"When can you find that out?" Luke asked. "It'll take at least two days," Johann said as he closed the folder. He was quite interested in what they found. A mysterious substance was found in all three blood samples, and it had knocked out the three people at the same time. Then, the three people woke up at the same time. As far as he knew, no known sedative could achieve that. "That's too slow." Luke was not satisfied. Johann shrugged. He knew that Luke wanted both speed and precision, but between the two, he could only choose the latter. "There's nothing we can do about it. That is a rare substance, and if someone had created it in the lab, I have to say that I'm really impressed." Luke shot a glance at Johann, which caused him to shudder. "Don't look at me like that. We doctors have to be rigorous in our research. You'll just have to wait. Right, I heard that Dr. Craw was there too. Is she alright?" Johann asked out of concern. Jason had told him briefly what happened t
He realized that Abel would not hesitate to harm Luca if it meant that he got his revenge against Luke. If Luke had ignored the stream, someone else would have found Luca. Amur dared not imagine what would happen to her if that were the case. Luca's eyelids drooped. Even though she was fully unconscious throughout the entire ordeal, thinking about it now made her feel afraid. A few years on the Island of Despair had hardened Luca's heart, but even so, she could not help but feel afraid of what Abel had done to her. If taking revenge on Luke involved harming her, she would have to be more careful in the future. "Amur, you should return to the island after you've completed your mission," she said. She had a feeling that Amur would be harmed if he continued to stay by her side. She might be implicated as well. "I'm not going back," Amur shook his head and said. Now that Abel had done something like that to Luca, he was not going to leave her alone in A City. "No. I don't k
Luke held Tommy's hand, and the two people went into the room and sat on the couch. The room was quite spacious, but once Luke stepped inside, Luca felt the space shrink. Even though it was quite cramped, she thought that it was inexplicably homely. Now that the father and son had staked out the couch, Luca could only sit on the swivel chair and look at them. Tommy was the first to break the silence. "Ms. Luca, have you had dinner?" "I was about to," Luca shook her head and said. She might still be sleeping if she had not been woken up by the doorbell. After taking the antidote, she had to sleep for long periods to recover. Tommy looked at the time, and his expression suddenly became stern. "You shouldn't eat dinner so late, Ms. Luca. That's not good for your health." Luke glanced at the meal cart in the room. He noticed that there was still some breakfast on it. It must have been the room service he had ordered for her, and she did not eat much. "Have you been sleeping
Luca was at the conference at Solomon's time of death, so she could not have been his killer. Even so, Luke could not help but have the feeling that was something more to the incident. Luca could tell that Luke was trying to find out something, but she remained calm because there was no direct link between her and Solomon's death. She shook her head and said, "It's not surprising even if a fellow gang member did him in." Amur was silent as he listened to Luke's probing questions. The police had concluded that Solomon died in a gang conflict, so Amur did not have to say anything. In any case, the police would not track him down, and they would not disturb Luca either. "Mm." Luke nodded. He had been observing Amur from the corner of his eye. Even though Luca had told him that they were not biological siblings, he could not help but think that they were not siblings at all. When Amur came in, he caught a scent of drugs on his body. Luke continued asking, "Mr. Amur, why did you
As Luke opened the door, he raised his eyebrows. Tommy went into the suite and looked at him. "I'm right, aren't I?" Luke did not answer his question. Ever since he was reunited with that impostor Bianca, he could not bring himself to love the woman with Bianca's face. Even so, he tried his best to fulfill her demands. They did not behave like husband and wife in the bedroom, but they had appeared in public many times. To the rest of A City, they were still the model couple. He did not expect Tommy to see through the disguise. Luke did not answer his question. Instead, he asked, "Why do you like Ms. Luca so much?" Sensing his opportunity to voice his thoughts, Tommy did not hold back. "I like Ms. Luca because she's very gentle, just like what Mommy used to be." To the boy, Bianca felt only like a mother in name, and he was not close to her. On the other hand, he had somehow sensed a liking for Luca since the first time they met. Luke patted his son's head, glad that Tom
Johann nodded. "That seems to be the case." Dr. Albus read the report again, this time more carefully, and said, "That's strange. I know that the excretions from this creature have very minor sedative properties, and even hundreds of them would not even have too much effect on the human body. How did the person who refined the drug do it?" Johann took the report and said, "You'll probably have to ask the person who refined the drug. There isn't a technique in modern medical technology that can do it. If the substance truly knocked all of you out, I can only say that there's a lot we don't know." "Just imagine what I can do with this technique!" Dr. Albus exclaimed. Luca was silent. She knew about the drug that they ingested. Shanks had devised the technique of refining it. No one else outside the Island of Despair knew about the technique. If Shanks published his research findings, many people around the world would benefit from it. However, Shanks had no such plans, and he
