While Luca prepared the dining table, she noticed that Luke was checking Tommy's homework. Instinctively, she took care not to make too much excessive noise. Tommy was sprawled on Luke's back, looking at his father going through his homework. Luke found a small mistake on the last page, and he got Tommy to correct it. After Tommy did so, he signed on the last page of the workbook. He looked up and noticed Luca was looking at them. He wondered if she had been watching them. The gaze in her eyes was gentle and elegant. Luca felt the atmosphere become tense when their gazes met. She quickly turned away, placed the dishes on the dining table, cleared her throat, and said, "Dinner is ready." "You're the best, Ms. Luca! I'm so hungry!" Tommy cheered and clapped his hands excitedly. He stood up and went to wash his hands. Luca watched the boy enter the bathroom, then turned to look at Luke. Luke was still looking at her. "Mr. Crawford, would you like to have some soup before d
Luca did not have any children, but she prepared those cupcake boxes… It was as though she was doing that for Rainie. Luke did not voice his thoughts. Looking at the clock, he stood up. Before he said anything, Luca picked up Tommy's backpack. "Ms. Luca?" Tommy did not understand what Luca was doing. At the same time, Luke also looked at her. Luca felt a little awkward being stared at like that. She handed the backpack to Luke and cleared her throat. "It's getting late, Mr. Crawford. Tommy needs to go home." "But I want to watch the cartoon before I go, Ms. Luca," Tommy said as he looked at the clock on the wall. It was only eight o'clock, which was one hour earlier than the usual time. Luca thought for a while and said, "The cupcakes won't be as nice if you eat them later." Tommy thought that it made sense. He knew that Lanie and Rainie wanted to taste Luca's cooking again, but only he had the chance to do so. He nodded, took the backpack, and waved his hand reluctantl
"Great-Grandpa! I'm back!" Tommy greeted the old man first and skipped up next to him. Old Master Crawford smiled at his great-grandson. He was not happy that Luke had arranged for Tommy to go to Luca's house to have dinner every night. After all, they had a competent cook at home, and he did not understand why Tommy needed to have dinner at an unrelated woman's house. Moreover, that woman used to be Luke's rumored mistress… He was impressed with Luca's work capabilities, but he was not happy with Luke's arrangement. It felt as though Luke was trying to get close to her. Old Master Crawford looked at the grin on Tommy's face. Every time Tommy came back from Luca's house, he would always be so happy. Other people might even think that Luca was Tommy's mother. "How was dinner today?" Even though Old Master Crawford was not happy about the situation, he cared for Tommy's well-being. Tommy grinned and nodded. "Ms. Luca cooked so many amazing dishes today. I'm so full!" "M
Old Master Crawford nodded, satisfied with how Luke handled the matter. He knew that Luke was loyal to the real Bianca. Now that Luke found out that the woman was an impostor, he would be looking for the real Bianca once more. It would be very difficult to succeed in that task, now that three years had passed. Moreover, no one knew where the base of operations of the Island of Despair was. That added to the difficulty of the task. "Luke, there are some things that I believe you know without me spelling it out. If you can't Bianca anymore, I hope that you can find your happiness elsewhere. Some things just can't be forced. Do you understand what I mean?" Old Master Crawford said. Naturally, Luke understood. "I won't give up on finding Bea, Grandfather." Old Master Crawford sighed. He did not know why his grandson was so loyal and determined. If only Luke's father were also like that. That would have prevented a lot of family drama. Even though Allison was already put in
Tommy understood what Luke meant when he said that she was not their mother. Tears welled up in his eyes as he jumped out of bed and walked to Luke's side. He held Luke’s hand and asked, "Daddy, that's not our Mommy. Is Mommy in the hands of the bad guys?""Perhaps." Luke did not provide him with 100 percent certainty.He would give his all to look for Bianca. However, he could not promise the kids whether he could find her and how long it would take."Daddy, I’m sure you’ll find Mommy." Tommy held Luke’s hand tightly with his tiny hands as though he was comforting Luke."Do you miss her?" Luke tried his best to hold back the tears in the corners of his eyes when he saw how sensible Tommy was being. He knew that Tommy did not want him to worry.Tommy was the youngest in the family. He loved to fool around but when he showed his sensible side, he was no different from Lanie and Rainie."Yes, I miss her but Mommy has been gone for so many years. Tommy knows better than to make you
Luca’s expression turned dull for two seconds when she heard their reply.She did not expect that they would also be going on the employee trip…"In that case, when is it?" Luca asked. She was not too keen on going when she thought of how she had to travel with all the other employees.It was not because of Luke. She simply did not want to join in the excitement. Jason would rarely make an appearance in company events as such, let alone Luke.It was usually led by managers of other departments."It hasn't been decided yet. I heard that they’ll decide on the location first, and then the time,” a researcher said.Luca nodded, walked to her seat, and sat down. Since they were so interested in the employee trip, she was happy to let them discuss it. She started with her research.Zoey walked in with a cup of coffee and saw several researchers gathered together. After she heard about what they were discussing, she smiled and did not say anything.She placed the coffee on Luca's seat
Rhett replied, "I plan to pick a random restaurant and go for a set meal. Do you have any recommendations?""I know a restaurant nearby that serves great food. Shall we?" Zoey invited him for lunch.Rhett nodded and agreed to her invitation.The two arrived at a nearby restaurant. While eating, Zoey kept asking Rhett about Luca, covering her hobbies and everything else in between.Rhett did not think too much of it. He thought that she was just curious about the preferences of his boss to ease her work in the future, so he told her everything he knew.Zoey made mental notes.On the other side, Luca went back to her office and sat on the chair. She was able to remain calm even when she knew that there was a camera behind her. Sleepiness struck her. She stretched and sat on the sofa.She picked up the phone, set an alarm so that she would not oversleep, and then lay down with her head facing the camera.Luca knew that Luke installed the security camera to see if she acted abnorma
After he exited the call, Luke subconsciously opened the window that displayed the surveillance footage.Luca was no longer in her office. It was likely that she was off doing research.There was nothing to look at in the empty office. Luke turned off the surveillance and picked up the cold take-out box on the side. After he took a few bites, he stopped eating.The delicious lunch was no longer so after it had cooled. He was always picky about food so he did not continue eating it.Luke threw the take-out box into the trash can, took a sip of the cold coffee, and continued to work.After half an hour.Jason appeared at the door of the laboratory. Instead of walking in, he stood there and said to the people inside, "Hello, can you please call for Dr. Craw?"One of the researchers heard him and said to Rhett, "Mr. Link, Mr. Doyle is looking for Dr. Craw."Rhett looked up from the microscope, saw Jason at the door, and immediately stood up. "Dr. Craw is in the cultivation room. Mr
“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