“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
Luca was surprised, then she turned to look at Luke.Couple’s lunch set?Luca glanced at the dishes on the table. They were indeed a couple’s meal set. She noticed that the foie gras was in a heart shape too.The same went with the straw of the grape juice.Luke noticed that Luca was surprised, but he did not make any explanation.There was nothing much to explain. They were on a date, after all. Of course, it had to be romantic. It was normal to order a couple’s meal set.After the waiter left and closed the door, Luke placed the appetizer and main course in front of her. He said, "Try them and see if you like them."Luca nodded. Then, she had a taste of the appetizer. It tasted like authentic French cuisine. She nodded and said, "It tastes good."“Have some more,” said Luke. He picked up the cutleries and tasted the food as well.As expected from a restaurant recommended by a food magazine. The food tasted good. Luke tasted the food while sizing Luca up at the same time.Lu
Luke pouted as he could not wait to tell the world that his beloved Bianca had returned.However, he could only comply with her orders as of right now to keep a low profile and not expose her identity, which made him feel helpless.He liked to be in control of everything, and he felt a sense of accomplishment knowing that everything was going according to his plan.This situation with Luca gave him a sense of frustration.Luke tried his best to grasp more about Luca’s situation, but he still felt powerless in the end.“Mr. Crawford?” When Luca noticed his grim expression, she thought that her previous statement had upset him.The mall belonged to him, so having someone follow them around while carrying their bags was normal. However, they had no choice but to carry their own bags because of her request to keep a low profile. Hence, they lost preferential treatment. “Okay, we can make a few trips so you don’t need to carry so much.” Luke came to his senses and made this decisio
“His actions made me even more annoyed.” Mavis frowned as she felt even more disgust for that person.Molly shook her head and bought two boxes of calcium tablets. “You just hate when people make a move on you first. I think he’s not bad, but you’re disgusted just because he took the initiative. Don’t tell me that after so many years, you’re still hanging onto that cold Mr. Crawford?”Luca was looking at a magazine, but as soon as she heard ‘Mr. Crawford’, her attention was diverted over there.At the mention of Luke, Mavis’ eyes showed emotions of a broken heart as she was bound to be at the mercy of Luke.Although she had not met Luke for a long time, every dream she had was related to him. Her longing and love kept increasing with every news report about him.Many people had pursued her over the years, but none of them were as outstanding as Luke.Mavis would not settle for just anyone, so she regarded all those men as playboys and ignored them.Her heart was already occupied
“Molly, I think that person was him,” said Mavis as she was about to walk out.Molly tugged on her hand and said with a frown, “Did you mistake him for someone else? How could there be such a coincidence? Plus, I think he was with a woman. Isn’t his wife abroad?”“I would’ve mistaken anyone else but not him. Wait here.” Mavis withdrew her hand and ran out.She spotted his figure not far away.Mavis ran in front of them, and tears welled up in her eyes. Although the man in front of her was wearing a cap and mask, she could tell that it was Luke from his physique and voice.“Is it you?” Her voice could not help but tremble.Luca did not expect Mavis to recognize Luke from one single word.Well, they did work together closely in their previous cooperations.Luke frowned when he saw Mavis in front of him. It had been three years since he last saw her. At that time, she used her own company to snatch the opportunity to cooperate with Brilliant Architectural Design LLC. Now, she stil
Luca nodded and said thoughtfully, “I overheard their conversation earlier. She seems to have an unhealthy obsession.”“She’s left her post for many years. When she left, we didn’t have any form of contact at all,” said Luke. After Mavis proposed to resign, he deleted her contact.Besides, there was no reason for them to keep in contact.Luca thought to herself that she was aware that Luke had really cut all ties with Mavis at the time.However, no one expected that even after a few years, the love Mavis had for him still had not died down.Luca said, “I also heard±”“I’m not interested in her affairs.” Luke squeezed her hand tightly. This woman kept bringing Mavis up. “Are you jealous?”Luca blinked and said resignedly, “Of course not…”She trusted Luke, so she would not let such trivial things ruin her mood.“Stop mentioning irrelevant people. What else do you need to buy?” Luke did not notice anything strange in her expression, which made him disappointed. How nice would it
“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.