The actual identity of the "cousin" was actually Luke Crawford? After the sensational news broke out, the comments were split into three camps. The first was Luke's devoted supporters, who defended Luke's reputation with hard-hitting points. A gentle, handsome man who regularly topped the list of wealthiest people could have gotten any woman he wanted. Why would he go after the wife of another man? The second was his detractors. Their common consensus was that no one knew how Luke behaved in private, despite his frank and candid public personality. Perhaps hidden under that gentlemanly guise was his true sadistic and incestuous self! The elite society was full of scandals like these. Not only affairs happened between cousins, but they even happened between father and child. They thought that the post was absolutely true. Those people generally had a negative outlook on life, and they believed that everyone else was as negative as them. The third was those who claimed to
For the first time in Luke's career, he skipped work after the emergency shareholder's meeting. He went to the kindergarten and picked up Lanie and Rainie, fulfilling the responsibilities of a father. Sitting in the car, Lanie asked him curiously, "It's not the weekend today, Daddy. Why do you have time to rest?" As far as the boy knew, his father was a workaholic who even worked on weekends sometimes. Lanie thought that it was abnormal for his father to be out of his office during office hours. "No more classes for the day, Big Bro! I'm so happy…" Rainie rested her cheeks on her hands and said excitedly. She was at the age where she would rather play outdoors than sit in the classroom. Through the rearview mirror, Luke looked at the two children sitting properly in the back seat and said, "I'll bring you two and Mommy to the theme park today. We'll go home and pick Mommy up." The two children opened their mouths in shock, as though they had heard something incredible.
She did not know how much time had passed when a strong hand pulled her and the child in her arms aside. Luke tightly grabbed onto Bianca, and his face was pale. "Are you an idiot, Bianca? Don't you know that what you did was very dangerous?" He said angrily. He counted his lucky stars that the young mother fiddled with a lever or a button and managed to stop the motorboat right before it struck Bianca. The motorboat was only one fist's distance away from Bianca and the child. If she had been a split second slower in stopping the boat, an unimaginable disaster would have happened. When Luke saw that scene, he could feel his world crumbling around him. His leg muscles were pumping as hard as they could as he ran toward Bianca, though his body was shaking. When he saw that Bianca was safe, his face was contorted by the fear and anger in his heart. It was a dangerous scene. "He's… he's still a child, and he doesn't know what to do. If I didn't save him, he would've been badl
Shandra was not bragging. Other than losing to Walter several times, she had never lost a lawsuit against another lawyer. Xavier smiled mockingly when he heard Shandra's answer. "My dear schoolmate, I remember that you're always the top scorer in the law college, and Walter is always second place. I thought that you're more outstanding than him. Why is that not the case now?" Back when they were in college, Shandra's sharp tongue in law debate competitions was a force to be reckoned with. Walter was also an outstanding student, but he was always several points below Shandra. Shandra's indifferent expression wavered slightly when she heard Xavier's words, but she soon resumed her composure. Back in school, Walter had always let her win. He knew that she hated losing, and she would be depressed for a while if she got second place. At first, she did not know that Walter was letting her win. When she stepped into society and was faced with difficulties at work, it was only
Anna, Nina's mother, was currently cooking in the kitchen. When she heard the door open, she peeked out to see who it was. She saw her daughter coming in through the door with a man's coat draped over her body. Then, she saw the bruises on her daughter's neck. Anna flew into a rage and hurled the plate in her hands onto the floor! Her son was still in prison, but her daughter had the mood to flirt with other men! "Mom." Nina was physically and mentally tired. She briefly greeted her temperamental mother and headed to her room to rest. She had not taken two steps when she heard a loud slap! Suddenly, she felt a searing pain on her cheek! Nina covered her face and looked at her mother with disbelief. Anna poked her daughter's forehead with the sharp fingernail of her index finger as though intending to scrape off the skin. "Where have you been, you useless child? Tell me honestly, have you been sleeping with other men? I told you countless times that a woman should kn
After cashing in the check, Anna was on cloud nine. She had expected the check to be a dud, but she did not expect that the bank staff took it respectfully and transferred the amount to her account without a hitch. Anna withdrew 100,000 dollars in cash and kept the rest in her account. On the way back, she took the cab for the first time. Sitting in the cab, Anna thought that she was in a dream. She realized that she was awake after pinching herself several times. The cab driver stole several glances at Anna when she was pinching herself while holding a bulging black handbag. Anna hugged her snakeskin handbag close. "What are you looking at? Focus on your driving!" When she opened her mouth, her shrewish and miserly temperament was laid bare. She was afraid that the cab driver might snatch her handbag. Anna did not know where her daughter had gotten that much money, but that was none of her business. She did not care if her daughter was sleeping with other men for mone
