Luke's eyelids drooped when he heard that. Luca looked at the eagerness on the child's face. The impostor Bianca was already dead, and Luke would probably never find the real Bianca… On Tommy's next birthday, the woman who would blow out Tommy's candles with Tommy would be Tia… Luca felt uneasy as she held the child's hand in her hand. The more she thought about Tia, the more awkward she felt standing next to Tommy and Luke. She could understand why Luke would be deceived by the impostor Bianca. After all, he did not know that Bianca was an impostor. Now that the impostor Bianca was out of the picture, he was involved in a scandal with Tia. She thought that the man she loved had changed… However, the change was not entirely unexpected. The real Bianca had been missing for three years, so what right did she have to demand Luke to be loyal to her? Luca saw that Sue was cutting the cake. She let go of Tommy's hand and said, "I'll go and help her." Tommy nodded. Luca went
Sue shook her head and said, "Which of their plans would involve a psychologist?" Nina shook her head to show that she did not know. Percy was on an overseas business trip, and she did not know what was going on. Sue looked at Luca, who had been keeping silent. "Luca, aren't you working at the T Corporation building? Have you heard any stories?" "If Mr. Crawford and Mr. Doyle were really planning something, they would have done so in secret. I'm only a researcher, so what could I possibly know? I hear many other employees gossiping about the news, and that's about it," Luca said with a smile. She ate the last bite of the cake and felt full. She did not want to hear her friends talk about the issue. The taste of the cake seemed to have changed, and the cream clung to her throat and made it hard to breathe. Luca was uneasy for the rest of the party. Until the party ended, Luke and Jason remained upstairs discussing something. The other parents came and brought their childre
Luca looked at the LCD screen. Indeed, Anna's name was on the screen, and she was undergoing an examination. Jean stashed a stack of bills in Nina's hand and said, "Don't just stand there. Go pay up. I managed to convince the doctor to conduct the examination first." "Haven't you paid?" Nina's hand trembled in anger as she looked at bills in her hand. "I told you that I don't have money! That's enough talk. Go and pay up. Other than the charges for the examination, there's also the resuscitation fee," Jean said heartlessly. "I just gave Mom this month's living expenses. How can you not have money?" Nina was about to pass out from anger. It was her responsibility to take care of her parents, but she was not responsible for Jean. She had only given the month's living expenses to her mother when she visited her earlier. It was impossible that they did not have money! "Why are you asking so many questions? I said that we don't have money. You can't wait for Mom to die, right?"
Nina knew that she had no other choice. Jean would not give her their mother's handbag, and the nurse would not run the tests if she had to go home to bring the debit card. She could not tell if Anna's condition was critical, and she could not afford to take the risk. She nodded and said, "Alright, I'll borrow some money from you. When I get home later, I'll transfer the money to your bank account." "Give me the bills. I'll go and pay," Luca said. Nina handed the bills to Luca, and Luca went to the payment counter. Nina turned to speak to the nurse, "My friend is paying the bills now, Miss. Can you schedule the tests for my mother?" The nurse thought that Nina seemed trustworthy. She nodded and said, "Alright. I'll bring your mother to the next test then." Jean watched Luca as she walked away. Instead of worrying about his mother, he smiled perversely and asked Nina, "Hey, Nina, is that chick your friend?" "I don't care if you want to flirt with other girls, Jean, but y
"We're here," Nina said hurriedly. The nurse came over while wheeling Anna's gurney. "We've completed all the tests on the patients, and we'll move her back to the emergency ward for now. The results will be ready in half an hour, and the doctor will discuss the treatment plan with you after that." "Alright." Nina walked over to the gurney and helped the nurse wheel Anna into the emergency ward. Luca walked next to Nina and held her handbag. Jean, on the other hand, followed behind them. His gaze turned perverse and sinister as he ogled Luca's body. He could tell that Luca was in a different league than Nina. Nina relied on Percy for money. Luca seemed independent. Otherwise, she would not have dressed so modestly. If he could get her to become his girlfriend, he would not have to worry about money for the rest of his life. Luca's fists slowly clenched up as she sensed the gaze behind her. However, she had to remain composed when she was with Nina. She was not the meek
