“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.
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.
Luke was driving back home with Luca. It was already 9:00 pm when they arrived at the villa.Just as they reached the foyer and had not taken more than a few steps, Allison's voice rang out.“Oh, so you're finally willing to come back from Crawford Manor?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.Luca did not know how to respond to Allison and looked over at Luke.Luke let go of Luca's waist and whispered, “Go upstairs first.”“Okay.” Luca nodded, changed her shoes, and was about to head upstairs when Allison said again, “Stop. Who told you to go upstairs?”“Madam Allison, is there something you need?” Luca's tone was cold, carefully masking the helplessness inside her.Since she learned that Allison would be returning to the country and moving here, Luca had mentally prepared herself to be put in a difficult position. She loved Luke, so she was willing to tolerate whatever troubles came with it.Luca believed that as long as she and Luke faced things together, there was nothing th