As soon as Luca finished speaking, the wedding march started to play. The guests, who had been chatting just moments before, fell silent and turned to look behind them.The sunlight was perfect. The gentle breeze carried the scent of fresh grass, champagne, and desserts. A little boy and girl scattered the flower petals on the ground as they walked in. Nina walked slowly while holding onto Old Master Crawford's arm, entering the wedding venue.Some guests recognized Old Master Crawford and could not hide their surprise. They were expecting Nina's biological father to walk her down the aisle, but instead, it was Old Master Crawford.Seeing him brought to mind the time he had publicly acknowledged Nina as his god-granddaughter. They realized then it was not just a rumor. It was real.Many could not help but feel a pang of envy. Everyone here came from wealth or status.Yet, having Old Master Crawford as a god-grandfather was something to aspire to. After all, the Crawfor
She rarely appeared in public with Luke before, so those romantic advances had not come her way just yet. Back then, while she trusted Luke, she would also be quite concerned about such things. She often felt that she was not good enough to be with him, which fueled her worries.However, things were different now. Despite her unfortunate experience on the Island of Despair, she had grown a lot over the past three years. It was not related to Abel. It was Shanks who had helped her become more capable.Now, when these women approached her, she did not think much of it.She knew they were not as capable as she was.Luca still valued Luke, but she had become much more composed in the face of such provocations.The bridesmaid was indeed surprised. She did not expect that the company was not Luke’s! However, what was the big deal? Even if it was not Luke’s company, he was managing it, and she was working under him.The bridesmaid sneered, “What’s the point of saying all this? I
Rainie said, “Daddy definitely won't scold you. He'll probably praise you instead!”Lanie shook his head and replied, “I don’t want Dad to know. It’s fine if you guys know.”Tommy chimed in, “Lanie just wants to act all cool in front of Daddy. No, wait, he actually wants to be as cool as Daddy! But being that cool isn’t a good thing. Now, none of the girls are brave enough to give him love letters.”Rainie nodded in agreement with her younger brother, “Yeah! They think he’s too cool, so they don’t give him the letters. Instead, they give them to me and ask me to pass on the letters to him! Lanie, it’s really stressing me out!”Luca could not help but laugh when she heard this. “Really?”“Yeah, they stuff all the letters meant for him into my hands!” Lanie added, “Not all of them are for me. Half of them are for you. Don’t worry, this won’t last long.”“That’s right. Once you skip grade, no one will know I’m your sister anymore, and they won’t give me any more love letters. You
After the photos were taken, Old Master Crawford hobbled over with his cane and chuckled. “How about the old man joins in for a picture too?”“Of course!” Nina quickly let go of Percy’s arm and helped the old man to the center.“Luke, go stand next to Luca,” instructed Old Master Crawford.Luke obediently moved to stand beside Luca while the kids remained in front. The photographer snapped several more shots. Then, they had Old Master Crawford sit down on a chair, with the kids standing by his side and the rest of them standing behind. The photographer clicked a few more times.After giving a thumbs-up, signaling they were done, Nina grabbed Luca’s arm and said, “Could you help us take a few more photos?”The photographer nodded and took a few shots of just them as well.Nina then asked, “My assistant went to look for you earlier, right?”Luca was surprised. “How did you know?”“I noticed it. She’s…” Nina heaved a sigh. “I’ve always had this feeling she’s got a thing for Mr.
The moment the man finished speaking, several people showed a hint of regret on their faces.They only knew that Luca was Luke's lover. They had no idea she had such capabilities, or that Old Master Crawford had already accepted her.“There's something else you all don’t know,” said one of them, and everyone’s attention shifted to his face.“What is it?” a woman asked. “Is there something else that’s amazing about her?”“That woman is something else. Do you remember Jack Norman’s wife? She fell ill, and it was Luca who figured out what was wrong and prescribed the treatment that helped her recover. "My relative, who’s a nurse at the hospital, said her dry needling technique is different from everyone else’s, but it’s more effective. The thing is, she rarely treats anyone. If you don’t have a connection with her, she won’t even acknowledge you,” explained the man.He was not just making this up. Luke had made the arrangements.It was time to let these people know what Luca was c
Rainie heard her little brother and shook her head.Tommy noticed and asked with confusion “Rainie, did I say something wrong?”“Yes, yes you did!” replied Rainie. “Someone who’s into good looks likes anyone who’s attractive, but our father is very loyal, so he’s not one of those.”“Oh, I get it now.” Tommy was suddenly enlightened.Luke felt a bit helpless. Kids these days… Did they really know everything? Sometimes, he could not even understand what they were talking about.Luke glanced at Luca, feeling a bit lost. Were they getting old? Why did they not understand half of what the kids were saying?Luca caught his gaze, smiled, and said, “Rainie’s right.”Luke felt a little disoriented, realizing that maybe he was the one getting old, not Luca.The wedding banquet had officially begun. Nina, wearing a pristine white wedding dress, opened the doors and slowly walked toward Percy as the music played. All eyes were on her.Several bridesmaids followed behind her.Luca not
