In Kevin Rayne's house. Jennifer came back from a session of bridge. She went to Marie's room to check on her and found that her daughter was huddled under her blanket. "What's wrong with you? Haven't you slept enough?" Jennifer flipped over the blanket and asked Marie. Marie turned around and frowned. "Go away! Don't come into my room!" "Are you sick? Did you catch a cold?" Jennifer saw that her daughter looked miserable. She touched Marie's forehead. Indeed, Marie was having a cold and a fever. She almost made out with Xavier in the room above his bar. Xavier had already taken off her clothes, but his interest was dashed after realizing that he had mistaken her for the wrong person. She was even forcefully shoved out of the room. The late fall weather was cold, and that was how she got a fever. Early in the morning, Marie had called in sick to Leia's agent. Marie's mind was not occupied with Leia Norman, but with Bianca Rayne… Marie's head was spinning after sleep
An eye-catching puddle of blackness could be seen in the middle of the study floor that was covered by lightly-colored tiles. It was obvious to the naked eye that the lingerie was designed to tease and excite. Bianca, still blushing, picked up the lingerie in her hands and hastily left Luke's study. She went into the bathroom, closed the door, and looked at the things she was holding in her hands. All the pieces did not use much cloth. She could hold everything in one hand… That was too embarrassing! She took out her phone and messaged Wanda. The lingerie was exactly the same designs as those her aunt picked out for her in the store! How did that end up in Luke's hands? Soon, Wanda sent a reply. [That's right, I paid for the lingerie and had it delivered to you. What else could I do? You didn't want it when I gave it to you at the store…] [I really don't need the lingerie, Aunt Wanda. Can you return it?] Bianca did not know how to explain her grievances. Everyone
"Ah! Let go of me!" Before Bianca could reach, Luke had lifted her off her feet and dashed into the cramped room… She looked at Luke's face while her hands wailed at his solid chest under his shirt. She did not want to be captivated by the man's mature charisma. She gulped and said apprehensively, "What… do you intend to do?" Not only were the two people not married and so it was inappropriate for them to make out, but she also could not stand making out so frequently. In the small town, Bianca lost count of the number of times the man had asked it from her. After they made out, she felt groggy and lethargic. She could not focus on her work. That also happened five years ago, when she was with her benefactor. She thought that she did not have to wait for the DNA test results. From how relentless and eager Luke's sexual habits were, she was almost sure that the benefactor five years ago was him. She felt that it was unfair that he did not seem to suffer any consequences
Bianca had just ended the call with Nina. She hugged her legs close to her and tried to hug them under the oversized sweater. She did not want to meet his gaze and expose her weak point. However, she did not look any better by shying away. Their bodies might have bonded many times, but Bianca could never bring herself to look at him directly in the eye. Even when fully-clothed, his body aroused sinful thoughts in her mind… Those long and masculine legs alone carried deadly appeal. Luke lowered his head and looked at her with a gentle gaze. Seeing that she did not speak, he stroked her hair and asked her, "You don't feel like leaving? I didn't bring my pajamas. How about if we sleep here together. I haven't had enough earlier anyway." The man's lips pressed on her hair and slowly moved down to her brows. Then, his moist tongue extended toward her blushing cheeks… Bianca had to admit that she was still feeling the remnants of excitement from earlier. Now that he was kissing
When the two adults arrived at the apartment, Bianca went to the children's rooms to check on them. Lanie and Rainie were sleeping soundly, though the boy kicked away his blanket as usual. Bianca took the blanket on the floor and carefully tucked him in. The children's beds could not fit another adult. Bianca had no choice but to sleep together with Luke. When she lay on the bed and was about to fall asleep, Luke was still busy working in the study. Bianca had heard from Jason that Luke would usually lose track of time whenever he got busy. Sometimes, the boss would even neglect his health. With the development project going underway in the small town, he became busier. The boss had to handle stacks of work every day. Looking at how he exerted himself at work and on the bed, he was really neglecting his health… … The next morning. Marie's fever finally subsided. "Are you done yet, Mom?" Marie stood at the entrance anxiously with a handbag slung over her shoulder.
