Rainie's words left Luke speechless."Who taught you to say that?" Luke’s mood darkened as he took Rainie's hand.‘If I could say such sweet words to Luca, why wouldn’t I?’If he did, he was afraid that he would scare Luca off. It would not be worth the loss if she opted to retreat and escape...Moreover, he did not like to use his words to show his affection. He believed that his actions spoke louder than words. However, the situation that Luca was in did not allow him to act so recklessly. After all, she still had some scruples holding her back.Luke did not act as he did before considering that she could not reveal her identity. Plus, there was still someone who was manipulating her behind the scenes."No… No one taught me to say that. I just think that what Aunt Nina said made sense..." Rainie shrank her neck and could not help but wonder. She overheard the adults speak, so she thought that that was how things should be. That was why she repeated it to Luke."This does not
In the hospital.Leia took a bite of the breakfast that the caretaker bought and thought it tasted terrible. She could not help but lose her temper. "What did you buy for me? Why is it so unpalatable? Didn't my family pay? Did you steal the money?"The caretaker quickly shook her head. Her face was pale as she said, "I didn’t! Ms. Norman, I wouldn't dare to steal your money...""Why are these things so unpalatable? Explain yourself!" Leia was upset. Her face was sallow, and she squinted her eyes to look at the caretaker in front of her."The Osborne isn't open today. I had no choice, so I bought your breakfast from the restaurant downstairs..." The caretaker explained. Leia was a picky eater. Even though she was sick, had no appetite, and could not eat much, she still insisted on eating the best and most expensive food around.Fortunately, there was a famous breakfast place near the hospital, The Osborne. As such, the caretaker would have to leave the ward half an hour earlier eve
The medicine under her tongue was quickly melted by saliva, and Leia was finally able to speak. She spoke with hatred, "He wanted to sell me and ruin my reputation! How can I not be angry at him?!"Queenie quickly reassured her when she saw that Leia was getting agitated once more. "Okay, that’s in the past. If we can find him and he’s willing to help, please give him a chance to make it up to you."Leia thought of what had happened back then. If Dexter had not disappeared into thin air, she certainly would not have ended things like that. "He disappeared so many years ago. How are you planning to find him? Maybe he already died at some random overpass."Queenie frowned. ‘Her hatred is too deep…’"Leia, Luke agreed to help us find him. Don't get angry now. It's more important that you take good care of yourself and wait for our good news, okay?""Wait for Luke? How would he be so kind as to help me find Dexter? Also, if Dexter agrees to give me his liver, he’ll definitely ask for
"Eat your croissant. Why are you talking so much?" Leia stared at her. She was not sure what to think.She did desperately need some money, but she was weak and defenseless. Leia knew that she could not afford to piss off Luke. Queenie paid a lot of attention to her since she got sick and might be angry if she made a move on Luca, her so-called savior. Even if she recovered, the Normans might not accept her. She had no money and no home. She would not know where to go if that happened..."I’ve never thought of you as someone hesitant," Mandy said. Leia lived an awe-inspiring life when she was abroad.Although she did not have much money, she was courageous, so she still led a pretty decent life."I didn't expect you to be so happy to be someone else's substitute." Leia mocked her.Mandy was arrogant. She would never allow her prey to make use of her as a substitute."Ugh, it's just a work relationship. I'm not stupid enough to want to get on his bed. If there’s money to be
T Corporation.Jason took Gale to the entrance of Luke's office and said, "Bro, the boss is waiting for you inside.""Thanks. I'll head in to update Boss on what I found." Gale knocked on the door after he thanked Jason."Come in." Luke's voice sounded from the other side of the door.Gale pushed the door and walked in. After he closed the door, he sat directly across from Luke. "Boss, we found something.""Tell me," Luke said.Gale handed him a stack of papers. "This is everything I could find on Mandy Sanders. She and Leia met when they were in the United States. They were no longer in contact after Leia secretly returned to A City. Mandy only came to A City after she accepted Matysh's job. She reconnected with Leia and has visited Leia in the hospital for three consecutive days.""Three days?" Luke casually flipped through Mandy's profile. She was just an ordinary woman. He would not pay much attention to her in normal circumstances.He only asked Gale to investigate her whe
Johann said with a smile, "Don't worry, he's not a bad guy. He won't do anything to Ms. Norman. You can head off now."The nurse looked at how stern Luke seemed and could not help but shiver. She thought he looked as though he was here to collect debts. "Are you sure it’s okay for me to leave?""Don’t worry about it. I'll be here. You can get out," Johann said and shook his head helplessly.Luke's expressionless face was indeed scary. He turned around and looked at Leia's vitals on the monitor. There was no issue except for her slightly fastened heartbeat.The nurse thought that Luke was scary, but considering that Johann was here, she quickly walked out after weighing it over and over again.Leia felt deep despair in her heart. "Come back soon."The nurse pretended not to hear Leia and walked out the door.The injection to stabilize Leia’s blood pressure was not in line with the hospital's standard procedure. As such, Johann reminded Luke. "If you want to ask, go for it. Don't
At night.Luke had nothing planned for the day, so he returned to the villa after he left the office.As soon as he walked into the house, the children surrounded him and handed him their homework. "Daddy, we’ve finished our homework."Luke took their workbooks. He did not see Luca in the living room, so he asked the kids, "Where's Ms. Luca?"Rainie replied obediently, "Ms. Luca is in the kitchen preparing dinner. Aunt Neile asked for some time off and just left, so Ms. Luca is busy cooking alone. Daddy, after you’re done checking our homework, go and help Ms. Luca."Luke put their workbooks down. "I'll go take a look."He walked into the kitchen and saw Luca in an apron preparing dinner for the family. It reminded him of how she was always in the kitchen preparing dinner for him and the children three years ago.At that time, Luca would never let the maid cook since the children liked to eat the meals she prepared. At most, she would let the maid become her helper. "Stop it,"
Tommy, who was on the side, stared at the TV screen intently. When he heard what Luca said, he could not help but mutter to himself, "I don't like Aunt Leia. Aunt Leia looks like she eats children. She's scary."Luca knew that Leia hated her three kids because of Bianca.Although the children were innocent and somewhat ignorant, they still noticed her expression. As such, they were not only afraid of Leia but they also hated her.Although the adults had not told them any of the despicable things that Leia did, they all knew.Rainie asked, "Ms. Luca, is Aunt Leia ill?""Yeah." Luca nodded and said, "Which is why she needs her biological father to help."Tommy put his head on Luca and looked up at her. "Ms. Luca, Aunt Leia is so bad. Will her daddy save her?""He’ll likely agree if their blood type matches..." Luca guessed that there was a chance Dexter would say yes.Even though Dexter did not have much affection for Leia, he would not go against money.She could not buy a live
When she opened her eyes again, the sky outside had already darkened slightly.Luca mumbled, feeling the warmth beside her. She instinctively curled closer. “What time is it?”“It's a little past five.” Luke gently rubbed her back, offering a quiet comfort to help her feel at ease.Since he could not be there beside her, he could only make these small gestures to bring her some peace of mind.“An entire afternoon just passed like that…” Luca was reluctant to leave at the moment. Her slender fingers lightly pressed against his chest.Luke took her hand in his, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss, holding it as if it were something precious and tenderly stroking it.Luca's hands had once been delicate and smooth, but during their time in the small villa, they had become much rougher.“You've got calluses.” Luke felt sorry for her.Luca gently traced her finger over his lips, leaning in to plant a soft kiss on him. “It’s just from the needlework and the experiments I’ve been d
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