"It's not that…" Bianca's denial was weak. "I know that even if someone catches us in the act, you have the clout to suppress the news. I'm just a little tired after a full day of work, and I just want to go back to my room and rest." Luke's gaze on her was profound. He leaned close to her, deliberately lowered his voice, and spoke each syllable clearly. "I'm not going to suppress the news if the scandal breaks out. When I saw the news this morning that you are his legally wedded wife, I was so jealous that I was losing my mind. Now that you've appeared on the news with him, do you still mind that you'll have a scandal with me?" Bianca was worried that the children might hear. She might be surprised, but she kept her voice low, "That was just an accident. There's nothing to be jealous of. Don't be childish." She knew that Xavier bore no love for him, and he only forced her into a marriage out of malice. Even if he had a shred of affection for him, there was nothing to be proud of
Jason was suddenly silent. While Bianca took out the plates and cutlery from the cupboard, she asked, "Is everything OK, Mr. Doyle? Can you hear me?" One minute passed, then two minutes… Jason did not make a sound… The other colleagues had all woken up. Several people were doing chores in the courtyard. Joe was watering the plants and was rambling on, "I saw from the weather report that it'll be turning cold from Wednesday on. These pots need to be brought indoors. Is anyone willing to take two? Otherwise, I'll be bringing them all into my room." It was noisy outside. Bianca could not hear any sound from the other end of the phone. On the third minute, Bianca decided that she would end the call. Perhaps the reception was bad, or perhaps Jason was busy with work. Suddenly, Jason spoke. He sounded especially clear. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rayne. The reception was bad earlier," Jason explained. "It's fine. I thought that was the case. I was about to hang up." Bianca handed the p
Bianca put the keys away, changed into slippers, tiptoed into the bedroom, and found two blankets. She draped one over Lanie's body and the other over Rainie, who was sleeping soundly on Daddy's tummy… Bianca was about to walk away when the man on the couch suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes. His eyes looked tired under the angular brow ridge. Blood vessels could be seen at the corners of his eyes. On other days, she would tell her not to work so hard and rest more, out of concern as his employee or as the father of her children. However, Bianca was speechless. Every word that Jason said over the phone lingered in Bianca's mind. "Boss received a dinner invitation after he got back yesterday. He left the two children in the apartment, and no one was around to take care of them… "Boss drank a little too much last night, and we haven't managed to contact him at the hotel…" Luke was wholly unqualified as a single parent. After Luke woke up, Rainie also woke up. After Ra
Bianca was flustered when Luke suddenly mentioned that they were going to do a DNA test. What if Luke was mistaken? What if Lanie and Rainie were not her children? Suddenly, Bianca's heart was overcome by worry and apprehension. Her desire to be the children's mother was too strong, which was why she was afraid of losing it all. Even if the probability that she would lose the children might be 0.01%, the pain felt as though she had a knife stuck to her throat. Bianca did not ask Luke the exact time they should go to do the DNA test. She wanted to run away. After deciding on the DNA test, they did not have any other topics of conversation and looked at each other silently. They were alone in a room, which made it easy for the atmosphere to become intimate. "I'll go and contact the colleagues in the small town." Bianca found an excuse to move to the living room. However, her delicate wrist was immediately grabbed by the man's strong hand. He pulled her back, and she s
After the waiters served all the dishes, they left the private restaurant room. The restaurant's service was personalized. The owner did not believe that the customer was always right, and it was up to her if she wanted to serve those that came through the doors. Her customers were either regulars or those whose personalities and mannerisms were to the owner's satisfaction. Of course, they had to be able to afford the food there too. Anyone rude or boorish would not be able to taste the spectacular food of that restaurant. Shakira Neile, the owner, had a temperamental character. She had offended many people in her career, especially the nouveau riche who had money but no manners. She could afford to offend those people. Her husband and son were influential VIPs. Bianca took a few bites and turned to feed Rainie, who was clinging onto her and causing her heart to melt out of tenderness. Even if Rainie threw a tantrum and did not want to eat the delicious food served on the tab
Luke looked at Bianca and tried to discern her feelings. When Luke was a child, he did not have his father and mother by his side. However, he knew that his mother was the one who sent him to an orphanage. In those few years living in the orphanage, his mother had visited him a few times. Back then, he had several questions. 'Who is my father? 'Why does my father never come to see me? 'Does my father want me?' Luke knew how it felt to be abandoned, and that was why he wanted to shower all his love and care on Bianca. However, he knew that he could never match the love and care given by one's parents. Bianca had never met her mother. Like Rainie sitting next to her and Lanie sitting opposite her, they had always eagerly hoped that their mother would appear in their lives and love them. Unfortunately, Bianca's mother never appeared, even until the day she became a mother herself… Lanie was sitting next to his father and eating his meal like a gentleman. At that mome
