"Stop it. Stop teasing me." Nina's words showed the pamperedness of a woman in love. "It's obvious that I don’t hold a place in your heart, so you didn't come to the hospital to pick me up.""If I had shown up, wouldn’t it ruin your fun time with Mr. Mallory?" Luca listened to the tone of Nina’s voice and knew that something must have happened.Otherwise, Nina would not be speaking in this tone.Her words seemed to be covered with honey, which made Luca both relieved and envious.Nina snorted and said, "I don't care. I was discharged from the hospital today and you didn't come to pick me up, so you must accompany me for dinner.""Now?" Luca glanced at the time. It was not too late."Of course, there's no time like the present. Today's Sunday. I’ve informed Sue and booked the restaurant. The two of you must have a meal with me today." Nina shared her ultimate goal.In the past few years that she and Percy were on and off, Sue and Bianca were the ones always by her side. Later, Bi
Luca sighed and looked at the hot air she breathed out. She could not help looking at the streetlights on the side of the road.It turned out that, unknowingly, the weather was already so cold. The breath exhaled was misty.Taxi could not stop where she was, so Luca could only continue walking.Her phone rang, and Luca, who was immersed in recollecting her past memories, was startled as she took her phone out of her pocket.It was a string of unfamiliar numbers.Luca frowned. She was unfamiliar with the number, but when she saw the numbers eight and nine, she knew that whoever was calling was rich.She answered, "Hello.""Is this Luca Craw?" There was a proud female voice on the other end of the line.Luca could not see her expression, but she could imagine the disdainful look of the other party. "Who’s calling?"The woman on the other end of the phone did not expect her to ask such a question. She was stunned, then she said, "You’re Luca Craw, right? I have something to talk
Luca picked up the glass and took a sip of the juice, ignoring her sarcasm."The police didn't arrest me, so what’s there for them to do to me? I just cooperated to help with the investigation. There’s no evidence to point out that I hurt anyone." She smiled and thought of how this woman's mouth had once spat out extremely vicious words to Nina. She was thinking about how she could get even with Madam Mallory."There were surveillance cameras that captured what you did. How dare you say that there’s no evidence? If you didn’t touch him, my son wouldn't be lying in the hospital now!" Madam Mallory was raving mad that the police released Luca, saying that there was no direct evidence to link her to Pierre’s injuries. The hospital could not issue an injury report either because they found nothing. They could not take action on Luca."I barely grazed him. Mrs. Mallory, I’m nothing but a weak woman. How could I cause your son to lie in the hospital?" Luca raised her hand deliberately. Al
"I overheard their conversation. I don't think it's some drama among the rich and powerful. This woman is so unreasonable, right?""Yes, it's fortunate that the young woman dodged quickly. Otherwise, she’d be freezing in this cold weather."Madam Mallory saw that everyone was siding with Luca. She glared at them and warned, "Are you taking photos of me?! If you post them on the internet, a lawyer's letter will be coming your way!"When the crowd heard that, they put down their phones and pretended as though nothing happened. They continued to chat while drinking coffee.Madam Mallory left the cafe angrily. She watched as Luca stood on the side of the street with squinted eyes. It seemed that Luca would not spill if she did not put Luca in her place.‘Let’s see if she’ll still be such a prick when she falls into my hands!’Madam Mallory got into the car on the other side of the street and called her subordinates.The driver heard what she ordered her subordinates to do and quickl
"They're still following us." Luca reminded him."I know." Luke continued to step on the gas, turned a corner at the road ahead, and headed for a wider road.Luca initially thought that he wanted to get rid of the cars following them. However, after seeing what he did, she knew that he did not want to get away. Rather, he wanted them to stop their cars.The cars behind saw the Mercedes-Benz going onto a wider road and felt that their opportunity had come. They immediately overtook Luke’s car.Luca looked at the rearview mirror and noticed that the three cars behind them were desperately pressing on the accelerator, gradually getting closer to their car.“They’re about to go past us…”Luca muttered to herself and noticed that Luke was slowing down.He deliberately slowed down so that when those people overtook them, they would not hit their car because they were going too fast.Luca was impressed at how thoughtful Luke was while she watched the two cars pass the Mercedes-Benz an
Luke kept silent and just stared straight at her.Madam Mallory thought that it was because Luke was thinking about something. However, he did not speak even after a full minute.Madam Mallory thought that Luke was looking down on her. She was fuming that he did not seize the opportunity even when she gave him an out. She said to the driver with a stern expression, "Drive."The driver heard her and hurriedly started the car.Madam Mallory slammed the door and left.When the bodyguards blocking the road saw that, they got into their cars as well and left.Luca breathed a sigh of relief. Her nerves were tense, but it was not because she was afraid that Luke would betray her for the sake of maintaining the harmony between Crawford and Mallory families. She was just worried that Madam Mallory would try to force Luke.Madam Mallory’s men certainly would not be able to hurt Luke, but it was hard to say whether he would get hurt trying to protect her.After the Mallory family’s bodygu
