“Louis and Yuri are busy with work. Who’s going to look after Thea if you don’t move out of the house?” Old Master Crawford did not allow her to stay.“If they can’t look after Thea, they can hire a maid to take care of her. Or they can just send her over here if that doesn’t work for them,” said Susan. She insisted on living in Crawford Manor.Susan and Allison used to argue and fight with each other every day. It had become a fight to the end. However, Allison moved out of Crawford Manor after she thought Luke got killed. That was when Susan won the fight. Hence, Susan insisted on staying in Crawford Manor. This was her territory. “Mom, I’d still be worried if I leave Thea to the maid. You know Thea is unlike other children. I’ll be more assured if you can look after her yourself,” said Louis. What he said was true. Thea started suffering from a psychological disorder after what she went through when she was little. They had brought her to the psychologist, and the psychologi
Luca knew about medicines, and Old Master Crawford was worried that she would refuse to drink the tonic. If that happened, everything he planned would be for nothing. Hence, he tried his best to make Luca believe that he had no intentions of harming her.“This is the tonic that the old master had prepared for the two of you. We got the herbs from Dr. Archer. It’s good for young people who often stay up all night to work,” added Mr. Griffin.Mr. Griffin knew what the old master was up to.Mr. Griffin had been serving the Crawford family for years. He knew Luke since he was a boy and watched him grow up into an adult. Hence, he had the same thought as the old master. They both hoped for the best for Luke.At least that way, Luke would not have to be alone for the rest of his life. He would have someone he loved to keep him company.The old master meant no harm. He could see that Luke and Luca had feelings for each other, but they were making slow progress. That was why the old maste
Luca knew rumors would fly if she agreed to spend the night here tonight. Luke was going on a business trip tomorrow. Luca thought of letting him spend the night peacefully to boost his mood and handle his work.Luke had never shown his emotions on his face even after spending so much time together, and he seemed like a heartless person who never took the affairs of Crawford Manor seriously. However, Luca knew that Luke was more concerned about the affairs in Crawford Manor than anyone else."Oh no, the tonic you just drank contains high alcohol content. You’ve considered to have drunk. Besides, it's snowing out there. There's no way Luke and you can drive back home. As for Zander, he's old, so it's better not to trouble him at this hour. So, both of you should spend the night here and get some rest." Old Master Crawford patted the table and decided for them. Luca listened to what the old master said. It seemed like she was left with no choice but to stay here. She could hire
“Is this the jewelry set that I asked for? Louis, you probably think that I’m old and my eyes are getting bad. Is that why you’re trying to fool me?” Yuri stood at the stairs, holding Thea's hands. Susan must be in a bad mood now, not to mention that she was lectured by Old Master Crawford not long ago. Yuri grabbed Thea's hand and decided not to return to their bedroom to prevent her from getting into trouble. Hence, Yuri lowered her head and said, "Thea, have you finished your homework?" Thea pouted, and there was clearly a disapproving look in her eyes. “Mommy, I don’t want to do my homework.” “No way. Come on. Let’s go to your bedroom and finish your homework.” Yuri did not want to deal with Susan’s anger. She dragged her daughter and headed to Thea’s bedroom without a second thought. The jewelry set was Louis’ idea. Yuri had thought it was a bad idea from the very beginning. After all, jewelry meant a lot to a woman.However, Louis refused to listen to her. He thought get
Louis did not stop Yuri. It had been a long time since he gave Yuri any jewelry. Yuri looked at Louis after she closed the safe and said, “Our family needs the shares no matter what. If you sell all your shares, we can’t depend on my family when we’re facing any difficulty in the future. Are you going to take out a loan when the time comes?” “Mom said that she’s not going to host the birthday party if she doesn’t have the jewelry set.” Louis pulled his hair fretfully. “Why is this old woman so stubborn?” Yuri frowned. She had expected Louis to get scolded by Susan, but she did not expect that the old woman would threaten her son by not hosting the birthday party if he could not get the jewelry set for her.No way!The hotel had been booked and the invitation cards had been sent to the guests. People would think that there was something wrong with the Crawford family if they canceled the birthday party out of the blue.Besides, Yuri had always relied on the parties held by the
