On the other hand.In Percy’s mansion.Percy held Nina’s hand and went to the cloakroom.“What are you doing bringing me to the cloakroom in the middle of the night?” Nina looked at him smilingly with a tender look in her eyes.“To pick out clothes for you,” said Percy as he opened the closet.Nina noticed that there were many new clothes inside, so she asked in surprise, “Did you buy these for me?”“Yes, these clothes are suitable for more special occasions, so I had someone send a few pieces over. Have a look and see which one you like?” Percy said. He understood Nina’s style. If she was not working, she would wear more casual and comfortable clothing.However, those clothes were not suitable for a dinner party.“What special occasion…” Nina looked through the clothes. The clothes he filled the closet with were festive and seemed like they were for more formal occasions.“A birthday party,” said Percy as he picked a pink one and held it in front of Nina.The pink color made
Zoey put down the work at hand and asked, “How long?”“I probably won’t be back today,” Luca said. Aunt Neile did not explain to her clearly, so she did not know what was going on at home too.“Okay, I’ll apply for leave for you, don’t worry,” said Zoey as she flipped open the leave of absence form.Luca nodded and went downstairsWhen she got to the parking lot, Warren was waiting in the car.Luca opened the door herself without waiting for him to open it. The car was already warm, which seemed to show that he had not just arrived.“Ms. Craw, are you going back home?” Warren asked.“Yes, how did you know?” Luca was surprised.Warren drove away without saying anything.Luca did not continue asking either.Warren drove Luca back to the villa.She quickly walked into the house and was shocked to see the people sitting in the living room. She subconsciously looked for someone to ask what was going on.“Aunt Neile, this is…” Luca saw the makeup kit on the coffee table and could
The dress was stunning, and Luca thought she looked beautiful in it as well.The stylist always had a keen eye for things like this. While she found the dress fine, she believed that the dress did not truly accentuate Luca’s curves. Even as a woman, the stylist had to admit that Luca had a fantastic body.Seeing how Luca had yet to come out, the stylist walked over to the bathroom door and asked, “Have you finished changing yet, Ms. Luca?” “I have, but something about the dress feels weird…” Luca replied. “Weird? Is the dress too big? We can have it tailored to fit your figure.” The stylist thought that the dress was too big for Luca, considering how skinny Luca was. “It’s not that…” Luca opened the door.The stylist’s gaze brightened. “It looks so good! This dress was made for you!” “It’s too form-fitting for me,” Luca replied. Sure, the dress was fitting, but it clung to her curves too much.She had a bad history with clothes like this. The last time she wore something
After taking down the hairdo, Luca took the curler and carefully curled Rainie’s hair.Rainie’s hair was long but thin, so it did not take long before Luca was done curling. She let go of the lock of hair in her hand and reached for a hairpin to clip Rainie’s hair in place.“What do you think?” Luca asked. Rainie looked at the mirror and saw how gentle Luca was with her. She felt doted on by her mother and nodded with a smile. “It’s so pretty, Ms. Luca. You have very skilled hands.” “You’re just very pretty, Rainie,” Luca replied. “No, no, it’s thanks to you, Ms. Luca.” Rainie was overjoyed when she saw herself in the mirror. Luca looked at herself and Rainie in the mirror. She could not stop herself from putting her hand on Rainie’s shoulder gently. She did Rainie’s hair all the time when her daughter was still young. Then, she was abducted to the Island of Despair. Her children grew up while she was away. Now that she had returned, her children no longer needed her help t
Luca returned to her bedroom. She sat down and looked at her reflection in the mirror. Luke had pretty much smudged her lipstick, and her lips were slightly puffy. Her eyes were dazed too as if she was hinting at something. She looked like she had just slept with someone. It was only a kiss, yet she had lost herself in it. Luca did not dare to entertain that thought further and picked up the lipstick left for her by the stylist. She put it on. Her newly drawn lips covered some of the puffiness. She looked at herself through the mirror. After ensuring that she had covered all traces of what had happened in Luke’s bedroom, she grabbed her purse and threw on a jacket before leaving the bedroom. Luke had already changed and was waiting for her outside the door. Luca tightened her grip on her purse. She felt her body grow hot when she saw him, and the heat crept up her cheeks, flushing them enchantingly in a way makeup blush could not replicate. The adoration in Luke’s eyes
Luke’s expression darkened when he saw how unwelcoming Susan was. It was not that Susan disliked Luca as a person but rather showed hostility because he was close with Luca. As such, Luke refused to let this matter be. He was about to say something when Louis took the envelope from Luca and placed it with the rest of the gifts. “Thank you, Dr. Craw. Follow me.” “Alright.” Luca smiled at Louis with gratitude. She would surely garner the curious gazes of everyone should she hold the red packet for too long. The man had helped her out of the awkward situation. “Let’s go, Brother.” Louis knew that Luke would not stand at the door to welcome other guests, so he showed his brother inside. “Alright.” Luke nodded. Louis greeted Aunt Neile as well and brought everyone into the banquet hall. Susan watched them leave and cursed softy, “Vixen.” Yuri heard what Susan called Luca clearly but chose to ignore it.Susan then turned to Yuri. “Keep a close watch on your husband, lest
“Maybe they think you’re beautiful, so they want to keep looking at you,” Luca comforted her with a joke. “Don’t joke around. I know they’re staring because of that news headline.” Nina was well aware that even if the news was kept under wraps, everyone else still knew of her dark past. Not to mention that she was still together with Percy. This banquet was the perfect time for everyone to gossip about her.“That didn’t affect your relationship with Mr. Mallory, so why does it matter what other people think?” Luca consoled. “Thank you.” Nina smiled at Luca gratefully. It was thanks to Luca’s comforting words that she managed to recover from that incident so quickly. She wanted to live for her own sake and not care about what other people thought. Luca looked around. More people have arrived since she sat down, and most of the seats in the banquet hall were filled. It should be another half an hour before the banquet began. “What a splendid banquet,” Nina exclaimed beside
From afar, Madam Mallory was infuriated by the sight she saw. She gripped the silk table cloth as she tried to suppress her emotions. She thought that Percy was lying. She was so sure that Nina’s attendance today was Percy’s doing. Yet Old Master Crawford’s behavior made it clear that she had assumed wrongly. Today was an important event, and countless people were trying to find a chance to talk to Old Master Crawford. Still, the old man did not even smile at most of them. Instead, he opted to respond superficially and leave Luke to entertain them. Even so, he was smiling at Nina now. Percy naturally deduced what his mother was feeling and said calmly, “So, now do you believe that I say is the truth?” “Even if Old Master Crawford admits her as his god-granddaughter, your grandfather still won’t ever allow your relationship.” Madam Mallory wore a slightly wretched expression on her face. Percy replied calmly, “I don’t need anyone’s allowance. This is my marriage. I’ll ch
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