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
Luca sat on the sofa and felt as though the air around her solidified slightly.Luke was lying there, unable to do anything. Furthermore, his chest was bare. If someone came in at that moment and did not see the needles on his acupuncture points, they might misunderstand.Luca wanted to find something to do to distract herself but she did not have her phone with her.Her gaze fell on the bookshelf on the side. It was not a bad idea to spend half an hour reading a book.Luca pointed to the bookshelf and asked, "Mr. Crawford, can I read the books on the shelf?""Go for it," Luke said. There were various types of books on the shelf. They were not for display as he had read them all.Luca stood up and picked an architectural design book on the shelf. When she was sitting down, she heard him ask, "You’re interested in architectural design?"She was startled. If there were a pile of books up for choosing, her first choice would be books related to architecture.After all, her previou
Previously, Tia said that she treated the fake Bianca with hypnosis, but since Luke found out about the truth, he thought that things were not that simple. Perhaps Tia could be an entry point for investigating the Island of Despair.Otherwise, how could everything be so coincidental?Luke believed that the fake Bianca faked her madness. Otherwise, there was no good explanation as to why she appeared out of the blue and did not remember anything from the past.As long as she acted crazy enough, no one would ask her about the past.After Tia appeared, she used hypnosis to soothe her emotions. Around the same time, the fake Bianca happened to lose all memories of the past.Luke was skeptical and thought that someone had conceived a well-laid-out plan and was plotting against him.Since the fake Bianca was planted there by someone from the Island of Despair, Tia could be involved as well...Luke sat in the executive chair, squinting his eyes while he thought about it all.Jason tho
"Recently, a French restaurant opened near the International Center. I heard great things about it. Why don't we go and try the food tonight?" Luke said. Although he was inviting Tia, he still had no expression on his face.Tia immediately became excited when she heard his invitation.In the past three years, she had frequently appeared in front of Luke because she liked him.Tia has always felt that only she could be worthy of a good man like Luke. This time, he had finally asked her out alone. Although she thought that women should be reserved, at that moment, she threw that notion out of the window. Maybe Bianca going abroad to study was a good thing.‘Look, as soon as she’s gone, Luke noticed me and even asked me out. This is the moment many women dream of!’"Sounds good." Tia nodded. She had a wide smile on her face. She was unable to hide the joy in her heart.Luke glanced at the time. It was almost time to get off work, and he said, "I still have some work to attend to. Wh
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
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