“After Percy brought Nina back from the Maldives the first time, he seemed a bit different. He even started asking me about relationship issues,” explained Luke. That was the first time he had seen Percy like that, and he figured it was because his mindset had changed during that time.Hence, Luke felt they must have gone to the Maldives.Luca held his hand and clucked her tongue. “I can’t believe the usually decisive Mr. Mallory would be troubled by relationship matters one day.”“I knew from that moment that I'd be attending their wedding one day,” added Luke.Luca looked at his smug expression and could not help but laugh. “You’re so full of yourself! When I found out that Nina was with Percy, I didn’t think much of it. I just wanted her to be happy. Now, she really is.”“We’re happy too,” replied Luke as he pulled her into an embrace.As they walked into the living room, the cool air from the air conditioning helped to dispel the heat.“Ah, that feels refreshing,” said Luc
“Alright.” Luke nodded.After Luca left, Aunt Neile asked, “Mr. Crawford, will Mr. Gale and Mr. Norton be staying for dinner tonight?”Luke pondered for a moment and replied, “Prepare meals for both of them too.”“Yes, sir. I'll head to the supermarket, then,” said Aunt Neile. She grabbed a basket from the kitchen and quickly left.Luke went upstairs. He had planned to head straight to the bedroom to get some work done, but when he noticed the study door was open, he walked in instead.Luca was sitting at the lab bench, disinfecting her tools. When she heard footsteps, she looked up and glanced at him.It was not the first time Luke had seen her set of tools, but each time, he found them fascinating. He walked closer. “Let me take a look.”“Are you interested in these dry needling needles?” asked Luca.“Yes.” Luke nodded. These dry needling needles were not available on the market. If they were lost, they would have to be custom-made. However, without precise patterns and
Gordan’s face turned pale.“Ms. Craw, if I just let it heal on its own, how long would it take?” He had felt this kind of pain before and did not want to go through with the treatment anymore.Gordan even thought that he would rather have a stiff hand than go through this pain again. After all, he would not just be experiencing the pain once but over and over again.Luca stood straight and looked at him seriously. “Mr. Norton, are you scared?”“I'm the kind of guy who's a bit afraid of pain,” admitted Gordan, not embarrassed in the slightest. “Maybe I should just forget about it.”“If you skip therapy, your hand might never fully recover,” Luca warned him, trying to scare him a little. The truth was, it would heal, but it would take a long time. Even after it healed, it would not be as nimble as before.For an average person, Gordan’s current condition might be good enough. However, for someone like him, any slight loss of agility could be fatal. In his line of work, even the s
After about a dozen needles, Gordan was in so much pain he started questioning himself. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, and his back was drenched in cold sweat. It was 38 degrees Fahrenheit outside, yet here he was, sweating from the sheer pain.He realized the pain from being shot was nothing compared to this. This was real agony. His mind wandered, pondering the meaning of life. Was he meant to endure this kind of suffering?Just as he was spiraling into these thoughts, Luca spoke up, “Last one.”As the final needle went in, he could not help but let out a loud yelp.The sound was so startling that Aunt Neile, who had just come in with groceries, jumped.“What’s going on?” Aunt Neile hurried over.Gale quickly reassured her, “It’s fine, Aunt Neile. Dr. Craw is just giving Gordan treatment.”Aunt Neile wondered if treatment should hurt that much? She glanced at Gordan, whose face had gone pale. However, since Luke and Luca seemed calm, she nodded and left, thoug
Gordan decided to stay after thinking about it. He felt like he was making a bold choice.He headed upstairs to join Luke and Gale for their meeting.Luca stepped out of the storage room, and by then, Gordan had already gone upstairs. She shook her head helplessly, knowing that things would turn tense once Vivian arrived. She really could not talk to Vivian about Gordan right now, or else it might lead to a misunderstanding.Luca carried the herbs and walked into the kitchen.Aunt Neile was making soup. When she saw the herbs in Luca's hands, she asked, “Ms. Craw, are you brewing herbal medicine for Mr. Norton?”“Yes.” Luca gave the herbs a quick rinse, placed them in the electric herbal pot, then set the timer. She would not need to worry about it for a while now.“Poor Mr. Norton, going through painful dry needling treatment and now having to drink such bitter medicine.” Even though Aunt Neile sounded sympathetic, there was a mischievous smile at the corners of her mouth.Lu