It was not good for Tommy to skip school for an extended period of time. Tommy volunteered to answer. "Daddy will ask Ms. Luca to bring me back to A City." "Dr. Craw?" Johann asked the father and son, thinking that it was a good idea. "Mm." Luke nodded. The incident had blown up beyond his expectations. He had completed all the work that was scheduled for this trip, but now, he had to stay back and hold the fort. The top-secret documents were critical to the company's operations. The news that the company network had been breached had not been publicized, but if it were, it would greatly affect the company's development. Luke planned to stay behind and restructure the company's growth plans. He would not want to let his enemies have a grip on him. Johann said, "This is really uncanny. I believe that the same people are behind both incidents, and they're targeting you. Dr. Craw only became a victim because she was caught in the crossfire." Luke did not say anything, nor di
Luca put Tommy's suitcase aside and said, "Mr. Crawford has tasked me to bring Tommy back from New York. Now that you're here, I shall leave the child in your hands." It had been exactly one month since Bianca took the pill and fell ill. She had just been discharged from the hospital. She could not help but be angry when she looked at Luca. It was because of her that she decided to take the pill. She thought that taking the pill could make Luke pay attention to her, but Bianca had shown up abruptly with a herbal concoction. Taking the concoction daily had suppressed the effects of the pill, which made her feel a lot better. However, it also meant that her plan had failed, not to mention that she had to suffer in vain for a few days. After her condition stabilized, Luke stopped caring about her and went on a business trip… Bianca glared at the seemingly composed Luca. "You went on the business trip too?" "I was there for a conference," Luca explained. Her reason for going to
However, Abel was not fooled by her words.He asked again, “Who are you looking for?”“Oh, I'm looking for Gerald. I've noticed that most people are here, but Gerald is missing, so I was just curious,” Hera replied honestly, knowing that Abel was naturally suspicious.“I’m starting to feel like you’ve become quite close with Gerald recently,” Abel asked suspiciously.Hera froze for a moment, then laughed and explained, “I often ask him to help with little things. He might not have many qualities, but he’s pretty diligent.”Abel did not respond right away, as though he was considering her words carefully.Hera lowered her voice and teased, “What's the matter? Are you jealous?”Before he could answer, she quickly added, “You’re so outstanding. How could I ever be interested in some ordinary man?”As soon as she said that, a flicker of unease crossed her mind.Abel was far superior to Lucius in looks and wealth. However, she seemed to be more drawn to Lucius.Despite her actions
For Shanks, no matter how skilled the two ophthalmologists were, they could not compare to Luca. The key was their smooth coordination. They were used to working together. If it were other doctors, they would probably start asking questions once they entered the operating room, making it impossible for Shanks to focus and perform the surgery calmly.Shanks believed this was a groundbreaking procedure, not just another teaching surgery for ophthalmologists.Abel understood Shanks’ concerns, but he still insisted, “They’re not just any doctors. They’ve signed agreements, and they won’t interrupt you with questions during the surgery. They’ll cooperate fully.”As Luca listened to Abel, she realized what he was really worried about. Besides the risk of the surgery failing, he was not confident in her.This surgery was important, and Abel was worried she might sabotage it in the operating room.Shanks furrowed his brows and looked at Luca.Luca gave him a faint smile. Whether or not
As Gerald shook his head furiously, it was not difficult for Luca to figure out what was going on.She glanced at Hera's irritation and figured it all stemmed from Luke being reassigned. Not being able to see him was clearly driving her to act like this.Luca secretly let out a sigh. They said women were the cause of trouble, but honestly, men could just be the same.Even with Luke disguised as an ordinary man, his cold and commanding air still captivated Hera.She glanced at the bowl nearby. The food Gerald brought Hera was barely touched.It seemed like she was so consumed with thoughts of Luke that she had lost her appetite...Luca’s expression remained unchanged. She was long accustomed to keeping her emotions in check around others.“Ms. Sanchez, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not close with Mr. Lucius, so I don’t have his contact information.” Luca kept her face impassive.“You’re lying!” Hera narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re so close to him. How could you not have it?”
