As soon as Eric heard that, he immediately praised Pierre, "That’s smart! When will this matter end?"Based on the industry standards, they had to complete everything before they could receive any money.Pierre glared at him. "If Luke cares about this woman, he’ll act soon. Why are you in such a hurry?"Eric was speechless when he heard that Luke Crawford was involved.He was not afraid because Luke was involved. There were not many people who could get Luke’s attention. If he compromised because of a threat, he would have to compromise a lot.What worried him was if Luke treasured the woman in the room.The two seemed to be romantically linked… If he and Derek were not able to escape in time, both of them would be sent to jail!"What? Are you feeling dissatisfied? Do you think I’m not paying you enough?" Pierre asked when he saw Eric keeping quiet.Eric wailed in his heart. If he had known that this woman was involved with Luke, he would never have kidnapped her no matter ho
Luca stared at the ceiling and could not think of any ideas.Her only option was to obediently go with their arrangement lest she suffered again. A woman against two men was not a fair fight to begin with. On top of that, her hands and feet were bound.Eric opened the door and walked in. When he saw how desperate Luca looked, he thought about the connections she had.He felt uneasy, so he opened the door and walked in with some medicine."Does it hurt?" He looked at Luca's swollen face. He did not hold back when he slapped her earlier. After all, he did not dare to disobey Pierre’s orders in front of him.Luca glanced at him and said nothing.It hurt for her to open her mouth, let alone speak.Eric was not bothered that she did not respond. He took out the medicine in his pocket. When he went to purchase merbromin and iodophor, the pharmacist recommended it after she learned about the patient’s wound.She told him that if he was unsure of the depth of the wound, it was best if
Luke turned on the camera, and at the same time, the video was done loading. He moved the mouse to the button for it to start playing, and his hands were shaking a little."Luke, calm down." Percy saw the cursor trembling slightly on the computer screen and knew that he was nervous.Luke acted calm but he could never calm himself down whenever the matter involved Bianca.Bianca was his other half. She was his sun and moon. After all these years, she finally came back to him but was forced to go through these hardships all over again. When he thought of that, Luke could not calm down. "Click on it," Percy said.Luke clicked on the video.The video had been edited. What they saw was Luca being slapped in the face by a man wearing a mask. After a few slaps, her face swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye.The loud sounds of slapping came from the stereo, which showed that this video was not faked.Luke could not help but clench his fists when he saw Luca being tortured. He
Luke glanced out the window and said in a confident tone, "It's here."Jason was about to pull over to the side of the road when he heard Luke say, "Go a little farther.""Yes." Jason followed his instructions and drove past two villas before he stopped the car.Luke sat in the car and had no intentions of getting out. He directed the men who were already lurking in the area.He was feeling extra confident since Percy had lent him his men as well.Jason sat in the driver's seat without moving, silently waiting for the next command.Once everything was planned out, Luke opened the car door.When Jason saw that he was about to get out of the car, he quickly asked, "Boss, do you want me to follow you?""Wait here," Luke instructed him with a blank expression. He got out of the car, walked to Pierre's villa, and glanced at the surveillance camera at the door.He did not bother to sneak around because he was not afraid that the people inside would find out that he was here and run
He switched positions with Eric, and his knife was on Luca's neck. "Come on, shoot me. I promise that this woman will die if we die. It’s not too bad having a woman with us on the road to hell. Mr. Crawford, what do you say?"Luke’s heart tightened when he saw Luca's pale face and how she was being held against her will by the knife on her neck.She seemed uncomfortable and had some difficulty breathing.When Eric saw the muzzles of the guns aimed at him, he threw caution to the wind. The most important thing now was to escape. The woman in front of them was their only bargaining chip."Yeah, if you dare to shoot us, I’ll stab this knife into her body.”Luca heard their threats, and she winked at Luke. She could not speak, so she could only hint at him.It was time to turn passive into active...Derek said, "Now, get out of the way and get a car ready for us at the door..."Luca twisted her bound hands while Derek was talking and hit the acupuncture points of the person behind
Jason shot her a glance. His boss must never find out what they were talking about. He would probably fly into a rage judging by how much he cared for Luca. He reminded Tina in a soft voice, “Don’t ever let Boss hear this. Otherwise, you and I will get into trouble.”Tina was enlightened after he reminded her. She covered her mouth and looked around her. Fortunately, Luke was not around.Jason headed to the payment counter and said, “Go back to the office first. Handle any tasks in the office, and if you can’t deal with any, leave it for the boss when he comes back.”Luke would not be able to work under such conditions now. It would be better to wait until Luca’s condition had stabilized. “Alright. I know what to do.” Tina nodded.After Tina left, Jason brought Luca's information with him and registered her admission to the hospital on her behalf. Then, he returned to look for Luke.Luca was still undergoing various medical check-ups."Boss, I've registered Dr. Craw," Jason r
