"The interior was well thought out..." Vivian sighed, walked out of the master bedroom, and opened the door of the bedroom opposite.Luca said, "If you don't like living alone, the desk can also be set up in the master bedroom. The designer has reserved enough space for it. Of course, you can also rent out the second bedroom to a girl, making the apartment more lively.""Mr. Crawford is so thoughtful." Vivian smiled as she looked at the furnishings of the guest bedroom. The designer did not take it less seriously just because it was the guest bedroom.She also liked the decorations of the guest bedroom. "I prefer to have a space to myself. I plan to live alone for the time being."She did not have many friends when she was in Russia, so Vivian did not plan to rent her room out.She was used to being alone.Moreover, Vivian did not want others to know about Ray and their family."Mm, it's better to live alone. It’ll be quieter." Luca knew Vivian’s temperament so she did not say a
‘Luke's subordinate?’Mavis was stunned. She thought that Luca was cheating on Luke and rejoiced that she caught her in the act.She knew that Luke hated being deceived and betrayed the most...Warren shouted at her when he saw her stand there dumbfoundedly, "Aren't you going to leave? Do you want Mr. Crawford to come to the scene and ask you for an explanation in person?"Mavis snorted coldly. It was the weekend, so there was a large crowd in the supermarket. Her actions had attracted the attention of many.Mavis said, "Don't be too complacent. You’re not worthy of him.""Are you worthy of him?" Luca asked.Mavis was taken back. She stomped her foot and turned around to leave.Vivian waited for Mavis to leave before she asked softly, "Luca, that lady just now...""She should be Mr. Crawford's former subordinate. She might’ve thought I was somehow involved with Warren," Luca said helplessly as she chose the four-piece bedding set for Vivian."She thought that you..." Vivian w
"If I get into trouble, I’ll be sure to ask you for help. I hope I won’t annoy you too much," Vivian said playfully."No." Luca smiled and took a sip of milk to ease her thirst.Vivian glanced at the time. It was noon. She stood up and said, "Luca, you did me a big favor today. Let me treat you to lunch."Luca glanced at the time and stood up as well. She accepted Vivian's kindness. "Okay, I'll pick the location?""No problem!" Vivian said cheerfully, "You’re familiar with the place. I’m sure whatever you pick will be delicious."Luca smiled and shook her head. "I don't eat out very often. I arrived in A City just half a year earlier than you. Let's go, I'll take you to experience your college life in advance. The students are currently on vacation, so we might not have many options.”"Where are we going?" Vivian was curious."You'll know when we get there," Luca said as she led Vivian downstairs.After getting in the car, Luca asked Warren to drive to the food street near Capi
Luca lowered her gaze and was glad that Vivian did not understand English.Otherwise, she would be sad to hear what they were saying about her even if she was used to others pointing and looking."Luca, why aren't you eating?" Vivian asked when she saw that Luca had stopped eating."Nothing to worry about." Luca picked up a burger and took a bite.The boy at the next table could not stop himself. He picked up his phone, walked over, and looked at Luca with a smile. "Hello, classmate. Do you want to add me on Facebook?""I'm not your classmate." Luca did not look at the boy. She acted coldly."We can be friends even if we’re not from the same university. Besides, you don't know what university I’m from. How are you so sure that we’re not from the same college?" The boy did not give up when faced with her indifference."I’m old enough to be your aunt. Besides, I'm not interested in people who like to talk about other people's appearances," Luca said coolly and took a sip of her gr
The corner of Luke's lips curled up a little as he gave a mocking smile.“Leave me alone,” said Luke. “I’ve already finished handling the documents.”There came the sound of someone knocking on his door after he said that.The smile on Luke’s face disappeared. Every time there was a knock on the door, that would mean he had work to do.Luca knew about that too, so she said, “Mr. Crawford, there’s work to do.”“It seems like it.” Luke placed his hand on the mouse and moved it. The computer screen lit up. Only then did he say, “Come in.”Tina pushed the door open and walked into the office. She was startled for a moment when she saw Luca sitting right opposite her boss. She wondered if she had come in at the wrong time.This was why Jason asked her to send the documents into the office herself. It turned out that this was happening.She happened to find out the truth of the rumors surrounding her boss, but at the same time, she had disturbed her boss while he was spending time wi
When they arrived at the villa, the kids came forward and surrounded them. It lightened up the atmosphere. “Daddy, does your holiday start tomorrow?” Tommy held Luke’s hands and looked at him eagerly. The kids hoped that the adults could start their holidays earlier. That way, they could have time to accompany them.It had been a long time since their family celebrated New Year’s together happily. The kids hardly felt any festive cheer during New Year’s celebrations when the impostor Bianca was still here with them. The impostor Bianca would turn Crawford Manor upside down and ruin the festive mood.She argued with Susan every day. It was just like when their grandmother was still living in the house with them. It was chaotic. Now, their mother had finally come back. That was why they hoped that they could start the holidays earlier and spend the rest of the time with them.“I still have to work tomorrow,” replied Luke. T Corporation would let the employees start their holid
"Is there anything else the old master wanted to tell me?" Luke asked. Old Master Crawford's attitude toward Allison was clear enough when he let Luke deal with the matter.The old master did not want Allison back here. However, since she was Luke's biological mother, he should let Luke make the decision.Still, who would be able to stop Allison if she wanted to come back? Allison would only cause trouble if they stopped her from coming back.“Old Master Crawford didn’t say much about Madam Allison. But he was hoping that you could bring the kids back to Crawford Manor to spend New Year’s Eve together with him,” said Mr. Griffin. The old master was thinking of having a family reunion and celebrating the new year together with them.“Okay.” Luke ended the call. Then, he called the interpreter he hired for Allison in Seoul.“Mr. Crawford, I’m sorry. I didn’t get to stop Ms. Allison from booking her flight back.” Once the call was put through and before Luke could say anything, the
“Can we not celebrate the new year in Crawford Manor this year?” Lanie, who had always been quiet, suddenly spoke.Lanie was not afraid of Allison’s appearance, but he did not like noisy places. Luca shook her head and replied, “I’m afraid not. Old Master Crawford already asked all of you to go back on New Year’s Eve.”“Ah…” Rainie cried out and lowered her head.They loved their great-grandpa, but they did not like it when Susan and Allison were at each other’s throats.The kids were not as innocent and naive as they were before. They knew once Allison came back, she would definitely return to Crawford Manor.“Rainie…” Tommy looked at her, asking for help. They lost their appetite when they heard that their grandmother would be coming back and they would have to return to Crawford Manor on New Year’s Eve.“Eat your dinner first. Perhaps it’s not as bad as you think.” Luca convinced them.The kids were no longer in the mood for their dinner anymore.They did not hate Allison.
“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.