"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
Luca watched him lying there. Although he was suffering from gastric, he still maintained a calm expression. It was not obvious that he was in pain.She suddenly stood up and asked him, "Mr. Crawford, is there milk in the pantry?""I don't know," Luke said. He did not touch any drinks except for coffee.Luca remembered that Tina was responsible for replenishing the drinks in the pantry. Although Luke did not drink them, many guests came to visit. They might not all drink coffee, so there were always a variety of drinks prepared for the guests.She said, "I'll go check it out."Luke did not make a sound. Luca walked out of the office and toward the pantry.When she walked into the pantry, she happened to bump into Tina, who was putting milk in the refrigerator. She asked, "Hello, is this milk?"Tina turned her head to look at her, nodded, and handed her the milk in her hand. "Would you like some?""Yes, thank you." Luca took the milk and looked for a cup for Luke from the steril
"Yes." After Luke sat up, he stood up.Jason wanted to step forward to help him but Luke glared at him. "I'm not disabled yet."Jason immediately let go and stood there. He knew that Luke was in so much pain that even his brows were tightly knitted together, but after Luca arrived at the office, the expression on his face returned to normal.Jason stroked his chin and wondered. ‘Would he rather suffer in silence to save his dignity?’Luke stood up and walked to the lounge.Luca brought the dry needling tools and followed behind him.Jason was going to follow along but received a call from Tina. He had no choice but to say, "Boss, I’ll answer the call first.""No need to follow me in," Luke said as he walked into the lounge.Luca followed him in.Jason watched as the two of them walked into the lounge. He could not help but wonder. ‘Doesn’t he suspect that Luca is from the Island of Despair? Isn’t he worried that she’ll hurt him if I’m not around?’He thought about it for a wh
Hera let out a cold sneer, feeling that Gerald's apology was not sincere.Hera did not want to press the issue at the moment. She gave him a sharp look. “Come with me.”Gerald knew that Hera was up to something again. If it were a normal order, she would have just said it in the living room. Whenever she called him aside, it meant whatever she had to say could not be overheard by others.Reluctantly, Gerald followed her out.It was midday, and as soon as Hera stepped out of the living room, a wave of heat hit her face.The intense warmth made her feel uncomfortable.Hera got straight to the point, turning to Gerald. “What did Luca say to you just now?”“She just asked me to help keep an eye on the volunteer,” Gerald answered honestly. This was not something that needed to be kept secret.Hera frowned. “Is she going out”Gerald hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to say anything.“I’m talking to you, not the wall. Are you mute?” Hera threatened. “If you lie to me, I’ll te
Gordan was puzzled. At most, it was just brotherly camaraderie. After all, they had been through thick and thin together. Their bond might be stronger than usual, but falling in love? That was a bit of a stretch.Luke said, “The way you acted just now, doesn't really seem 'straight' to me. Also, if you're into women, maybe you should consider finding one. Otherwise, if you're always single, people might start misinterpreting your feelings for me.”“Luke, actually, you're not bad at all. In fact, you're probably better than a lot of women,” Gordan replied with a sly grin.As a man himself, he honestly thought Luke was a great guy. If he were a woman, he would be utterly captivated by him.“Shut up!” Luke knew he was joking, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. He seriously worried that Gordan might do something inappropriate when he turned his back on him.Shivering from the thought, Luke put down his glass and headed upstairs.Gordan let out a deep sigh.The night w
“Anyway, I'm saying it here—I'm not going to Russia because of that ugly woman, Vivian. If I go to Russia, it's for you. I've already divorced her. Besides, I’m already trying to avoid her, how could I possibly go to Russia for her?” Gordan took a sip of red wine, then continued his rant. “And, Ray is still in Russia. I really can't go. His men are all brutal, and I've had enough of being beaten all these years.”“Then why did you buy an apartment in Vivian's neighborhood?” Luke continued to tease him. His sharp eyes glinted with intelligence.Gordan denied it, but whether he believed it or not was his own business.“It was just a coincidence!” Gordan raised his voice, trying to convince Luke.Or maybe himself.“Coincidence?” Luke sipped his wine, every gesture as graceful as a nobleman.“Of course, it’s a coincidence, Brother Luke. You wouldn’t know, but that apartment is in a school district, surrounded by college towns. There are a ton of hotties there, I picked the place just
