As soon as Aunt Neile finished her sentence, everyone in the dining room turned to look at Luca.Luca felt helpless for being in the spotlight. Aunt Neile had entered their bedroom and cleaned it up. Of course, she knew that Luke’s pillow was not in his own bedroom anymore and had been moved to her bedroom instead. Luca helped herself with a croissant, trying to look nonchalant as she explained, “Mr. Crawford woke up early. He’s working in his bedroom. Aunt Neile, can you please bring breakfast upstairs?”Aunt Neile nodded, turned around, and strolled into the kitchen.After a while, she carried a tray that held the breakfast and a cup of coffee. She brought it upstairs for Luke. Nina, who was sitting at the dining table, shifted her gaze and ate her breakfast as though nothing had happened. The three kids were looking at Luca. The kids went to bed early last night and woke up late this morning. They had no idea Luke had been sleeping in Luca’s bedroom for the past few days.
“Sure. I’ll do everything I can to help.” Luca’s heart was wrenched.Although Jack and Queenie did not raise her, what happened at that time was involuntary. Luca could understand that. The kinship between them made her unable to reject Jack’s request. "My wife isn't in great condition. Please look after her for me," said Jack. Queenie was the one he was most worried about.Luca felt even more upset when she heard that. As their daughter, what she hoped the most was her biological parents could live happily and stay healthy when they were in the latter years of their life. However, Queenie and Jack had to go back and forth to the hospital because of Leia. “Let me take a look at her.” Luca nodded. She was afraid that Queenie would be even more anxious if she did not head there now. “Okay. Then I’m… going back to the provincial capital first. I have a lot of work to do,” replied Jack. He was assured when Luca promised him to look out for Queenie. It was a pity Jack promised L
“Smoking?” Luca’s voice was raised a few pitches higher. If what Johann said was true, then Leia had really made a big mistake. Luca knew Leia had the habit of smoking, but she should have quit smoking after knowing that she was sick. She asked, "Hasn't she quit smoking yet?" "Yes, but she smoked a cigarette after the woman convinced her to do so. That one cigarette almost took her life away. The nurse persuaded her not to smoke in a serious tone. She was unconvinced, but she stubbed out the cigarette when she had smoked half of it. The nurse took the rest of the cigarette out of her ward. The doctor on duty saw it and asked the nurse to keep the rest of the cigarette. If anything happened to the patient, this would be considered evidence. I bet you know why," Johann explained to her.For someone with a social status like Leia, if something happened to her and the doctor could not find out the reason, everything she did and every meal she took might become the reason. It was bec
Johann's gaze became sharp at once, then he replied, "Miss, you'll have to be responsible for what you said just now if the hospital looks into this matter. Half of the cigarette Ms. Norman smoked was taken away by the nurse yesterday. She did not throw it away. The laboratory test report came out today. The cigarette contains herbal ingredients that are not added to other cigarettes. It can harm every organ in the human body, which explains Ms. Norman's situation now. It caused her liver to worsen when it was already not functioning properly. You're the one who gave her the cigarette. Now, she's lying on the bed, unconscious. You're responsible for this."Mandy took a few steps backward, shook her head, and said, "I don't know about that. It was Leia who said she wanted to smoke. Please excuse me. I should leave."She immediately left after that.Queenie stomped angrily. Leia told her that one of her best friends who lived abroad had returned yesterday. She had been abroad for many
Luca felt a twinge in her heart when she heard what Queenie said.A mother’s wish was to watch their children grow up, settle down, get married, and have children. As Luca watched Queenie murmur to herself beside Leia’s ward bed, she thought that she would probably never have the chance again…Johann shot a glance at Luca, then he turned to look at Queenie. He fell silent for a moment. It was only when his pager beeped did he stand up and say, “Dr. Craw, call me if you need anything. I have something to do now.”“Okay. Go ahead. Thank you.” Luca thanked him for helping her reach out to a craftsman. Johann waved at her and exited the ward.Luca kept quiet while she looked at Queenie. She let out a sigh, stood up, and walked to the bedside. She comforted her, "Mrs. Norman, don't worry. I'm sure Ms. Norman will be fine."Queenie pulled some tissue out of the tissue box on the bedside table and wiped the tears on her face. She looked at Luca with tears in her eyes and said, “Luca,
Many people were willing to donate their livers, after all. The liver was unlike any other organ such as the human heart. For a heart, the doctors would have to wait until the donor passed away. Only then was there a chance for the organ transplant to take place. The most difficult thing for Leia now was that she was unable to ask anyone for help. “I hope so…” Queenie wiped her tears away.Luca noticed that Leia’s eyelids were moving, so she reminded Queenie, “Ms. Norman is probably waking up soon.” “Really?” Queenie shifted her gaze and looked at Leia, who was on the ward bed. Her eyeballs seemed to be moving under her eyelids. After a while, Leia opened her eyes. “Leia, you’re awake! Let me call the doctor.” Queenie quickly wiped away the tears on her face and pressed the call bell. It seemed like Leia was feeling unwell. She frowned and looked at Queenie, “Why are you here?” "You smoked yesterday, and something happened to you. Do you still remember? The hospital call
After Luca left the hospital, she got into Warren’s car and headed to T Corporation.Five minutes later, Luca received a call from Queenie.“Luca, you’ve already left the hospital?” Queenie could not find Luca anywhere in the hospital when she left the ward. Hence, she quickly called her. “Yes, Mrs. Norman. I have work to do…” Luca felt sorry for her when she heard the hoarseness in her voice. “Too many things happened just now. I didn’t get the chance to thank you yet. Luca, let me treat you to lunch,” Queenie invited her out for lunch. Luca was Leia’s savior, after all. Even though Leia did not know how to be grateful, as her mother, she had to know how to show respect to others. “It’s nothing, Mrs. Norman. You don’t have to do this. Besides, Ms. Norman would eventually wake up even if I wasn’t there,” Luca replied with her brows furrowed while she looked at the scenery outside the window that was moving backward.What Luca said was true. Judging from Leia’s situation, she
“There’s something important we need to talk about. Get out.” Leia gave her a piercing look as she asked the caretaker to leave.After the caretaker left, Mandy walked toward her hospital bed, pretending to worry about her. She said, “Leia, didn’t you say you’d like to get a liver transplant the last time? But your family refuses to do it. Look at you. Your skin is sallow and your body is weak. You look like you’re dying. That’s why you have to make yourself look miserable. They’ll certainly agree with it then.”Leia bit her lip and glared at her, “I ended up like this because of you!” "Don't blame me. We didn’t even know smoking would have such a great impact on your health. Besides, that was the cigarette you used to smoke. You were fine back then… So, it's probably because the doctors can't find the reason why your condition worsened and they blamed the cigarette. What matters most now is that you've survived. Although you're in a worse condition now, your mother might have a so
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