Bianca was like a juicy ripe peach that suited Luke's tastes. No other woman could replace her. In Luke's opinion, he had done a lot so that they need not hide their relationship. However, he was frustrated and helpless that Bianca did not seem to want to move forward together. Luke's words had caused Bianca's heart to wrench. She knew that she was important to him, but she could not shake away the feeling of inferiority. That feeling was like something stored in her chest that would occasionally flare up and explode, making her chest hurt and obliterating her feelings of security. Bianca knew that the fault was at Allison, who was trying to pull them apart, and not with the man who loved and protected her. She looked at Luke's profound and patient eyes and felt guilty. "I'm sorry. Your mother came here to cause trouble, and I couldn't control myself…" "You don't have to say sorry to me. It's not your fault, Bianca. It's all the issues in my family…" Luke took out a cig
The next day. T Corporation. "This is the design you wanted, Madam. I've sent a digital copy to your mailbox," Bianca said as she handed the printed design to the department lead. The department lead looked at Bianca suspiciously. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw the incredibly beautiful design. "You drew this yourself, Bianca?" She asked incredulously. Bianca nodded calmly, wearing a tranquil smile on her beautiful face. The department lead carefully looked at the design several times. The design in her hands was flawless. Even she could not come up with something like that. The usually arrogant department lead suddenly had a newfound understanding of the rookie design assistant. Did Bianca come up with the design herself? "Bianca, you should know that if we find out that someone else did the design, the consequences are dire," the department lead said sternly. Bianca looked at her calmly. "I stayed up very late to work on it, Madam. I can rem
The design meeting started. Luke was seated in the leading position. He wore a black business suit and sat straight and tall, a formidable presence in the crowd. His gaze was profound, and his lips were tightly pressed together, which gave him a dependable and authoritative air. He made a brief speech, after which he listened attentively to the reports by the leaders of various departments. The main topic of the meeting was "increasing design productivity." The designers discussed the latest trends in design and exchanged their experiences. Everyone might be from a different department, but there were still some things that they could learn from each other. They shared design resources and had a lively discussion about the Finishing Touch Workshop and the Divine Inspiration Showcase, two world-renowned design studios. The two studios had only started a few years ago, but they had gathered a wealth of design talent and started several worldwide trends. T Corporation was a
On the screen was a magnificent skyscraper under a starry sky. Its design was bold and exquisite, and it looked more like an alien construct in a sci-fi movie. Its outer walls had mysterious and mesmerizing carvings. More shockingly, each segment of the skyscraper could resolve independently. The exterior glass panels could reflect the entire city. It was an impeccable work of art. The designers were incredibly excited when they saw the design, and they started chattering, endless praising its originality. Luke knocked on the table, and the tumultuous conference room slowly quietened down. The man shone a laser pointer on the screen, and his seductive voice could be heard over the speakers. "I designed this fantasy-like skyscraper myself, based on future design trends. Can anyone give an opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of this design? Who'll be the first?" The designer admired their boss even more when they heard that he had designed the skyscraper himself. As
Luke nodded, satisfied. As expected, Bianca did not disappoint him. He had deliberately included several flaws into the skyscraper's design which could not be spotted by a cursory glance. Someone with advanced design skills could see that it was a flawed design. Bianca was right. The biggest flaw of the design was that it was too perfect. By exaggerating all realistic elements in the design, it had become something surreal. Human technology would not be able to realize that design in the next hundred years. The other flaws that Bianca had pointed out were also very accurate. Luke clapped his hands and said, "That's right. Ms. Rayne has pointed out the flaws of my design which I have deliberately included. All of you should learn from Bianca. Don't be afraid to point out my flaws, even if I'm the CEO of this company. Understand?" Bianca was shocked, but a smile soon appeared on her face. Luke was not only the CEO of T Corporation, but he was also a world-class designer. He
Jack was stunned when he saw the beautiful and exquisite design of the new house. When Jack saw the signature of the designer, a certain "B. Rayne," he said, "I'm glad that you like the design, Father. If you are satisfied by this designer, then we'll get them to furnish the rooms after the house is built." "Mm. I've never been so satisfied by a designer before. I like what this boy does!" Old Mr. Norman said happily. He seemed to be at the peak of his health because of his mood. Jack smiled at his mischievous father. "I believe B. Rayne is female." Old Mr. Norman glared at him. "No, I'm sure that he's a boy." Queenie smiled when she saw how the father and son were quibbling over a name. "Why don't we wait until the designer comes over to survey the place? By then, you'd know if they're male or female." Queenie felt that the designer was female. Only a woman would submit such a meticulous and romantic design. 'B. Rayne…' Queenie memorized that name. She suddenly felt
Monday, 10 am, in front of the Civil Registry Office. Bianca did not expect that Xavier gave her a call, telling her to wait at the entrance of the Civil Registry Office. He would proceed with the divorce. At first, she did not believe it. She thought that there would be a long and arduous legal battle before she could end that marriage. She did not expect that Xavier would change his mind that easily. Bianca knew that her workplace attendance was sporadic, and she knew that people would be talking behind her if she was absent from work again. However, she was anxious to be free from that marriage, and she braced herself before she requested another day of leave from the department lead. Then, she rushed to the Civil Registry Office. Standing at the crossroads, she anxiously glanced at the time on her phone. It was getting close to the appointed time. Was Xavier going to change his mind? Just when she was about to give Xavier a call, she saw him walking over toward the bu
The second couple in line looked young. They should be in their twenties. The man looked somewhat handsome, though his neon-green hair was extremely eye-catching. The thick gold chain that he wore around his neck was dazzlingly shiny, and his lanky legs were covered by a pair of hole-filled jeans. He stuck his hands into his jeans pockets, and he looked like a hooligan. The woman next to him had the face of an Internet celebrity. She wore a pair of cosmetic contact lenses that made her irises shockingly big. Her sharp chin had obviously undergone plastic surgery, and her face was slathered in thick make-up. She held a cigarette in between her fingers and casually took a drag from it, which seemed at odds with the rest of her personality. "Reason for divorce?" The female staff member frowned and said angrily to the woman, "Smoking is prohibited here. Please leave the building if you want to smoke!" "Why are you so nosy? Am I disturbing you by smoking? Enough nonsense and get t
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