Lanie pinched Tommy's face and corrected him, "Daddy was afraid that we would catch a cold.""Yeah, don't blame it on Daddy," Rainie chimed in."Hmph, both of you stood at the door and waited with me yesterday. Why are you siding with Daddy today?" Tommy said, dissatisfied. He liked his Mommy better. After all, their mommy was much more gentle than Daddy.Luca smiled and looked at the kids with her gleaming eyes."Okay, my young masters and young lady, that’s enough. Let’s go have some breakfast." Aunt Neile looked at Luca and said, "Ms. Craw, you must be hungry. You didn't have much of the oats that I prepared for you yesterday. Do you want to eat oats or noodles today?""Oats, please." Luca decided. Her mouth tasted bitter because of the medicine."Okay, give me a minute." Aunt Neile walked into the kitchen, brought them breakfast, and placed the specially prepared oats in front of Luca."Dr. Park said you need to eat more nutritious food, so I made oats and added some nuts on
"Mm, sounds great. Thank you for your hard work." Luca smiled at her."No worries, no worries at all," Aunt Neile said as she returned to the kitchen.After the news broadcast, Luca switched to another channel and wanted to watch international news.The phone beside her rang.She picked her phone up and looked at it. It was Tina calling.Luca looked at the flashing screen, and her mood sank. She did not answer immediately because she knew that it was likely that Tina called to talk about Amur.‘Amur just left. How would Tina know?’Luca still decided to answer Tina's call."Dr. Craw, how’s your schedule today?" Tina, who was on the other end of the phone, asked.Luca could hear that Tina's tone was a little hesitant. She guessed that she must have struggled for a while before she called her."I'm not busy. What's the matter?" she asked in a hoarse voice."Why is your voice so hoarse?" Tina noticed that something was wrong with her voice."Mm, I accidentally caught a cold ye
"Uh..." Luca frowned."I received a package sent from A City yesterday. It contained a gift from him and a simple message. He said that he was leaving A City and would never come back. He asked me to take care." Tina told Luca word for word what Amur wrote to her.It was brief and did not carry a hint of emotion. She read it twice and remembered every single word in her heart.Luca took a sip of the fruit tea and stared straight at Tina.Even though she tried her best to conceal it, she could still see the sadness in Tina’s eyes.Tina had caught feelings for him.Luca sighed, shook her head, and said, "Mm, if there’s no special situation, he’ll unlikely return ever again.""Why… is he leaving so suddenly?" Tina's brows furrowed. It all happened so suddenly. Most importantly, Amur left when she was still processing how she felt.She had been debating with herself on whether she should profess her feelings to him.Nevertheless, in a blink of an eye, Amur left without even giving
Tina could not help but complain in her heart that men were truly cruel creatures.They could just leave without any hesitation.The more they showed their love for a city, the more heartless they were when they had to leave.Tina's eyes teared a little when she thought of what Amur had said about A City.Her infatuation was only from her first impression of him when he saved her. It was only after that she got to know him that she realized how well their values aligned. That was when she fell in love with that handsome face.In the end, it was just her alone who was hurting. Oh, the irony...Tina thought about Amur and was in a trance as she took a sip of coffee. Coffee without a little sugar was bitter, but it was nothing compared to the bitterness she felt in her heart...She was bitter about not having the chance to express her love."Tina?" Luca was worried when she saw her drinking her coffee in a trance.Tina snapped out of it and forced a smile. "Dr. Craw, what's wro
At that time, although there was a maid at home, she insisted on being hands-on during the festivities.She had not celebrated New Year’s since she was kidnapped to the Island of Despair.As such, she was taken back when Aunt Neile asked her if she wanted to go get some New Year's goods. She had almost forgotten about New Year’s after three years.Moreover, she had nothing to do with getting the New Year's goods ready.After all, it was not her place to do so.Luca got up and went downstairs. The children had already gotten up and were playing with each other.When he saw her come downstairs, Tommy wanted to rush to her side but thought of her warning, so he could only stand there and say, "Ms. Luca, you're awake!""Mm, are you playing games?" Luca glanced at the toys they were playing with. They were the educational toys gifted by Old Master Crawford.They were helpful for the children's intellectual development."Yeah, we didn't play with them when the Great-grandpa got it f
Percy knew that Pierre would no longer be able to sustain his company if his cash flow was removed.Luke's gaze deepened. He knew that Pierre was not as capable as Percy when it came to managing a company."Where did his money come from?" He was aware of Pierre's company’s current situation, so he wondered where Pierre got so much money to acquire the shares."There are many in the Mallory family who are helping him right now," Percy said in a calm tone. "Old Master Mallory, as well as my mother and father, are probably providing him with funds to buy the shares."The entire Mallory family was supporting Pierre because of the choice that Percy made.On top of some relatives of his, Old Master Mallory, Madam Mallory, and the others were silently providing funds to Pierre.They could not take the company back from Percy and hand it over to Pierre. It would cause a lot of public opinion and would be detrimental to the company's development.As such, they supported Pierre and wanted
"It’s not that easy to find out more about the situation. Our best entry point is Pierre," Luke said. However, Pierre wanted nothing to do with him.He would not tell him anything about the Island of Despair."I can't help in this matter although he's my younger brother," Percy said helplessly.Pierre's whereabouts were erratic. Percy had not paid attention to the people he knew and what he was doing. After all, Pierre's rebelliousness was not obvious at that time."He's your brother but even you don't know. It's making it more difficult for me to investigate," Luke said.All he knew now was that Luca was being controlled by someone from the Island of Despair.However, he had no idea where the base of the Island of Despair was.The fake Bianca did not leave any useful clues before she died from the poison. The earth was huge. He was not sure where to even start. "Don't worry. At least Luca is by your side now. There’s still time." Percy did not know what to say, so he could on
“Alright, one moment, please.” The waiter who brought in the wine went back out to prepare the A-meals and snacks. Meanwhile, the floor manager was at a loss on how to salvage the situation with a long face.What else could he do if Percy refused to have any of the food and beverages he served?It was not like he could vacate the room for them by chasing Percy out while he was in the middle of drinking.The waiter served all the food Percy wanted in swift motions.“Alright, you can all go out now.” Percy made a gesture, indicating that their service was no longer needed here.“Mr. Mallory.” The floor manager had something to say.“Get out,” Percy ordered once again with an annoyed expression.The floor manager had no choice but to follow the waiter out of the private room.Jason frowned at the sight of the amount of alcohol. “Mr. Mallory, will you be able to finish this much wine?”“Who said anything about finishing everything? I’ll open one bottle at a time, and I’ll just b
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