“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.
Luca glanced at her eldest son. She did not know why, but as long as her other kids were with him, she felt at ease.Lanie was like a mini version of Luke. When something happened, he could calmly analyze the situation. He was smart. Even when it came to adult matters, he could explain things with great clarity.Luca nodded in agreement, and Luke remained silent.When they arrived at Crawford Manor, Luke went straight into Old Master Crawford’s study.Luca sat in the living room with the kids. Mr. Griffin served them tea and snacks.Tommy said, “Lanie, Rainie, let's go read some books.”“Sure, let's go read,” Lanie agreed, leading his younger siblings upstairs. The grown-ups’ business was not something they needed to worry about. As long as they took care of themselves and did not make the adults worry, that was all that mattered.Luca watched the kids go upstairs, feeling a bit lost. What should she do now?Mr. Griffin noticed her boredom and smiled. “Ms. Craw, Old Master Craw
Luke had always admired his grandfather's past as a child. Old Master Crawford would speak of everything regarding Crawford Manor and mention taking him to do various things, but in the end, it all came to nothing because he was too busy. After repeated delays in their plans, Luke had stopped expecting much from those promises.However, when Old Master Crawford suddenly set up a greenhouse at home and began growing medicinal herbs, Luke found himself intrigued. He pushed open the greenhouse door and stepped inside with his grandfather. Immediately, the fragrant scent of the herbs filled the air, and Luke could not help but feel refreshed.Luca heard the noises and turned around to look at them. Then, she smiled and asked, “Old Master Crawford, Luke, what brings you two here?”“I heard you were here, so I came over. Luca, let me show you my treasures!” Old Master Crawford replied cheerfully. He relied on a cane to walk, but he was excited when it came to this greenhouse. He had c
After the kids washed their hands, they followed Luca into the dining room.Everyone else was already seated. Luca sat next to Luke, and after the three kids took their seats, Mr. Griffin and the maids brought out the food.By the time dinner was over, it was getting late. Just as Luke was thinking about taking the kids home, Susan spoke up, “Luke, I didn’t want to ask you during dinner, but now that we’ve eaten, there’s something I need to ask.”“Yes?” Luke sat back down on the couch, his gaze fixed on her.The air around him was so intense that Susan almost wanted to flee. However, as his elder, she could not back down now. Since she had something to say, she forced herself to withstand the pressure and spoke up, “I’ve been hearing rumors that your mother hurt someone in Seoul and now plans to return to A City. Is that true?”Luke raised an eyebrow and glanced around the room. He had only just learned about this, yet Susan already knew? It seemed like she had people keepin
Susan, undeterred by the warning, shot back, “Isn't all his money from T Corporation? Father, what you said was pointless.”Old Master Crawford glared at her fiercely. “If you were given a chance to work at the company, do you think you could earn that much money?”Susan’s family background was quite wealthy. She was raised as a pampered young lady, so she never learned how to make money. Once she realized this, she chose to become a housewife in the Crawford family and stopped considering working at the company. She focused on raising Louis, planning for him to work at the company once he grew up. Little did she expect that after Louis worked at T Corporation for a few years, he would start his own business, leading to a conflict between them. It felt like a slap in the face!Susan’s face turned slightly pale as she muttered, “I...”“Enough! You can’t make money yourself, so why are you even talking? Luke's the one bringing in the cash, and in the end, aren’t you the one benef
Luca glanced at Luke, silently asking for his input. He gave a slight nod, signaling his approval.Luca replied, “Alright, we’ll be there. What time is it in the evening? Where’s the venue?”“I’ll send you the exact time and location later. Don’t worry, Dr. Craw. It won’t run too late,” Gale reassured her, knowing they had kids to take care of. Since Luca was out, Aunt Neile would probably have to stay late at home to help.“Great, we’ll definitely be there.” Luca smiled as she hung up the phone.“What’s he planning?” asked Luke. From what he overheard, it almost sounded like Gale was about to confess his feelings to Luca. However, Gale was not that type of person, so Luke was curious about who had caught Gale’s interest.“You don't know?” Luca was surprised. Luke always seemed to know everything, like when Percy started liking Nina, but he missed Gale’s feelings for Rain?Luke shook his head, indicating he had no idea. He had spoken to Gale earlier today, but he seemed bus
