“I do like someone, but he’s not just some random guy,” said Rain.Before Gale could process what she meant, he burst into tears. “So, you really have fallen for someone else!”Rain was rendered speechless. How could he not catch what she was trying to say even when she was trying to be sentimental for once? “Gale, I swear, if you get this drunk again, I’ll chop you into pieces!” Rain threatened harshly. “You’re such a mess right now. If I recorded you and posted the video online, you’d go viral.”His crying stopped abruptly. He looked at her with widened eyes. “What did you just say?”Rain was at a loss for words. How could someone be so clear-headed one moment and so out of it the next?“Rain, I’m drunk, so my hearing’s a bit off and my memory’s not great either. Could you repeat what you said?” Gale continued to mumble.Rain had no choice but to say, “Fine, listen carefully. I do like someone, but he’s not some random guy.”Gale blinked. Not some random guy. He suddenly sat
Luca had just dropped Tommy off at the competition and was planning to wait at a nearby café until it was over when she got a call from Gale.“Dr. Craw, do you have time now?” His voice sounded a little rushed, like he was out of breath. Luca was puzzled. Gale rarely contacted her out of the blue. Could there be something wrong with the plans she drew up yesterday?“Yes, I’m available. Is something wrong?” asked Luca.“I have some personal stuff I wanted to ask you about, but I’m…” Gale paused for a moment, clearly hesitant to continue.Normally, he and Rain were seen as nothing more than close friends. They were always hanging out with their arms around each other, and no one ever read into it. Gale thought Luca saw them that way too, which made it awkward to bring up his feelings for Rain.“You’re too embarrassed to ask, right?” Luca chuckled. She pointed at Blue Mountain coffee on the menu for the waiter to get her order and continued, “Is this about you and Rain?”Gale
“Yay! You're the best, Ms. Luca!” Tommy’s face lit up with joy when he heard there was ice cream. His eyes narrowed into little crescents as he grinned. “It was so hot in the exam room! I just wanted to finish quickly and come home!”Luca smiled and gently patted his head. “You worked hard today, Tommy. Is there anything else you want to eat? I'll make it for you.”Tommy's eyes widened in surprise. This was an unexpected treat for him! He quickly listed off a few of his favorite foods and then looked up at Luca, asking, “Ms. Luca, do you think I’m being too greedy?”“Not at all!” Luca shook her head. “You just finished your competition. You deserve a treat!”“Aww, Ms. Luca, you're so kind to me.” Tommy smiled and hugged her arm. “From now on, I promise I’ll be good. You won’t have to worry about my schoolwork!”“That’s great. You just need to be good, grow up healthy, and stay happy.” Luca gave him a gentle smile. It was the best blessing a mother could give her child. There was
“Yes,” replied Luke helplessly. “She’s had several surgeries abroad, but they couldn’t fully fix her skin. Now, she’s planning to come back and continue treatment here.”“She still thinks her face can be restored…” Luca was rendered speechless. While the standards of cosmetic and reconstructive surgery in the country were considered good, Allison’s condition was not something that could be fully healed anywhere.Luca walked over, pulled a chair, and sat beside him. “Is she planning to bring Ms. Thomas back with her too?”“I’m not sure.” Luke suddenly chuckled. His eyes carried a hint of tease as he looked at Luca. “Are you getting jealous?”“Why would I be jealous?” Luca felt helpless, her face flushing at his playful comment. “Even if Ms. Thomas comes back, it doesn’t matter. You’re not interested in her at all, so what’s there to be jealous of?”“As long as you trust me,” replied Luke with a smile on his face. “You used to get jealous all the time.”“I still do, but I’ve learne
Tommy wrapped his arms around Luca’s waist and mumbled, “But we want to live with Dad and Ms. Luca.”“Be good. After you finish your finals, and after Lanie's grade-skipping evaluation, we'll bring you back,” replied Luca. She did not want to be apart from the kids either, but she did not want the adults' issues to affect their studies.The three kids were very smart.Luca did not want them to perform poorly or let the situation with Allison leave a negative impact on them. When kids experienced trauma, it could be harmful to their development.Some people thought kids were young and forgot things easily, that if something bad happened, they would move on quickly. The truth was, kids had excellent memories, especially with negative experiences. That was why Luca did not want them to be affected.“Tommy, listen to Ms. Luca. This is also what Daddy wants,” Lanie chimed in.He was not afraid of their grandmother. Even though her face was disfigured, it did not bother him. It did
