“Alright, let’s order.” Nina handed the other menu to Sue, while she shared a menu with Luca.After ordering, they discussed the current affairs in A City.Luca did not say anything as she did not know much about what was going on in A City, so she just listened to them talk.They were exposed to much more things than she was.Luca was always in the laboratory working on the research. She practically had no chance of coming in contact with the outside world.However, Nina and Sue were different.They were still the backbone of Brilliant Architectural Design LLC. They were in charge of the decision-making for basically all the matters at the company. It was only when it came to a particularly important decision that they would leave it up to Luke.Sue and Nina talked for some time before noticing that Luca had not spoken at all, so Sue apologized, “Sorry about that, Luca.”“Why apologize? The things you’re talking about are quite interesting,” Luca said with a smile. They were t
“What’s wrong?” Luca noticed the ghastly expression on Nina’s face.“The Rayne family called. They said that Jean is standing in front of the villa with Marie and refuses to leave. The guards could only notify the tenant, so Wanda had no choice but to call me,” said Nina while putting on the jacket she took off.If it were not for the fact that she was Bianca’s best friend, Wanda would have already made a police report. Jean was her brother, so Wanda was just giving her grace by calling her to let her deal with it.Luca stood up as soon as she heard that. “Isn’t Jean a law-abiding citizen now? Why cause trouble for Aunt—the Rayne family?”Luca’s anxiousness raised Nina’s suspicion, and she looked even more distressed. “I reckon it’s because I refuse to give him money. Jean doesn’t have a penny to his name now. Perhaps it’s also because Marie incited him to do this.”Luca thought of the soft and fragile Wanda. She was ill at ease. “I’ll go with you.”Nina wanted to tell Luca to no
Marie bit her lip. She knew all of that?She instantly felt guilty when Wanda looked at her.Luca was puzzled when she heard Wanda’s words and looked at Marie’s guilty expression.What else did Marie and her mother do that she was not aware of?Nina stood at the side and apologized to Wanda, “I’m very sorry, Aunt Rayne. If this happens again, please just call the police immediately without informing me.”She already knew that she would not be able to chase Jean away even before she came.It was because this was the first time this had happened, so she wanted to apologize to Wanda personally.“Nina, what did you say?” Jean did not believe the words that came out of her mouth. He instantly could not bear the sight of her and raised his hand to slap her.Luca reacted quickly and blocked him. She raised her hand and forcefully grabbed Jean’s wrist. “If you dare lay a finger on her, I’ll make you regret it.”Jean looked at Luca’s exquisite face. Even though she was barefaced and lo
After a while, Luke’s people rushed over.Then, Luca briefly explained everything to them and let them go back.Luca heaved a sigh of relief as the matter had finally been resolved. Wanda saw the smile on her face after the problem was dealt with and could not help but lift her hand to dust off the fallen snow on Luca’s shoulders.“You must’ve rushed over here, right? You don’t even have your gloves on. It must be freezing. Let’s go inside,” she said.“Okay, Aunt Rayne.” Luca rubbed her palms together and followed Wanda into the neighborhood.Wanda walked beside Luca, and when she looked sideways at her, she was momentarily distracted by the fact that Luca was the same height as Bianca.Bianca used to walk beside her like this, but walking with Luca beside her gave her the same feeling.She was bewildered.Wanda shook her head slightly. Luca noticed and asked, “What is it, Aunt Rayne?”“Nothing. It’s a cold winter day, so let’s hurry inside the house. Old Master Crawford is he
Wanda carried the tea upstairs and saw that the two old masters were in fact sitting in the second-floor living room playing chess.“Dad, Old Master Crawford, have some tea first. The refreshments will only be done later.” Wanda did not mention the incident with Jean and Marie.However, Old Man Rayne had heard about it from the maid. He waited until she put down the tea before asking, “Has that girl left?”“Dad, you know about it…” Wanda sighed resignedly.“The maid was the one who helped me after I woke up from my nap. How could I not know? Hasn’t it been some time since she came here? Why is she back?” Old Man Rayne may be old and in need of affection from his family, but he did not have even the slightest bit of affection for Marie.He thought that Marie was gone for good. He did not expect her to come again today, which made him feel disgusted.In Wanda’s haste to rush out, she forgot to inform the maid to not tell the old master about this. She then glanced at Old Master Cra
The oven was done preheating right after Luca finished shaping the cookies.After she placed the cookies in the oven, she looked back at Wanda and saw that the eggs in the bowl were beaten as well.“Do I add flour next?” asked Wanda. She knew how to bake cakes. Usually, the next step would be to add flour, but she still subconsciously asked Luca.“Aunt Rayne, let me take it from here.” Luca blinked.“Could it be that you have a secret recipe?” Wanda was curious and passed the baton to her.“Not really, but I’m not making a chiffon cake, so the steps are a little different,” said Luca as she added the melted butter into the egg mixture. Then, she added an appropriate amount of sugar substitute and milk. Finally, she added the flour.Wanda watched her stir the mixture and took out cupcake molds from the cupboard to hold the batter.After Luca mixed the cake batter evenly, she poured it into the molds.Then, she readjusted the temperature of the oven and placed the cupcakes into t
Only after Wanda had called attention to herself did the two old masters who were playing chess realize that Luca was here.Old Master Crawford was all smiles as he watched Luca sit down. He said, “Luca, what brings you here? Did you purposely come over to visit me because you knew I was here?”Old Man Rayne immediately waved his hand and said with a straight face, “I’ve seen my fair share of shameless people, yet I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you. Of course, Luca came here to visit me. Isn’t that right, Luca?”After saying that, he looked at Luca with all smiles as well.Luca did not know whether to laugh or cry when she saw the two old masters behave like mischievous children. She put down the tray in her hands on the coffee table and said, “Old Masters, would you care to try my creations?”The aroma of the cookies on the coffee table smelled amazing. Old Master Crawford could not help but drool a little. “Luca, of course, I know how good your cooking skills are. That bo
“Okay, I’ll be careful. I’m about to drive, so I’ll hang up now,” said Nina as she ended the call with Sue and drove to Jean’s home.While waiting for the traffic light, she thought about what Sue said and reconsidered. She decided to send a voice message to Percy to tell him about what just happened and notify him that she was heading over to Jean’s place.Percy did not reply. Nina assumed that he was busy, so she continued driving to Jean’s home without sending any more messages.She parked her car somewhere nearby as Jean currently lived in the Langdon family’s old house. The parking spaces would be full if she went any farther, so she could only park her car here and walk inside.Several motorcycles were parked in front of the house.Nina frowned. It seemed like not only Jean and Marie were inside but their scoundrel friends too…However, she could not tell whose friends they were.Nina took out her keys and opened the door. The sound of an uproar came from the living room.
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