Vivian froze for a moment. She hesitated for a few seconds, then nodded in acknowledgment.She was confused. Why had Luca not told her that Gordan was around? If she had known, she definitely would not have come.“You two are in the past. Are you really going to avoid it for the rest of your life?” asked Luca. “Besides your university friends, you’ll inevitably have mutual acquaintances with him. Vivian, you need to take that step forward. Be brave. Don’t let this mess with your emotions or your social life. Running away won’t solve anything. You’ve got to learn to face it.”Vivian pressed her lips tightly together.She had shamefully run away after the divorce. However, it was just to make herself feel better. She had not really thought too much about it.Luca continued, “And knowing how sensitive you are, I figured if I told you ahead of time that Gordan was here, you might have misunderstood that I didn’t want you to come or that we chose him over you. "The truth is, adult
Luke's eyes darkened a little. At this point, it was clear they needed Luca. She was the only one who knew the layout of the Island of Despair.Gale asked, “Should we call in Dr. Craw now?”“I’ll go,” replied Luke. He rose to his feet and headed downstairs.Luca was chatting with Vivian when she saw Luke come down. “Coffee?”“No.” Luke glanced at Vivian. Then, after a moment, he said, “Miss Vivian, can I borrow Luca for a bit?”Vivian chuckled and replied, “She’s all yours anyway.”Luca stood up and said to Vivian, “Vivian, why don’t you check out the magazines? I’ll be back as soon as I’m done.”“Luca, don’t worry about me. I know my way around here.” Vivian waved her phone and added, “If I need anything, I’ll ask Aunt Neile. Plus, I have the TV and my phone... There's no way I’m getting bored.”“Oh, and there are two game consoles in the drawer if you feel like playing,” Luca assured her before following Luke upstairs into the bedroom.“Dr. Craw, we could really use your hel
All Luca could do at this point was help him feel at ease.“Okay.” Luke nodded.When Gordan heard him mention Vivian, he could not help but frown. “Why do you care about her, Dr. Craw?”Luca shot him a helpless glance but did not respond. Instead, she said, “I’m heading downstairs.”Then, she turned around and walked out of the bedroom, carefully closing the door behind her.Gordan was left feeling puzzled. “Did I say something wrong, boss?”“With Dr. Craw getting chummy with Vivian, what do you expect? She’s not going to let that slide,” teased Gale.Gordan clicked his tongue. He knew that women usually defended each other, but he did not think Luca was that kind of person. Still, she seemed pretty annoyed with what he said.At the thought of this, Gordan decided he needed to be more careful with his words around Luca in the future. Otherwise, he would just be asking for trouble.…Downstairs, Luca found Vivian deeply engrossed in a book.“What are you reading?” Luca asked
The two women froze in surprise at the sound of the commanding voice. Allison realized Luke had returned, and from his tone, he was clearly angry. Panic gripped her, and just as she was not paying attention, Susan scratched her again. The pain on her face was searing, and she let out a loud, pained scream, stumbling back and covering her face.Luca, who stood beside Luke, was equally stunned. They were actually fighting! What on earth was going on?!Allison staggered back a few steps and saw Luke's dark expression. Even though she was afraid, she felt reassured that her support had arrived. She cried out, “Luke, you're finally back! Your mom's getting beaten by an outsider!”Luke looked at the two women, whose ages added up to over a hundred years, in complete disbelief. He exchanged a glance with Luca before speaking again, “Are you two going to keep fighting?”Susan let out a cold sneer. She had been scratched by Allison several times, and her face now burned with pain.
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.