The blender roared to life as it whirred away. In no time, Vivian had turned all the fruits into juice, and Luca mixed it with cream before putting it in the fridge to chill.“Why don't we sit in the living room for a bit?” invited Luca.Vivian shook her head. “Something came up, and I need to get back to finish some assignments. I should head out now. Sorry for bothering you today.”Luca gently linked arms with her. “Let me walk you out.”“It’s okay. It's too hot outside, and I already called a ride online. You should stay here and spend time with the kids,” replied Vivian. She had spent the day with Lanie and Rainie, and they had talked a lot about Luca.She could not help but marvel at how much the kids really adored Luca.She did not want to trouble Luca and preferred to let her spend more time with the kids.“Okay, just be careful on your way back, and call me when you get to the campus,” said Luca as she walked Vivian to the door.“Will do. Bye!” Vivian waved as she lef
Luke knew he had a lot of responsibilities weighing on his shoulders. The most important one was that the matter with Luca still had not been resolved. He could not afford to rest just yet. Only when he was certain that his wife and kids were safe could he take a breather.Luca looked at him tenderly, her eyes filled with affection. “For me, no one is as special as you.”Luke smiled and gently ruffled her hair.Luca sat up and gave him a light kiss on the forehead. “Luke, I love you. It’s been amazing meeting you, knowing you, and loving you in this life. We’re a team, partners for life. So whatever comes our way, don’t try to carry the weight by yourself, okay? You’ve got me and the kids. We’ll always be here for you.”She knew how exhausted Luke was from dealing with both work and her situation. Luca only wanted to help him, to lighten his load.“Alright, I promise.” Luke's voice was hoarse, and a deep desire for her flickered in his eyes.The room grew warmer as their lips
“Let’s keep going!” Tommy said. “I’m determined to stick a strip of paper on Lanie's face today!"Then, they started another round of chess. Once again, Lanie won, and this time, Rainie came in last. She took the initiative to stick a paper strip on her own face.“Lanie is just too good. Even if we play until tonight, we’re never going to beat him…” said Tommy, feeling a little defeated.“Yeah, Lanie’s way too good,” Rainie agreed, puffing out her cheeks and blowing upward. However, she was not that competitive, so she still looked cheerful even after losing.Luke came downstairs and saw Luca and the two kids with paper strips stuck on their faces. He paused for a moment before looking at Lanie, whose face was clean. He quickly understood what was going on.“Daddy! Come help me. You’ve got to help me beat Lanie!” Tommy spotted his father and immediately saw him as his savior. He bounced over and tried to pull him to sit down. “Daddy, Lanie is too good. I can’t beat him at all.
“No.” Shanks’ tone was cold and firm with no trace of hesitation.Abel still looked doubtful.Shanks added, “Would you like to see her medical report?”Abel was startled for a moment. How did Shanks know he had been thinking about that report?Now that Shanks brought it up, the idea lost its appeal.Abel shook his head. “Even if you showed it to me, I wouldn’t understand it. Shanks, Kassy’s life is in your hands. If you can give her a second chance, I’ll provide as much research funding as you need."Shanks remained silent. He could save Kassy. In fact, his research had always been for Kassy.However, he did not expect Abel to be so ruthless as to insist on using a living person as a donor for Kassy. That was something he could not accept.Kassy’s condition could be treated with organs from a brain-dead patient. Why destroy a perfectly healthy life?Shanks was not acting out of mercy. He simply refused to go against his medical ethics.He was not someone who had to save lives
“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.