Kevin wanted to say something. He lifted a trembling finger and pointed it at Marie. Jennifer turned around to look. She saw that her daughter was glaring defiantly at Kevin with an unpleasant expression on her face. Kevin's mouth was slightly open, and he was gasping for air. However, there was no way an agitated late-stage lung cancer patient was going to catch their breath… "Stop talking, Marie. Get out of the room!" Jennifer rushed up, grabbed Marie's shoulders, and pushed her toward the door. While her back was facing Kevin, she winked at Marie and whispered into her ear. "Let Mom handle this. You'll get what you want." "You can't handle it!" Marie glared at her and shouted. She shoved her mother away once more. Marie felt that her mother was being nothing but a burden. She stepped up next to the bed again, towered over the pathetically frail Kevin, and grinned mockingly. "You've been staying in the hospital for a long time, Uncle Kevin. Perhaps you don't know many thing
At the hospital. Kevin was undergoing emergency surgery. The operating theater light remained lit. Jason rushed to the apartment and sent Lanie and Ranie to school. Luke postponed an important meeting in the morning and went with Bianca to the hospital. Kevin had lung cancer and not some minor illness. Families of cancer patients lived in the worry that the patient's condition might suddenly worsen and leave them behind. Bianca had experienced the pain and agony of waiting in front of the operating theater five years ago. She was not unfamiliar with that sensation. However, her worries had been alleviated recently, thanks to her being busy at work, and to reconnecting with Lanie and Rainie. She had a hunch that her father would soon recover. Every time at the hospital, the doctors and specialists would tell her, "Mr. Rayne's condition is stable. It's a good sign. Don't worry." She had believed their words… Just last afternoon, the doctor had said, "Mr. Rayne's condi
It was considered normal for someone suffering from hypoglycemia to pass out from extreme sorrow. As far as Jason knew, hypoglycemia was not a serious disease anyway. When he heard from his boss that Bianca had passed out, instead of asking his boss to talk in the corridor, he told his boss in the ward what he had found out about the situation earlier. "Before Mr. Rayne's condition took a turn for the worse, his wife brought his daughter to visit him…" Jason observed his boss's expression as he spoke. Luke turned to look at him with surprise. "His wife and daughter visited him?" "Yes. His wife is Jennifer Lee, and his daughter is Marie Rayne. Mr. Rayne and his daughter share the same surname, but she is not his birth daughter. Jennifer had given birth to her ex-boyfriend's child when she married Mr. Rayne," Jason explained. "Why are they here?" Luke frowned hard. He believed that the matter was not as simple as one might think. Jason reported truthfully, "Mdm. Jennifer
Sophian stood before her. Her face was a picture of hesitation and discomfort. “Madam Allison, how about you order using your phone?”“What? You can’t even handle this small task?” At this point, Allison had completely shifted her view of Sophian, now seeing her as just another maid. Her previous tone vanished, replaced by a much more domineering attitude.Sophian felt helpless and quickly explained, “It’s just that the food from this place is just too expensive. I don’t have that kind of money.”Once she finished speaking, a flush of embarrassment crossed her face.Sophian had come back with Allison to work off the debt she owed from her cosmetic surgery. Therefore, she had no money to spare.Allison paused for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. After a brief moment, she picked up her phone and said, “It's not like I'm having you pay for it. You can't even temporarily cover it?”Sophian smiled awkwardly. “I just transferred money to the hospital.”Allison let out a faint hu
“You don’t like eating outside food, do you?” Luca thought that preparing breakfast and dinner for him was not a big deal.Besides, the main point was that Luke did not like eating out. He always felt the taste was off and lacked nutrition.“Actually, it’s not that I don’t like eating out. It's just that all the food outside tastes the same to me.” Luke gently squeezed her hand.“Hey, focus on driving.” Luca chuckled.Luke withdrew his hand and returned it to the steering wheel. “With that woman around, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to cook. Are you really going to make breakfast for them too?”If that happened, it would defeat the purpose of his plan.Luca thought for a moment. She did not mind ignoring Sophian, but if she cooked for Luke and not for Allison, that might not sit well with her. Allison could easily make a fuss over even the smallest details. “So, should we just eat out for breakfast and dinner from now on?”“Yes.” Luke did not mind.It did not matter where t
“Something I like?” Luca laughed. “What could that be?”“You’ll find out when we get there.” Luke kept it mysterious.“Alright then, I’ll wait for your surprise, Mr. Crawford.” Luca was in good spirits without letting family issues dampen her mood. Therefore, she video-called the kids.Luca dialed Mr. Griffin’s number.After Mr. Griffin answered the call, he handed the phone to Lanie. “Young Master Lanie, Ms. Craw wants to talk to you.”“Thank you, Mr. Griffin.” Lanie took the phone and pressed ‘accept’.Luca positioned the camera to include both her and Luke. She waved at the screen. “Lanie, Rainie, Tommy, what are you all doing?”“Lanie! Lanie, I want to talk to Ms. Luca!” Tommy waved excitedly at the camera, eager to take the phone.Lanie handed it to him. “Go on, tell Daddy and Ms. Luca about your good news.”Luca smiled and asked with curiosity. “Good news?”“Daddy, Ms. Luca, I made it to the next level in the math competition! The finals are this Saturday!” Tommy said e