Louis nodded. He understood the undertone of Luke’s words. Luke was telling him not to be concerned about borrowing less from him and spending all his cash on this jewelry set as it would affect his family. "Brother, don't worry. I know what to do," replied Louis. He would not let his family suffer just to satisfy Susan, especially Thea. He needed to spend a lot of money on her now."It's getting late. Get some rest." Luke patted Louis' shoulder and left the balcony. Louis watched Luke leave from behind. Luke had always been taking up responsibilities since he was a little boy. Until now, Luke was still the well-qualified big brother in Louis’ heart. Louis recalled that when he was still young, the relatives of the Crawford family were unhappy that Allison brought Luke back home. They often spoke ill about the mother and son in front of him. They even told him that he had to be better than Luke. Otherwise, they would lose everything they had. Although he was not as outstandi
Luca’s mind went completely blank, just like what happened a few days ago. Her brain froze uncontrollably…“Mr. Crawford…” Luca tried to push the man away. She accidentally touched his fiery skin and quickly pulled her hand away. His skin was burning. “Luca, am I sick?” Even though Luke knew what was happening to him, he still hugged her. Luca drank the tonic too. He believed that she was not feeling any better than he was now.“Let go of me. Let me check on you.” Luke’s scent filled her nostrils. Perhaps the scent used to be hypnotic, but now, the scent seemed to have triggered something in her body. It silenced her thoughts. All she wanted now was to drown herself in him, do something crazy, and let the chips fall where they may. "You can cure me, right?" Luke was still hugging Luca, refusing to let go of her. He longed to make Luca melt into his body, his blood, and his cells. Luca knew it was impossible to ask Luke to let go of her now. She had no choice but to say, “Ho
The following day.Susan yawned while making her way down the stairs. She could not sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. The heat in her body went away not long ago. She wanted to rest more but did not feel like sleeping anymore, so she thought of getting up and keeping an eye on Luke and Luca. “Good morning, Madam Crawford.” Mr. Griffin noticed how pale Susan was, and he understood why she was looking pale. Susan must have had a hard time trying to fall asleep last night. After all, she took the medicine that the old master had asked someone to prescribe. Even though she was a middle-aged woman, it was hard to resist the effects of the medicine. “Is breakfast ready?” Susan asked.“Mrs. Nancy is still on it,” Mr. Griffin lowered his head and answered. Susan complained, “She’s still making breakfast? What’s wrong with her working efficiency?”Mr. Griffin glanced at the time, lowered his head, and replied respectfully, "Madam Crawford, Mrs. Nancy didn't know you'
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special
“This cup of coffee is from that gentleman for this lady.” The waiter smiled as he explained, placing the cup in front of Luca.Hera followed the waiter’s gaze and immediately recognized the man Luca had been looking at earlier.Her eyes darkened. She had noticed the man glancing in their direction. However, she had assumed he was looking at her.After all, she was dressed seductively, had put on makeup, and was undeniably beautiful. Any man who saw her would be attracted. If a man’s eyes lingered on her, it was not surprising at all.Realizing that the man had been watching Luca the whole time instead of her, Hera suddenly felt annoyed.Luca noticed her displeasure, glanced at Gordan, then smiled and said to the waiter, “Please thank the gentleman for me.”“Of course, miss. Enjoy your coffee.” The waiter, sensing the tension between the two women, quickly grabbed his tray and left before Hera’s sour mood could affect him too.“Hmph, feeling proud of yourself?” asked Hera.Luca
Although Luca did not know the exact value of the clothes, she was certain that anything Luke had specially sent over would not be cheap.So, when she caught the sales associate’s skeptical glance, she felt a bit helpless but did not bother to explain. The truth would speak for itself. Besides, she had no intention of justifying herself to a sales associate.Hera, despite her love for luxury goods, did not actually know much about haute couture. So, when she noticed the sales associate still sizing up Luca, she immediately snapped, “What are you looking at?”“N-Nothing.” The sales associate quickly averted her gaze and turned her full attention to Hera, smiling brightly. “Our esteemed guest, what can I help you find today?”Hera thought for a moment before saying in a serious tone, “Show me your new handbags.”The sales associate’s eyes lit up when she heard this. Anyone who could afford so much designer clothing had to have deep pockets. This meant a solid commission for her!
