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
Jason remained smiling. "It's nothing more than a dinner between friends." "And I nearly fell for it." Nina stopped walking. "Your boss must be planning something, isn't he?" "How would I know what Mr. Crawford is doing?" Jason did not confirm it or deny it. He tried to shift the topic. From Jason's response, Nina was even more sure that Luke was planning something. Otherwise, the scandal would not have broken out so abruptly. After all, if he were really interested in Tia, he would have made his move a long time ago. Nina was present during several of Tia's consultation sessions with Bianca. Luke was there too. That woman could not keep her eyes away from Luke. If Tia said she had no feelings for Luke, Nina would not believe it. When they were about to reach the CEO's office, Nina asked again, "Ms. Tia must be in Mr. Crawford's office now, right? Are you sure that it's okay for us to barge in?" "Mr. Crawford said that it's okay," Jason said with a smile. When Nina he
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