Tommy asked, “Daddy, would you say this is a case of wasting a golden opportunity?”“I’d say so,” replied Luke. Even though two million dollars might not be much to them, it was a lot of money for an average family. If Jean had decided to turn his life around, find a job with his degree, and use that two million as a foundation, he could have lived comfortably.Luca was still a bit puzzled. “But didn’t Mr. Mallory give them more than a million?”“Chances are, the rest was squandered away,” answered Luke.Luca’s eyes widened. “How did he blow through that much money?”“He’s always been reckless with money, and with Anna spoiling him, it wouldn’t take long to spend the rest,” replied Luke.Luca thought he had a point and said nothing more.…After seeing off all the guests, Percy settled the bill with the hotel and walked into the bridal suite. Nina had already changed into a red dress, with all the heavy jewelry removed and packed away.“Are all the guests gone?” Upon seein
“What? There's another exit?” Anna's eyes widened. “Is he messing with you? Maybe we should bribe him so that he’ll let us in?”“Do we even have any money left?” Jean kicked the wall in frustration.The security guard inside overheard and warned, “Don't kick the wall! If you break it, you'll have to pay for it.”Annoyed, Jean ran his hand through his hair. His legs were numb from standing too long. He wanted nothing more than to sit down right there. However, their clothes were rented, and if they got them dirty, they would have trouble returning them. He heaved a sigh and said to Anna, “Let's go home.”“We're just leaving like this? What about the money?” Anna glanced inside, clearly unwilling to give up.“We'll have other chances to get the money,” replied Jean.“Today was the best chance! They'd want to avoid any trouble at the wedding, so they'd give us the money more easily.” Anna pouted, clearly displeased.That had been their plan. They knew no one would want a scene at
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
“Sure.” Luca was unsure why he was suddenly interested in the volunteers. She led him into the room where the volunteers were.Luke noticed that the volunteer’s legs were covered in needles.If Johann saw this, he would probably make a big fuss about it.Luke watched as Luca carefully removed each needle, checked some of the volunteer’s nerve functions, and offered a few reassuring words before picking up a tray filled with medical waste and leaving the room.Once they were outside, Luke, not having seen the volunteer's previous condition, asked, “Were his legs completely immobile before?”“Yes. He said it was an injury caused by a machine malfunction at the factory. It hadn’t been treated properly for years. By the time he was sent here, his family didn’t have time to help with massages, and his calves had atrophied. But now, as you can see, the muscles are gradually recovering, and he’s starting to regain sensation. In another week or two, his legs should be able to move.” Luca
“Yes.” Luca nodded. “You have a mild fever and some inflammation in your body.”Hera was surprised. “Inflammation? Where?”She often mingled with men, so every few months, she made sure to get a check-up to avoid picking up any unwanted diseases. Her previous check-ups had all been normal, with no signs of any illness.“You've been getting along well with the boss these days, haven't you?” Luca did not say it outright but hinted at it. She then glanced at the thermometer, seeing that her temperature had returned to normal.Hera understood and widened her eyes. “You're saying I have inflammation there? That's impossible.”“Your body can't handle too much.” Luca did not want to go into too much detail. She looked up and saw that the IV was nearly done. She rose to her feet, removed the needle, and pointed at the medicine on the side. “Your body won't have any major issues. Don't worry. Here are the anti-inflammatory pills for the next three days. Take them, and you should be fine.”
Gerald was relatively strong. However, he tried to avoid touching other parts of Hera's body, making it quite difficult to carry her. By the time they reached the third floor, he was out of breath.Luca, however, seemed to handle it better than he did.“Ms. Craw, aren't you tired?” Gerald could not help but ask as he set Hera down on the bed, panting.Luca glanced at him and replied, “I'm not tired because I'm not worried about touching other parts of her.”Gerald, whose hands were on his hips, was out of breath and muttered, “This is the first time I've realized how exhausting it is to carry a woman upstairs.”After positioning Hera properly, Luca took her pulse and frowned. “Did she mention feeling unwell earlier?”“Yeah, but wasn't she pretending? She was crying, throwing a fit, and making a scene downstairs. It was quite the performance,” Gerald recalled, chuckling at the memory of Hera trying to cling to Luke and failing.Luca switched to her other hand to take Hera's pulse
Abel did not have much of an impression of Lucius. However, he believed he would not lie to him. If Lucius had actually done something to betray him, he would not have been foolish enough to admit that Hera had tried to seduce him.Abel studied his face. Lucius was not handsome, and his physique was not any different from the other people in the organization. His gaze then shifted to Hera. “You didn’t do anything?” Hera could feel the chilling intensity in his eyes, and she could not help but shiver.“A man had to step forward to file a complaint because you were harassing him, Hera. Have I been too lenient with you?” Abel continued, his voice light, almost indifferent. Still, the underlying menace was unmistakable. Despair filled Hera as she shot a resentful look at Luke. How could he be so ruthless, pushing her toward the brink of destruction?“Hera, look at me,” Abel commanded coldly, his hand suddenly gripping her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.Hera knew she had no