Rainie’s teacher understood immediately. None of Rainie’s family members came. That was why the woman in front of her who claimed she was Luke’s subordinate came here. She said, “I see. Then will you stay to watch Rainie’s competition?” “Yes. I will,” replied Luca. Was it not obvious enough with Luca carrying a camera with the camera strap on her shoulder?“We’ve reserved seats in the auditorium for the kids’ family members. It usually starts on the second row. Please wait there,” said the teacher. Luca nodded. She put a smile on her face when she saw Rainie walk out of the room after getting changed. The look in her eyes was gentle and kind. “Ms. Luca, can you help me tie this?” Rainie walked past the teacher and asked for Luca’s help. Luca nodded, squatted down, and helped Rainie tie up every strap that needed to be tied. “Done.” Luca rose to her feet and encouraged her, “I’ll be watching your performance from out there. You got this!” “Alright, Ms. Luca.” Rainie smile
Luca could sense that Yuri was unhappy, but she did not say anything. She focused on watching the performance. Rainie was the star ballerina. She attracted everyone’s attention the moment she stepped on the stage. The expressiveness of her facial expressions and her skilled elegant dance moves were a display of the dancing skills she had picked up over the years.Luca picked up the camera and kept taking photos of Rainie dancing on the stage. At the same time, she noticed that something was wrong as she was sitting near the stage. The stage was bright enough, and that was why Luca did not switch on the flash. It did not affect the photos’ quality either. The ballet performance lasted for 40 minutes. Luca heard Thea talking to Yuri after the dancers made their curtain calls, “Mommy, I want to get into the dance academy too. Sign me up please.” Yuri shot a glance at Luca. She was lowering her head and fiddling with the camera as though she was not paying attention to what the
Rainie was smiling as she noticed that Luca was about to say ‘Mommy’…That would only mean Luca still saw them as her children. Hence, it must be what their father had told them. Their mother had some unspeakable reason, and that was why she did not acknowledge them. Rainie was thinking of telling Lanie about it after he came back from school. Luca brought Rainie out of the amusement park. All the open-air parking lots were occupied with cars. Hence, Luca parked her car in the multi-story car park when she came here. Luca and Rainie ran into Yuri and Thea when they walked into the car park. “Hello, Aunt Yuri. Hello, Thea,” Rainie greeted them. Rainie was looking for Luca when she was on the stage, and that was when she saw Yuri and Thea sitting beside Luca.“Oh Rainie, you did such a great job.” Yuri complimented her while her gaze fell on the two’s interlocked hands.Those who did not know would have thought that they were mother and daughter. "Thank you, Aunt Yuri." Rain
Luca sat there doing nothing after she finished ordering the food. It was inconvenient for her to talk with Amur as Rainie was there.Amur knew Luca had wanted to meet him alone in the beginning, so she must have something to tell him. However, Rainie was here together with them. She could not tell Amur what she wanted to say.After all, the child was not that young anymore. She understood a lot of things.Rainie glanced at Luca, then she turned to look at Amur. She smiled and said, “Ms. Luca, I saw a swing there. Can I go over there to play?”"Ah. Sure." Luca turned to look at the swing. It was a play area designed by the restaurant for the kids so that the parents could relax when they brought their children here. "Be careful. Don't go anywhere else."“Okay. I know.” Rainie stood up and strolled toward the play area. Luca was happy that there was a kids’ play area in the restaurant. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to talk to Amur. “Is she one of your children you’ve been
“There’s no need to get anything for her. We’re just meeting up and having lunch together. We don’t need to make it so formal, right, Rainie?” Luca lowered her head and looked at Rainie, who was drinking her water, with a smile on her face.Amur noticed how gentle Luca's smiling eyes were. It was how she looked at Nyla when she was on the Island of Despair. It must be difficult for Rainie to part with Luca if she had to. Luca was a good mother, after all.However, Nyla could not bear to part with Luca either. They were her daughters. How could she stand the thought of parting with her daughters? Amur made up his mind. He must work hard to prevent Luca from going through the pain of parting with her family again.Rainie nodded and agreed with what Luca said, but Amur thought it was inappropriate. Amur stood up and said, “No. It’s impolite of me. The dishes aren’t served yet. Please excuse me for a minute.”“Wait.” Luca stopped Amur while thinking fast. “It’s really okay. There
Jason noticed Luke's gloomy expression. He was sure Luca had something to do with it.“What are you doing?” Luke’s face darkened, and he asked Jason when he did not hear his report. Jason immediately came back to his senses. He put on a serious expression and reported to Luke about the progress of the acquisition. Another American-owned company was planning to purchase Brown's company at the same time. That was why they were hardly making any progress with the acquisition. Luke frowned and asked when he heard Jason reporting to him, "It's too slow." The words were sonorous and powerful. Jason could deeply feel Luke’s dissatisfaction. Then, Jason explained, "It has become even more difficult to acquire the company as other American-owned companies are joining in. That's why the progress slowed down a little…"Luke looked up and shifted his gaze to Jason. He looked at him with his cold, dark eyes. Jason understood what he meant. This was not about the slow progress. It was Lu
Luca got out of the car after she parked the car. She closed the door quietly so that she would not wake Rainie up. Luca walked past the front of the car and opened the passenger seat’s door. She unfastened Rainie’s seat belt and pulled the jacket up as it had slid down Rainie’s body. Then, she carried Rainie in her arms. Even though Rainie was skinny, she was heavy. However, Luca managed to carry Rainie in her arms and walk into the villa without much effort.Aunt Neile was surprised to see Luca carrying Rainie back in her arms. Luca shook her head when she was about to speak, so Aunt Neile immediately shut her mouth. Luca carried Rainie up the stairs. Aunt Neile followed behind closely, worried that Luca could not carry the child. After all, Rainie was already a ten-year-old child, while Luca looked so skinny. What if Luca could not carry the child all the way to her bedroom?However, Luca carried Rainie in her arms and made her way up the stairs steadily. It showed that
Luca and Rainie were baking cookies in the kitchen, while Aunt Neile was tidying up the living room.The villa's telephone rang. Aunt Neile answered the call with a puzzled look on her face. After all, people nowadays used smartphones, and there was hardly anyone who would call the villa's landline number. The telephone was basically a decoration in the house. Besides, it was the first time the telephone rang after she started working here. "Hello, this is theCrawford family." Aunt Neile picked up the receiver. “Is Luca there?” Luke’s voice came from the other end of the line. Aunt Neile was startled for a moment, and she replied, “Mr. Crawford? You're looking for Ms. Craw, right?”“Is she in the villa?” Luke asked. "Yes. Ms. Craw is in the kitchen. She's baking cookies with Ms. Rainie. Do you need me to inform her to pick up your call?" Aunt Neile asked.“Never mind. If she’s at the villa, then it’s fine,” said Luke. He called Luca after the meeting ended, but no one was an
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