Bianca was not able to meet Nina. She was not relieved. However, she was helpless against Anna. Anna bore a deep-seated grudge against Bianca, and there was no way she was reasonable enough to listen to Bianca. However, Anna was nevertheless Nina's mother, and she could not do anything to her. Bianca thought of Sue. If Sue went to visit Nina, Anna would have no excuse to drive her daughter's colleague away, as unreasonable as she might be. Bianca gave a call to Sue, tactfully saying that Nina had fallen sick. Bianca also explained that Nina's mother bore a grudge against her, and it was not convenient for her to go and visit, which was why she asked Sue to visit Nina on her behalf. She did not tell Sue about what actually happened to Nina. After all, no woman would want other people to know that they were abducted and violated. Sue agreed to it immediately and promised that she would visit Nina after work. She also asked Bianca to send her Nina's address. Bianca was phy
Old Master Crawford was furious when he heard Luke say that he would not marry anyone except Bianca. He knocked his walking stick on his grandson's body. "You ingrate! Do you really intend to marry that disreputable woman? Have you ever considered what that would do to the reputation of the Crawford family? Do you want us to be the joke of A City?" Luke stood straight. The words that came from his mouth made Old Master Crawford angrier than ever. "What reputation do we currently have, Grandfather?" He glanced at his mother and Susan sitting on the couch, and his implications were clear. The atmosphere became tense. Was there any other man in modern society that married two concurrent wives? Old Master Crawford struggled to catch his breath when he heard what Luke said. Louis, sitting beside him, gently patted his grandfather's back. "Grandpa, the doctor says that you shouldn't get angry. You'll have to control your temper. Otherwise, you'll have to stay in the hospital for a
Kassy’s eye donor was Hera, the one Abel had brought over.Even though Hera’s eyes resembled Kassy’s, they did not meet the criteria for a transplant. However, Hera’s blood type matched Kassy’s exactly.Hence, Abel decided to use Hera’s eyes. His belief was that her eyes were specifically meant for Kassy.Shanks knew he would not be able to change Abel’s mind, so he did not try. Abel’s stubbornness was something even Kassy herself could not sway.Luca remained silent for a while, not saying anything further. She understood that using a cadaver was the best option as it would not harm anyone.However, the eyes Abel wanted for Kassy were not from a cadaver. He intended to take them from Hera.Luca certainly would not participate in such a surgery. It was too cruel.“What are you thinking?” Shanks suddenly asked.Luca shook her head. “I’m just thinking about the volunteer’s situation.”“You’re wondering if this solution will be marketed, aren’t you?” Shanks suddenly asked.L
“I’m still a bit worried. Let me take a look in your room and change the dressing while I’m at it.” Luca knew Luke would not want her to worry. Therefore, she needed to see for herself that everything was fine before she could feel at ease.“Alright.” Luke knew she was worried about him, so the two of them headed into the room.He took off his shirt, revealing the bandage wrapped around his torso.Luca could not help but chuckle at the sight. The wrapping was done by Gerald, and it was hilariously sloppy. It was haphazardly bound—overly tight in some places and entirely uneven. It looked like it was just meant to cover the wounds, with no thought for neatness.“Stop laughing.” Luke was clearly rendered speechless by Gerald’s lackluster bandaging skills as well.If it were not for the fact that it was difficult to bandage himself, he would never have let Gerald do it.“With it wrapped like this, how are you supposed to sleep at night?” Luca asked as she began unwrapping the ba
Abel chuckled. His voice was low and gravelly.“Hera, let’s agree on something. Don’t use threats of leaving to manipulate me anymore, or I won’t be happy,” said Abel in a low voice.What might have sounded like a plea or a compromise came across to Hera as a veiled threat.The cool sensation of his fingers brushed against her eyelids, and she could not help but shiver. His touch felt as cold as death itself. She could not feel a trace of warmth.Her hands clenched tightly together. The tension in her grip was the only thing keeping her from trembling further.“Alright,” Hera murmured obediently.Abel withdrew his hand. Hera opened her eyes. A strange unease stirred within her. For reasons she could not quite explain, Abel’s behavior filled her with an unsettling dread…“Will you stay at the hospital with me tonight?” Hera could not help but crave some semblance of comfort.Abel frowned slightly. “Stay here with you? And what about Luca?”“You could just send her home. I onl
