Luke picked up the piece of paper with the course meal written on it and glanced at it. He handed it to the manager without making any changes to it. “We’ll pick these for the banquet.”Luca was startled. Had he made his decision? Was Luke not going to consider it again?The manager did not expect Luke to make his decision so quickly. He confirmed with him after glancing at the piece of paper. "Mr. Crawford, are you sure you want this course meal and there are no further changes?"“Yes.” Luke ordered, “Leave the dishes we selected her and take the others away.” The manager replied to him and hurriedly asked the waiters to take the other dishes away.After three minutes, only the dishes that Luca picked were left on the table. This was the first time the manager saw someone picking the dishes so quickly. He said happily, “Enjoy your dinner.”He left the private room with the other waiters.Luca and Luke were left alone in the private room. Luca stopped and looked at the man
If she were some other woman who got kidnapped and was threatened with a knife, she would have been so frightened till she started begging for mercy or she would just pass out. However, Luca was unusually calm. She did not cry or ask for forgiveness even when someone was holding a knife in her face, which was covered by a gunny bag.She was different from the others.The man who held the knife was slightly surprised. He sneered and kept the knife away.Luca could sense that the knife was kept away. She said, "I can't breathe with the gunny bag over my head."“Cut the nonsense. Believe it or not, my brother and I will kill you right now!” Another man was feeling uneasy because of her unusually calm demeanor. He was trying to frighten Luca with his loud voice."I know both of you don't want me to see you, that's why you covered my head with a gunny bag. I’m guessing you're also wearing masks right now. How are you going to explain to the mastermind behind you if I run out of brea
The three of them sat on the rug while staring at Luke. They did not say a word.“I took Tommy’s hair for a DNA test.” Luke nodded and admitted that he took the child’s hair for a DNA test.The three of them suddenly got excited. Lanie asked, “Daddy, did you find out where Mommy was?” “Yes.” Luke’s gaze fell upon the three of them as he looked at their faces one by one. Be it Lanie, Rainie, or Tommy, Bianca had spent a period of time away from their lives. Lanie and Rainie were still fine with it. He raised them all by himself since they were young. Hence, they were only upset after Bianca was kidnapped. It was not hard for them to get used to it.However, Tommy was raised with Bianca around him. He cried so much and it took a lot of time for him to get used to her absence.Luke spent so much time keeping him company to cheer him up.“Is Mommy back?” Tommy looked at him with a look of disbelief. “Your Mommy has always been around you. It’s just that her looks have changed,
Tommy got even more depressed when she did not pick up the call. It was nothing like last time. There was not even a loading page this time. He sent Luca an audio message. “Ms. Luca, are you busy? I miss you. Please send me a message after you’re done with your matters.”Tommy put down the tablet after the message showed that it was successfully sent. He walked out of the bedroom looking depressed. The excitement when he knew Luca was his mother a few minutes ago had disappeared all of a sudden after she rejected his video call request.Mr. Griffin saw Tommy and came to him. He asked with concern, “Young Master Tommy, what happened? Did someone bully you?”Tommy lifted his head and looked at the butler, complaining, “Mr. Griffin, Ms. Luca isn’t picking up my calls!”“Ms. Luca?” Mr. Griffin was wondering who Ms. Luca was. Was it Dr. Craw?“Yes. I sent her a video call request just now. She didn’t pick it up. Sob, sob, sob. Does that mean she doesn’t like me anymore?” Tommy rubb
Luca was secretly upset when she heard what he said.She thought she might have a chance to escape once her legs were untied, but although she was able to walk freely now, she could not get out of here.The blindfold was taken off as well. Luca looked at her legs. Indeed, there were two big iron balls chained to her feet. She was always cuffed with two big iron balls when she underwent physical training on the Island of Despair back then. Hence, such weight was nothing to her. However, her hands were tied up. There was little chance for her to escape. Luca did not look around. She stared directly at the three masked men in front of her. She knew they would not simply touch her after listening to their conversation. She was still safe for now.She had been behaving herself to let their guard down.Indeed, the three men left the room when she did not say anything or struggle.They kept a light on for her even though they had left the room.Luca looked around the room and notice
Nina did not stop worrying even as she watched Pierre leave. She leaned beside the car door helplessly, watching the man’s back. Although she could not see his face, it seemed like she was still able to imagine how ruthless his expression was at this moment.This was insane…Nina felt uneasy. As she recalled the vivid images in her head of him threatening her, he must have done something.Still, what had he done?A worried expression appeared on Nina’s face when she thought of his treacherous means. She was not afraid if Pierre were to do something to her. However, she was afraid that Pierre would hurt the people around her. It was because he was a vindictive man…Nina suddenly thought of Luca. The only person around her who had offended Pierre before was Luca…She would be the one to suffer if Pierre wanted to do anything…Nina took her phone out of her bag at the thought of this. She dialed Luca's phone number, planning to tell her to watch out for herself.When she called
That was the only way left. Luca closed her eyes and lay down on the bed as she listened to the footsteps of the two men leaving. She did not see how many ropes he carried in his hands. However, she knew there were at least six ropes tied around her hands just from looking at the man’s gestures earlier.It had become even more difficult for her to break free now.Luca thought she would not be able to save herself anymore. It was too difficult for her, and she did not have much energy left. She could only rest up and wait for another chance.The next day.Jason realized Luca did not check in at her new office. Thus, he went downstairs to look for her. It was then he found out that Luca was not in the office downstairs either.She did not come to the office at all.Jason knew she was not someone who would not skip work without giving notice. Hence, he called her and noticed that he could not get through to her phone. He immediately informed Luke about this. Luke frowned and k
The policeman heard him repeating the same words. When he was about to explain to him what the conditions were to classify someone as having gone missing, the other policeman grabbed his arm.“Mr. Crawford, please give us the information about the missing lady. We’ll try our best to look for her.”Luke picked up his phone and called Jason.He answered the phone call after two beeps. Luke then ordered the person on the other end of the call, "Send Luca's details to my phone.""Yes," Jason replied immediately. He was able to sense how nervous Luke was just by listening to his voice. Luke received the message with Luca's details after a minute. He handed his phone to the policeman. "She left after having dinner with me last night. She didn't go home. Please help find out where she is as soon as possible.""Yes." The policeman noted down Luca's details on his phone and left.The policeman who was grabbed by the arm looked at his colleague and asked with confusion, “We can’t take th
“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
“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.