“What did you see? Tell us.”The few female colleagues from the finance department who were watching from one side asked their colleague who was holding the binoculars.The girl with the binoculars was a newbie in the finance department, so she was more naive. She told everyone what she saw.However, when everyone heard that, they all shared looks of confusion at the same time.“I’m telling the truth,” the female colleague holding the binoculars said innocently.Her colleague turned around and looked at her. “Child, you have such a mouth for making up stories. You can even submit your manuscript to romance magazines. If you say you saw that woman sitting on the boss’ lap, kissing him furiously while seducing him and maybe grabbing his belt to force herself onto him, then I might believe you.”The boss was drying that woman’s hair and wrapping the towel on her? Plus, he even massaged her calf? What a colossal joke!Another colleague carried her items. “That woman is pretty good-l
When her skin was surrounded by the man’s hot breath, she almost collapsed because her knees were turning weak. Her face was also extremely red.Bianca thought Luke was about to kiss her again.It always happened back then.After all, this man was always thinking about doing that sort of thing.However, the man did not do it this time. His thin lips landed on her smooth cheek as he closed his eyes. He kissed her cheek for a very long time.He kissed her for so long that he only backed away after she had to hold her breath. He said, “Don’t make me worry for you. Don’t hide everything in your heart no matter what happens.”Bianca lowered her head. She did not know what he was talking about.“Go get some rest. We’ll go to the town together tomorrow.” Luke’s long and slender fingers were initially holding her chin, but he had retracted them now. His movements were slow and unwilling.Bianca was exhausted after an entire day of outdoor activities. Her entire body ached and she wante
"A secluded little town… A single man and a single woman… burning with passion and desire…" Each phrase that Yvonne mentioned led Allison toward far-fetched thoughts! When Allison thought of that, she realized that she had to stop something from happening! It was a well-known fact that even the greatest hero would eventually stumble when faced with the allure of a beautiful woman. History had proven that fact time and time again. It did not matter whether Bianca was objectively beautiful. She was a beautiful woman in the eyes of her son Luke, and that had clouded his judgment! Allison was once young. She knew that the passion between a man and a woman could flare with a single stray thought. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She lifted her fist and continued to pound on the door. The sounds of the knocking reflected the increasing anger in Allison's heart, from "knock knock knock" to "bang bang bang"… "Bianca, if you're at home, stop hiding from m
Outside the door, Allison's gaze moved from the phone screen back to the door. Her feminine instincts told her that something was not quite right since the morning. 'Bianca called me but did not say a word… 'What is she trying to do? 'Also, I thought I heard… soft moans? 'Were they from Bianca?' A chill went down Allison's spine when she thought of that! "Open the door now, Bianca! Open the door!" Allison could not wait to see who the other adulterer was. Before she got there, she had given a call to her brother to confirm that Xavier, their son, was still sleeping upstairs. Allison also knew that it was impossible for her son to be in the house. Jason had said that his boss had worked overtime for the past two days. After work, he would sleep in the office. According to Jason, Luke worked overtime so that he did not have to bring any work to the small town and could give all his attention to Bianca. Allison was resentful. Since when had she, Lanie, or Rainie, e
Luke was caught by surprise. Any lucid person capable of reason could understand what was going on from the conversation. "Don't think that I don't know what you're doing inside, Bianca! Let me tell you, I'll be waiting for you in front of the door today! I won't leave unless you open the door! If you want to sneak away, you'd better grow a pair of wings and fly out of the window!" His mother yelled those words while he was making out with Bianca. At that volume, it was impossible for him to ignore it. He did not stop his actions because he thought his mother wanted to stop her son from making out with his cousin's wife. After all, that was against all social norms. However, after his mother stepped into the house, she had said, "Not bad. Did you manage to lure in a bigshot?" Luke knew that something was amiss from those words. He could not exactly tell what was wrong, but he knew that his mother came to Bianca's house for a totally different reason than what he expecte
Allison did not like Bianca. She hated her ever since she knew that Bianca was a Rayne and was Kevin Rayne's daughter. Any other woman could marry Luke and be her daughter-in-law, but absolutely not Bianca! She had concealed her true sentiments about Bianca out of consideration of her son's feelings and the family's harmony. Instead, she plotted covertly to keep her away. She felt a little guilty looking at how angry her son had become, but at the same time felt that she did not need to keep up with the act. She would openly and brazenly keep that woman away from him! Even if she would burn bridges with Luke, they were nevertheless mother and son. That was a relationship that no one could write off for the rest of their lives. "You want an explanation? About what? About how I've gone with that scumbag Kevin Rayne after I was dumped by your father?" Allison confessed, considering her son's intelligent and relentless temperament. As expected, Luke looked extremely shocked.