Assaulted by the cold wind, Marie felt that her face was becoming stiff and her limbs were becoming icicles. She turned around and saw the RV parked in the distance. After that morning, she was familiar with the RV driver. She brought the coat with her, went to the RV, and asked the driver to open the door. She could not stand the cold anymore. The driver recognized Marie. He thought that she was Leia's new assistant or something. He opened the door to the trailer. Marie sat inside, rubbing her fingers, trying to warm herself up. Meanwhile, at the shoot, Leia was not concentrating. The director was nationally renowned, and his movies were widely acclaimed. He was a regular at award ceremonies. Countless actresses wanted to star in his movies but there were not many that could impress him. The director put Leia Norman in the starring role out of desperation. One of his biggest funders had withdrawn their financial support, and production of the movie was stalled. Just wh
That was the first time Bianca was called "Mommy." For the typical person, that word was as normal as it could get. In fact, those were usually the first words of a newborn baby. However, to Bianca, those words were an unfamiliar luxury. It was unfamiliar to her because ever since she knew how to speak, she had no one to call "Mommy." In her twenty-four years of her life, she did not have the opportunity to call anyone that name. She was pregnant at eighteen years old but was separated from her children at nineteen. In the period she was studying overseas, she encountered many young mothers. Some of them were single, and some of them were clinging on to their equally young husbands' arms. However, they had their young children next to them, calling them "Mommy" in a different language. Whenever Bianca saw that as she wandered on the streets, she would think of her children. She wondered if they have the chance to call someone their "Mommy" like the other children. Perhaps
Sophian stood before her. Her face was a picture of hesitation and discomfort. “Madam Allison, how about you order using your phone?”“What? You can’t even handle this small task?” At this point, Allison had completely shifted her view of Sophian, now seeing her as just another maid. Her previous tone vanished, replaced by a much more domineering attitude.Sophian felt helpless and quickly explained, “It’s just that the food from this place is just too expensive. I don’t have that kind of money.”Once she finished speaking, a flush of embarrassment crossed her face.Sophian had come back with Allison to work off the debt she owed from her cosmetic surgery. Therefore, she had no money to spare.Allison paused for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. After a brief moment, she picked up her phone and said, “It's not like I'm having you pay for it. You can't even temporarily cover it?”Sophian smiled awkwardly. “I just transferred money to the hospital.”Allison let out a faint hu
“You don’t like eating outside food, do you?” Luca thought that preparing breakfast and dinner for him was not a big deal.Besides, the main point was that Luke did not like eating out. He always felt the taste was off and lacked nutrition.“Actually, it’s not that I don’t like eating out. It's just that all the food outside tastes the same to me.” Luke gently squeezed her hand.“Hey, focus on driving.” Luca chuckled.Luke withdrew his hand and returned it to the steering wheel. “With that woman around, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to cook. Are you really going to make breakfast for them too?”If that happened, it would defeat the purpose of his plan.Luca thought for a moment. She did not mind ignoring Sophian, but if she cooked for Luke and not for Allison, that might not sit well with her. Allison could easily make a fuss over even the smallest details. “So, should we just eat out for breakfast and dinner from now on?”“Yes.” Luke did not mind.It did not matter where t
“Something I like?” Luca laughed. “What could that be?”“You’ll find out when we get there.” Luke kept it mysterious.“Alright then, I’ll wait for your surprise, Mr. Crawford.” Luca was in good spirits without letting family issues dampen her mood. Therefore, she video-called the kids.Luca dialed Mr. Griffin’s number.After Mr. Griffin answered the call, he handed the phone to Lanie. “Young Master Lanie, Ms. Craw wants to talk to you.”“Thank you, Mr. Griffin.” Lanie took the phone and pressed ‘accept’.Luca positioned the camera to include both her and Luke. She waved at the screen. “Lanie, Rainie, Tommy, what are you all doing?”“Lanie! Lanie, I want to talk to Ms. Luca!” Tommy waved excitedly at the camera, eager to take the phone.Lanie handed it to him. “Go on, tell Daddy and Ms. Luca about your good news.”Luca smiled and asked with curiosity. “Good news?”“Daddy, Ms. Luca, I made it to the next level in the math competition! The finals are this Saturday!” Tommy said e