Luke was startled for a moment, feeling as though history was repeating itself.Luca covered her mouth, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath. Everything felt too coincidental. Suddenly, Luca recalled that there was this saying, a son could be a father’s nemesis.Tommy had interrupted them twice today.Luke’s expression turned dark as he turned around to look at his son. “Why aren’t you in bed? What are you doing out here?”“Daddy, I just finished washing up. I really want a glass of water.” Tommy then added, “The food at Crawford Manor was a bit salty this time, and I’m really thirsty.”“I’ll get you some water,” said Luca as she headed downstairs.Luke approached Tommy, looking down at him from above.Realizing he had spoiled his parents’ moment, Tommy gave a sheepish smile. “Daddy, I didn’t mean to.”“From now on, make sure to get yourself a glass of water before bed and keep it in the bedroom. No more running out for water all the time,” Luke said to his son wi
“Amazing, this scene is beautiful! Can you do some more intimate poses?” asked the photographer.“Of course.” Percy and Nina struck a few close poses together.They had been together for several years, which meant they had forged a deep bond that made them perfectly in sync. Whenever Nina struck a pose, Percy instinctively knew how to complement it.After the shoot, the photographer asked for their email address, promising to send the photos as a thank-you once they were ready.Once the photographer left, Percy and Nina returned to their hotel. As soon as they stepped in, Nina’s phone automatically powered on after plugging it in. In an instant, several notifications popped up.“Sue has called me multiple times.” Nina glanced at Percy. “Is it something urgent? Did she contact you?”She had forgotten to charge her phone before going to bed last night, so it remained off while she was out.Percy shook his head. “She didn’t call me. You should call her back and see what’s up.”“
“Wait a little longer. By the way, what kind of ancestral hall is this?” asked Hera.“It's a local family's ancestral hall. I heard it's been designed by the owner of a large company, and now it's also one of the tourist attractions.” The taxi driver was not from around here, so he did not know all the details, but he knew it had become a popular spot. “Now, thanks to the reputation of that boss, many architects come here as one of their reference points.”Hera frowned deeper. What was Luca doing here?The driver suggested, “If you're interested in sightseeing, the attractions inside are pretty good. But for outsiders, they charge an entrance fee. Maintenance costs a lot of money, so they charge tourists from outside.”“I'm not here for sightseeing,” replied Hera, “Don't worry. I'll pay you for however long I stay here. You’ll get your money.”The driver heard that she was paying, and did not press her further and remained quiet.Hera stared at the entrance of the ancestral hall,
Hera let out a cold sneer, feeling that Gerald's apology was not sincere.Hera did not want to press the issue at the moment. She gave him a sharp look. “Come with me.”Gerald knew that Hera was up to something again. If it were a normal order, she would have just said it in the living room. Whenever she called him aside, it meant whatever she had to say could not be overheard by others.Reluctantly, Gerald followed her out.It was midday, and as soon as Hera stepped out of the living room, a wave of heat hit her face.The intense warmth made her feel uncomfortable.Hera got straight to the point, turning to Gerald. “What did Luca say to you just now?”“She just asked me to help keep an eye on the volunteer,” Gerald answered honestly. This was not something that needed to be kept secret.Hera frowned. “Is she going out”Gerald hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to say anything.“I’m talking to you, not the wall. Are you mute?” Hera threatened. “If you lie to me, I’ll te
Gordan was puzzled. At most, it was just brotherly camaraderie. After all, they had been through thick and thin together. Their bond might be stronger than usual, but falling in love? That was a bit of a stretch.Luke said, “The way you acted just now, doesn't really seem 'straight' to me. Also, if you're into women, maybe you should consider finding one. Otherwise, if you're always single, people might start misinterpreting your feelings for me.”“Luke, actually, you're not bad at all. In fact, you're probably better than a lot of women,” Gordan replied with a sly grin.As a man himself, he honestly thought Luke was a great guy. If he were a woman, he would be utterly captivated by him.“Shut up!” Luke knew he was joking, but he still felt a chill run down his spine. He seriously worried that Gordan might do something inappropriate when he turned his back on him.Shivering from the thought, Luke put down his glass and headed upstairs.Gordan let out a deep sigh.The night w
“Anyway, I'm saying it here—I'm not going to Russia because of that ugly woman, Vivian. If I go to Russia, it's for you. I've already divorced her. Besides, I’m already trying to avoid her, how could I possibly go to Russia for her?” Gordan took a sip of red wine, then continued his rant. “And, Ray is still in Russia. I really can't go. His men are all brutal, and I've had enough of being beaten all these years.”“Then why did you buy an apartment in Vivian's neighborhood?” Luke continued to tease him. His sharp eyes glinted with intelligence.Gordan denied it, but whether he believed it or not was his own business.“It was just a coincidence!” Gordan raised his voice, trying to convince Luke.Or maybe himself.“Coincidence?” Luke sipped his wine, every gesture as graceful as a nobleman.“Of course, it’s a coincidence, Brother Luke. You wouldn’t know, but that apartment is in a school district, surrounded by college towns. There are a ton of hotties there, I picked the place just
