Bianca only remembered about the DNA test report when Lanie mentioned it. Now that Lanie had said it, it meant that the DNA test had proved that Bianca was indeed the two children's birth mother. Before that, Bianca was only seventy or eighty percent sure. Now, she was finally at ease. It should have been a joyous occasion when her status was confirmed, but Bianca did not seem as happy or excited as she expected. That was because her father had passed away. Bianca had to accept that painful fact, no matter whether she was awake or in her dreams. All the good news seemed to be shrouded in a thin layer of dust. Lanie kicked away the little boots on his feet and hopped onto the bed. Once on the bed, he realized that there was not enough space for him to sit cross-legged. Instead, he kneeled next to Bianca. Fortunately, the bed was big enough for that. He took the glass of warm milk from Mommy's hands and noticed that there was some sediment inside. Lanie quickly stirred
Leia felt a lot better after she replied to her mother's message. She opened the trailer door and called out gently, "Come over here for a bit, Marie." Her tone of voice sounded like a noble beckoning for their servant or an owner calling for their pet. Marie was not happy when she heard that, though she faked a smile and jogged over obediently. "Do you need me for anything?" 'Of course I need you for something!' Leia thought as she looked at Marie with disdain. 'Can't you be a little smarter as an assistant?' "Why don't you ever address me whenever I talk to you?" Leia said warmly. The surroundings might be dark, but Leia's impeccable features had seemed to brighten the night a little. Members of the production crew passed by while carrying props. "It's like this. You're six years younger than me, and I'm not sure how I should address you," Marie said awkwardly. "Ms. Leia" sounded too formal. She did not feel close enough to Leia to call her by only her name. After
The black Bentley slowly drove out of the hospital. Bianca looked at the two cute children, and her mood brightened instantly. Luke did not look at the children like Bianca did. Instead, he was looking at Bianca's face. Bianca was oblivious to that. The two children clung to their mother and chatted with her ceaselessly. 'Am I not as important as the children?' Luke thought. Suddenly, he was jealous! Rainie pouted and said to Bianca coyly, "When I was three years old, Grand Auntie came over for Christmas and brought her two granddaughters along. They're the same age as me, but they have pretty braids. They told me that their mommy braided their hair for them. Why don't you have a mommy? I was so angry that I cried." Bianca looked at Rainie's aggrieved expression and hugged her tightly. She kissed Rainie's forehead and said, "I'll do your braids for you every day." "Mm, thank you, Mommy!" Rainie snuggled comfortably in her mother's arms. However, the little girl sudd
Leia stirred the coffee in the cup with a spoon. She lifted her head and asked conservatively, "Brother Xavier, what I'm most concerned about are his two children. Where did he get them?" Xavier was surprised. Brother Xavier? That title was too saccharine-sweet. As far as he remembered, the last time Leia called him "Brother Xavier" was when she had recently stepped out of the orphanage and into elite society. She gave everyone appellations such as "Brother" or "Sister." As her social status climbed, she found herself to be equals with Xavier and stopped calling him "Brother." Of course, she could be equals with Xavier because she was Jack Norman and Queenie Zeigler's daughter. In fact, as a Norman, she was of a higher status. Xavier had never considered Leia to be part of his plan in trying to separate Bianca from Luke. However, Xavier quickly thought of something. "To be frank, I don't know where the two children came from, even though my family occasionally talks abo
Bianca lifted her head and looked into his eyes. She was reminded of their carnal relations from five years ago, then at the rekindled passions from a few days ago. Bianca felt that Luke had given her a sense of belonging. It was as though her feelings had been held hostage for five years and were now set free. It was like wandering in a storm for a very long time and finally finding a safe haven that only belonged to oneself. "What are you thinking? Your eyes are red." Luke felt sorry for Bianca when he looked at her frail expression. Luke admitted that he was currently assailed by primal urges for Bianca that were rushing like the incoming tide. He could not calm his heart whenever he looked at her. 'Have I gotten a craving for her? 'Perhaps so.' On one hand, he was someone who had tasted carnal pleasures. He desired the sensations that her body gave him. On the other hand, he was possessive toward her and wished to own her everything. Otherwise, he would not be a
Bianca closed her eyes and started counting sheep. One, two, three… when she was at twenty-three, she felt the man leaning closer on her back. His warm and rough hands encircled her delicate waist and reached into the elastic band of his pajama pants. Bianca was sleeping on her side. Luke's warm hands rubbed and massaged her abdomen, and her legs instinctively bent… When she bent her legs, her butt was pushed outward… Her butt pressed against the man's body. She could feel something awaken beneath the man's pants and was poking her body. "What are you doing?" Bianca frowned slightly. She was not in the mood tonight. The bedroom was dark, though eventually she got used to the darkness. Luke's arm supported his head, and he was leaning on the bed looking at her. His head moved forward, and he kissed her fair cheek. "The doctor recommends that you should exercise more often. It'll be good for your hypoglycemia," he said. "Exercise…" Bianca's mind turned blank. The doct
After Marie was brought away, Leia took the rest of her break half-heartedly and continued the shoot. The tearful scene had been reshot from morning to night, but the director was not satisfied. "Never mind. Let's wrap up for today. Go home and think through the scene and we'll try again tomorrow," the director said disappointedly to the male and female lead actors. Leia was not in the mood to think about the shoot. She wanted to leave the set as soon as she could. Her acting career was important, but it was not as important as finding an opportunity to meet Luke so that they could get married. When the RV was about to leave the film set, Leia gave Xavier a call. Xavier was at home playing chess with his father. Lacey was pleased when she saw that Xavier and his father were at peace with each other. She kept on serving them fruits and drinks. When Xavier's phone rang, he saw that it was from Leia. He answered the call, though his eyes remained on the chessboard. "Yes?"