The caretaker immediately did what she was told. Her fingers were trembling as she dialed Luke's number. No one picked up the first call, and the second call was also unanswered! However, the call went through every time. After countless calls, the call was eventually picked up. "Sir, Old Master Crawford had a heart attack and is not in the hospital. Please go and visit him!" The caretaker said hoarsely. … A City Hospital. Old Master Crawford lay on a bed. The doctors managed to resuscitate him, and his vitals were returning to normal. Allison was sitting on a chair next to bed, guiltily wiping away her tears. Susan and Louis were informed about the news and got to the hospital as quickly as they could. As Zachary's second son, Louis had a deep affection for his grandfather. After all, he had spent most of his time as a child with Old Master Crawford. Old Master Crawford might be strict, but he was a responsible grandparent. In fact, he was closer to his grandfa
Old Master Crawford lay on the bed with his eyes closed, listening to the conversation between his daughter-in-law and his grandson. In that half a minute, Allison had found an excuse to shift the blame to Susan. "I've never known that you've suspected me so much… I would tell you if you asked, but you've never asked!" Allison revealed a pained look, as though she struggled to recall her insufferable past. She started sobbing again, soaking the napkin with her tears. "I was forced out of A City when I had to leave your birth father. What else could I do when you were so young? I could only hide in the remotest towns. Susan Armstrong was relentless. She and her minions could find me no matter where I went! "Back then, Susan was childless. You should know how much importance a woman married into a wealthy family places on providing an heir, and you too, Old Master Crawford! And I had to give birth to a boy! "I don't know if Susan knew that I had given birth to a boy, so I had t
When Gerald heard this, his face fell. “Huh? Ms. Craw, you're not cooking anymore?”Luca said nothing. Luke had already left with the others. She turned her gaze back before walking inside.Gerald realized that Luca had only been cooking breakfast because of Lucius. The thought puzzled him. Had they taken a liking to each other from the very start? That did not seem right.In this fast-paced modern world, even if they had, using something as old-fashioned as cooking to win someone over did not add up.Still, the timing was too coincidental to ignore. Luca started cooking for everyone when Lucius arrived, and she stopped as soon as he left. That realization gave Gerald an eerie feeling.Thinking they might have known each other back on the island, it all suddenly made sense. Of course! They must have met before. How else could this all line up so perfectly?With that thought, Gerald quickly caught up with Luca. “Ms. Craw, my cooking is terrible. Why don’t you keep doing it?”
Kassy’s eye donor was Hera, the one Abel had brought over.Even though Hera’s eyes resembled Kassy’s, they did not meet the criteria for a transplant. However, Hera’s blood type matched Kassy’s exactly.Hence, Abel decided to use Hera’s eyes. His belief was that her eyes were specifically meant for Kassy.Shanks knew he would not be able to change Abel’s mind, so he did not try. Abel’s stubbornness was something even Kassy herself could not sway.Luca remained silent for a while, not saying anything further. She understood that using a cadaver was the best option as it would not harm anyone.However, the eyes Abel wanted for Kassy were not from a cadaver. He intended to take them from Hera.Luca certainly would not participate in such a surgery. It was too cruel.“What are you thinking?” Shanks suddenly asked.Luca shook her head. “I’m just thinking about the volunteer’s situation.”“You’re wondering if this solution will be marketed, aren’t you?” Shanks suddenly asked.L
“I’m still a bit worried. Let me take a look in your room and change the dressing while I’m at it.” Luca knew Luke would not want her to worry. Therefore, she needed to see for herself that everything was fine before she could feel at ease.“Alright.” Luke knew she was worried about him, so the two of them headed into the room.He took off his shirt, revealing the bandage wrapped around his torso.Luca could not help but chuckle at the sight. The wrapping was done by Gerald, and it was hilariously sloppy. It was haphazardly bound—overly tight in some places and entirely uneven. It looked like it was just meant to cover the wounds, with no thought for neatness.“Stop laughing.” Luke was clearly rendered speechless by Gerald’s lackluster bandaging skills as well.If it were not for the fact that it was difficult to bandage himself, he would never have let Gerald do it.“With it wrapped like this, how are you supposed to sleep at night?” Luca asked as she began unwrapping the ba
Abel chuckled. His voice was low and gravelly.“Hera, let’s agree on something. Don’t use threats of leaving to manipulate me anymore, or I won’t be happy,” said Abel in a low voice.What might have sounded like a plea or a compromise came across to Hera as a veiled threat.The cool sensation of his fingers brushed against her eyelids, and she could not help but shiver. His touch felt as cold as death itself. She could not feel a trace of warmth.Her hands clenched tightly together. The tension in her grip was the only thing keeping her from trembling further.“Alright,” Hera murmured obediently.Abel withdrew his hand. Hera opened her eyes. A strange unease stirred within her. For reasons she could not quite explain, Abel’s behavior filled her with an unsettling dread…“Will you stay at the hospital with me tonight?” Hera could not help but crave some semblance of comfort.Abel frowned slightly. “Stay here with you? And what about Luca?”“You could just send her home. I onl
