There was a smile on the corner of Luke's mouth. When she called his name affectionately, the tenderness and devotion on her face hit his soul hard.If it were not for the inappropriate occasion, he would have held her in his arms at this moment."How is the project going?" Luke was concerned about the status of Luca's project."Well, I'm going to start now. Actually, I've done research on this project before. It should progress very quickly and won't require a high cost." Luca speculated because the drug project originally belonged to Shanks. From Shanks’ prior research, she only needed to complete the research and make it into a legally marketed drug.She just needed to repeat the study like the last time, repeating the experiment to ensure drug safety and increase the efficacy of the drug at the same time.Luke's smile deepened as he listened to her serious whisper.He fell in love with Luca's serious appearance even more.After Luca finished speaking, she noticed the tender
It was not officially summer yet, so the warmth from the sun was just nice.Luca’s eyelids got heavier as the cozy warmth made her feel sleepy.She reckoned that she should ask Mo to make another cup of coffee for her or she would not be able to concentrate on work this afternoon.An unassuming BMW that was parked on the side of the road caught Luca’s attention because of its eye-catching car plate. It seemed to be Luke’s car. “Mr. Crawford, is that your car?”“Yes.” Luke nodded. He had just gone to the provincial capital, so he chose a car that would not attract that much attention.Although he was a businessman, he was also Jack’s son-in-law, so attracting too much attention in a place like the provincial capital would not look good for Jack.“I’ll head back to the company, and you…” Luca paused for a moment before urging him, “Drive safe.”The smile on Luke’s face grew wider as his eyes lit up. “I will.”After parting with Luke, Luca returned to the company and stopped when
Luca frowned slightly because of Mo’s words. She put down the document and looked up at the person standing anxiously in front of her. She only needed one assistant.If she had one more, not only would there be nothing for the new assistant to do, but the other professors would not be happy about it.All research professors only had one research assistant. If she had one more assistant, what would the other professors think? It was impossible for Luke to recruit a new batch of assistants to satisfy the professors.Luke shook her head slightly. Although she did not know why Mo wanted to be her assistant all of a sudden, she still rejected. “Ms. Stone, I don’t need another assistant.”Mo bit her lower lip embarrassedly as she gave it another chance. “Dr. Craw, don’t get me wrong. I just want to gain more professional knowledge, and I thought that I would be able to learn more like Mr. Link if I worked for you.”Luca had no plans to replace Rhett since he was capable and not a gossip
Aunt Neile took the paper that Luca handed to her. She could not help but praise her handwriting, "Ms. Craw, your handwriting is truly elegant."Her writing flowed gently, as if the pen had glided effortlessly on the paper. Luca blushed with a hint of embarrassment after being complimented and put on a faint smile.Aunt Neile continued, "My little grandson has just started learning to write. I wish he could write as neatly as you do in the future.""Let him try practicing on calligraphy copybooks," suggested Luca. All three of her children were using them to practice writing, and they were also learning calligraphy. It was to help them develop beautiful handwriting in the future."I'll have my daughter-in-law buy some. Your handwriting is really beautiful," exclaimed Aunt Neile as she folded the paper neatly and put it in her wallet. "Ms. Craw, I'll buy the herbs tomorrow morning.""Thank you. Oh, there's nothing else to do here. Aunt Neile, you may go home now," replied Luca,
The words of praise left Luca with a rosy hue on her face. She rose to her feet and prepared to clean up the dishes.Luke stood up as well and said, "Let me do it."There was no way Luca could contend with him. Hence, she watched Luke as he picked up the two bowls and walked into the kitchen. After a while, the sound of running water came from the kitchen.Luke was washing the dishes.Luca was not too surprised and followed him into the kitchen. While Luke washed the dishes, she tidied up the counter a bit.The kitchen was spacious, and the two of them stood there. One of them was washing the dishes, and the other was cleaning the counter. Their hearts were close, even though they stood apart.After a while, they made their way up the stairs together.Just then, Luke's phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID. Then, he frowned and answered, "What's the matter?"On the other end of the line was Lucy, the maid who looked after Old Man Rayne. Her voice sounded anxious, "Mr. Cra