She felt a twinge in her nose and an indescribable feeling in her chest. No one had unconditionally treated her so well like Luke did. Bianca's long eyelashes fluttered. She picked up the limited edition black credit card. She had read about it in a finance magazine before. The morning sun shone through the wide floor-to-ceiling, into the kitchen, and onto Luke's sculpted, angular side profile. The man was unbelievably perfect! She was only a plain, unremarkable woman, but she was lucky enough to gain his love and pampering. "Thank you…" Bianca was starting to sob when she spoke. The man had given her warmth and companionship at her lowest point. Her father's passing had left her clueless and helpless. That was a huge blow. Fortunately, Luke was by her side. There were her children too. Lanie and Rainie were like angels. They were the proof of her relationship with him. She was unlucky, but at the same time, she was the luckiest woman. Fate had been kind to her. L
Sophian realized she had made a mistake and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Madam Allison. I saw it was someone familiar, so I didn’t think too much about it.”Allison shot her a furious glare.Sophian knew full well that Allison and Susan did not get along, yet she still opened the door for her. Was she out of her mind?“Oh my, after all that time in Seoul, you didn’t pick up anything good? Still that same fiery temper.” Then came Susan’s mocking voice.Allison froze for a moment and shifted her gaze toward the doorway.“How did you get in here?” demanded Allison. Did she not just ring the bell outside? How did she get in so quickly and without anyone opening the door to the villa?!Susan gave Sophian a smirking glance. “Your helper let me in.”Allison frowned, still confused. Susan continued, “I’m living right next door now.”“Oh, so I heard you got kicked out by Old Master Crawford. Moved right next door, did you? Sticking around like a ghost that won’t go away, living jus
Sophian stood before her. Her face was a picture of hesitation and discomfort. “Madam Allison, how about you order using your phone?”“What? You can’t even handle this small task?” At this point, Allison had completely shifted her view of Sophian, now seeing her as just another maid. Her previous tone vanished, replaced by a much more domineering attitude.Sophian felt helpless and quickly explained, “It’s just that the food from this place is just too expensive. I don’t have that kind of money.”Once she finished speaking, a flush of embarrassment crossed her face.Sophian had come back with Allison to work off the debt she owed from her cosmetic surgery. Therefore, she had no money to spare.Allison paused for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. After a brief moment, she picked up her phone and said, “It's not like I'm having you pay for it. You can't even temporarily cover it?”Sophian smiled awkwardly. “I just transferred money to the hospital.”Allison let out a faint hu
“You don’t like eating outside food, do you?” Luca thought that preparing breakfast and dinner for him was not a big deal.Besides, the main point was that Luke did not like eating out. He always felt the taste was off and lacked nutrition.“Actually, it’s not that I don’t like eating out. It's just that all the food outside tastes the same to me.” Luke gently squeezed her hand.“Hey, focus on driving.” Luca chuckled.Luke withdrew his hand and returned it to the steering wheel. “With that woman around, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to cook. Are you really going to make breakfast for them too?”If that happened, it would defeat the purpose of his plan.Luca thought for a moment. She did not mind ignoring Sophian, but if she cooked for Luke and not for Allison, that might not sit well with her. Allison could easily make a fuss over even the smallest details. “So, should we just eat out for breakfast and dinner from now on?”“Yes.” Luke did not mind.It did not matter where t
“Something I like?” Luca laughed. “What could that be?”“You’ll find out when we get there.” Luke kept it mysterious.“Alright then, I’ll wait for your surprise, Mr. Crawford.” Luca was in good spirits without letting family issues dampen her mood. Therefore, she video-called the kids.Luca dialed Mr. Griffin’s number.After Mr. Griffin answered the call, he handed the phone to Lanie. “Young Master Lanie, Ms. Craw wants to talk to you.”“Thank you, Mr. Griffin.” Lanie took the phone and pressed ‘accept’.Luca positioned the camera to include both her and Luke. She waved at the screen. “Lanie, Rainie, Tommy, what are you all doing?”“Lanie! Lanie, I want to talk to Ms. Luca!” Tommy waved excitedly at the camera, eager to take the phone.Lanie handed it to him. “Go on, tell Daddy and Ms. Luca about your good news.”Luca smiled and asked with curiosity. “Good news?”“Daddy, Ms. Luca, I made it to the next level in the math competition! The finals are this Saturday!” Tommy said e
