When Luca got into Warren's car and headed back to T Corporation, it was already lunchtime.Luca hurried upstairs, assuming that Luke must have finished eating his lunch by now. She planned to head downstairs to grab something to eat after she put her briefcase in her office.Luca walked out of the elevator and shot a glance at the assistants’ office first. Zoey and Rhett were not in the office. She reckoned that they had gone out for lunch.Then, Luca walked back to her office, pushed the door open, and saw Luke, who was sitting on the sofa. She was startled for a moment. “Mr. Crawford, why are you…” Luca glanced at the lunch boxes on the coffee table. They were unopened. Luke had been waiting for her to come back and have lunch with her.“Come over here. Let’s have lunch together,” said Luke as he opened the lids of the lunch boxes.Luca put down her briefcase and walked toward the sofa before sitting down. Then, she said, “You didn’t take your lunch first. You even waited for
Although Luke had arranged for a translator to be by her side, Allison could cause less trouble when she was in a country she did not speak the language of.However, the hospital could only hold Allison for a few months only. Allison replied with dissatisfaction, "Other countries? I heard that Seoul has the world's best plastic surgery technology. Are you thinking of sending me to a different country? The farther the better? It’s just like how you treated Bianca, huh? You sent her abroad and found a new girlfriend for yourself. Why? Are you trying to do the same thing to me so that you can acknowledge Susan as your biological mother?"Allison had seen their so-called family photo. Susan had sent it to her to show off. It was as though Susan was dropping her a hint that her son was no longer hers. Allison was pissed when she saw the family photo. If it were not for the nurses who stopped her, she might have smashed everything on the floor.“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Okay. Let’s go.” Luke held Luca’s hand. They were about to make their way down the stairs.Luca paused. She gently withdrew her hand, shook her head, and said, "Go."She was worried that the kids would feel uncomfortable if they saw her being too close to Luke.After all, they already had a mother. If they saw their father holding another woman’s hand, what would they think about it?The kids were attentive. Luca did not want them to have such negative thoughts. Even though she slept with Luke every night, the kids were already asleep at that hour. They would not see them sleeping together. That was why Luca did not say anything about it.However, every time she woke up earlier, she would carefully close the door. That way, the kids would not enter her bedroom without her permission.Luke knew something was holding her back. He felt helpless as there was nothing he could do about it.The kids had found out that Luca was their mother earlier than he did, but Luca was still bei
The makeup artist smiled and said, “A wife in the 1930s? It does suit your looks.” Luca looked at herself in the mirror. The makeup artist had already started to get ready before doing her makeup. She had never thought that Luke would ask her to choose the theme she liked for her photoshoot.If she knew she would be taking photos too, she would have chosen something simple.After all, she would have to put on a silk gown to dress up like a wife in the 1930s.Silk gowns were close-fitting and would show the contours of the body…Luca’s face reddened at the thought of Luke losing control when he saw her in a close-fitting dress. “Uh, can I change to another theme?” Luca asked the makeup artist.The makeup artist could not understand why Luca wanted to change the theme, so she said, “Ms. Luca, the vintage look will look great on you. Why would you like to change?”"I think it's too complicated. The silk gown is a bit too much," said Luca.The makeup artist smiled and said, “Y
The makeup artist came in and looked at Luca's slim figure. Her eyes shone with admiration. "Ms. Luca, you look gorgeous in this silk gown.""You did a great job at dressing me up." Luca felt embarrassed to receive such compliments."We just bought this silk gown yesterday. It was designed and sewn by the best tailor in our country. Speaking of that, you're lucky to be able to have this beautiful gown. It's just that the waistline of the gown is a little wider. It needs some altering." The makeup artist sized her up and found out what was wrong with just a glance.Luca's waist was too small. The gown was in the smallest size, but Luca's waist was still too small for the gown.“Your assistant has already gone looking for the tailor,” said Luca."Okay. It's better to look for the tailor. It won't take long to alter this. Besides, I don't dare to do anything to such good material," said the makeup artist. Then, she put the faux fur coat and pieces of jewelry aside.After a while, th