Jean could only relent. He did not want to spend his own money, but Nina did not have any money with her either. Seeing that Jean had nothing else to say, she took Luca's hand and led her out of the ward. The two women went to the basement parking lot without saying a word. After they got into Nina's car, Nina broke the silence. "I'm sorry that you had to see that." "It's fine," Luca said as she fastened her seatbelt. "Every family has its own problems. I can understand that." Nina sighed as she stepped on the gas pedal. She said, "That brother of mine isn't anyone decent. I think he has his eye on you, so you ought to be careful. Let me know if he starts harassing you. I'll give him an earful." "He can't harass me," Luca said. She was not going to hold back. She thought that Nina had nothing to apologize for. After all, her brother was irredeemable… If she had not appeared at the hospital today, Jean would not have set his sights on her. "In any case, you'll have to
Usually, Nina would eventually relent. Now that Nina had thrown the documents and bills at her, Anna realized that Nina was not going to yield. Even though she was not willing to stay in a ward with other patients, she did not want to die either. She began to gulp mouthfuls of air and pretended that she was in agony. "Nina… you ingrate!" She said as she pointed a finger at Nina. Nina remained impassive as she looked at her mother. "It's either you stay in this ward, or you can leave the hospital!" She said insistently. Jean could hear the determination in her voice. He shoved her away and said, "Get lost! Do you want to see your mother die of anger?" Nina stumbled backward, though she managed to regain her footing. Jean took the opportunity to ring the bell at the front of the bed. The nurse quickly came in. "What's wrong?" She asked. "Get the doctor. My mom isn't feeling well!" Jean said. The nurse immediately stepped out of the ward and called for Anna's doctor. The
The next morning, when Luca prepared to go to work, she saw Nina's car parked in front of her apartment. She was sensitive with numbers, so she remembered Nina's license plate. She walked up to the car and knocked on the window. Nina rolled the window down. When she saw that it was Luca, she unlocked the car doors. "Good morning, Dr. Craw. I'm going to T Corporation to give my quarterly report, so I'm wondering if you want to hitch a ride." Luca did not reject the offer. She nodded, went to the other side of the car, and sat inside. After Luca fastened her seatbelt, Nina started the car and drove toward T Corporation. "Are you worried about something?" Luca asked. Nina brushed her hair and said awkwardly, "You noticed it?" "I can see that you were thinking about something. If I hadn't recognized your license plate, you probably wouldn't have realized that I left the apartment," Luca said. She knew that Nina was waiting for her, but Nina did not realize Luca was outside. T
“Yeah, something came up with my family, so they got delayed. They just brought me my meal,” answered the volunteer.Luca glanced at his food, which consisted of meat and vegetables. It was clear that his family treated him very well.“That’s quite a feast,” remarked Luca.“Heh, they know I need the nutrition, so they always give me this much. Ms. Craw, have you eaten yet?” the volunteer asked cheerfully. Now that his health was improving, his appetite had returned, and his mood was much better too.“I have. You should eat more. I just came in to check how much IV fluid is left. There’s still quite a bit, so I think it won't be done before the guys are done eating," replied Luca.The volunteer chuckled. “They eat fast. You guys are amazing, taking such good care of me. I haven’t suffered at all since being here.”“Your recovery is our biggest wish,” replied Luca.“Mm, I’ll definitely cooperate with the treatment,” replied the volunteer.“Alright, I’ll get back to work. Enjoy yo
