dull gray walls gave her an oppressive feeling. Jason stood at the entrance, and he had no intention of going inside. He pointed toward the interior and said, "Please, Dr. Craw." Luca took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Come in." Luke's voice was heard from the inside. Luca's hand gripped the metal doorknob. It was cold to the touch and made her shudder slightly. She pushed the door open and walked in. Seeing Luke sit on the swivel chair, she deliberately left the door open. "Mr. Crawford." "Sit." Luke pointed at the seat opposite him. Luca nodded. She had only taken two steps when she heard Jason closing the door behind her. She turned around and glanced at the closed door. "…" She did not want to close the door because she did not want to share a private space with Luke.
After Luca left the CEO's office, she did not go anywhere else other than the elevator lobby. She was surprised when she saw Luke standing there waiting for the elevator. It had been quite some time, but the elevator had not arrived yet. It was then that she realized that they were not in T Corporation, and Luke did not have a personal elevator in the Watson Biopharmaceuticals building. It should not have been surprising that Luke would be waiting for some time. Luke must have heard her footsteps because she was not sneaking, and it would be very suspicious if she tried to run away. Luca had no other choice but to approach him. "Mr. Crawford." "Mm." Luke nodded. His eyes remained transfixed on the elevator display. The elevator had not arrived yet. Luca stood some distance away from him. She thought for a while and asked, "Is Tommy okay?" "I don't know. I'll have to bring him to the doctor," Luke said. He placed his hands in his pockets, and he looked cool and handsome.
Johann shuddered when he met Luke's gaze. He wagged his hand and said, "Never mind. I wouldn't dare to take your money." When Luke heard that, he took Tommy's hand and left the room. Johann shrugged and shook his head. "Why does he look like he's never satisfied? I don't get it. He's already married, but he's so scary." The nurse captain happened to walk into the room. When she heard Johann talking to himself, she smiled and asked him, "Which married man is so scary?" "It's nothing." Johann resumed his serious expression. "Is there anything?" "The patient in Room 36 is complaining that he's feeling unwell. Are you free to check on him?" The nurse captain asked. "Mm." Johann hung the stethoscope around his neck and left the room. Luke brought Tommy back to his car. "I'll send you back home." "No, Daddy!" Tommy did not want to go back to Crawford Manor. "I want to accompany you, Daddy." Luke was about to start the car when he heard that. He turned his head to look at To
"Don't worry, Ms. Luca. I didn't sneak out this time. Daddy brought me here!" Tommy smiled sweetly. "Ha, I hope you won't do that again!" Luca took the opportunity to discipline the child. She hoped that he would not run away from home again. If he ran away again, he might not be so lucky. "Don't worry, Ms. Luca, I won't!" Tommy reassured her. Luca remembered that Luke said that Tommy was sick. She placed her palm on his forehead but did not think that he was having a fever. Tommy thought that Luca's hand was warm, and it had given him an inexplicable sense of security. "What are you doing, Ms. Luca?" he asked. "Aren't you feeling unwell? I thought you'd be having a fever," Luca said. Tommy shook his head. "I lied to Daddy. I'm feeling very healthy!" Luca was relieved when she heard that, though she pretended to glare at him. "You're such a naughty boy. You shouldn't lie to your Daddy." "I wouldn't be able to meet you if I hadn't lied to Daddy, Ms. Luca," Tommy said m
However, when Luke heard Tommy's suggestion, he was suddenly interested in trying Luca's cooking. He looked at Luca and asked her, "Would it trouble you?" Luca was about to say that it would trouble her very much, but Tommy spoke before she could. "Ms. Luca says that it's okay as long as you agree." "…" Luca was speechless. The child was always faster than her. "Alright, sorry to impose on you then," Luke said. "…" She felt as though the two were ganging up on her. Cooking was not something hard for her, especially after Tommy stayed over in her house. She had regained her confidence in her cooking skills. However, she hoped that Tommy and Luke would not come into contact with the other people from the Island of Despair. She was afraid that Amur might give away something if he knew who Luke was, even though Amur might be worried about her. She did not want to put Nyla in danger just to satisfy her selfish needs. "Yay!" Tommy clapped his hands and cheered. "I h
Luca shook her head helplessly and said, "Didn't you promise me that you won't run away from home anymore?" Tommy stuck his tongue out. He could be a little reckless whenever he was anxious. "I was just saying it for fun, Ms. Luca." He took her hand and rubbed it against his cheek. Luca could not help but smile when she saw how Tommy was acting. She patted the boy's head. Luke sat in the car and observed their interactions. There was a motherly glow in Luca's gaze. That expression could not be faked. Luke could sense that Luca's feelings were genuine. Tommy looked to his right, and his eyes sparkled. "Daddy's car is here, Ms. Luca." Luca looked at the car that was slowly approaching them and nodded. "Mm." Tommy moved to the back while Luca helped him open the door. After Tommy went inside, Luca prepared to sit beside him when he said, "You should sit next to Daddy, Ms. Luca." "Huh?" Luca glanced at the side passenger seat. She felt a little awkward. The side passeng
“No.” Shanks’ tone was cold and firm with no trace of hesitation.Abel still looked doubtful.Shanks added, “Would you like to see her medical report?”Abel was startled for a moment. How did Shanks know he had been thinking about that report?Now that Shanks brought it up, the idea lost its appeal.Abel shook his head. “Even if you showed it to me, I wouldn’t understand it. Shanks, Kassy’s life is in your hands. If you can give her a second chance, I’ll provide as much research funding as you need."Shanks remained silent. He could save Kassy. In fact, his research had always been for Kassy.However, he did not expect Abel to be so ruthless as to insist on using a living person as a donor for Kassy. That was something he could not accept.Kassy’s condition could be treated with organs from a brain-dead patient. Why destroy a perfectly healthy life?Shanks was not acting out of mercy. He simply refused to go against his medical ethics.He was not someone who had to save lives