As Luca listened to his tone that was full of regret, she felt a slight pang in her heart. She recalled when she had a child and continued pursuing her education. If she had given up on herself back then, perhaps she and Luke would not find themselves here today.Luca felt she was much more fortunate than the volunteer. Even though she loved her father, she also understood the importance of education and did not let her father’s illness cause her to give up. She was also fortunate to have a father who supported her education.At the thought of this, Luca could not help but ask, “Do you regret it?”“No, I don’t regret it,” the volunteer smiled. “Actually, I always look at it in a positive light. Back then, several boys in my class liked her. If I hadn’t confessed, she might have become someone else’s girlfriend. If there’s anything I regret over the years, it’s that I was too selfish and it affected her studies.“I never thought that being in a relationship at a young age would
As Luca thought about it, she heard the volunteer exclaim, “With a wife like you, your husband must be so lucky and blessed.”Luca shook her head. To her, being cherished by Luke was a real blessing.“You’ve got it wrong. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”Luca had often wondered what her life would have been like without Luke.Perhaps she would have married Jean, only to watch his true nature slowly reveal itself. She would have struggled, eventually unable to endure it, and maybe even ended up divorced.It could be something worse. She might have been taken advantage of, lost all hope, and spiraled downward...Anything was possible.However, Luca knew that no matter what happened, life would not be as good as it was now without Luke.Though she remained under someone else’s control, and life on the Island of Despair was fraught with hardship, with Luke by her side, she felt an unshakable courage.A light laugh from the volunteer interrupted her thoughts.Luca
The volunteer did not mind. As long as it meant he could recover, he was willing to endure any pain. “It's okay. I can handle it.”Luca nodded.The door to the vehicle opened, and a man stepped inside. Due to the lack of sterilization, he did not dare approach the inner part of the vehicle. Instead, he placed several bottles of saline on the outside.“This is the saline that Mr. Shanks prepared. He asked you to inject it when you can,” the man relayed Shanks' message.“Got it.” Luca reached out to take the bottles. After thoroughly disinfecting them, she brought them inside.It was more complicated than being in a hospital.Since the volunteer's body was still weak. They had to maintain as sterile an environment as possible.However, it still fell short of the ICU's standard.Luca stayed with the volunteer until evening. Gerald stood outside the medical vehicle and called, “Ms. Craw, it's time for dinner.”Luca took off her protective gear and stepped outside.“Ms. Craw, di
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect you in the slightest,” said Abel.The villa was bought under Shanks’ name.So while it appeared to be the Island of Despair’s property, it was, in fact, Shanks’ personal asset.Abel shot a glance at his subordinates, who stood beside him. Without hesitation, they grabbed the doctor and hauled him away.As Hera watched the scene unfold, she felt a sudden pang of unease. She was well aware of Abel's methods. Punishment was never off the table. However, seeing the way things were unfolding, Hera could not shake the feeling that Abel might actually take the doctor’s life.Still, they were in A City, a country with strict laws. Would Abel really go that far?As Abel turned to leave, Hera said almost nervously, “Darling…”“I have some matters to take care of. Be good and stay here. Don’t wander around, okay?” Abel’s mood was apparently lifted by the successful surgery. His voice was unexpectedly gentle.Hera’s unease only deepened. She grabbed the slee
All three of them stepped out of the vehicle.Hera realized that the surgery might already be over and could not wait to hear the results.Abel, equally eager, immediately asked as soon as he saw them, “Is the surgery finished?”“Yes, the surgery was successful. The transplant was completed, and all the nerves we could connect have been repaired. Now, it’s up to the follow-up treatment,” answered Shanks.The doctor who had been kicked out earlier stared in disbelief.They actually succeeded in the transplant? How was that even possible?“Great, fantastic!” Abel let out a sigh of relief before bursting into laughter.What had seemed impossible in modern medicine had achieved a different outcome in Shanks’ hands.Unlike others who might celebrate the medical breakthrough, Abel’s joy came from a more personal place—Kassy would soon return to his side. His delight was unmistakable.“T-This can’t be!” muttered the dismissed doctor, who was still in shock. “A surgery this revoluti