Luca brought Tommy back to the hotel room. The child started to yawn the moment Luca closed the door. She turned around and saw the sleepiness in his eyes. "When is your Daddy coming back?" She patted his head and asked him. Tommy shook his head, indicating that he did not know. Luca did not want to keep Tommy up when he was already so tired. She decided to let Tommy sleep first while informing Jason about it. "If that's the case, let's go to bed," she said. Then, she went to the bed and pulled the blanket back. Tommy grinned happily and clambered onto the bed. After Luca tucked him in, she said, "You can sleep first. I'll go and take a shower before sleeping. Is that alright?" "Yes, Ms. Luca." Tommy closed his eyes obediently. Luca dimmed the lights and went into the bathroom with a new set of pajamas and her phone. She sent a message to Jason, telling him that Tommy was resting in her room, then took a quick shower. After taking a shower and changing her clothes, s
Halfway through breakfast, Dr. Albus and the others also arrived at the restaurant. Dr. Albus was surprised to see someone else sitting at Luca's table. He went over and greeted her, "You're up early today, Dr. Craw." "Mm. It's a good habit to sleep and wake up early, Dr. Albus," Luca replied. She could tell that Dr. Albus was going to pry into her personal matters again. Dr. Albus smiled. He looked at Tommy, then at Amur. Rhett had told him in the elevator that Luca was babysitting Tommy because Luke was away for a business dinner the night before. He was not surprised that Tommy was together with Luca, but he was curious about the presence of the other man at the table. He looked at Amur a little more closely and thought that Amur was quite handsome. "And this is?" He asked. "This is my younger brother. My parents adopted him," Luca elaborated because she knew that he was going to ask that question. "Oh, so he's your younger brother. He's quite handsome," Dr. Albus sa
Amur's eyelids drooped. He nodded and asked, "Boss, did you deliberately ask her to come to New York?" Abel narrowed his gaze. He put a cigar into his mouth and lit it. Amur's head remained lowered, even though the cigar smoke stung his nose. He wanted to know what Abel was truly thinking. Abel shot a sideways glance at Amur and suddenly brought the glowing end of the cigar a fraction of an inch away from Amur's face. If Abel moved his hand slightly, the cigar would leave a scorch mark on Amur's skin. Time seemed to freeze at that instant. Amur did not move or flinch even though he could smell something burning. Abel maintained that pose for a full half a minute. He pulled his hand away when some ash dropped on the floor. "All you have to do is follow my orders and not ask any questions," he said coldly. Amur's hands clenched into fists. He hated himself for being not strong enough to protect Luca. If only he were stronger and not under Abel's control! "Why are you still
Dr. Albus was quite excited when he heard that. If the president of the Pharmaceutical Association served him wine from his personal collection, that would be something worth bragging about to his friends back in A City! He lifted his glass and said, "Thank you for your invitation, Mr. Abel. It's an honor to have a drink with you." Abel smiled lazily to cover up the viciousness in his eyes. He lifted his glass and said, "A toast to you, Dr. Albus." The people around the dining table lifted their glasses. Luca knew that it would be strange if she did not follow what the rest were doing, but if she drank from the glass, she was afraid that she might fall into Abel's trap. While she hesitated for a few seconds, the other people turned their hands and looked at her. With no other choice, she lifted her glass and clinked it with the other glasses. The other people began drinking the precious red wine from Abel's personal collection. Luca brought the glass next to her mouth but d
Luca's eyes opened wide when she heard him mention Luke. She was not afraid that Abel would do something to her, but she did not want him to harm Luke. She was willing to sacrifice herself to save the man she loved, and she would not want to give Abel another opportunity. "Tsk tsk tsk. I can see the worry on your face," Abel said. Luca slowly clenched her hands into fists. "They're with me. If something happens to me, they'll definitely suspect something." "They wouldn't suspect me," Abel shook his head and said, "I passed out before them." Luca stood up abruptly, but she felt her head spin, and she was forced to sit down again. "Sleep. Fighting against the drug is futile. You should know that there isn't any antidote that can work against Shanks's drugs. You might as well relax." Abel's eyes gradually became bloodshot as he watched Luca struggle. Luca was struggling because of Luke. What was so good about that man? Why did she continue to love him even though he had ca
Jason immediately contacted the driver and got him to wait downstairs. Tommy saw that the adults were in a hurry. He put down his storybook and asked, "What happened, Daddy?" Luke looked at his son. He was not sure how to explain the contents of the stream to him, so he picked the boy up and walked outside. "It's nothing." Tommy was not so easily convinced. Luke was taking big strides, so all Tommy could do was cling onto his neck. "Daddy, did something happen to Ms. Luca?" "She'll be fine," Luke said and hastened his footsteps. He turned his head and spoke to Jason, "Get someone more people to come along." "Yes." Jason took out his phone and made arrangements. Luke knew how depraved people could be. Those people watching the stream would definitely want to claim Luca, who was lying defenseless in a room, as their own. Even though the hints were limited, someone would eventually find her. The mastermind behind this incident must have some other motive, and Luke could not
Luke went over to the couch and gently tapped Luca's face. "Wake up." Luca gave no reaction, as though she did not know that her life was in danger. If he had not discovered the live stream in time, or if he had chosen to ignore it, she would definitely have been violated. The manager could discern which floor the room was. If the manager or one of the waiters had seen the live stream, Luca would not have been so lucky. Luca's face was flushed, but her body temperature was normal. He looked at her for a while before he reached out, buttoned her shirt, and picked her up in a bridal carry. Luca was not heavy, so it did not take Luke much effort to carry her out of the room. Tommy breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his father come out with Luca. "Daddy, is Ms. Luca okay?" "She's okay. She's just drunk," Luke said. Tommy nodded, though he remained worried. Luke carried Luca toward the elevator. Jason remembered that the three other people were still knocked out downsta
"Let her rest for a little longer. If she hasn't woken up by tomorrow, I'll know what to do. You should go to bed," Luke said to Tommy. Tommy nodded, though he could not be at ease when he saw that Luca was still unconscious. "Can I sleep beside Ms. Luca?" He asked. "You can't," Luke refused without any hesitation. "Why not?" Tommy protested. "I'm worried about Ms. Luca, and I hope that I'll be the first person she sees when she wakes up." "That won't be good for you. If you don't listen to me, I'll bring her downstairs," Luke said coldly. He knew that Tommy was worried about Luca, and the boy would not sleep if he lay by her side. That was why he insisted on Tommy sleeping in his room. When he heard that Luke was going to bring Luca downstairs, Tommy knew better than to challenge his father's authority. "Please don't. I'll go and sleep in my room. I hope you can get well soon, Ms. Luca." Then, he turned around and left. Luke saw that Tommy kept on turning his head ba
“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.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special