“I’ve never worn a silk gown. I don’t know if it’ll suit me…” Luca felt a little embarrassed. It was as though Luke’s burning gaze could light the cells in her body on fire. “It looks good on you. Don’t doubt what I said. If I say you look great, you do. It suits you perfectly,” Luke assured her and gently squeezed her hands.If it were not for the outsiders around them, Luke would have pulled her into his arms and murmured to her how beautiful she was in a soft voice. Luca smiled and replied, “Mr. Crawford, you look handsome in this military uniform too.”She finally understood why couples loved wearing silk gowns and military uniforms to take couple photoshoots.Wearing this for the photoshoot would make it seem like their love had lasted for a century.The moment she saw Luke in the uniform, she fell into a daze and seemed to see their past lives.Luca held Luke’s hands, interlocking her fingers with him.The assistant stood beside the makeup artist, looking at them from b
"I'll never hold Daddy back," Tommy mumbled.While the three kids were chattering away, the last photoshoot session had ended.Before Luca could talk to the kids, the makeup artist’s assistant asked her to get changed and remove her makeup.Luke was not in a hurry. He walked toward the kids and said, “All of you did well today.”“Daddy, I think we did great too,” Tommy replied proudly.Luke stroked the kids' heads to compliment them. Then, he turned to look at Aune Neile and said, "Aunt Neile, after they remove their makeup, get them into Warren's car and go back home."“Okay, Mr. Crawford.” Aunt Neile was confused after she agreed with Luke. Then, she asked, “Mr. Crawford, didn’t you say that Ms. Luca doesn’t know what to prepare for New Year’s and that’s why you asked me to come along with you?”“We still have time. List down the things that we should buy for New Year’s,” said Luke. Aunt Neile would not have to list down everything if Luke was not putting on a show."Okay. I'
After they were seated, the waiter asked, “Mr. Crawford, should we serve the dishes now?”“Yes.” Luke nodded. He had already placed the order when he was booking the private room.After all, there were a ton of things they needed to buy, so doing this would save some time. He did not want to see Luca being tired.Luca did not say anything after knowing that Luke had placed the order for them. She picked up the glass of lemonade and took a few sips.She was wearing lipstick during the photoshoot. It would trouble the makeup artist to touch up her lipstick whenever she drank some water. That was why she did not drink anything. She was thirsty now.The waiter nodded. When he was about to leave, Luke said, “I’d like to have a glass of grape juice, please.”“Okay, Mr. Crawford. Just a moment,” replied the waiter.After the waiter left, there were only two of them in the private room.Luca sat right opposite Luke. She felt embarrassed. Then, she picked up the glass of lemonade and to
“No.” Shanks’ tone was cold and firm with no trace of hesitation.Abel still looked doubtful.Shanks added, “Would you like to see her medical report?”Abel was startled for a moment. How did Shanks know he had been thinking about that report?Now that Shanks brought it up, the idea lost its appeal.Abel shook his head. “Even if you showed it to me, I wouldn’t understand it. Shanks, Kassy’s life is in your hands. If you can give her a second chance, I’ll provide as much research funding as you need."Shanks remained silent. He could save Kassy. In fact, his research had always been for Kassy.However, he did not expect Abel to be so ruthless as to insist on using a living person as a donor for Kassy. That was something he could not accept.Kassy’s condition could be treated with organs from a brain-dead patient. Why destroy a perfectly healthy life?Shanks was not acting out of mercy. He simply refused to go against his medical ethics.He was not someone who had to save lives
“You don’t need to remind me. I was going to check anyway.” Abel shot Luca a chilling look.She took a step back and stayed silent.Abel turned to the pale-faced Hera and said, “If you’ve got low blood sugar, get up and eat something.”“I’ll eat now,” Hera replied, sitting up.Luca handed her the takeout.Abel glanced at the food and then frowned at Luca. “Why didn’t you make breakfast this morning?”“I was busy,” Luca explained with a calm indifference, her expression unwavering. She showed no fear, even under Abel’s questioning.Hera suddenly found herself admiring Luca. Everyone feared this man, yet Luca remained composed even when facing potential punishment. Not just anyone could pull that off.At the thought of this, Hera opened the takeout and kept quiet.Abel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hera and Luca. His gaze was not exactly gentle as he muttered, “Stop eating this junk. It’s bad for you.”“I know, babe. Just this once. After this, I’ll have what Luca cooks f