Luke's brows furrowed even tighter. He knew that the maid was not trying to shirk responsibility. It was highly likely that the old man himself had asked her to do this.Old Man Rayne had always been the kind of person who avoided troubling others. If it were not for his old age and inability to take care of himself, he would never have agreed to have a caretaker look after him.The curtain to the emergency room was pulled open."Are the family members here?" asked the doctor.Yes," replied Luke, no longer scolding the maid. Old Man Rayne’s condition mattered the most now.The doctor glanced at Luke and then checked the patient’s examination results. Then, he explained, "We've already sent the patient for examination. The initial diagnosis states that it could be cerebral vasospasm. We've given the patient medication, but we’ll need a neurosurgeon’s consultation for a specific diagnosis and further treatment.""Does he need surgery?" Luca asked immediately.The doctor clarified,
"Okay." Johann hung up the call and proceeded to inform the neurosurgery nurses to prepare the operating room. Then, he notified the surgical assistant he needed to help him with the surgery.Ten minutes later, Johann arrived at Old Man Rayne's ward in a rush. After nodding at Luke and Luca, he approached the elderly man and conducted a thorough examination.Following a routine examination, Johann reviewed the reports. The diagnosis remained consistent with his earlier assessment. He turned to Luke and said, "We need to proceed with the surgery immediately. His family members should come along and sign the consent form at the entrance to the operating room."Before Johann arrived at the hospital, he already arranged for the nurses on duty to prepare all the necessary documents and to be on stand-by outside the operating room. Hence, when the patient was taken there, the family could sign the consent form promptly. It would save a lot of time.As soon as Johann gave his instructions
A heavy uneasiness settled in Luca’s heart. She wept and shook her head, tightly holding onto Old Man Rayne's hand. "No, Grandpa. You can't leave me. I haven't had the chance to properly take care of you yet. Besides, you have another grandchild now. Grandpa, stay strong. Don’t give up, okay?"A faint glimmer flashed across Old Man Rayne's eyes. "Another grandchild?""Yes. She hasn't met you yet. That’s why you must stay alive." Luca held his weathered hands, knowing that this was not the real world. Everything around her seemed hazy. It was probably just a dream.Even though dreams and reality were opposite, the uneasiness in her heart persisted as she was dreaming about Old Man Rayne.She did not want anything bad to happen to him, even if it was just a dream. Hence, she continued to convince Old Man Rayne, giving him hope and encouraging him to stay alive.“Bianca..." Old Man Rayne’s weary voice came through but gradually faded.Luca subconsciously opened her eyes. Everythin
Luca deliberately cracked her knuckles, making a loud 'pop' sound.Gerald immediately shrank back, pulling his neck in.“Ms. Craw, I’m sorry! I was being nosy. Please don’t be mad. I’ll just go take a nap,” he quickly apologized.“Hold on.” Luca stopped him.“What is it?” Gerald looked at her in confusion.“Do you know how to remove an IV yet?” asked Luca.“I’ve seen it done a lot, but I haven’t actually tried it myself.” A glint of eagerness flashed in Gerald’s eyes. “Ms. Craw, are you asking me to give it a shot?”“Do you want to try?” asked Luca.“Yes!” Gerald nodded enthusiastically. “I may not be a medical genius, but I can at least do something useful.”“Come with me. Let’s start with changing the IV bag,” instructed Luca.Gerald followed her, and under her guidance, he clumsily went through the steps but managed to replace the IV bag successfully.“This is so cool! I think I could totally be a nurse.” Gerald flashed a victory sign. “What do you think? Would I make a g