Nina looked at him. She had something to say, but she hesitated.She wanted to ask him why. ‘Why is he asking me to leave the matter alone when it’s something that everyone would know is wrong without having to think twice? Could it be that there’s a secret behind all this?’Luke should never have betrayed Bianca, even if there was another reason behind it. Even if he no longer loved her, he should end the relationship with her righteously. However, Bianca was exiled abroad, while Luca was by his side.It was not that Nina thought that Luca was bad. She just thought that it was wrong for her to intervene in Luke and Bianca’s relationship.However, Percy told her to stay out of it...Percy held Nina in his arms seeing that she was staying silent. "There are many things that the fewer people know, the better. I promise that when the timing is right, I’ll tell you everything."Nina knew that there must be a plan in motion, so she did not continue to pursue the matter. However, s
"Do you have any concerns?" Luke asked, seeing her hesitant expression.He knew her so well that he could even decipher what she was thinking about with just a micro-expression.Luca shook her head as she could not ask the question she had in mind. "It's nothing."Luke's gaze sank, but he did not press on. "Let's go. We’re going to be late if we leave any later."Luca nodded and left the house with him.Luke drove, and when they passed the villa’s entrance, Luca noticed that the contractor of the villa next door was already embellishing the door.She said softly, "Is the renovation work next door almost completed?""Mm, Louis and the others will soon be moving in." Luke took a glance and continued to drive toward the entrance of the community."Louis?" Luca looked at him. ’The villa is Louis'?’Luke nodded in answer.Luca did not say anything. ‘He planned all these on purpose…’He first arranged for her to move to the villa, then he moved in. Not long after, the children mov
The volunteer did not mind. As long as it meant he could recover, he was willing to endure any pain. “It's okay. I can handle it.”Luca nodded.The door to the vehicle opened, and a man stepped inside. Due to the lack of sterilization, he did not dare approach the inner part of the vehicle. Instead, he placed several bottles of saline on the outside.“This is the saline that Mr. Shanks prepared. He asked you to inject it when you can,” the man relayed Shanks' message.“Got it.” Luca reached out to take the bottles. After thoroughly disinfecting them, she brought them inside.It was more complicated than being in a hospital.Since the volunteer's body was still weak. They had to maintain as sterile an environment as possible.However, it still fell short of the ICU's standard.Luca stayed with the volunteer until evening. Gerald stood outside the medical vehicle and called, “Ms. Craw, it's time for dinner.”Luca took off her protective gear and stepped outside.“Ms. Craw, di
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect you in the slightest,” said Abel.The villa was bought under Shanks’ name.So while it appeared to be the Island of Despair’s property, it was, in fact, Shanks’ personal asset.Abel shot a glance at his subordinates, who stood beside him. Without hesitation, they grabbed the doctor and hauled him away.As Hera watched the scene unfold, she felt a sudden pang of unease. She was well aware of Abel's methods. Punishment was never off the table. However, seeing the way things were unfolding, Hera could not shake the feeling that Abel might actually take the doctor’s life.Still, they were in A City, a country with strict laws. Would Abel really go that far?As Abel turned to leave, Hera said almost nervously, “Darling…”“I have some matters to take care of. Be good and stay here. Don’t wander around, okay?” Abel’s mood was apparently lifted by the successful surgery. His voice was unexpectedly gentle.Hera’s unease only deepened. She grabbed the slee
All three of them stepped out of the vehicle.Hera realized that the surgery might already be over and could not wait to hear the results.Abel, equally eager, immediately asked as soon as he saw them, “Is the surgery finished?”“Yes, the surgery was successful. The transplant was completed, and all the nerves we could connect have been repaired. Now, it’s up to the follow-up treatment,” answered Shanks.The doctor who had been kicked out earlier stared in disbelief.They actually succeeded in the transplant? How was that even possible?“Great, fantastic!” Abel let out a sigh of relief before bursting into laughter.What had seemed impossible in modern medicine had achieved a different outcome in Shanks’ hands.Unlike others who might celebrate the medical breakthrough, Abel’s joy came from a more personal place—Kassy would soon return to his side. His delight was unmistakable.“T-This can’t be!” muttered the dismissed doctor, who was still in shock. “A surgery this revoluti
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