“You don’t need to remind me. I was going to check anyway.” Abel shot Luca a chilling look.She took a step back and stayed silent.Abel turned to the pale-faced Hera and said, “If you’ve got low blood sugar, get up and eat something.”“I’ll eat now,” Hera replied, sitting up.Luca handed her the takeout.Abel glanced at the food and then frowned at Luca. “Why didn’t you make breakfast this morning?”“I was busy,” Luca explained with a calm indifference, her expression unwavering. She showed no fear, even under Abel’s questioning.Hera suddenly found herself admiring Luca. Everyone feared this man, yet Luca remained composed even when facing potential punishment. Not just anyone could pull that off.At the thought of this, Hera opened the takeout and kept quiet.Abel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hera and Luca. His gaze was not exactly gentle as he muttered, “Stop eating this junk. It’s bad for you.”“I know, babe. Just this once. After this, I’ll have what Luca cooks f
Hera panicked the moment she heard that. “I trust her!”Luca and Shanks were both watching her.Hera repeated herself, saying, “I trust her, okay? What kind of treatment does she need? I’ll cooperate with anything. But what about Abel…”“I’ll tell him it’s just to help improve your overall health,” replied Shanks. Then, he turned around, opened the medicine cabinet, and started preparing the prescription.Hera let out a sigh of relief. As long as Abel did not find out about her health condition, that was all that mattered.If he knew she was unwell, he would send her back to A City. Without free medical help and no way to make extra money, she would be in serious trouble.“Thank you,” said Hera.“Wait outside,” instructed Shanks.“Okay.” Hera carefully stepped out.Luca, however, remained where she was, waiting.While preparing the medicine, Shanks asked, “Do you know which acupoints to target for her?”“Yes,” Luca replied confidently. As long as she checked Hera’s pulse, sh
“There are a lot of issues.” Luca did not hide anything and handed Hera the phone.Hera looked at it and frowned.“I can't understand any of this.” Hera felt dizzy just looking at the text, let alone the long list of medical terms. It was giving her a headache.“Look at these summaries and indicators. Compare the values on top with the normal values at the bottom, and you'll see what I mean,” explained Luca.Hera did not trust her. Therefore, Luca decided to let her see for herself. Seeing it with her own eyes would prevent any doubts later.Luca pointed out how to read the test results, and after a moment, Hera managed to understand the report. Her face turned pale. “How can there be so many problems?”She looked at Luca and questioned, “Did you fake this?”“I don’t have the power to make the medical center fake anything. Besides, the report has the medical center’s official stamp. If you don’t believe me, you can go directly to the medical center and ask for the official cop
“I heard from the boss that he's coming because of Vivian.” Gale paused for a moment before adding, “But never mind, you don't seem interested in her affairs anyway. I'm just letting you know he's on his way.”Gordan frowned. Ray was coming for Vivian?What could that ugly woman possibly need?“What do you mean by that?” asked Gordan.Gale smirked. “If you and Ray meet, that’s bound to end in a fight. And since you can't win against him, you might want to mentally prepare yourself, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay. It’d be safer that way.”Gordan's expression darkened. “If you have nothing nice to say, just zip it.”Gale grinned, clearly pleased with himself like he had just hit a sore spot.Gordan exhaled sharply. “Of all times, why is he coming to A City now? He’s just making things worse.”“It can't be helped. Vivian's situation is urgent.” Gale covered his mouth mockingly after he said that. “Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like hearing about her.”Ray wanted to br
Luke sat in the villa, staring at Luca’s message.He was worried.For a moment, he considered calling her, but then he remembered that there were surveillance cameras everywhere on her side. He dismissed the idea immediately.Her safety came first.Luke reminded her: [Take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.] The worry in his heart refused to subside, but at this moment, there was no better solution.“Boss, you’re worried about your wife, huh? If you really can’t stand it, we can sneak you in again during the next shift change, just like last time,” said Gale.It had been his idea last time.Now, the real Lucius was still locked up in the basement of the villa.It had been nearly a month. Luke had forced him to take the antidote Luca had recreated. The man was still alive, proving the antidote worked perfectly.“That plan is too risky.” Luke put his phone away. His gaze was dark and thoughtful.“Risky, sure. But at lea
Luca had not expected Abel and Shanks’ relationship to be like this.It seemed Abel still did not trust Shanks.Shanks continued, “Abel isn’t someone who trusts people easily. He doesn’t trust anyone. You think he’s devoted to Kassy now, right? That’s just his obsession. He's allowing Kassy to receive my treatment, but if it were him… No matter if he were blind or crippled, his safety would always come first. If he were seriously injured, maybe he’d accept treatment, but he definitely wouldn’t do it right away.”Luca stayed silent. Shanks really understood Abel well.Abel did not trust anyone—not even Kassy.Calling him paranoid would not be an exaggeration.Luca felt like they were getting off-topic, but she had never seen this side of Shanks before.In her mind, he was always buried in his work at the lab, only leaving for meals and sleep. Other than that, he was practically never outside.The lab was like his home…“Are you troubled by Hera’s situation?” Luca asked directly
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.