“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
Enoch nodded his head understandingly. “Oh, I’m sorry.” "It's alright. You work in a different industry, so it’s normal for you to be unaware of some practices here. Anyway, I’ll head back to work now.” Luca let out a sigh of relief when Enoch did not insist on sending her upstairs. Queenie did not say anything either.Luca had no idea how she was going to reject Enoch if he insisted on sending her there. However, he seemed like a generous man. He would not do things abruptly. Luca would just distance herself from him after this. Enoch would understand what was going on even if she did not spell it out for him.Luca accepted Queenie’s arrangement, but there was nothing Queenie and Jack could do if Luca and Enoch did not click well with each other. “Sure. I’ll keep in touch with you through Facebook,” Enoch added. It had been such a long time since he met a woman who caught his eyes, and that was why he wanted to go for it. Luca nodded, turned around, and left. Queenie smile
Luca shook her head. What would happen if Luke found out about it?If Luke was really bothered about her blind date, then everyone in the office would get into trouble…Luca glanced at the time. There were two minutes left until lunch break was over. She trotted over to clock in.Luke walked out of his office and saw Luca clocking in. Then, he walked toward her.Luca turned around and saw the man in front of her. She could not help but be startled for a moment. She lowered her head unconsciously, avoiding his gaze. She had no idea why she had this guilty feeling when she saw Luke…It was as if she had done something wrong and was caught…However, she was Luca now, not Bianca. The identity Abel had given her was a single, unmarried woman, not a married woman…“Mr. Crawford, I’m going back to work now,” said Luca.Luke frowned when he noticed Luca was running away from him like a mouse running away from a cat. He asked, “Why are you so late?” “I was having lunch just now and
Sue could not hold back when she saw her in this state. “That’s right. She’s fine. You don’t need to be worried.”“How can I not be worried…” Nina was still in shock as she lifted her head to look at her best friend. “If anything were to happen to her, I can forget about living a good life.”Sue felt a pinch in her heart. No one would have thought that Madison would attempt suicide. Looking at her trembling made Sue utterly heartbroken. She hugged her tightly and comforted her, saying, “This has nothing to do with you. She was the one who isn’t in her right mind, causing her to take the wrong path.”Nina was in Sue’s arms and thought of Percy. If it were not because he wanted to be with her, he would not have caused so many problems without her knowledge and even gone against the Johnston family.Despite knowing that the Johnston family had been having problems for a long time and it was only a matter of time before they would be targeted by others, it remained a fact that Madison
Nina's mother, Pierre, and Madison were all receiving treatment in the same hospital. After giving it a thought, she asked Johann for a favor.Considering that she had a connection to Luke, coupled with the fact that Jason and Johann were both her friends, Nina asked him to help check on Madison’s condition.Johann agreed to it.After finishing his rounds, Johann sauntered toward the psychiatric department while yawning. Before arriving, he saw Pierre walking out with two people trailing behind him while carrying two suitcases in their hands. 'Has he been discharged?'Johann raised his brows. 'It seems that Luca really knows how to deliver a heavy blow.' Back when Pierre was first admitted, he was in so much pain. After being in pain for two to three days, it seemed that he had returned to normal and could be discharged. He smiled and walked over. "Mr. Mallory, have you been discharged?"Pierre knew that Johann was one of Luke’s people, so in other words, he was on Percy's s
Luca walked over to another couch and sat down. “I think I’ll stay here. How about letting Luke come down so that we can all catch up? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”Gordan’s face fell. “Ms. Craw, are you doing this on purpose?”Luca pretended not to know anything. “Doing what on purpose?”Gordan quickly shook his head. “Nothing. Just go upstairs already. Brother Luke’s been waiting for you.”Luca had intended to tease Gordan a little longer, but after not seeing Luke for the past few days, she found herself missing him deeply. Standing up with a smile, she said, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Oh, by the way, Mr. Gale, could you help me pick up a few things? Someone over there asked me to get them, and I couldn’t refuse.”“Sure, no problem. What do you need?” Gale agreed immediately.After handing him the list, Luca turned and headed upstairs.Gale watched Luca leave from behind, nudging Gordan’s arm. “Let’s go. We should leave and give the boss and Ms. Cr
The security guard remained completely unfazed.This was because the village chief was his uncle, and in their tight-knit community, they always stuck together and never favored outsiders.With directions from the people inside the ancestral hall, Hera found the village chief.“You’re the village chief, right?” Hera looked at the man in his fifties in front of her and spoke with an arrogant tone, completely unbothered.“And you are?” The village chief, seeing her attitude, was puzzled. He had no idea whether she was an investor or someone looking to discuss a major partnership to bring development to their quiet village.“It doesn’t matter who I am. I see you have surveillance here, and I need to review your footage,” replied Hera.The village chief was even more confused. “Are you a police officer?”“No.” Hera frowned. She thought reviewing surveillance footage was no big deal. Why was this village chief being so difficult?The village chief gave her a look as if she were a fo