“Yeah, something came up with my family, so they got delayed. They just brought me my meal,” answered the volunteer.Luca glanced at his food, which consisted of meat and vegetables. It was clear that his family treated him very well.“That’s quite a feast,” remarked Luca.“Heh, they know I need the nutrition, so they always give me this much. Ms. Craw, have you eaten yet?” the volunteer asked cheerfully. Now that his health was improving, his appetite had returned, and his mood was much better too.“I have. You should eat more. I just came in to check how much IV fluid is left. There’s still quite a bit, so I think it won't be done before the guys are done eating," replied Luca.The volunteer chuckled. “They eat fast. You guys are amazing, taking such good care of me. I haven’t suffered at all since being here.”“Your recovery is our biggest wish,” replied Luca.“Mm, I’ll definitely cooperate with the treatment,” replied the volunteer.“Alright, I’ll get back to work. Enjoy yo
Abel's hand paused for a moment before he continued stroking her eyelids.“What’s wrong?” His voice was eerily low, carrying a chilling edge.Hera could not see his expression, but just the sound of his voice was enough to send shivers down her spine.“Thank you.” Hera forced herself to smile, summoning what little courage she had.“No need for thanks. Just be good from now on.” Abel’s fingers continued their slow, deliberate caress. It was like he was handling a priceless treasure.Hera remained still, letting him touch her without protest. More than anything, she did not dare to speak. She was terrified that if she broke the moment and interrupted whatever was going through his mind, he would be displeased.At that moment, Luca brought the food to the table and asked, “Mr. Abel, Ms. Sanchez, lunch is ready. Would you prefer to eat here or in your room?”“I’ll go with whatever my baby wants.” Hera smiled sweetly, masking her fear behind a bright smile. For some reason, she ha
“I’m just making plans with a friend. No need to go into all that, right?” As Luca said, she lifted her gaze to meet Shanks.His eyes were as deep as the ocean, and in that split second of eye contact, she felt like she was being pulled in. She suddenly felt like she had just exposed herself.Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and said, “Mr. Shanks, I’ll head downstairs to make lunch.”Shanks did not call her out on it, nor did he press further. He simply returned to his experiment.Downstairs, Luca saw Abel sitting on the living room couch. Ignoring him was not an option.Luca greeted him politely, “Mr. Abel.”Abel took a slow drag from his cigar, his blue eyes scanning her from head to toe. He was deep in thought.He remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. His dark and brooding expression sent a chill down Luca’s spine. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked straight into the kitchen.Gerald was already inside.When he saw her, he mouthed, “You’re here?”Luc
If Shanks’ prescription could help Hera sleep earlier, that would not be a bad thing.“Then I need to be treat…” Hera paused for a moment, realizing she could not say the word treatment. That would imply she was sick, and she could not let people know that. Instead, she corrected herself and asked, “How long will I need to take this herbal medicine?”“You can stop when your test results are back to normal,” replied Luca as she picked up the medical waste and headed out of the room.Gerald followed closely behind and asked with curiosity, “Ms. Craw, how long is that?”“How long is a standard treatment cycle?” Luca asked in return.Gerald pondered for a moment. “Usually about a month?”“The average endocrine cycle for women is three months, so the minimum duration for proper regulation is three months,” explained Luca.Although Abel could take action at any time, there was no way Hera could endure three full months of treatment. However, until Abel made his move, she would have
Luca’s head was slightly tilted, her cheek burning with pain.Abel had not held back at all. The force of his slap was merciless. A numbness spread across her face at an alarming speed.From the next room, someone peeked out again and asked in a low voice, “You okay?”“I’m fine.” Luca’s expression remained calm. This kind of injury was nothing to her.Back on the Island of Despair, she had endured far worse during training. She survived, did she not?Without another word, Luca pushed open the lab door and stepped inside.The man watching shook his head. Her face was already that swollen, and she still said she was fine… What a tough woman. She took a slap that hard and brushed it off like it was nothing.Shanks lifted his head when he heard the door open. When he saw it was Luca and noticed how swollen the side of her face was, his brows furrowed.“Abel did this?”“Who else?” Luca let out a bitter laugh, only to wince as the movement tugged at the pain. She sucked in a sharp b
“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