Hera panicked the moment she heard that. “I trust her!”Luca and Shanks were both watching her.Hera repeated herself, saying, “I trust her, okay? What kind of treatment does she need? I’ll cooperate with anything. But what about Abel…”“I’ll tell him it’s just to help improve your overall health,” replied Shanks. Then, he turned around, opened the medicine cabinet, and started preparing the prescription.Hera let out a sigh of relief. As long as Abel did not find out about her health condition, that was all that mattered.If he knew she was unwell, he would send her back to A City. Without free medical help and no way to make extra money, she would be in serious trouble.“Thank you,” said Hera.“Wait outside,” instructed Shanks.“Okay.” Hera carefully stepped out.Luca, however, remained where she was, waiting.While preparing the medicine, Shanks asked, “Do you know which acupoints to target for her?”“Yes,” Luca replied confidently. As long as she checked Hera’s pulse, sh
“There are a lot of issues.” Luca did not hide anything and handed Hera the phone.Hera looked at it and frowned.“I can't understand any of this.” Hera felt dizzy just looking at the text, let alone the long list of medical terms. It was giving her a headache.“Look at these summaries and indicators. Compare the values on top with the normal values at the bottom, and you'll see what I mean,” explained Luca.Hera did not trust her. Therefore, Luca decided to let her see for herself. Seeing it with her own eyes would prevent any doubts later.Luca pointed out how to read the test results, and after a moment, Hera managed to understand the report. Her face turned pale. “How can there be so many problems?”She looked at Luca and questioned, “Did you fake this?”“I don’t have the power to make the medical center fake anything. Besides, the report has the medical center’s official stamp. If you don’t believe me, you can go directly to the medical center and ask for the official cop
“I heard from the boss that he's coming because of Vivian.” Gale paused for a moment before adding, “But never mind, you don't seem interested in her affairs anyway. I'm just letting you know he's on his way.”Gordan frowned. Ray was coming for Vivian?What could that ugly woman possibly need?“What do you mean by that?” asked Gordan.Gale smirked. “If you and Ray meet, that’s bound to end in a fight. And since you can't win against him, you might want to mentally prepare yourself, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay. It’d be safer that way.”Gordan's expression darkened. “If you have nothing nice to say, just zip it.”Gale grinned, clearly pleased with himself like he had just hit a sore spot.Gordan exhaled sharply. “Of all times, why is he coming to A City now? He’s just making things worse.”“It can't be helped. Vivian's situation is urgent.” Gale covered his mouth mockingly after he said that. “Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like hearing about her.”Ray wanted to br
Luke sat in the villa, staring at Luca’s message.He was worried.For a moment, he considered calling her, but then he remembered that there were surveillance cameras everywhere on her side. He dismissed the idea immediately.Her safety came first.Luke reminded her: [Take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.] The worry in his heart refused to subside, but at this moment, there was no better solution.“Boss, you’re worried about your wife, huh? If you really can’t stand it, we can sneak you in again during the next shift change, just like last time,” said Gale.It had been his idea last time.Now, the real Lucius was still locked up in the basement of the villa.It had been nearly a month. Luke had forced him to take the antidote Luca had recreated. The man was still alive, proving the antidote worked perfectly.“That plan is too risky.” Luke put his phone away. His gaze was dark and thoughtful.“Risky, sure. But at lea
Luca had not expected Abel and Shanks’ relationship to be like this.It seemed Abel still did not trust Shanks.Shanks continued, “Abel isn’t someone who trusts people easily. He doesn’t trust anyone. You think he’s devoted to Kassy now, right? That’s just his obsession. He's allowing Kassy to receive my treatment, but if it were him… No matter if he were blind or crippled, his safety would always come first. If he were seriously injured, maybe he’d accept treatment, but he definitely wouldn’t do it right away.”Luca stayed silent. Shanks really understood Abel well.Abel did not trust anyone—not even Kassy.Calling him paranoid would not be an exaggeration.Luca felt like they were getting off-topic, but she had never seen this side of Shanks before.In her mind, he was always buried in his work at the lab, only leaving for meals and sleep. Other than that, he was practically never outside.The lab was like his home…“Are you troubled by Hera’s situation?” Luca asked directly
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.