Andy took a few banknotes out of his pocket and handed them to them as their tips. He did not exchange currency when he came here. Hence, he could only give them Russian rubles. However, the hotel was an international hotel. The hotel waiter would not be surprised to see different kinds of currency. He left the suite after receiving the tips. Marcos looked at the dishes served on the table. They were delicate and sumptuous. It was as expected from the local delicacies. He said, “Looks good.”Andy nodded and replied, “The food is delicate, indeed. But if you’d like to eat more, these wouldn’t be enough.”Andy took the food poison detection kit out of the bag he brought along with him here.The kit was used to detect the safety of the food. It was because of Marcos’ special identity. As his assistant, Andy would prepare it just in case someone was trying to harm Marcos. Marcos patiently waited for Andy to finish testing the food. After making sure the food was safe to consume, M
After Luca and Tina accompanied Marcos to another place, Luca asked, “Mr. Marcos, may I ask you a question?”“Yes. Go ahead and ask,” replied Marcos.“You’ve been asking Andy to leave you alone every time you arrive at a certain place. Are you looking for something?” Luca asked. Marcos was not planning to tell Luca about his family affairs. After all, if the elders in his family found out that his mother might be alive, his mother would probably be in danger. "I'm looking for my memories. It's a pity that these places have changed so much. They’re so much different from how they used to be," Marcos deliberately spoke in a regretful tone. Tina nodded while holding a cup of warm coffee in her hands. “Mr. Marcos, the places we’ve been to for the past two days are different from how they used to be. And I heard the older generation say that many places were reconstructed 20 years ago. In fact, they’ve been reconstructed many times so far. The old buildings were demolished, just li
Marcos looked at the yard in front of him. He had no idea if this was the farmhouse restaurant that her mother had told him about before.“I’m looking forward to it after all those things you’ve told me,” said Marcos.“Let’s go in. I’ve reserved a private room. It won’t be too noisy,” replied Tina. She pushed the door open and invited them.Marcos said gentlemanly, “Ladies first.” Luca did not delay any longer and stepped into the restaurant first. Andy was holding the door, signaling Tina to enter the restaurant first. Tina knew they were gentlemen, so she did not say a word and followed behind Luca. After the two ladies entered the restaurant, Marcos stepped into the restaurant.Tina was close with the owner of the restaurant here. That was why she was able to reserve a private room at the last minute. The female owner came up and led the way when she saw Tina. She brought the four of them to the private room. The private room was nicely decorated. There were barely any gre
At last, Luca checked Tommy’s homework. Tommy got it all correct too. After she signed the exercise books, the kids put their books back into their bags. After Tommy kept his book in his bag, he could not help but ask, “Ms. Luca, you’ve been coming home late for the past two days. Did Daddy give you too much work?”Luca smiled and shook her head. She picked up a strawberry with a toothpick, handed it to him, and said, “I can get off work on time tomorrow.” “That’s great.” Tommy opened his mouth and took a bite of the strawberry.Luca had been coming home late for the past few days as she needed to entertain Marcos. Hence, Aunt Neile had been looking after the kids lately. However, it was not totally because of Marcos. After Marcos ate his dinner, he would let Luca and Tina go back. After all, there were no scenic spots to be seen at night. Marcos did not enjoy nightlife entertainment either. However, Luca would return to T Corporation to check the experiment data after leavin
As Luke listened to Luca’s soft breathing, there was tenderness in his eyes while he looked at her.Luke had gotten used to the darkness in the room, and he was able to see the woman who was sleeping soundly on the bed while covered in the blanket. ‘You little devil,’ Luke could not help but secretly blame Luca for a moment. Luca did not pick up his calls, nor did she return his calls. She only explained it to him once by sending him a message. She was behaving so indifferently, and she was not concerned about his situation either. If it were not for the Mallory family who came to the villa, Luke would not have had the chance to listen to Luca's voice while he was out on the business trip. Heartless little woman…Luke was like a scorned woman, complaining to Luca about how she was being cold to him. However, there was nothing he could do. Luca was the only one who could make him experience such helpless feelings. It felt awful. Luke tiptoed to the bedside and quietly clim
Aunt Neile nodded and immediately took a bag out of the shelf. She took the American ginseng out and said, “Yes, ginseng is good for health. The old master asked Uncle Zander to send the ginseng here. He said it’s to improve your health. I was thinking of making some ginseng soup when Mr. Crawford came back. I’ll prepare it tonight.” Luca looked at the American ginseng in Aunt Neile’s hands and glanced at it. It was a wild ginseng root over a hundred years old. Although the Crawford family was not short of supplements, Old Master Crawford was willing to spend a lot on these. Nina brought the kids downstairs when breakfast was almost ready. Nina had hardly slept in for the past few days. She followed the kids’ routine and would wake up once they were awake. Then, she would urge the kids to freshen themselves up and head downstairs together. Luca told Nina that she did not have to do that and she could sleep in as long as she liked. After all, she knew Nina used to sleep in a lot
Luke did not say a word as he stopped. His gaze was as sharp as a razor, piercing through the skinny woman in front of him. He had to admit that everything that Nina had gone through was because of him and Bianca. However, after Nina experienced all those things, Luke had done his best to compensate her. He did everything he should have done. Although he owed her a favor, he would not take things too far. Nina saw Luke’s sharp gaze. What kind of gaze had she never seen after living together with Percy for such a long time? However, she felt an inexplicable fluster in her heart. She suppressed her emotions and said calmly, “I wasn’t asleep when you came back last night. I was sitting on the balcony outside the house without the lights on. That’s why you didn’t notice I was there.”Nina had been positive and calm for the past few days, but deep down in her heart, she felt like she was on pins and needles. She could hardly fall asleep at night without taking Luca's medicine. It
It had been a long time since Luke had a lie-in. He blamed Luca's scent that remained on the bed even after she had already gotten out of bed. Luke happened to fall asleep again when he closed his eyes. It was as though he was cuddling with her in bed. He unknowingly woke up late. “I could see you were tired and needed more rest…” Luca said in a depressed tone. At the same time, she was confused. This man was cold to her when he was on his business trip, but he was hugging her now, refusing to let her go. Did he really treat her as a toy who was at his beck and call? Luca refused to think so, but it was the reality that made her forced her to think about it like this.“It was tiring,” Luke held her in his arms, resting his jaw on her head. The distance between them was intimate. “I’ve been busy with the acquisition for the past few days. I worked day and night to finish everything, then I came back.”Luca listened to Luke talking about what he did during his business trip. It
Luca walked over to another couch and sat down. “I think I’ll stay here. How about letting Luke come down so that we can all catch up? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other.”Gordan’s face fell. “Ms. Craw, are you doing this on purpose?”Luca pretended not to know anything. “Doing what on purpose?”Gordan quickly shook his head. “Nothing. Just go upstairs already. Brother Luke’s been waiting for you.”Luca had intended to tease Gordan a little longer, but after not seeing Luke for the past few days, she found herself missing him deeply. Standing up with a smile, she said, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Oh, by the way, Mr. Gale, could you help me pick up a few things? Someone over there asked me to get them, and I couldn’t refuse.”“Sure, no problem. What do you need?” Gale agreed immediately.After handing him the list, Luca turned and headed upstairs.Gale watched Luca leave from behind, nudging Gordan’s arm. “Let’s go. We should leave and give the boss and Ms. Cr
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