In the evening, the mourners who had come to pay Kevin their last respects had left. Only several people remained in the house. The two children were hungry. Wanda brought them away for dinner. Luke received an urgent call. He informed Bianca about it and hurriedly left. Bianca was currently cleaning up the house. The Rayne family house was a simple house with two rooms. She looked around her, finding her surroundings familiar yet foreign. After all, she was only brought there when she was a teenager. Memories of her father surfaced, though they were of somewhere else. That was the time when Jennifer and her daughter had not moved in. Whenever Kevin visited Bianca in the small town, he would carry her on his shoulders and call her "my dearest darling." She remembered that she had a high fever when she was six years old, and she had faded in and out of consciousness. Even the doctor was helpless. She vaguely saw her father kneeling in front of the doctor and beggin
Even the usually docile Rainie was angry when she saw her Mommy bullied. She grabbed a mop that was conveniently nearby and smacked it on Xavier. "Bad Uncle Xavier! You're a bully! I'll kill you!" She screamed out. "Hiss!" Xavier felt the intense pain in his leg and let go of Bianca. Bianca frantically ran away. Her eyes were brimming with hatred, and her lips were swollen and red with hints of blood on them. She looked as though she was more than willing to murder Xavier. Xavier licked his lips. His tongue was hurting. If he did not let go of the woman, she might even have bitten off his tongue. He looked down, and upon seeing that Lanie was still biting him, dragged the little boy away. He rolled up his pants. Lanie seemed to have almost bitten off a piece of flesh from his leg. 'That savage whelp. He's indeed Luke's son!' Xavier glanced at Rainie. She was trembling with fear, but she continued to stand in front of Bianca holding the mop and baring her teeth as th
Jack sized up the man who had claimed his daughter's heart. The man was robust and mature. He looked like a man who had succeeded in life. Furthermore, the man knew that he was the Provincial Committee Secretary but had no intention of sucking up to him. He was polite but kept his distance. Jack nodded in satisfaction. Luke was a man worthy of Leia's affection. If his daughter wanted him, then he would do his best to fulfill her wishes. After Jack introduced Leia to Luke, he asked, "I've heard that the CEO of T Corporation is a man of many talents, and now that I've met you, that seems to be the case. I wonder if you are married?" "I'm not married, but I have two five-year-old children." Every gesture that Luke made caused Leia to swoon. Jack was slightly disappointed when he heard that Luke had two children. However, he did not mind that, seeing how infatuated his daughter was and considering the wealth and influence Luke wielded. If he married Leia, then she could event
Jack placed his wine glass on the table when he heard Luke's words. His face was slightly red from the alcohol. "Don't worry, Luke. I'll get my men on the case. You'll receive the approval tomorrow. Remember, take good care of my daughter." The more Jack looked at Luke, the more satisfied he was. From their conversation, he could understand that Luke was a shrewd and assertive man and would be the perfect son-in-law. Jack had addressed him as "Mr. Crawford" earlier, but it was now "Luke." Everyone who heard that knew that Jack was trying to play matchmaker. Those people looked enviously at Luke. In a mere few sentences, Luke had won the rights to develop the seaside resort worth tens of billions of dollars. However, they knew that they were no match for Luke's handsome looks and sharp business acumen. Even though they might be envious, they knew that Luke deserved it. "Congratulations, Mr. Crawford! With this development project in your bag, T Corporation will be pushed
Bianca could feel that a hole in her heart was being filled up with bliss. Luke was hugging her tightly. She could hear the strong rhythm of the man's heartbeat. It was beating in sync with hers. Luke's lips gently fell on hers. Bianca was already the mother of two children, but she seemed to retain her charming inexperience. Her body emanated a sweet fragrance, and that had greatly titillated Luke. "Mmh… Luke…" Bianca's body was going limp because of Luke's teasing. She came to her senses and pushed Luke away so that he did not go overboard. "You can't do it here. This is the living room… You must also be tired. Go and take a shower first." Bianca, Wanda, and the two children were staying the night in Kevin's house. Not only was the living room, which had been the venue for the funeral earlier, not suitable for vigorous exercise, but Aunt Wanda, who was sleeping in one of the rooms, might suddenly wake up… If Wanda caught them in the act, that would have been more than
Upon hearing that childish voice, Luke almost immediately went limp. Lanie and Rainie had woken up some time ago. Their eyes were open wide, looking at Daddy and Mommy curiously. Luke hastily got off Bianca's body and covered themselves with a silk blanket. Bianca was thoroughly embarrassed. She wished that the earth would swallow her up at that instant. Luke was both frustrated and angry when the two children had interrupted their session. However, looking at their curious and doubtful faces, he could not release his anger on them. "Daddy, why were you riding on Mommy?" Rainie said while looking inquisitively at Bianca, who was going to cover her face with the blanket. Meanwhile, Lanie glared at Luke with his beautiful eyes. He noticed that his mother's face and eyes were red… Lanie pointed at Luke with a plump finger and shouted, "You're so heavy, Daddy, yet you're riding on Mommy. Are you bullying Mommy?" A stifled scream from Bianca had woken him up earlier. Whe
Xavier sat at the bar counter under the dim lights, helping himself to a glass of dark red liquid. His injured arm was wrapped in bandages. His thick eyelashes obscured the violence in his eyes. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Tanner. You can contact me if you need anything." The woman sitting in front of him handed a name card to Xavier. Xavier took the card. Eminent Advocates & Solicitors. Shandra Cullen. Senior Lawyer. Memories of the past came back. Back then, Xavier went to the same university as Walter and Shandra. Walter and Shandra were ace students of the law college, and they were also known to be a couple. Their relationship lasted through all four years in college. For some reason, they broke up after graduation. Shandra left the country, and no one knew what happened to her. Walter drowned himself in alcohol for a period and eventually resumed his normal life. "What a coincidence, Ms. Cullen. I happen to be in the middle of a difficult case. I've devoted
Lanie was feeling unhappy. He did not want to stay in class. He was a precocious child, and he learned very quickly. His father had hired a personal tutor for him, and his intelligence was at the level of an elementary student. However, he had to remain in that class so that he could accompany his sister. Lanie thought that the teacher on the podium and the other children in the class were silly. He did not like how they wagged their heads when they spoke. Rainie did the same too, but she was his sister. He also thought that the teachers did not sing well. He would rather listen to his mother hum tunes to him and Rainie. He did not want to learn from the teacher. He had memorized the French song after listening to it twice. Unfortunately, the other children in the class had not picked it up, and the French teacher had to repeat it again and again. Lanie kept his lips tightly pressed together as he looked at the French teacher patiently repeat the song one more time. H
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