“Wait a little longer. By the way, what kind of ancestral hall is this?” asked Hera.“It's a local family's ancestral hall. I heard it's been designed by the owner of a large company, and now it's also one of the tourist attractions.” The taxi driver was not from around here, so he did not know all the details, but he knew it had become a popular spot. “Now, thanks to the reputation of that boss, many architects come here as one of their reference points.”Hera frowned deeper. What was Luca doing here?The driver suggested, “If you're interested in sightseeing, the attractions inside are pretty good. But for outsiders, they charge an entrance fee. Maintenance costs a lot of money, so they charge tourists from outside.”“I'm not here for sightseeing,” replied Hera, “Don't worry. I'll pay you for however long I stay here. You’ll get your money.”The driver heard that she was paying, and did not press her further and remained quiet.Hera stared at the entrance of the ancestral hall,
Hera let out a cold sneer, feeling that Gerald's apology was not sincere.Hera did not want to press the issue at the moment. She gave him a sharp look. “Come with me.”Gerald knew that Hera was up to something again. If it were a normal order, she would have just said it in the living room. Whenever she called him aside, it meant whatever she had to say could not be overheard by others.Reluctantly, Gerald followed her out.It was midday, and as soon as Hera stepped out of the living room, a wave of heat hit her face.The intense warmth made her feel uncomfortable.Hera got straight to the point, turning to Gerald. “What did Luca say to you just now?”“She just asked me to help keep an eye on the volunteer,” Gerald answered honestly. This was not something that needed to be kept secret.Hera frowned. “Is she going out”Gerald hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to say anything.“I’m talking to you, not the wall. Are you mute?” Hera threatened. “If you lie to me, I’ll te
Gordan was puzzled. At most, it was just brotherly camaraderie. After all, they had been through thick and thin together. Their bond might be stronger than usual, but falling in love? That was a bit of a stretch.Luke said, “The way you acted just now, doesn't really seem 'straight' to me. Also, if you're into women, maybe you should consider finding one. Otherwise, if you're always single, people might start misinterpreting your feelings for me.”“Luke, actually, you're not bad at all. In fact, you're probably better than a lot of women,” Gordan replied with a sly grin.As a man himself, he honestly thought Luke was a great guy. If he were a woman, he would be utterly captivated by him.“Shut up!” Luke knew he was joking, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. He seriously worried that Gordan might do something inappropriate when he turned his back on him.Shivering from the thought, Luke put down his glass and headed upstairs.Gordan let out a deep sigh.The night w
“Anyway, I'm saying it here—I'm not going to Russia because of that ugly woman, Vivian. If I go to Russia, it's for you. I've already divorced her. Besides, I’m already trying to avoid her, how could I possibly go to Russia for her?” Gordan took a sip of red wine, then continued his rant. “And, Ray is still in Russia. I really can't go. His men are all brutal, and I've had enough of being beaten all these years.”“Then why did you buy an apartment in Vivian's neighborhood?” Luke continued to tease him. His sharp eyes glinted with intelligence.Gordan denied it, but whether he believed it or not was his own business.“It was just a coincidence!” Gordan raised his voice, trying to convince Luke.Or maybe himself.“Coincidence?” Luke sipped his wine, every gesture as graceful as a nobleman.“Of course, it’s a coincidence, Brother Luke. You wouldn’t know, but that apartment is in a school district, surrounded by college towns. There are a ton of hotties there, I picked the place just
As Luca listened to his tone that was full of regret, she felt a slight pang in her heart. She recalled when she had a child and continued pursuing her education. If she had given up on herself back then, perhaps she and Luke would not find themselves here today.Luca felt she was much more fortunate than the volunteer. Even though she loved her father, she also understood the importance of education and did not let her father’s illness cause her to give up. She was also fortunate to have a father who supported her education.At the thought of this, Luca could not help but ask, “Do you regret it?”“No, I don’t regret it,” the volunteer smiled. “Actually, I always look at it in a positive light. Back then, several boys in my class liked her. If I hadn’t confessed, she might have become someone else’s girlfriend. If there’s anything I regret over the years, it’s that I was too selfish and it affected her studies.“I never thought that being in a relationship at a young age would
As Luca thought about it, she heard the volunteer exclaim, “With a wife like you, your husband must be so lucky and blessed.”Luca shook her head. To her, being cherished by Luke was a real blessing.“You’ve got it wrong. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”Luca had often wondered what her life would have been like without Luke.Perhaps she would have married Jean, only to watch his true nature slowly reveal itself. She would have struggled, eventually unable to endure it, and maybe even ended up divorced.It could be something worse. She might have been taken advantage of, lost all hope, and spiraled downward...Anything was possible.However, Luca knew that no matter what happened, life would not be as good as it was now without Luke.Though she remained under someone else’s control, and life on the Island of Despair was fraught with hardship, with Luke by her side, she felt an unshakable courage.A light laugh from the volunteer interrupted her thoughts.Luca
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