“Why are you being so slow?” Allison was irritated. She shoved the products into Sophian’s hands.“I told you to use them, so just use them.” Allison ran out of patience. After urging Sophian, she lay back down.Sophian had no choice but to follow her instructions and poured out some product. The texture of the product in her palm made her pause for a moment. It was incredibly moisturizing!She gently patted it onto Allison's face and noticed the area she touched felt just as smooth.Allison let out a content sigh. “This essence is really soothing.”Even though Sophian was still worried about potential side effects, she could not help but admire the instant hydrating effect. She asked in a low voice, “Madam Allison, is this really developed by that woman?”She could not believe that Luca had such skills and wondered if the essence had just been repackaged into another bottle and sold as her own creation.“That's what she says,” replied Allison. “But she's into pharmaceuticals, s
After agreeing to become the maid, Sophian’s excitement gradually turned into anxiety.The villa was so large. Could she really handle all the tasks a maid was supposed to do?As she thought about it, she accidentally left the bread in the toaster for too long. After serving it to Allison, she was scolded.“What’s this? It’s just a slice of toast. How could you burn it like this? How am I supposed to eat it?” Allison was clearly displeased.Sophian awkwardly explained, “Madam Allison, this is my first time using this toaster. I didn’t quite get the temperature right...”Allison was about to keep complaining but paused for a moment, remembering that Sophian was the one she had brought in to be the maid. Now, she was the only one who could make breakfast for her. She disdainfully tore off the burnt part and took a bite. “Where’s the soy milk?”“It’ll bring it out,” replied Sophian, heading back to the kitchen. She brought out two glasses of soy milk and another slice of toast tha
“Are you planning to tell me that Madam Allison brought someone back?” Luca had a feeling she knew what was going on. Luca had been wondering why Allison had taken such a big risk by going out during the day, but it all made sense now.“Yes, she brought someone back and said she'll be taking over my job,” Aunt Neile replied helplessly. She was worried she had lost her competitive edge, which made her feel anxious.“I got it, Aunt Neile.” As soon as Luca spoke, there was a cheer from inside the lab. She glanced back and saw that there seemed to be progress in the research. Rhett gave her a thumbs-up to signal success.She slightly smiled and nodded before hearing Aunt Neile's voice again on the phone. “Ms. Craw, there’s something I’d like to say, though I’m not sure if I should. I’ve thought about it, and I feel like I should. Even though Mr. Crawford isn’t the type to fool around, you have to be careful. He has no interest in that woman, but she’s clearly interested in him. You sh
Allison watched the two of them go upstairs, and instantly, her temper flared.Not allowed, huh?Allison refused to believe it. She would find a way to turn things around and reclaim her position in this family!…The next morning, as Luke and Luca came downstairs, they noticed Aunt Neile looking at them with red, puffy eyes.“Aunt Neile, what happened?” Luca was puzzled. What happened?“Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, Madam Allison just told me that I’m fired.” Aunt Neile looked distraught. She thought Allison’s words yesterday were just a joke, but first thing in the morning, she was told to settle her wages and leave. She was completely stunned.“Mr. Crawford, did I do something wrong?”Luke’s brows furrowed. Allison’s behavior was truly astonishing.“You’re not fired,” replied Luke. “Is breakfast ready?”Relieved to hear she still had her job, Aunt Neile quickly wiped away her tears and let out a sigh of relief. “Yes. Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, please have a seat. I’ll bring it out.
Luke was driving back home with Luca. It was already 9:00 pm when they arrived at the villa.Just as they reached the foyer and had not taken more than a few steps, Allison's voice rang out.“Oh, so you're finally willing to come back from Crawford Manor?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.Luca did not know how to respond to Allison and looked over at Luke.Luke let go of Luca's waist and whispered, “Go upstairs first.”“Okay.” Luca nodded, changed her shoes, and was about to head upstairs when Allison said again, “Stop. Who told you to go upstairs?”“Madam Allison, is there something you need?” Luca's tone was cold, carefully masking the helplessness inside her.Since she learned that Allison would be returning to the country and moving here, Luca had mentally prepared herself to be put in a difficult position. She loved Luke, so she was willing to tolerate whatever troubles came with it.Luca believed that as long as she and Luke faced things together, there was nothing th
After finishing work, Luca headed straight to Crawford Manor.When she arrived and greeted Old Master Crawford, the three kids came running down the stairs and surrounded her. They each took turns expressing how much they missed her and Luke.Luca missed them too, so after exchanging a few words with Old Master Crawford, she went upstairs with the kids to help them with their homework.It did not take long before Luke arrived.Not seeing Luca in the living room, he asked Old Master Crawford, “Grandpa, has Luca arrived?”Old Master Crawford was in a good mood. He nodded and replied, “She's upstairs, helping the kids with their homework.”Luke sat on the couch and watched the evening news with Old Master Crawford.“Has your mother caused any trouble lately?” asked Old Master Crawford.“Not really,” answered Luke. He could still manage Allison.“That doesn’t sound like her,” added Old Master Crawford, assuming Allison would always be causing trouble.“Her condition is bad right