Abel's hand paused for a moment before he continued stroking her eyelids.“What’s wrong?” His voice was eerily low, carrying a chilling edge.Hera could not see his expression, but just the sound of his voice was enough to send shivers down her spine.“Thank you.” Hera forced herself to smile, summoning what little courage she had.“No need for thanks. Just be good from now on.” Abel’s fingers continued their slow, deliberate caress. It was like he was handling a priceless treasure.Hera remained still, letting him touch her without protest. More than anything, she did not dare to speak. She was terrified that if she broke the moment and interrupted whatever was going through his mind, he would be displeased.At that moment, Luca brought the food to the table and asked, “Mr. Abel, Ms. Sanchez, lunch is ready. Would you prefer to eat here or in your room?”“I’ll go with whatever my baby wants.” Hera smiled sweetly, masking her fear behind a bright smile. For some reason, she ha
“I’m just making plans with a friend. No need to go into all that, right?” As Luca said, she lifted her gaze to meet Shanks.His eyes were as deep as the ocean, and in that split second of eye contact, she felt like she was being pulled in. She suddenly felt like she had just exposed herself.Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and said, “Mr. Shanks, I’ll head downstairs to make lunch.”Shanks did not call her out on it, nor did he press further. He simply returned to his experiment.Downstairs, Luca saw Abel sitting on the living room couch. Ignoring him was not an option.Luca greeted him politely, “Mr. Abel.”Abel took a slow drag from his cigar, his blue eyes scanning her from head to toe. He was deep in thought.He remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. His dark and brooding expression sent a chill down Luca’s spine. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked straight into the kitchen.Gerald was already inside.When he saw her, he mouthed, “You’re here?”Luc
If Shanks’ prescription could help Hera sleep earlier, that would not be a bad thing.“Then I need to be treat…” Hera paused for a moment, realizing she could not say the word treatment. That would imply she was sick, and she could not let people know that. Instead, she corrected herself and asked, “How long will I need to take this herbal medicine?”“You can stop when your test results are back to normal,” replied Luca as she picked up the medical waste and headed out of the room.Gerald followed closely behind and asked with curiosity, “Ms. Craw, how long is that?”“How long is a standard treatment cycle?” Luca asked in return.Gerald pondered for a moment. “Usually about a month?”“The average endocrine cycle for women is three months, so the minimum duration for proper regulation is three months,” explained Luca.Although Abel could take action at any time, there was no way Hera could endure three full months of treatment. However, until Abel made his move, she would have
Luca’s head was slightly tilted, her cheek burning with pain.Abel had not held back at all. The force of his slap was merciless. A numbness spread across her face at an alarming speed.From the next room, someone peeked out again and asked in a low voice, “You okay?”“I’m fine.” Luca’s expression remained calm. This kind of injury was nothing to her.Back on the Island of Despair, she had endured far worse during training. She survived, did she not?Without another word, Luca pushed open the lab door and stepped inside.The man watching shook his head. Her face was already that swollen, and she still said she was fine… What a tough woman. She took a slap that hard and brushed it off like it was nothing.Shanks lifted his head when he heard the door open. When he saw it was Luca and noticed how swollen the side of her face was, his brows furrowed.“Abel did this?”“Who else?” Luca let out a bitter laugh, only to wince as the movement tugged at the pain. She sucked in a sharp b
“No.” Shanks’ tone was cold and firm with no trace of hesitation.Abel still looked doubtful.Shanks added, “Would you like to see her medical report?”Abel was startled for a moment. How did Shanks know he had been thinking about that report?Now that Shanks brought it up, the idea lost its appeal.Abel shook his head. “Even if you showed it to me, I wouldn’t understand it. Shanks, Kassy’s life is in your hands. If you can give her a second chance, I’ll provide as much research funding as you need."Shanks remained silent. He could save Kassy. In fact, his research had always been for Kassy.However, he did not expect Abel to be so ruthless as to insist on using a living person as a donor for Kassy. That was something he could not accept.Kassy’s condition could be treated with organs from a brain-dead patient. Why destroy a perfectly healthy life?Shanks was not acting out of mercy. He simply refused to go against his medical ethics.He was not someone who had to save lives
“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