Luke took her hand again, leaned in close, and brushed his chin against her. “If I didn’t have a rule against hitting women, I’d be tempted to punch someone myself.”“Huh?” Luca was surprised. “But she’s Mr. Mallory’s mother.”Luke said indifferently, “So what? Sometimes, it's not about their identity. I don't hit them just because I don’t want to hit a woman.”Luca could not help but laugh at his words.Just then, Aunt Neile walked in to report something.“Sir, Ms. Craw, Madam Mallory has left, but…” She paused for a moment. “When I closed the door, I overheard Madam Mallory talking to Madam Crawford.”After closing the door earlier, Aunt Neile noticed some fallen leaves and started sweeping. That was when she overheard their conversation.It was not a pleasant conversation, and by the end of it, the two women seemed to have teamed up.Aunt Neile remembered that Susan and Karen never had a close relationship before.“They're teaming up?” Luca raised an eyebrow, suspecting not
When Marcos personally called his name, Ethan snorted coldly, pretending as though he did not hear it.Marcos did not mind. This was A City, not Russia. Matysh would not be getting out easily.Luke suddenly burst into laughter when he saw how arrogant Ethan was.Ethan heard him and turned his head to look at him.Luca turned around and asked, “Is there something you need?”Ethan felt like the three of them were targeting him, so he irritably turned his head away.Luke continued, “No matter how many times Matysh appeals, the original verdict will likely be upheld. His case is extremely severe, and the public's reaction has been quite bad. "A City won’t care about his influence in Russia. Everything will be judged based on the severity of his crimes here in A City, according to the law.”Luca, worried that Ethan might not fully understand, clarified, “To put it simply, no matter how many appeals he makes, it won’t make a difference.”Ethan’s expression darkened.He would be
“Even if it were still around, I wouldn't want you to wear it after that woman has had it on.” Luke added, “I’ll have a big surprise for you on the day our family has reunited.”He meant his words.He had been surveying rings.“What about all those other pieces of jewelry?” asked Luca, referring to the many pieces Luke had given her. She had kept them all together, and if the impostor Bianca could get her wedding ring, the others must have been touched by her too.Just thinking about those things being handled by such a woman, Luca felt the same as Luke. She would not want to wear them again.Luke said, “They’re all yours. Do whatever you want with them.”“How about we hold a small auction for them and donate the proceeds to the welfare home?” suggested Luca. The welfare home she had in mind was the one that had taken in Luke before.“Sure, it’s up to you,” Luke agreed. He had no objections and thought it was a good deed.Once the issues with the Island of Despair were resolv
“Come to the base now,” instructed Abel.Luca wanted to test why he was calling her there at this time, so she deliberately made things difficult. “But I've got something to do now.”“I don't care what it is. Just get to the base now,” Abel cut her off and hung up.Luca ended the call helplessly. It seemed like this was urgent. Abel did not even bother with the usual small talk.Warren saved the recording and asked, “Are you heading there now?”“Yes, I have to. I'll grab a cab. You can head home,” replied Luca. Normally, she would call a cab, so there was no way she could drive there today.As Luca opened the car door and was about to step out of the car, Warren asked, “Do you need someone to follow you secretly?”“No.” Luca declined without hesitation. “I’ll be fine in A City.”If something were to happen, having someone follow would not make a difference anyway.Luke's subordinates could not follow her into the base. Once she got inside, whether she was safe or not was beyon
Abel was no longer sitting on the couch. Instead, he was off to the side, wearing boxing gloves and punching a heavy bag.Luca knew she could not just leave, so she stood there and waited until he was done. After a while, he took off the gloves and asked, “How’s the experiment going?”“No idea,” replied Luca.Abel looked at her with obvious displeasure. “You were in there all afternoon!”Luca shook her head. “I don’t know what Mr. Shanks’ experiment is about, so how could I know how it’s going? I was just there to assist.”Abel was at a loss for words for a moment, but he knew she was right.He let out a cold snort and dismissed her. “Hmph, whatever. Get out.”As Luca observed how much Abel cared about the experiment, it only confirmed her suspicions.This experiment Shanks was working on was for Abel’s benefit.However, what exactly was this experiment?Luca was puzzled, but she dared not to dig deeper while she was in the lab. She feared that if she seemed too curious, Shan
Luca had no idea that so many trivial things had happened after she left the base.After she left the base, she finally managed to get a cab.After getting in the car, she sent a message to Luke, letting him know she was on her way back.As soon as she sent the message, Luke called her.Luca answered.“Everything okay?” Even though it was just two simple words, Luca could hear the concern in Luke's voice.Luca replied, “I'm okay. Really, I'm fine. Everything's good. I’ll give you the details when I get back.”“Alright, I’ll be waiting for you.” Luke knew she had just left the base and did not offer to pick her up. If there were people tailing her, picking her up would risk exposing that.Therefore, after reminding Luca to stay safe, he ended the call.Even though she was exhausted, Luca stuck to her original plan, changing to another car and continuing her journey back. She wanted to cover her tracks. If she went straight back and there were any of Abel's men following her
After Luca finished washing up, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Luke held her in his arms, but he was wide awake.Ever since he found out that Luca was summoned to the the Island of Despair base today, he was unable to rest easy, worried that something might happen to her. Fortunately, she was not hurt, and everything seemed normal.Now that Shanks was frequently conducting research here, Luke knew he would continue to worry if this issue was not resolved, He realized some things could not be delayed any longer.In the pitch-black bedroom, his phone suddenly lit up. Luke released Luca’s waist, picked up his phone, and quietly left the room. After closing the door, he glanced at the message, then stepped onto the balcony and dialed a number.“Boss, you saw the message?” Gale’s voice came through. He was the one who sent the message earlier.Luke’s voice was heavy as he directly asked, “Yeah. Are you sure the information is accurate?”“It’s accurate. I
“Gale's handling it. Don’t worry,” said Luke.Luca rubbed her eyes and replied, “I'm going to have to take another leave this morning. Good thing you're the boss. If it were someone else, I'd probably be fired by now.”Luke's gaze deepened. “I'll have Rain and the others keep an eye on things.”“That's fine, but try not to let them blow their cover. I might get hit once or twice today, but it's all part of proving my innocence. Don't worry, Abel won’t go too hard on me,” Luca assumed.Luke instantly regretted his decision when he heard this.Perhaps it would have been better to hold off a little longer. Regardless of the situation, he would still be worried. Now that things were set in motion, there was no turning back.“Take care of yourself.” He planted a kiss on her forehead.Luca smiled, trying to reassure him. “Don’t worry, I'll be fine.”She got out of bed, quickly washed up, and left without eating breakfast.Aunt Neile noticed her rushing out and could not help but a
“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