After leaving the restaurant, Luke and Luca got into the car together and left. Lliam was driving in front, stealing glances at his boss. After a moment's pause, he spoke up, "Boss, I just saw Madam Mallory."Worried that Luke might misunderstand, he added, "Karen Ruiz.""Mhm, I know." Luke nodded and turned to look at Luca. "Are you really okay?"“Why did you suddenly lose faith in me? Not just anyone can harm me. Madam Mallory doesn't have what it takes,” replied Luca. Even the man who was with Karen might not be able to lay his hands on her."Well, as long as you're not hurt… But since she has this idea, she won't give up easily. You still need to be careful," reminded Luke, sensing that Karen might resort to force to coerce Luca.Luca nodded. Karen knew she might be able to help Pierre with his recovery, so she would not give up easily, which meant she might have other plans. Still, whatever her plans were, she could not harm Luca.Thus, Luca was not too worried. "Usually
"I love them!" Tommy immediately shook his head. He enjoyed everything Luca made!He did not expect their father to suggest something so ordinary to eat."As long as she makes it, I'll love it," said Luke.Tommy nodded and then heard his brother remind him, "Daddy is just worried about Ms. Luca. He doesn't want her to be too tired."Luke threw him a glance of appreciation.It made sense that the eldest son was the smartest. Luke had not said anything, but Lanie could understand his intentions. Whether it was barbecue or tacos, even if Aunt Neile were to help, Luca would be busy. Hence, Luca suggested having a simple meal, which would make it much easier for Luca."Are we doing something wrong, then..." Tommy thought to himself. There were three meals, and their mother would probably have to prepare for a long time...He did not want to make his mother tired either. The kids began to reflect on whether they should not have been so noisy just now and whether they should not have
"Do we really need this many ingredients?" Luke furrowed his brows. Even though it was Aunt Neile who went shopping, it was Luca who would be doing all the seasoning. Each ingredient required different handling, and Luke was worried that Luca would end up too busy and exhausted."Yes, the more variety there is, the happier the kids will be when they eat," replied Luca. She deeply understood this point. Back when her family was struggling financially, it did not matter how much or little food there was as long as there were a variety of choices. It was a great experience even if the food was just what the grown-ups deemed as junk food. She would always find happiness in it, even if she could not eat to her heart's content.Hence, one should enjoy it to the fullest when enjoying food. The prerequisite for that was having a wide variety.As Luke listened to what Luca said, he chuckled and shook his head. "You'll tire yourself out with so much to do.""If we promise something t
No matter who it was, nobody would dare to offend a doctor.However, Pierre was different. He felt that he did not need Johann's help with treatment now. Moreover, without the help of Luca, he would find it difficult to stand up normally. He just decided to go for it, and he did not care anymore.Johann loosened his clenched fist. If he could, he really wanted to punch him in the face!However, he could not do that because he was a doctor. No matter how capable a doctor he was, if he laid hands on a patient, his career in A City would be over.Johann took a deep breath, pulled a chair over, and sat down. As the rage in his eyes dissipated, he looked at Pierre again. This time, his gaze contained a hint of mockery."Mr. Pierre, how important do you think your reputation is, anyway?" asked Johann.Pierre noticed Johann’s tone had changed, and he could not help but wonder if this was some kind of magic trick? How could his emotions shift so easily?"I just want you to ask Luca, tha
"I get it, Dr. Craw." Rhett nodded. He held the textbooks and the files given by Luca as he stood up. "Dr. Craw, if there's nothing else, I'll head out to work.""Wait, there's one more thing," replied Luca. She picked up her phone and transferred some money to Rhett. "Today's Friday, and everyone's been working hard lately. Can you go ahead and book a restaurant and a karaoke room? After work, gather everyone to grab a bite and sing some songs.”"Alright, Dr. Craw. Will you be joining us?" asked Rhett. Luca was a considerate boss to her subordinates, so it was not surprising for her to fund such activities.If they had time to relax, they would be able to work better the following week."I won't be going. I want you all to have fun. I'll cover the expenses," replied Luca. She knew that if she participated, they would not be able to fully enjoy themselves.Besides, she would rather spend time at home with Luke and the kids.Therefore, she took care of the finances and let them
"Blue Coast Restaurant?" Mo Stone was startled for a moment. She thought she had misheard. "You mean the one that's all over the internet?""Yes." Rhett nodded, observing Mo's reaction with some curiosity. He then asked, "What's the matter?""Nothing, I was just curious. That restaurant is quite expensive. How much did Dr. Craw give you guys?" Mo tested the waters and asked, thinking that even an ordinary meal there would cost several thousand dollars..."Revealing that might not be the best idea,” replied Rhett. There were other research team members in the office, and revealing the amount might make them feel a little sour about it.He understood this aspect of workplace dynamics well. Not every research professor was as generous as Luca. Having a high income was one thing, but being generous was something else.If the other professors could not be as generous as Luca, then Luca would become the exception.Such exceptions were not always welcomed in the workplace. Rhett did n
"Alright, let's head to the living room on the second floor," suggested Luca, inviting Gale upstairs to the living room.Gale carried the bag and followed her upstairs.Aunt Neile watched them from behind and murmured, "Should I bring some refreshments up?"When Lanie heard Aunt Neile muttering, he paused his homework and said, "No need, Aunt Neile. Ms. Luca and Uncle Gale are just going to chat for a bit. There’s no need to bring refreshments up.""Okay, then I'll continue preparing dinner." Aunt Neile nodded. She had just invited Gale to stay for dinner, but when she heard Lanie's words, she did not inquire further. She knew Luca wanted to have a private conversation with Gale upstairs and thought it best to prepare more food just in case he decided to stay.With that in mind, Aunt Neile began preparing dinner.…Upstairs, Gale sat on the couch and started to show Luca the herbs he had collected. "I just thought they looked similar to the pictures, but I'm not familiar with
"Great!" When the three kids returned, Aunt Neile served them some fruits, so they were not hungry now.Suddenly, Luca remembered the cartoons she had downloaded earlier and said, "I'll play the cartoons I downloaded. Didn't you miss some of it the day I came back? I downloaded the episode."Then, Luca played it on the TV screen.Tommy cheered, "Ms. Luca, you're awesome!""I originally planned to let you watch it on the weekend, but since you've finished your homework so early today, you can catch up now." Luca put her phone down and started to check their homework.These days were peaceful. She spent her evenings with the kids while waiting for Luke to come back. She found these days quite fulfilling.However, she also knew that this tranquility could be shattered at any moment by Abel. That was why she cherished these moments even more.Luca's smile faded slightly at the thought of Abel.Who knew how long this peace would last..."Ms. Luca, what's wrong?" Rainie was sitting
“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.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special