As Luca listened to his tone that was full of regret, she felt a slight pang in her heart. She recalled when she had a child and continued pursuing her education. If she had given up on herself back then, perhaps she and Luke would not find themselves here today.Luca felt she was much more fortunate than the volunteer. Even though she loved her father, she also understood the importance of education and did not let her father’s illness cause her to give up. She was also fortunate to have a father who supported her education.At the thought of this, Luca could not help but ask, “Do you regret it?”“No, I don’t regret it,” the volunteer smiled. “Actually, I always look at it in a positive light. Back then, several boys in my class liked her. If I hadn’t confessed, she might have become someone else’s girlfriend. If there’s anything I regret over the years, it’s that I was too selfish and it affected her studies.“I never thought that being in a relationship at a young age would
As Luca thought about it, she heard the volunteer exclaim, “With a wife like you, your husband must be so lucky and blessed.”Luca shook her head. To her, being cherished by Luke was a real blessing.“You’ve got it wrong. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”Luca had often wondered what her life would have been like without Luke.Perhaps she would have married Jean, only to watch his true nature slowly reveal itself. She would have struggled, eventually unable to endure it, and maybe even ended up divorced.It could be something worse. She might have been taken advantage of, lost all hope, and spiraled downward...Anything was possible.However, Luca knew that no matter what happened, life would not be as good as it was now without Luke.Though she remained under someone else’s control, and life on the Island of Despair was fraught with hardship, with Luke by her side, she felt an unshakable courage.A light laugh from the volunteer interrupted her thoughts.Luca
The volunteer did not mind. As long as it meant he could recover, he was willing to endure any pain. “It's okay. I can handle it.”Luca nodded.The door to the vehicle opened, and a man stepped inside. Due to the lack of sterilization, he did not dare approach the inner part of the vehicle. Instead, he placed several bottles of saline on the outside.“This is the saline that Mr. Shanks prepared. He asked you to inject it when you can,” the man relayed Shanks' message.“Got it.” Luca reached out to take the bottles. After thoroughly disinfecting them, she brought them inside.It was more complicated than being in a hospital.Since the volunteer's body was still weak. They had to maintain as sterile an environment as possible.However, it still fell short of the ICU's standard.Luca stayed with the volunteer until evening. Gerald stood outside the medical vehicle and called, “Ms. Craw, it's time for dinner.”Luca took off her protective gear and stepped outside.“Ms. Craw, di
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect you in the slightest,” said Abel.The villa was bought under Shanks’ name.So while it appeared to be the Island of Despair’s property, it was, in fact, Shanks’ personal asset.Abel shot a glance at his subordinates, who stood beside him. Without hesitation, they grabbed the doctor and hauled him away.As Hera watched the scene unfold, she felt a sudden pang of unease. She was well aware of Abel's methods. Punishment was never off the table. However, seeing the way things were unfolding, Hera could not shake the feeling that Abel might actually take the doctor’s life.Still, they were in A City, a country with strict laws. Would Abel really go that far?As Abel turned to leave, Hera said almost nervously, “Darling…”“I have some matters to take care of. Be good and stay here. Don’t wander around, okay?” Abel’s mood was apparently lifted by the successful surgery. His voice was unexpectedly gentle.Hera’s unease only deepened. She grabbed the slee
All three of them stepped out of the vehicle.Hera realized that the surgery might already be over and could not wait to hear the results.Abel, equally eager, immediately asked as soon as he saw them, “Is the surgery finished?”“Yes, the surgery was successful. The transplant was completed, and all the nerves we could connect have been repaired. Now, it’s up to the follow-up treatment,” answered Shanks.The doctor who had been kicked out earlier stared in disbelief.They actually succeeded in the transplant? How was that even possible?“Great, fantastic!” Abel let out a sigh of relief before bursting into laughter.What had seemed impossible in modern medicine had achieved a different outcome in Shanks’ hands.Unlike others who might celebrate the medical breakthrough, Abel’s joy came from a more personal place—Kassy would soon return to his side. His delight was unmistakable.“T-This can’t be!” muttered the dismissed doctor, who was still in shock. “A surgery this revoluti
After returning to her room, Luca told Luke about the surgery that day.She explained that she had not been able to participate in the operation and was uncertain if Abel would prevent her from being involved in the future. If she was not allowed to take part, she might lose her excuse to stay here. Also, she would not be able to help with what was to come.Luke replied to her message quickly, assuring her that everything was already planned out and she did not need to worry.Luca frowned slightly as she read his message. She wanted to ask about his plan but hesitated for a moment and decided against it. Knowing too much about Luke's men might backfire.Luca deleted their chat history but soon received another message from him.He told her that T Corporation had successfully won the bid and that he had already found someone to replace Lucius’ role.Luca let out a sigh of relief. Finding a replacement for Lucius meant that he was out of danger for now. The worry that had been we