As of right now, Amur was under the same circumstances as her. It was not appropriate for them to be emotionally involved with people who were not from the Island of Despair.However, Luca was confident that she would get Eler and Amur off the Island of Despair.“Is that so?” Tina’s heart stirred slightly. If what she said was true, then Amur was not ignoring her on purpose.He just did not have a way to contact her.Tina felt better now. Although Luca was unaware that there was something else going on between them, it was no longer like in the olden days when one had to report to family members after making an acquaintance…After seeing the spark in Tina’s eyes, Luca smiled and said, “That’s it. Not only you, but it’s hard for me to get a hold of him too. He’s been busy ever since he went back to Russia. He practically has no time to check his phone.”“Even you can’t get a hold of him?” Tina was shocked. How busy could he be?“He’s too busy. When things have been taken care of,
Luca followed Mo’s lead and walked into the conference room.There were already two professors waiting in the conference room.When they saw Luca walk in, the two professors said one after another, “Dr. Craw, you’re here. It’s been too long.”“Long time no see, Professors.” After receiving the warm welcome from the two professors, Luca knew what was going on.It seemed that the rumors from T Corporation had reached this side as well.The two companies were not deeply associated, but somehow, gossip still managed to find its way here. Luca had resigned herself to it.“Yes, it’s been a long time. Have a seat.” Dr. Linwood looked at Luca and thought that since she was close with Luke, he should not offend her.After seeing how attentive Dr. Linwood was, Dr. Jackson was unwilling to fall behind. He asked Mo, “When will the other professors and general manager arrive? They should know that Dr. Craw’s time is very precious.”“Everyone, please wait a moment. I’ll go inform them again.
Although they could not treat these people as if they were gods, they could not offend them either.Luca was worried that Abel would make a move in the later stages.His pharmaceutical company was quite well-known in A City. Plus, Watson’s welfare package was not the best, so if he made a proposal to these professors, he might be able to win them over.The research results may also be taken away or even abandoned. If that happened, the research funds that were invested at the beginning would all be for nothing.Luca would not sit back and give Abel such an opportunity. The general manager dared not express his suspicion of these professors again because of her relationship with Luke.The meeting lasted for more than an hour.As Dr. Linwood had said, the general manager put all his hopes for the company’s performance on her research group.All she could do was bite the bullet and agree to it.After the meeting ended, Luca did not stay back to chit-chat with the other professors
Zoey hurriedly walked out and said, “Dr. Craw, are you going to the lab?”Luca stopped in her tracks and looked back at her. “Yes, what is it?”“Dr. Craw, Mr. Crawford is waiting in your office…” Zoey informed her. Luke had just come downstairs looking for Luca. After learning that she still had not returned from her meeting at Watson, he decided to wait here.After hearing that Luke was waiting for her, she started to feel all warm inside. She turned around and made a gesture to Rhett, signaling him to go in first. Rhett nodded and walked toward the lab.Luca looked back at Zoey and asked, “How long has Mr. Crawford been waiting?”Zoey glanced at the time and replied, “About ten minutes. He knew that you were still in a meeting at Watson, so he went straight into your office without telling me to inform you.” Luke was the boss of this company, after all. Hence, she watched him walk into Luca’s office without stopping him.“Got it.” Luca turned around and walked back to her o
After Luca had successfully clocked out, she walked into the CEO’s exclusive elevator with Luke.The elevator doors closed slowly, and Zoey withdrew her gaze as she could not help but sigh. “What a perfect match, but how unfortunate…”Rhett walked into the office and heard her sigh, so he asked out of curiosity, “What match? What’s unfortunate?”Zoey shook her head as she dared not gossip about the boss’ relationship with him. “Are you going home?”“How can I go home when the research professor hasn’t gone home yet?” said Rhett while picking up a stack of files next to the printer on the desk. He was the laboratory assistant. If the researchers were working overtime, he would have to as well.“But Dr. Craw has just gone home,” said Zoey.Rhett was about to exit the office when he stopped in his tracks all of a sudden and looked back at her. “Dr. Craw got off work already?”“She just clocked out half a minute ago. She should have arrived downstairs by now,” informed Zoey. If Luca
“Of course.” Luca caressed the child’s head. After what happened previously, she did not purposely keep her distance from the children in front of the old master anymore. “By the way, where’s Lanie and Rainie?”If they wanted to be close to her, then she would let them be.After all, the days she spent with them were numbered.“My brother and sister are upstairs doing their homework,” Tommy said with a smile, leaning even closer to her.Luca simply put her arms around him.Luke stood aside as he watched Luca and Tommy stick together eagerly, which did not make him jealous but made the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile instead. “I’ll go upstairs and keep the files.”“Go ahead. I’ll entertain them here.” Old Master Crawford waved his hand without paying any attention to Luke.He saw Luca’s concern for the children, which differed from other women. There was no pretense, and the affection in her eyes did not look like it was for show. She was not fake at all and was very su
After the argument between Old Master Crawford and Susan, Luca dared not pick up the medicinal herbs to take a closer look at them as she did not want Susan to find faults with her actions and further provoke the old master.She reckoned that the herbs really belonged to Yuri, so there should not be a problem.The last time, there was a problem with the old master’s stew because Susan had tampered with it. Yuri was her daughter-in-law and she still hoped that Yuri and Louis would have a second child, so how could she have tampered with the herbs?It was a strong tonic at most. Even if it was not suitable for Yuri’s body, it would not be too bad.Luca picked up the cup of tea, which had cooled a bit during the two’s argument. She took a big sip to please the old master.He did personally prepare it, after all.Susan snorted when she saw Luca drink the tea. She poured a cup for herself as well.“What are you doing?” Old Master Crawford looked at her indifferently.“If she can hav
“Father, you’ve been around for some time and have seen a lot of things, but there are many scammers nowadays and they’re using more tricks that you’ve never seen, so don’t be deceived.” Susan was even more upset when she saw how Old Master Crawford defended Luca, so she pointed out that Luca was a liar.Old Master Crawford had a gloomy expression. As expected, Susan would not be bothered to think about her reputation when she went crazy. She was like this with Allison and now, with Luca.Was she trying to badmouth Luke by hinting that Luca was a liar?Old Master Crawford was very fond of Luca and would never allow such a thing to happen.Just as he was about to speak, Luke’s voice could be heard from the stairs. “Mother, are you doubting the professional skills of the person I hired?”Susan looked up at Luke and frowned. It seemed like he was involved now.She already felt pressured from facing Old Master Crawford. Now that she had to face Luke, her imposing manner immediately d
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
“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