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
Jean narrowed his eyes. “What are you getting at?”“That insurance policy you got for your mom. You can figure out a way to get the company to pay out. At least that’ll help get us through this rough patch, right?” Marie thought she was giving him a brilliant suggestion.“You must’ve lost your mind!” Jean exploded in anger. “How dare you even think about targeting my mom?!”To commit insurance fraud, Anna would need to get hurt. If there was no injury, there would be no payout. Even though Jean had fallen on hard times, he would never harm his mother. After all, Anna’s pension was barely enough to get by, and it was the only thing keeping them afloat. If he wanted the wealth and success he once had, he would have to ask Percy for money.Marie looked hurt. “I’m just trying to help you. We’ve got no money left. Don’t you want to start a business again and be the boss?”Jean stayed silent. Of course, he wanted that!As the thought ran through his mind, he cursed under his breath
Anna and Jean knew there was no way the guard would lie to them, so they awkwardly left.…Percy was indeed taking Nina for a post-wedding visit. However, this visit was taking place at Crawford Manor, not Anna’s house.Old Master Crawford had put on a perfectly pressed suit early in the morning and was now sitting on the couch, eagerly waiting for his godson-in-law, Percy, and Nina to arrive. As he watched Mr. Griffin and the maids busy with the preparations, Old Master Crawford was beaming with delight. His smile stretched from ear to ear.“Old Master Crawford, please have some tea,” said Mr. Griffin, bringing a cup of freshly brewed tea.“When will Luke and Luca be here?” asked Old Master Crawford.“Master Luke and Ms. Craw should be arriving soon, and so will Master Louis,” replied Mr. Griffin. He had already checked the status of their arrivals ten minutes ago.Even though Nina was only acknowledged as Old Master Crawford’s god-granddaughter, Old Master Crawford loved the
Before Louis and his wife could respond, Old Master Crawford said, “The child used to be frail, so it’s normal for her to get sick sometimes. Look at her now. She’s full of energy and much more cheerful than before. Was she ever like this when she was living with you?”Louis nodded in agreement with the old master. When Thea lived with Susan, she was timid and had poor mental health. However, ever since they moved out, Louis noticed that Thea was getting happier by the day.Originally, Louis thought it was because he and his wife were too busy and had neglected their child, which caused her emotional issues. Now, he finally realized it was Susan who had been pressuring her all along. Without that pressure, Thea was thriving. Even her psychologist was amazed by the rapid progress she had made and praised them as good parents. However, Louis knew the truth.The reason Thea was doing so well was that he had firmly insisted on taking her out of that environment.Even Susan
Susan glared at her. “You’re always using the child as an excuse. Now that the Crawford family and the Mallory family are on good terms, why don’t you go chat with Mrs. Mallory? The others might think you don’t like her!”Yuri was getting frustrated. She had no desire to talk to Nina, and she was afraid it would look like she was trying to suck up to her. She nudged Louis with her elbow.Louis had been chatting with Luke and Percy, but after his wife nudged him, he turned to look at her. Yuri shot him a look, signaling for him to deal with Susan.Louis understood, but there was nothing he could do. If only he could actually deal with Susan…Susan’s stubbornness was something no one could handle.“You both are a bunch of good-for-nothings!” Susan noticed their glances at each other and got really upset.She was doing this for their own good! Louis was so insistent on running his own company, was he not? If they could form a good relationship with the Mallory family, it wou
“I know where Nina is,” said Jean.As soon as Anna heard this, she stopped worrying about the gift and immediately asked, “Where did that brat go?”“She's with the Crawford family,” answered Jean.Anna thought she had misheard. “What?”“Crawford Manor, as in Luke’s place,” repeated Jean.“That's impossible!” Anna snapped angrily. “I heard that when the Mallory family didn’t approve of Nina and Percy’s marriage, Old Master Crawford stepped in and took Nina as his god-granddaughter, leaving the Mallory family with nothing to say," explained Jean.“Are you kidding me? Even so, she shouldn’t have gone back! They just feel guilty and did her a small favor, and your sister actually bought into it?” Anna stomped her foot in anger. Was the Crawford family determined to take away their family member from them?“Visiting the Crawford family of all places! If it weren’t for them, you'd be at the top of your game right now, and she’s over there? I raised a traitor!”Jean replied, “We’re
Nina looked at Luca with a serious expression. Sometimes, she felt like Luca had known her forever.How did Luca know her so well? “Luca, have you been secretly investigating me?”“No, I haven't.” Luca was surprised. “What makes you say that?”“You know me so well. It's shocking!” replied Nina. “Sometimes I really wonder if you can read my mind. How else could you know me so well?”“Is that so? Do I know you well?” Luca smiled. “Even if I did investigate you, I wouldn’t be able to do it so thoroughly. I just feel like you’re that kind of person.”Nina nodded. “Yeah, things have definitely changed after getting married.”Luca listened to her without saying anything.“To be precise, after the wedding, I've been feeling like I need to work harder to stand by Percy’s side and not be a burden to him. The old, go-with-the-flow me is gone.”“Working hard isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” replied Luca. It was not that Nina’s old way of life was bad. Everyone would choose different ways
“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