He looked at the badly injured Luca. She would not be able to eat anything, not even porridge. With her condition now, she needed someone to feed her little by little.Johann suggested, “I’ll give Dr. Craw an IV drip so she won’t feel hungry. But she’s lost a lot of blood. She needs to restore her nutrition. You can get someone to prepare some oatmeal for her. You’ll have to find a way to make her get used to eating it, or maybe feed her when she’s awake. She must eat something.” "Alright." Luke picked up his phone and ordered Mrs. Nancy to prepare some oatmeal to send to the hospital.Crawford Manor.Mrs. Nancy told Mr. Griffin that Luca was injured right after she received Luke’s order.Previously, Old Master Crawford and Mr. Griffin had already known that Luca was kidnapped. The old master was worried sick, and he even sent his men to look for her.Mr. Griffin told Old Master Crawford about the news immediately after he was informed.Old Master Crawford could barely sit st
Old Master Crawford frowned, and he said worriedly, "The IV drip won't supply as many nutrients as food does. She should take the oatmeal while it's still warm." Luca was still asleep, and Luke could not bear to wake her up. He glanced at the thermos flask on the coffee table and reminded the old master that the oatmeal would not get cold that easily. "The oatmeal is in the thermos flask." Old Master Crawford cleared his throat. He was so worried about Luca that he forgot Mrs. Nancy had kept it in a thermos flask that could keep the food inside warm for six to seven hours.After a while, Jason entered Luca's ward along with the printed document. Then, he handed it to the old master respectfully.Old Master Crawford took it from him and read the information that they had found out. Indeed, Pierre had established a company of his own. He had raised quite a huge amount of funds, and his company was even listed on the market in New York. "Good gracious. I thought he was a good-for-
“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.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special
“This cup of coffee is from that gentleman for this lady.” The waiter smiled as he explained, placing the cup in front of Luca.Hera followed the waiter’s gaze and immediately recognized the man Luca had been looking at earlier.Her eyes darkened. She had noticed the man glancing in their direction. However, she had assumed he was looking at her.After all, she was dressed seductively, had put on makeup, and was undeniably beautiful. Any man who saw her would be attracted. If a man’s eyes lingered on her, it was not surprising at all.Realizing that the man had been watching Luca the whole time instead of her, Hera suddenly felt annoyed.Luca noticed her displeasure, glanced at Gordan, then smiled and said to the waiter, “Please thank the gentleman for me.”“Of course, miss. Enjoy your coffee.” The waiter, sensing the tension between the two women, quickly grabbed his tray and left before Hera’s sour mood could affect him too.“Hmph, feeling proud of yourself?” asked Hera.Luca
Although Luca did not know the exact value of the clothes, she was certain that anything Luke had specially sent over would not be cheap.So, when she caught the sales associate’s skeptical glance, she felt a bit helpless but did not bother to explain. The truth would speak for itself. Besides, she had no intention of justifying herself to a sales associate.Hera, despite her love for luxury goods, did not actually know much about haute couture. So, when she noticed the sales associate still sizing up Luca, she immediately snapped, “What are you looking at?”“N-Nothing.” The sales associate quickly averted her gaze and turned her full attention to Hera, smiling brightly. “Our esteemed guest, what can I help you find today?”Hera thought for a moment before saying in a serious tone, “Show me your new handbags.”The sales associate’s eyes lit up when she heard this. Anyone who could afford so much designer clothing had to have deep pockets. This meant a solid commission for her!
The sales associate nodded and said, “Yes, we do. I’ve already placed them in the fitting room for you. Would you like some assistance?”Hera shook her head and pointed straight at Luca. “No, I want her to do it.”Luca shook her head helplessly. It seemed that Hera was determined to make her play the role of a sales associate today.Luca asked, “Ms. Sanchez, where’s Mr. Abel?”“What does that have to do with you?” Hera shot her a wary look. “Where he goes isn’t important. What matters is that you’re spending the day shopping with me. And if I’m not happy, be prepared to face his punishment.”Then, Hera strutted toward the fitting room like a proud peacock.Luca had no choice but to follow.Inside the fitting room, Hera closed the door behind them and commanded, “Help me unzip the back.”“Alright.” Luca lowered her gaze. Since they were both women and Hera clearly had no reservations, there was no reason for her to feel uncomfortable. She placed her hands on the zipper.Hera re