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
They placed the bags on the coffee table and Luca began to sort the things.She was able to distinguish the items in the bag by the branding on the bags.Luca took out the bag that contained dessert and handed it to Aunt Neile. “Aunt Neile, this is the cake Mr. Crawford bought for you and your family.”“There’s something for me too?” Aunt Neile said in surprise, then looked at Luke to thank him. “Thank you, Mr. Crawford and Ms. Craw.”“You’re welcome,” said Luke. He looked at his phone screen and noticed some unread messages, so he said to Luca, “I need to go take care of some things.”“Okay.” Luca nodded, and after seeing him go upstairs, she picked up a few supermarket bags and unloaded the things.Some were kept at room temperature, whereas some had to be refrigerated.After Luca sorted the ones that had to go in the refrigerator, she said to Aunt Neile, “Aunt Neile, these need to be kept in the refrigerator. Could you please help me store them?”“Okay, Ms. Craw. “ Aunt Neil
"Here are your photos. Pick your favorites." Luke handed him the remote.Lanie took it and started going through his photos.He flipped through all the photos but did not have many thoughts, so he looked at Luke, unsure of which to choose."I think they’re all good," Luca said when she saw his expression.They had looked through all the photos. She did not see much of an issue for Lanie to pick everything.Rainie chimed in, "Yeah, Lanie is so handsome. If you can't choose, let’s have them all?"Lanie looked at Luke. He was unsure of which to choose."Let's take them all." Luke knew that his eldest son was not good at choosing photos, so he stopped embarrassing him and helped him make a decision.Luca smiled, looked at Rainie, and said, "It's Rainie's turn.""I’ll choose carefully!" Rainie gave a victory gesture.Luke started to show Rainie's photos.She loved to look at the details, and each of her photos was selected with special care.Aunt Neile, who was on the side, coul
Aunt Neile knew Luca was going to make a cake and had the cake molds ready.Luca started making cakes and some snacks for the children.Since it was Luke who promised to give them snacks, it was only natural for her to fulfill it. After all, they were also her kids...An hour and a half later.Luca's cakes and snacks were ready. She then started to help Aunt Neile prepare a sumptuous dinner.She glanced at the heavy snow that fell outside the window and could not help but sigh. "It's snowing again.""That's what the weather is like. The snow is beautiful. If it wasn’t too cold, the kids would all want to go out for snowball fights," Aunt Neile said with a smile."Kids do love to play with snow." Luca smiled and cut the washed meat into thin slices."This weather isn’t the best for driving, I wonder how our guests are doing." Aunt Neile was worried."It's alright, Lliam is a good driver. Mr. Crawford is there as well. We don't have to worry about that. Let’s focus on getting di
"Thank you." Vivian picked up the teacup Luca handed her, took a sip, and flashed a smile. "The taste is so mellow. I’ve never tried such good tea in Russia."Luca smiled and brought another cup to Luke."Thank you." He took a sip.Vivian put down the teacup and looked at Luca. "Luca, are you free tomorrow? Can you accompany me to the apartment to have a look?""Okay, I could do that." Luca agreed without hesitation.Tommy listened, raised his hand, and shouted, "I want to go too! Aunt Vivian, I want to visit your apartment too."Seeing his enthusiasm, Vivian smiled and said, "Okay, no problem."Luke shook his head and said, "Don't get in the way of the adults."Tommy pouted and protested, "Daddy, I can help too.""Don't cause any trouble and stay at home," Luke said with a stern expression. He did not allow him to be reckless. Vivian went to Luca to ask for help because she trusted Luca.If the children were over, the two of them would be distracted taking care of them.Tom
Gordan called him the moment he replied to him."Brother, isn't it Sunday in A City today?" Gordan asked the moment Luke answered the phone."It's Saturday," Luke corrected him softly as he turned on his computer and looked at his unread work emails."You don't look at your phone on a Saturday? I've been looking for you all day." Gordan's tone was a little impatient, but he respected Luke, so he did not throw a tantrum despite his frustrations being accumulated all day. "I had some work to deal with, so I put my phone on mute. I didn't pay much attention to it afterward." Luke read his emails one after another patiently. He noticed Gordan's anxious voice but did not ask him what it was about.He did not need to ask Gordan to know why he was looking for him.If he had known it would come to this, he would not have acted that way."Ahem, are you that busy?" Gordan wanted to immediately ask what was on his mind, but he held back."It’s the end of the year," Luke continued with hi
Gordan did not force him, nor did he blame Luke for his response.He knew that Vivian had tipped Luke off in advance, so he did not press further. Gordon said, "I see.""Sorry." That was all Luke could say."You didn't do anything..." Gordan was not that irrational to blame Luke for Vivian divorcing him.After they ended the call, Luke put his phone aside. He looked toward the door when he heard footsteps.Luca was heading upstairs."Luca." Luke stopped Luca, who was just about to walk into the bedroom."Huh?" Luca turned around to look at him.The memory of sitting on his lap to look at the photos was vivid. She could not help herself from blushing."I have something to tell you," Luke said. He was worried that Gordan would find Luca and she would tell him about Vivian.Although Luca was not someone who gossiped, he thought that anything could happen if he did not specifically warn her."Can I go see the kids first?" Luca asked. Luke did not look too serious, so she guessed
Unless someone disclosed it to him.However, Gordan had never bothered to get to know her, so he had no idea who her friends were.He only knew Jones, whom he was closest to among the bunch.[Okay, take care of yourself in A City!] Jones replied within minutes.Vivian looked at the hotel’s decoration. She was in a family apartment suite that Luke booked for her and Ray. Everything here was of A City’s style.Everything here was great.[A City is great. Jones, I'm sorry for getting you involved with Gor…] Vivian typed. When she got to Gordan's name, she paused and felt a little guilty. She then typed: [I’m sorry that Gordan is harassing you. You can block him. Tell him that you don't know about me.][Don't worry, I know what to do. No matter what he says, I won't tell him anything about you.] Jones assured her.Vivian breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jones' reply. She put down her phone and opened the curtains.It was still snowing outside.This was A City, so it looked
“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.