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'
“Business trip? Why are you going on a business trip again?” Old Master Crawford said querulously. He knew that Luke was going on a business trip to handle T Corporation’s matters, but the old master was unhappy now. Luke would rather stay up all night and waste his efforts than take the initiative to look for Luca and solve his problem. One could not make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear! “It’s the company’s affairs,” replied Luke.Old Master Crawford sneered. He knew it must be related to the company. It was just that Luke had never thought about his marriage! Even though the old master was dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he could not rewind the time to last night no matter what he did. Besides, Luca was smart. She should have noticed that there was something wrong with the tonic. Hence, the old master could not use such ways anymore. “Let’s eat,” said Old Master Crawford. Luca let out a sigh. It was fortunate that the old master did not c
“Madam Crawford, isn’t it a bad idea to look at this?” The guard hesitated. Although Old Master Crawford did not tell him that he should not watch the footage, there was a chance that he might get fired if the old master found out about it.“What’s wrong with it? The security cameras installed in the house belong to the Crawford family. Am I not the madam of this family? Why can’t I see it?” Susan raised her brows and threatened, “You’ll be fired if you don’t help me get the footage.” The guard had no choice but to search for the footage after getting threatened by her. "Give me a second," replied the guard. He began to open all the security footage folders and checked which one had been opened recently. Susan rushed him, “Make it fast. I have an appointment later.” The guard nodded and looked at a bunch of security camera footage recordings. There were many security cameras in Crawford Manor. Most of them were installed outside the gate and in the public areas in the house.
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