“Why are you being so slow?” Allison was irritated. She shoved the products into Sophian’s hands.“I told you to use them, so just use them.” Allison ran out of patience. After urging Sophian, she lay back down.Sophian had no choice but to follow her instructions and poured out some product. The texture of the product in her palm made her pause for a moment. It was incredibly moisturizing!She gently patted it onto Allison's face and noticed the area she touched felt just as smooth.Allison let out a content sigh. “This essence is really soothing.”Even though Sophian was still worried about potential side effects, she could not help but admire the instant hydrating effect. She asked in a low voice, “Madam Allison, is this really developed by that woman?”She could not believe that Luca had such skills and wondered if the essence had just been repackaged into another bottle and sold as her own creation.“That's what she says,” replied Allison. “But she's into pharmaceuticals, s
After agreeing to become the maid, Sophian’s excitement gradually turned into anxiety.The villa was so large. Could she really handle all the tasks a maid was supposed to do?As she thought about it, she accidentally left the bread in the toaster for too long. After serving it to Allison, she was scolded.“What’s this? It’s just a slice of toast. How could you burn it like this? How am I supposed to eat it?” Allison was clearly displeased.Sophian awkwardly explained, “Madam Allison, this is my first time using this toaster. I didn’t quite get the temperature right...”Allison was about to keep complaining but paused for a moment, remembering that Sophian was the one she had brought in to be the maid. Now, she was the only one who could make breakfast for her. She disdainfully tore off the burnt part and took a bite. “Where’s the soy milk?”“It’ll bring it out,” replied Sophian, heading back to the kitchen. She brought out two glasses of soy milk and another slice of toast tha
“Are you planning to tell me that Madam Allison brought someone back?” Luca had a feeling she knew what was going on. Luca had been wondering why Allison had taken such a big risk by going out during the day, but it all made sense now.“Yes, she brought someone back and said she'll be taking over my job,” Aunt Neile replied helplessly. She was worried she had lost her competitive edge, which made her feel anxious.“I got it, Aunt Neile.” As soon as Luca spoke, there was a cheer from inside the lab. She glanced back and saw that there seemed to be progress in the research. Rhett gave her a thumbs-up to signal success.She slightly smiled and nodded before hearing Aunt Neile's voice again on the phone. “Ms. Craw, there’s something I’d like to say, though I’m not sure if I should. I’ve thought about it, and I feel like I should. Even though Mr. Crawford isn’t the type to fool around, you have to be careful. He has no interest in that woman, but she’s clearly interested in him. You sh
Allison watched the two of them go upstairs, and instantly, her temper flared.Not allowed, huh?Allison refused to believe it. She would find a way to turn things around and reclaim her position in this family!…The next morning, as Luke and Luca came downstairs, they noticed Aunt Neile looking at them with red, puffy eyes.“Aunt Neile, what happened?” Luca was puzzled. What happened?“Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, Madam Allison just told me that I’m fired.” Aunt Neile looked distraught. She thought Allison’s words yesterday were just a joke, but first thing in the morning, she was told to settle her wages and leave. She was completely stunned.“Mr. Crawford, did I do something wrong?”Luke’s brows furrowed. Allison’s behavior was truly astonishing.“You’re not fired,” replied Luke. “Is breakfast ready?”Relieved to hear she still had her job, Aunt Neile quickly wiped away her tears and let out a sigh of relief. “Yes. Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, please have a seat. I’ll bring it out.
Luke was driving back home with Luca. It was already 9:00 pm when they arrived at the villa.Just as they reached the foyer and had not taken more than a few steps, Allison's voice rang out.“Oh, so you're finally willing to come back from Crawford Manor?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.Luca did not know how to respond to Allison and looked over at Luke.Luke let go of Luca's waist and whispered, “Go upstairs first.”“Okay.” Luca nodded, changed her shoes, and was about to head upstairs when Allison said again, “Stop. Who told you to go upstairs?”“Madam Allison, is there something you need?” Luca's tone was cold, carefully masking the helplessness inside her.Since she learned that Allison would be returning to the country and moving here, Luca had mentally prepared herself to be put in a difficult position. She loved Luke, so she was willing to tolerate whatever troubles came with it.Luca believed that as long as she and Luke faced things together, there was nothing th
After finishing work, Luca headed straight to Crawford Manor.When she arrived and greeted Old Master Crawford, the three kids came running down the stairs and surrounded her. They each took turns expressing how much they missed her and Luke.Luca missed them too, so after exchanging a few words with Old Master Crawford, she went upstairs with the kids to help them with their homework.It did not take long before Luke arrived.Not seeing Luca in the living room, he asked Old Master Crawford, “Grandpa, has Luca arrived?”Old Master Crawford was in a good mood. He nodded and replied, “She's upstairs, helping the kids with their homework.”Luke sat on the couch and watched the evening news with Old Master Crawford.“Has your mother caused any trouble lately?” asked Old Master Crawford.“Not really,” answered Luke. He could still manage Allison.“That doesn’t sound like her,” added Old Master Crawford, assuming Allison would always be causing trouble.“Her condition is bad right