After Gale confirmed Abel's itinerary, Luke checked with Jason, and there was indeed such an invitation. Luke decided to bring Luca along.When Luca heard Luke’s plan, she felt even more uneasy. "Are you going to meet him right now?"Luca felt that meeting Abel at this moment was not a good opportunity. Moreover, Luke was bringing her along... What if Abel noticed? What should they do?Luca could not imagine it. Before they had a complete plan, she felt it was not appropriate to meet Abel. That vigilant and malicious man might harm their kids if he sensed anything. Luca knew that Luke had the ability to protect their kids. However, she did not want to take that risk. After all, her children were her life. Nyla grew up on the Island of Despair. Living in such an environment was bound to make her life challenging. That was why Luca felt a significant sense of indebtedness to Nyla."Luca, do you trust me?" Luke knew what Luca was worried about and held her hands. Her h
"Three days. Well, that's not too bad, not too long," replied Nina, already calculating in her mind that when they were on a business trip, she would have to go back to her own place. After all, the master's family was not around, and it would not be appropriate for her to stay here."Yes, there's one more thing I'd like to ask of you," added Luca."What is it?" Nina looked at her with curiosity, unsure of how she could help Luca."I was wondering if you could take care of the kids for these three days," Luca stated her request. Worried that Nina would reject her, she added, "The kids are well-behaved, and they have a certain routine, so you won't need to do much. Just having an adult around in the evenings for safety would be great."Luca agreed to Luke's request not only to avoid troubling Old Master Crawford but also because it gave Nina a reason to stay here. After all, Percy would not be back in A City for several more days. If she went back now, Karen might come looking f
Therefore, there really was not any mountainous area left undeveloped with the herbs Shanks needed.Luca glanced at Warren, who was sitting in the driver's seat. She had initially wanted to talk to Luke about this matter, but in the end, she decided not to.Warren drove steadily, and the road was not too bumpy. After Luca put away her tablet, a wave of drowsiness hit her. Unconsciously, she closed her eyes and leaned against the car window, dozing off.Luke was reading documents. When he looked up at Luca, she was already intermittently nodding off.When he saw her in such a state, he shook his head helplessly and rested Luca's head on his shoulder.With a gentle movement, Luca leaned on his shoulder without waking up and even found a comfortable position on his shoulder."Drive slower, and turn up the air conditioning a bit," instructed Luke."Yes, sir." Warren heard him and slowed down the car even more, making the ride smoother. At the same time, he adjusted the temperature o
"But these are all the chef's secret recipes," replied Luca. Even though it was true that money could make many people sell their secrets. Moreover, if Mr. Muller asked for it, it would be awkward for them not to share.However, this seemed to imply causing trouble for others."It's okay, Ms. Craw. Actually, these are just specialty dishes. There's no such thing as secret or not secret. It's just a recipe. You just need to ask the chef for the proportions of the various seasonings since you like this taste," Mr. Muller knew what Luca was thinking and added, "Besides, you can find recipes for these dishes online."When Luca heard him say that, she nodded and said nothing more.Luke was right. The kids would surely enjoy what Luca liked to eat.If Aunt Neile learned the recipes, she could make these dishes for the kids in the future.It was a good thing…After lunch, Warren took the initiative to leave as he did not want to disturb them. Luca also headed upstairs. She felt a b
Luca thought she had touched something else and touched again, confirming it was not Luke's waist. She slowly opened her eyes, and at the same time, Luke's voice that was full of magnetism sounded in her ears. "You’re awake?""Yes." Luca looked up and found Luke working.However, her hand was not on Luke's thigh. It was on his calf.Now, the man was leaning against the headboard of the bed with a laptop on his thigh. He was dealing with work emails."Didn't you rest?" Luca asked, realizing that her question was meaningless.Normally, he would shorten his rest time at night and work whenever he had a break. How could he possibly nap with her?Luke must have started working after she fell asleep.Luca did not expect to have a deep sleep. Luke's keyboard typing did not wake her up."No, I couldn't sleep, so I decided to work. Did I disturb you?" asked Luke. Even though the laptop keyboard was quite silent, there might still be some noise."No, I've had enough sleep." Luca yawned,
"Alright." Luke did not decline her invitation. He carried his laptop off the bed and settled onto the wicker sofa.There was a coffee table in front of him, so he placed the laptop on it. After a moment's thought, he decided to sit on the carpet."Hmm?" Luca was somewhat puzzled by his actions."It's more convenient this way." Luke gestured with his hand to indicate the height of the laptop.If he sat on the floor, he did not have to lower his head too much, making it easier for him to work."Yes, that’s true." Luca glanced at him and placed a cushion behind his back. "This should be more comfortable.""Yes, it is,” replied Luke. He saw that Luca had already poured a cup of coffee. He reached out, thinking of grabbing it. Luca placed a piece of fruit near his lips."Have some fruit first to boost your vitamins.” Luca smiled.Luke did not like eating fruits, but Luca's offering was an exception. He opened his mouth, and Luca fed him the fruit.Luke savored it.The fruits pr
As Luca and Luke delved into the discussion, her curiosity got the better of her. She could not help but want to probe for more details. Luke, however, shook his head, and said, "The one pulling the strings wasn’t Evan." "Not him?" Luca's curiosity intensified. If it was not Evan, then who could it be? Her eyes were filled with confusion and curiosity. "Shireen has a childhood friend, but they lost touch in middle school..." Luke came across this information when he was investigating Evan. He had not dug into Shireen's past. "Then?" Luca heard him and began to form a rough picture in her mind. Perhaps it unfolded just as she suspected... Luke explained, "I'm not sure about the details that followed. All I know is that the person obstructing Shireen's job search is her childhood friend." With a gentle lift of his hand, he lightly brushed Luca's nose. Luca initially thought Luke had more information, but it turned out to be just this."I think I've got the gist of it
Big bad wolf, huh? His favorite was definitely the little bunny.Luke wore a confident smile and then continued with his work.After calming down in the bathroom for a while, Luca washed her face and walked out of the bathroom. While Luke watched her, she opened her luggage, found a dress, and then walked back into the bathroom to change.The moment the bathroom door closed, she heard Luke's voice, "Actually, it’s okay to change here, because we're going out for dinner later, and I can't do anything to you."Luca's face turned red at once. "No."After that, she closed the door and recalled Luke's teasing voice. She locked the door, changed out of her wrinkled clothes, and put on the dress.She knew what the dinner tonight meant, so she chose an appropriate outfit that would not embarrass Luke.After changing into the dress, she splashed some cold water on her face.Then, she examined herself in the mirror carefully. She had slept well last night, so there were no dark circles,
“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.