Luca's expression was serious, and Hera realized she was not just trying to scare her. Ignoring her warnings had already caused her to suffer once.Unwillingly, Hera sipped on the cereal. Her resentment was evident in every movement.Luca noticed it was not difficult for her to handle. She quietly sat down and ate her own bowl of cereal.Hera did not have much of an appetite.Hera took a couple of bites before growing bored. She glanced at Luca and asked, “How did you end up working for Abel?”Luca did not respond. She calmly blew on her cereal and ate in silence, showing no intention of engaging in conversation.“I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?” snapped Hera.Luca lifted her gaze briefly and replied, “You should finish your cereal before it gets cold.”“I’m not even hungry.” Hera really had no appetite and was not planning to eat the cereal.“It’s still better if you eat something. Otherwise, when hunger strikes later, don’t expect me to help you,” said Luca, “I’m only he
Luke had never taken the medicine that could speed up healing, so his recovery was nowhere near as fast as the others from the Island of Despair.Luca did not respond to Gerald’s comment. Her gaze fixed on him with intensity.“No stitches,” said Luke, “I trust you.”Luca bit her lower lip.“But if you don’t stitch it, it might tear open,” insisted Gerald, staring at Luke’s wounds.Luke glanced at his injuries and shrugged, seemingly unconcerned, as though the wounds had nothing to do with Luca.“Stitches will leave scars.”“Are you afraid of scars? What kind of man doesn’t have a few scars on him? Scars are a symbol of manhood,” teased Gerald with a playful tone, “Scars show you’re reliable, that you can protect a woman.”Luke gave him a look as though he were an idiot, then his gaze shifted to Luca. “I don’t want too many scars. I’m worried my future wife might dislike them.”Luca’s heart sank at his words, but his lighthearted remark eased her sadness. Despite the severity
Luca could not help but tremble with heartache. She fought hard to resist the urge to rush forward.Everyone in the room had survived brutal training to make it out of the Island of Despair, and they could not help but shudder when they saw the scene. The sound of the whip felt like it was landing on their own bodies.Gerald closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer. It was too cruel for him to watch.The ten lashes felt like an eternity, stretching on for what seemed like a century.Luca looked at the drenched clothes on Luke. His eyes were red, and his shirt was so soaked that you could wring out the blood from it. Her hands were clenched so tightly into fists that the veins were bulging.Abel tossed the whip aside, looking at Luke’s disheveled state with satisfaction. He enjoyed the thrill of this bloody scene.He turned to Luca, noticing her reddened eyes, and smiled even more devilishly. “Hera is in the hospital now. You’ll go take care of her for the next few da
Luca instantly understood the situation. It was about Hera.Hera was someone Abel valued, possibly as a future corneal donor for Kassy. While Abel might not love Hera now, he certainly took her health seriously.In a calm tone, Luca explained, “She was hospitalized due to inflammation that caused a fever.”Abel furiously flung his half-smoked cigar at her. The glowing embers singed her clothes, leaving a small burn mark.She instinctively stepped aside.Abel roared, “What kind of care is this?! I told you to look after her! Is this how you handle things?”Luca was perplexed. When did he ever tell her to look after Hera?Besides, she did take care of her.”When Ms. Sanchez fainted last night, she already had a low-grade fever. I diagnosed her condition as inflammation and prescribed anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medication. I also emphasized that she needed to take oral anti-inflammatory drugs. She didn’t trust me and threw out Mr. Shanks’ medication, which led to her con
Luca placed her hand on Hera’s other wrist, checking her pulse. “Her condition is worsening. The inflammation in her body has intensified.“I prescribed her medication. Those are Mr. Shanks’ formulations, and they're highly effective for reducing inflammation. It shouldn’t be getting worse.” Gerald pursed his lips before finally speaking up. “Luca, when I was cleaning yesterday, I saw that Ms. Sanchez had thrown all the medication you prescribed into the trash. She didn’t take any of it.”Luca was speechless.She had been questioning whether the medicine was ineffective or if she had made an error in diagnosis. It turned out that it was Hera herself who had sabotaged her treatment.“What should we do now?” asked Gerald.“There’s no other option. She needs to go to a hospital,” Luca decided firmly. “Her condition is serious, and since she doesn’t trust my treatment, the hospital is her best choice.”“Can’t you help her just this once?” pleaded Gerald, “I mean, she looks really b