The sales associate nodded and said, “Yes, we do. I’ve already placed them in the fitting room for you. Would you like some assistance?”Hera shook her head and pointed straight at Luca. “No, I want her to do it.”Luca shook her head helplessly. It seemed that Hera was determined to make her play the role of a sales associate today.Luca asked, “Ms. Sanchez, where’s Mr. Abel?”“What does that have to do with you?” Hera shot her a wary look. “Where he goes isn’t important. What matters is that you’re spending the day shopping with me. And if I’m not happy, be prepared to face his punishment.”Then, Hera strutted toward the fitting room like a proud peacock.Luca had no choice but to follow.Inside the fitting room, Hera closed the door behind them and commanded, “Help me unzip the back.”“Alright.” Luca lowered her gaze. Since they were both women and Hera clearly had no reservations, there was no reason for her to feel uncomfortable. She placed her hands on the zipper.Hera re
After Hera got into the car, Abel turned around. His piercing blue eyes locked onto Luca.“When will the test results be ready?” asked Abel. His primary concern was the results.Luca replied, “It won’t be that fast. She did quite a few tests, so it might take until tomorrow or the day after. But the hospital assured me that as soon as the results are in, they’ll give me a detailed report right away.”Abel looked a little unhappy. “Didn’t I tell you to choose the VIP package?”“Mr. Abel, even with the VIP package, the results won’t be immediate. Getting them by tomorrow is already considered fast,” explained Luca.Abel let out a cold snort.Just then, the car window rolled down.“Baby, I’m still upset.” Hera’s voice dripped with sweetness.Abel turned around, his previously cold expression instantly replaced with warmth and tenderness. “What will make you feel better?”Hera thought for a moment. “How about this? Let her follow me around today and carry my shopping bags. That mi
“You!” Hera was clearly caught off guard that the driver had the nerve to talk back to her.She yanked off her sunglasses, just about ready to snap back at him when the driver got a good look at her through the rearview mirror.“Oh, it’s you?” said the driver.“Who the hell are you? Do I know you?” Hera’s tone was arrogant as though she was naturally above him.The driver reminded her, “Remember yesterday? You had me tail a cab and park outside some ancestral hall for half the day, and you refused to leave. I wasted a ton of gas just idling there with the A/C on because of you.”Hera’s face turned red, then pale. She did not expect Luca to randomly call a cab and end up with the same driver from yesterday.Luca also found it a funny coincidence and glanced back. Hera’s expression was awful.The driver, being a straight shooter, did not hold back. “Huh. Funny how you didn’t complain about my car smelling bad yesterday, but today, all of a sudden, it stinks? After I dropped you of
Luca also reminded Luke to tell the kids not to contact her during this period. The device could not be removed. If it was, Abel would definitely notice. Rather than making him suspicious or prompting him to install even better devices, it was better to just leave this one in place.Luke quickly replied: [Got it.]Luca put on a faint smile and began narrowing down the search, trying to figure out where that man had installed the device.If it was just for listening, she did not care. It could stay. However, if it was a surveillance camera, she needed to be more cautious. In the end, she found the device under the bed.She did not bother checking whether it was for listening or monitoring. After all, if it was placed there, the only possibility was that it was an audio bug. A camera in that spot would not capture anything useful.Anyone trained on the Island of Despair would not make such a rookie mistake.After a quick wash-up, Luca went to bed.The next morning, she receive