Queenie looked at Jack and nodded after Luca gave her promise. Then, she said, "I shouldn't be keeping you any longer. See you later." “Sure,” replied Luca.Queenie hung up the call first.Jack asked again, “Should we invite Luke too?”“You’re thinking about figuring out if there’s anything suspicious between them, right?” Queenie knew what he had in mind, and Jack nodded.“Actually, it was already very suspicious when they slept in the same bedroom last time. But we believed in Luke’s integrity, so we stopped suspecting him.” Queenie grabbed her husband’s hand and added, “I know you believe in Luca. I’d like to believe that she’s not that kind of person either. I’m just trying to get her to talk tonight, so there’s no need to ask Luke to come over too.” “Alright.” Jack did not say anything knowing that Queenie had her own plans. After all, he wanted to find out whether or not he was wrong about Luca too.Queenie stood up when Jack agreed with it. She said, “Then I’ll go get r
The maid saw her looking at those rose bushes, smiled, and said, “Mrs. Norman takes good care of the rose bushes. They’ll definitely bloom again next year.” “Yes. She has always known how to take care of these rose bushes,” Luca said thoughtfully. The maid looked at her in surprise. “Ms. Luca, you know Mrs. Norman well. Indeed, she knows how to take care of rose bushes well. These were trimmed a few days ago. Mrs. Norman said that the rose bushes will look great next year after vernalization.”Luca smiled as she listened to the maid. Of course, she understood her own mother well. Luca felt a sense of warmth when she walked into the house. The maid said, "Mr. and Mrs. Norman, Ms. Luca is here."Queenie walked out of the kitchen with an apron on her. She saw Luca standing at the entrance. She smiled and said, “Luca, you’re here. Take a seat. Dinner will be ready soon.”Jack, who was sitting on the couch, added, “Luca, come here and drink some tea.”Luca smiled. She nodded as
Luca felt a surge of warmth in her heart. Those compassionate words sounded like they came from a parent caring about their child’s daily life. “It’s alright. Although I’m taking up another job, I’m still able to manage it,” said Luca. She finished drinking the chicken soup and picked up the spoon to help herself with the food.Queenie prepared all the dishes. They were home-cooked for the guest. Luca took her time tasting the dishes. Although they were not particularly tasty, they had the taste of home—something that she had been missing. Queenie and Jack exchanged glances with each other, then asked, “Oh, Luca, where are you staying now? I’ll ask the driver to send you back home later.” Luca thought of Luke. If the driver were to send her back, then her current address would be found.She shook her head and said, “Thank you, Mrs. Norman, but I can go home by myself.” "It's cold out there. There won’t be as many drivers working this late at night. Don’t reject my offer and
Luca held her phone in her hands after hearing the beeping sound. She glanced at the time. It was still early. She put down her briefcase and looked at the messy apartment. Then, she started cleaning the place up. An hour later, Luca had already finished cleaning up the apartment, but Amur was still not home yet. Luca had no idea if he was on a mission, so she dared not to call him again lest she disturbed him. She picked up a piece of paper, left a note for him, and left the apartment.After she left the apartment, she hailed a taxi to go back to the villa.It was already 11 o’clock at night. Luca walked into the living room. No one was there. She figured that the children must have gone upstairs to sleep at this hour, but Luke…She bent down and changed into a pair of slippers. Then, she crept her way up the stairs. As expected, the second floor was quiet as well. Luca walked to her bedroom door and glanced at the room opposite her. The door was closed tightly. She could
“I drank some when I was on the mission.” Amur found an excuse to cover up the fact that he was drowning himself in alcohol. He had been going out drinking for a few nights now.He could not calm himself down at the thought of Luca staying with Luke, and he had never stopped thinking of bringing her back to his side. However, Luca would not allow him to do so. Therefore, Amur had no choice but to drink his sorrows away. Luca frowned as she listened to his hoarse yet slightly slurred words. “Amur, is something bothering you lately?” Amur remained silent for quite some time.He so badly wanted to tell her that she was his biggest worry, but how could he say something like that to her?Luca only saw him as her younger brother. “No. Stop overthinking.” Amur looked down. He dared not to say anything like that to her.If Luca knew he had feelings for her, she would convince him to forget about her and return to the Island of Despair.Now that she was surrounded by danger, he co
They would still suspect her when the time came.Although Luca felt embarrassed, she still agreed to it and said, "Alright. I'll be there at noon." "Alright. Then I'll leave you to it." Queenie sounded happy when Luca agreed to it as though the matter would be settled once the two people met each other.Luca was an outstanding woman, and the man Jack recommended was a fine, young man. When the two of them met each other, they would certainly catch each other's eyes.Moreover, Luca agreeing to go on a blind date indicated that there was probably nothing going on between Luca and Luke. After Queenie hung up the call, Luca put her phone aside.Luca thought they were just testing her, but she did not expect that they would really make arrangements after she agreed to their suggestion. She thought her parents were not the kind of people who enjoyed arranging blind dates for others. However, they were doing it to her now.Perhaps they were worried that she would steal someone's hu
Luca nodded. She knew Luke was in his office based on what Jason had told her. He was not planning to go down for lunch.That would be great. That way, he would not find out that she was going on a blind date. Jason and Luca got into the elevator together. He pressed the button for the first floor and asked Luca, "Dr. Craw, where are you going for lunch? Would you like to join us?" “I have a lunch date.” Luca shook her head and rejected Jason’s offer.Lunch date? Jason raised his brows. Luca was only closer to Tina in the office, and she was considered a lone wolf. Who could she possibly have a lunch date with?Could it be that younger brother of hers? It would be a disaster if Luke found out about it. A jealous man was the scariest. When Luke got jealous, that was even more terrifying. “Are you having lunch with your younger brother?” Jason asked immediately.Luca shook her head and replied, “No.”“I see…" Jason still wanted to ask her who she was having lunch with, but s
If Jason told Luke about it, normal employees like them would probably have to deal with a hot-headed boss for the whole day…However, if Jason chose to not tell Luke, what should he do if some other man was stealing the lady boss from Luke?Jason was in a dilemma. He ran into Tina when he entered the office. Tina was carrying a lunch box. It seemed she had gotten a takeaway as well. “Tina, you didn’t dine in for lunch?” “I was late when I came down. There wasn't a seat left in the cafe next door, so I ordered takeout instead,” Tina said helplessly. “You ordered takeout at the cafe next door?” Jason glanced at the takeout packaging she was carrying. It was indeed from the cafe next door."Yes. I even saw Dr. Craw's date just now. He's quite handsome. If someone introduced me to such a cute guy for a blind date, I wouldn't have to be pressured by my parents for not getting married yet." Tina put on a love-struck expression on her face. She had been sizing Luca's date up when sh
“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