“Why are you being so slow?” Allison was irritated. She shoved the products into Sophian’s hands.“I told you to use them, so just use them.” Allison ran out of patience. After urging Sophian, she lay back down.Sophian had no choice but to follow her instructions and poured out some product. The texture of the product in her palm made her pause for a moment. It was incredibly moisturizing!She gently patted it onto Allison's face and noticed the area she touched felt just as smooth.Allison let out a content sigh. “This essence is really soothing.”Even though Sophian was still worried about potential side effects, she could not help but admire the instant hydrating effect. She asked in a low voice, “Madam Allison, is this really developed by that woman?”She could not believe that Luca had such skills and wondered if the essence had just been repackaged into another bottle and sold as her own creation.“That's what she says,” replied Allison. “But she's into pharmaceuticals, s
After agreeing to become the maid, Sophian’s excitement gradually turned into anxiety.The villa was so large. Could she really handle all the tasks a maid was supposed to do?As she thought about it, she accidentally left the bread in the toaster for too long. After serving it to Allison, she was scolded.“What’s this? It’s just a slice of toast. How could you burn it like this? How am I supposed to eat it?” Allison was clearly displeased.Sophian awkwardly explained, “Madam Allison, this is my first time using this toaster. I didn’t quite get the temperature right...”Allison was about to keep complaining but paused for a moment, remembering that Sophian was the one she had brought in to be the maid. Now, she was the only one who could make breakfast for her. She disdainfully tore off the burnt part and took a bite. “Where’s the soy milk?”“It’ll bring it out,” replied Sophian, heading back to the kitchen. She brought out two glasses of soy milk and another slice of toast tha
“Are you planning to tell me that Madam Allison brought someone back?” Luca had a feeling she knew what was going on. Luca had been wondering why Allison had taken such a big risk by going out during the day, but it all made sense now.“Yes, she brought someone back and said she'll be taking over my job,” Aunt Neile replied helplessly. She was worried she had lost her competitive edge, which made her feel anxious.“I got it, Aunt Neile.” As soon as Luca spoke, there was a cheer from inside the lab. She glanced back and saw that there seemed to be progress in the research. Rhett gave her a thumbs-up to signal success.She slightly smiled and nodded before hearing Aunt Neile's voice again on the phone. “Ms. Craw, there’s something I’d like to say, though I’m not sure if I should. I’ve thought about it, and I feel like I should. Even though Mr. Crawford isn’t the type to fool around, you have to be careful. He has no interest in that woman, but she’s clearly interested in him. You sh
Allison watched the two of them go upstairs, and instantly, her temper flared.Not allowed, huh?Allison refused to believe it. She would find a way to turn things around and reclaim her position in this family!…The next morning, as Luke and Luca came downstairs, they noticed Aunt Neile looking at them with red, puffy eyes.“Aunt Neile, what happened?” Luca was puzzled. What happened?“Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, Madam Allison just told me that I’m fired.” Aunt Neile looked distraught. She thought Allison’s words yesterday were just a joke, but first thing in the morning, she was told to settle her wages and leave. She was completely stunned.“Mr. Crawford, did I do something wrong?”Luke’s brows furrowed. Allison’s behavior was truly astonishing.“You’re not fired,” replied Luke. “Is breakfast ready?”Relieved to hear she still had her job, Aunt Neile quickly wiped away her tears and let out a sigh of relief. “Yes. Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, please have a seat. I’ll bring it out.
Luke was driving back home with Luca. It was already 9:00 pm when they arrived at the villa.Just as they reached the foyer and had not taken more than a few steps, Allison's voice rang out.“Oh, so you're finally willing to come back from Crawford Manor?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.Luca did not know how to respond to Allison and looked over at Luke.Luke let go of Luca's waist and whispered, “Go upstairs first.”“Okay.” Luca nodded, changed her shoes, and was about to head upstairs when Allison said again, “Stop. Who told you to go upstairs?”“Madam Allison, is there something you need?” Luca's tone was cold, carefully masking the helplessness inside her.Since she learned that Allison would be returning to the country and moving here, Luca had mentally prepared herself to be put in a difficult position. She loved Luke, so she was willing to tolerate whatever troubles came with it.Luca believed that as long as she and Luke faced things together, there was nothing th