Luke had a gut feeling that the incidents in A City and New York were not as simple as they seemed.When they were in the New York branch, the employees there were not able to do much other than upgrade and repair the company's system because they had no way to track the other party's IP address.This time, he assumed that they could not track the hacker as well. Luke picked up his phone and called Percy Mallory.After the phone rang five times, he heard Percy's lazy voice. It was obvious that he was still half-asleep. "Why are you calling so late?"Luke did not feel sorry for waking him up and asked, "Did you recently get to know someone well-versed with computers?"Percy held his forehead and glanced at the woman resting on his right. She had taken some sleeping pills, so the vibrations from his phone earlier did not seem to have disturbed her.He carefully pulled out his hand, got up, and walked to the balcony. "He works in our company now. What's the matter?""My company's
There was no reason other than making sure that Nina ate her meals. He had noticed that she would barely eat her breakfast after he left the house. The maid breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Nina continue eating. "Miss, Sir really cares for you. He saw that you're losing weight, and he asked your mother for the recipes of your favorite dishes. Please eat more. You need to put on some weight." Nina chuckled dryly when she heard that. If Percy truly loved her, why would he want to control every aspect of her life? Percy could not give her what she wanted. She could not feel Percy's love when that was the life he gave her. After Nina ate the two sandwiches, she stood up and said, "I'm done." The maid nodded and said, "Will you be coming home for dinner tonight, Miss? Sir asked me to make pork chops for you tonight. He said that it's your favorite." Nina paused. 'Pork chops…' Indeed, her favorite dish used to be the pork chops that her mother made for her. Come to thin
Jean remained seated there with his legs crossed. He had no intention of standing up. He raised his eyebrows in the face of Nina's fury. "What's the matter with you? I'm only telling you the hard facts. The salary you get from that company is less than what you get from Mr. Mallory in one night. You've been doing this for three years. Why are you still acting like you're offended?" Nina was trembling with rage. If she had a knife in her hands now, she would not hesitate to plunge it into his heart. There was no familial love to speak of. If she had not realized that by now, she would have lived her life in vain. Jean remained nonchalant even though Nina was furious. "Don't be angry. Everyone in A City now knows that you're Percy's mistress. It might not be a glamorous thing, but no one can deny your ability to stay by his side for so long. Listen to my advice and quit that stupid company. The company belongs to that b*tch Bianca, right? Have you forgotten what she did to me? It's
"Where are you now?" The tone on the other end of the call was not friendly. Nina was nervous when she heard that. The other person was Percy's mother and the matriarch of the Mallory family. It was not the first time that she had called Nina on the phone, but there must be a reason why she was calling Nina today. "I'm on my way to work, Mrs. Mallory. Is there anything?" Nina answered as she opened the car door. "That's 'Madam' for you, Nina. I want to talk to you about something. When are you free?" Nina smirked self-deprecatingly. Should she feel honored that Mrs. Mallory wanted to meet her at her convenience? That was such a respectful gesture! Nina knew very well why Mrs. Mallory wanted to meet her. "How about noon today? I have some free time during lunch. Mrs. Mallory replied, "Alright, noon it is. We'll meet at the restaurant under your office." "Yes, Madam." After Nina gave her reply, the other party ended the call. She chuckled dryly as she listened to the busy
"Gale and Rain are back in A City, and they're interrogating the impostor. We should find out the truth behind her disguise soon," Luke said. Percy nodded. To think that the woman by Luke's side for the past three years was an impostor, and the whereabouts of the real Bianca Rayne was still unknown! "Now that we know that the Island of Despair isn't wiped out, we shouldn't wait for them to attack. We've collaborated with the Russian government to wipe them out, and I'm sure that they're waiting to take their revenge on us. We should make arrangements to search for their base of operations now. We can't let them have the advantage over us." Luke nodded. The Mallory family was also involved in the previous attack on the Island of Despair. If the new leader of the Island of Despair wanted to take revenge on those who had wronged him, the Mallory family would definitely be implicated too. Luke knew that they had to cooperate to fight against them. "I'll make arrangements on my side. In
Nina looked at her forearm and began to smile. It was red and hurt a lot, but she did not cry. The pain on her arm was nothing compared to the agony and depression that she had stored in her heart for the past few years. In fact, it made her feel alive. The waitress opened the door to the private room and noticed that Nina was still sitting there. She asked, "Excuse me, Miss, may I take your order?" Nina did not stand up. She spoke to the waitress without turning around. "Yes. Please give me the lunch set." "Alright, coming right up," the waitress replied and closed the door. The noble woman had left earlier and paid the bill. She thought that the other woman would leave too, but instead, the woman ordered something to eat. Nina remained motionless while sitting on the chair. When the waitress came into the room again with her food, she pointed at the mess on the floor. "I accidentally dropped this earlier. Please clean it up. If the cup is broken, add it to my bill, and I'll
Luca was happy that Sue was so hospitable toward her. She took out the ointment from her handbag and asked, "Who's the one who needs medical attention?" "She's a friend of mine. She's sitting inside," Sue said. They went into the living room and saw Nina sitting on the couch. "This is Nina Langdon, my friend and my colleague at work. Nina, this is Dr. Luca Craw." Luca looked at Nina and, for a moment, did not know how to react. She had checked on Nina's condition ever since she returned. At first, she was relieved to find out that Nina was still together with Percy. After all, Percy could protect her. Now that she looked carefully at Nina, she could tell that Nina was not happy. Nina had lost a lot of weight, and she was nothing more than skin and bones. Tears welled up in Luca's eyes as she looked at Nina. "Nice to meet you, Dr. Craw." Nina smiled weakly when she looked at the unfamiliar face. Earlier, Sue had told her briefly about Luca, and she could tell that Sue admire
Percy did not seem satisfied with Nina's answer. "You didn't tell me that." "I forgot," Nina said impatiently. She did not forget, but she did not want to report everything to him. That made her look as though she were his pet. She was human, not Percy Mallory's pet. Percy spoke nothing for the next three seconds. He thought that she was behaving erratically because she had something on her mind, so he said, "Alright, it's good to hear that you're eating your meals. I'll be back late because I have some work to do. Remember to go to bed early. If you can't sleep, take your sleeping pills." Nina was not sure how to feel after hearing his words of concern. "Mm," she replied and ended the call. Luca watched Nina take off her Bluetooth headset. She asked, "Was that your boyfriend?" 'Boyfriend?' Nina was taken aback, then she chuckled self-deprecatingly. Many people thought that Percy was her boyfriend, but he was actually not. What bound them together was a shameful transaction
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