As soon as Luca returned to her bedroom after dinner, she received a video call request from the kids.It had been a long time since she last saw them. When she saw the call request, she locked the door, put on her headphones, and immediately answered.“Ms. Luca!” As soon as the call connected, the faces of all three kids appeared on the phone screen.“Sweethearts!” Luca blew them a kiss.“Ms. Luca, we miss you so much!” Tommy was the first to express how much they missed Luca.Luca's heart stirred with waves of longing when she heard them. She had been so busy recently, hoping to finish everything here quickly so that she and Luke could reunite with the kids. That was why she had not contacted them much.Plus, with Old Master Crawford taking care of them, she felt at ease.Now that Luca saw the faces of the three kids, her longing for them instantly surged and overwhelmed her.Her eyes reddened. “I miss you all so much too.”Rainie, always the thoughtful one, noticed her em
The men in the room were wincing in pain, but when they heard Gerald’s words, they were so furious they almost wanted to lash out at him. However, all their strength had been sapped by the excruciating pain, so they could only groan helplessly.As Shanks made his way upstairs, he paused halfway up the staircase and asked, “Is Luca cooking?”Gerald glanced at the kitchen and replied, “Yes, Mr. Shanks. It’s their fault. Ms. Craw was delayed in making dinner because of them.”Shanks' expression remained unchanged as he simply said, “Let me know when it's ready.”“Yes,” answered Gerald.After Shanks went upstairs, Gerald hesitated for a moment but decided to help the men to their feet, placing them one by one on the couch or chairs. As they slouched, groaning in pain, Gerald shook his head. “Do you guys now understand what happens when you mess with the wrong woman, especially Ms. Craw?”One of the men winced and asked, “Why did she have to be so brutal when throwing down?”“She
Lucius was different.He did not care about getting close to anyone, whether man or woman. Even when Hera’s attempts to seduce him were blatantly obvious, he still remained unmoved and even showed signs of rejection.Gerald could not help but marvel at Luca’s sharp observations and incisive remarks. He could not help but clap his hands lightly, genuinely impressed.“Lucius truly is exceptional,” said Gerald.Luca came downstairs.When she took the last step off the stairs, the men in the living room immediately fell silent.They held their breath as they watched the woman in front of them. Her hair was straight, not like their boss' companion.The men's gazes grew intense.Luca’s expression darkened.Gerald stood beside her and said, “See, I told you—you’re like a piece of meat dropped into a pack of wolves. Be careful.”One of the men heard Gerald and asked unhappily, “Hey, kid, what are you saying? What wolves? We’re gentlemen. We’d never dream of doing anything inappropr
When Gerald heard this, his face fell. “Huh? Ms. Craw, you're not cooking anymore?”Luca said nothing. Luke had already left with the others. She turned her gaze back before walking inside.Gerald realized that Luca had only been cooking breakfast because of Lucius. The thought puzzled him. Had they taken a liking to each other from the very start? That did not seem right.In this fast-paced modern world, even if they had, using something as old-fashioned as cooking to win someone over did not add up.Still, the timing was too coincidental to ignore. Luca started cooking for everyone when Lucius arrived, and she stopped as soon as he left. That realization gave Gerald an eerie feeling.Thinking they might have known each other back on the island, it all suddenly made sense. Of course! They must have met before. How else could this all line up so perfectly?With that thought, Gerald quickly caught up with Luca. “Ms. Craw, my cooking is terrible. Why don’t you keep doing it?”
Kassy’s eye donor was Hera, the one Abel had brought over.Even though Hera’s eyes resembled Kassy’s, they did not meet the criteria for a transplant. However, Hera’s blood type matched Kassy’s exactly.Hence, Abel decided to use Hera’s eyes. His belief was that her eyes were specifically meant for Kassy.Shanks knew he would not be able to change Abel’s mind, so he did not try. Abel’s stubbornness was something even Kassy herself could not sway.Luca remained silent for a while, not saying anything further. She understood that using a cadaver was the best option as it would not harm anyone.However, the eyes Abel wanted for Kassy were not from a cadaver. He intended to take them from Hera.Luca certainly would not participate in such a surgery. It was too cruel.“What are you thinking?” Shanks suddenly asked.Luca shook her head. “I’m just thinking about the volunteer’s situation.”“You’re wondering if this solution will be marketed, aren’t you?” Shanks suddenly asked.L
“I’m still a bit worried. Let me take a look in your room and change the dressing while I’m at it.” Luca knew Luke would not want her to worry. Therefore, she needed to see for herself that everything was fine before she could feel at ease.“Alright.” Luke knew she was worried about him, so the two of them headed into the room.He took off his shirt, revealing the bandage wrapped around his torso.Luca could not help but chuckle at the sight. The wrapping was done by Gerald, and it was hilariously sloppy. It was haphazardly bound—overly tight in some places and entirely uneven. It looked like it was just meant to cover the wounds, with no thought for neatness.“Stop laughing.” Luke was clearly rendered speechless by Gerald’s lackluster bandaging skills as well.If it were not for the fact that it was difficult to bandage himself, he would never have let Gerald do it.“With it wrapped like this, how are you supposed to sleep at night?” Luca asked as she began unwrapping the ba