Luca's expression was serious, and Hera realized she was not just trying to scare her. Ignoring her warnings had already caused her to suffer once.Unwillingly, Hera sipped on the cereal. Her resentment was evident in every movement.Luca noticed it was not difficult for her to handle. She quietly sat down and ate her own bowl of cereal.Hera did not have much of an appetite.Hera took a couple of bites before growing bored. She glanced at Luca and asked, “How did you end up working for Abel?”Luca did not respond. She calmly blew on her cereal and ate in silence, showing no intention of engaging in conversation.“I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?” snapped Hera.Luca lifted her gaze briefly and replied, “You should finish your cereal before it gets cold.”“I’m not even hungry.” Hera really had no appetite and was not planning to eat the cereal.“It’s still better if you eat something. Otherwise, when hunger strikes later, don’t expect me to help you,” said Luca, “I’m only he
Luke had never taken the medicine that could speed up healing, so his recovery was nowhere near as fast as the others from the Island of Despair.Luca did not respond to Gerald’s comment. Her gaze fixed on him with intensity.“No stitches,” said Luke, “I trust you.”Luca bit her lower lip.“But if you don’t stitch it, it might tear open,” insisted Gerald, staring at Luke’s wounds.Luke glanced at his injuries and shrugged, seemingly unconcerned, as though the wounds had nothing to do with Luca.“Stitches will leave scars.”“Are you afraid of scars? What kind of man doesn’t have a few scars on him? Scars are a symbol of manhood,” teased Gerald with a playful tone, “Scars show you’re reliable, that you can protect a woman.”Luke gave him a look as though he were an idiot, then his gaze shifted to Luca. “I don’t want too many scars. I’m worried my future wife might dislike them.”Luca’s heart sank at his words, but his lighthearted remark eased her sadness. Despite the severity
Luca could not help but tremble with heartache. She fought hard to resist the urge to rush forward.Everyone in the room had survived brutal training to make it out of the Island of Despair, and they could not help but shudder when they saw the scene. The sound of the whip felt like it was landing on their own bodies.Gerald closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer. It was too cruel for him to watch.The ten lashes felt like an eternity, stretching on for what seemed like a century.Luca looked at the drenched clothes on Luke. His eyes were red, and his shirt was so soaked that you could wring out the blood from it. Her hands were clenched so tightly into fists that the veins were bulging.Abel tossed the whip aside, looking at Luke’s disheveled state with satisfaction. He enjoyed the thrill of this bloody scene.He turned to Luca, noticing her reddened eyes, and smiled even more devilishly. “Hera is in the hospital now. You’ll go take care of her for the next few da
Luca instantly understood the situation. It was about Hera.Hera was someone Abel valued, possibly as a future corneal donor for Kassy. While Abel might not love Hera now, he certainly took her health seriously.In a calm tone, Luca explained, “She was hospitalized due to inflammation that caused a fever.”Abel furiously flung his half-smoked cigar at her. The glowing embers singed her clothes, leaving a small burn mark.She instinctively stepped aside.Abel roared, “What kind of care is this?! I told you to look after her! Is this how you handle things?”Luca was perplexed. When did he ever tell her to look after Hera?Besides, she did take care of her.”When Ms. Sanchez fainted last night, she already had a low-grade fever. I diagnosed her condition as inflammation and prescribed anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medication. I also emphasized that she needed to take oral anti-inflammatory drugs. She didn’t trust me and threw out Mr. Shanks’ medication, which led to her con
Luca placed her hand on Hera’s other wrist, checking her pulse. “Her condition is worsening. The inflammation in her body has intensified.“I prescribed her medication. Those are Mr. Shanks’ formulations, and they're highly effective for reducing inflammation. It shouldn’t be getting worse.” Gerald pursed his lips before finally speaking up. “Luca, when I was cleaning yesterday, I saw that Ms. Sanchez had thrown all the medication you prescribed into the trash. She didn’t take any of it.”Luca was speechless.She had been questioning whether the medicine was ineffective or if she had made an error in diagnosis. It turned out that it was Hera herself who had sabotaged her treatment.“What should we do now?” asked Gerald.“There’s no other option. She needs to go to a hospital,” Luca decided firmly. “Her condition is serious, and since she doesn’t trust my treatment, the hospital is her best choice.”“Can’t you help her just this once?” pleaded Gerald, “I mean, she looks really b
Luke stayed silent, letting the chilled beer cool him down, washing away some of the lingering heat.Gerald glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before leaning in and speaking softly to Luke. “Actually, I’ve seen it.”“Seen what?” Luke could not be bothered.Lowering his voice even further, Gerald whispered just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “I’ve seen you going into Ms. Craw’s room quite often.”Luke’s expression sharpened instantly. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.He had been so cautious. How had Gerald noticed? Was he bluffing?Luke narrowed his eyes and said nothing.His aura grew colder by the second.Gerald, sensing the rising tension, shrank back slightly and quickly added, “Relax, I’m not going to tell anyone. If I wanted to report you, I would’ve done it already.”Luke’s expression eased slightly.Gerald continued to reassure him, “I’m not one to meddle. Look, I haven’t said a word about you, and I even stood up for you during that whole thing