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.”“
A video of Nina and Percy's wedding was playing. Leaning against Percy, Nina nibbled on the fruit the hotel had sent up while watching the video and reliving the joy of their wedding day.“Percy, we'll be happy together forever,” muttered Nina just as the video showed Percy reciting his vows.“Yes, we'll be happy forever,” replied Percy as he laced his fingers through hers.Nina smiled sweetly. As she watched their two figures on screen, she suddenly asked, “Would you prefer a boy or a girl for our first child?”Without hesitation, Percy replied, “Either one. I'll love them just because they're ours.”“In that case, let's have a boy first, and a girl second. That way, we'll have both a son and a daughter, and the older brother can look out for his little sister.” Nina had it all planned. Even though they knew the gender was not something they could decide, it was a lovely wish they shared.“Then, my love, shouldn’t we start working on our son right now?” Percy’s voice took on
A couple of days ago, Gale told him that they were brothers who would stick together through thick and thin. Whoever started dating first would be a dog.Now, Gale was willing to be that dog!Luke took a sip of the lemon water Luca had been drinking. “Feeling a bit jealous?”“He didn’t stick to the promise of being single together,” Gordan vented to them both.“He dragged me out for drinks a few days ago, talking about how we were in this together, and now, he’s getting ready to confess his feelings? Who says women are the only ones who are fickle? Men can be just as unpredictable!” added Gordan, still grumbling.Luke shot him a cold glance. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you had a crush on Gale.”“Ugh, come on!” exclaimed Gordan, spitting out in disgust. “I’m not into guys.”“Mr. Norton, if you don’t feel that way about Mr. Gale, then why the long face? Could it be…” Even though Luca thought it was unlikely, she decided to tease him and deliberately changed her express
“Rain, I’m someone who has always been slow to understand my own feelings. After all these years, I’ve finally realized how special my feelings for you are. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and for always being there for me. I’m so grateful you came into my life. "Today, I’d like us to take the next step forward. I hope you’ll give me this chance. Rain, I like you. I don’t even know when it started, but I’m deeply in love with you now. Will you be my girlfriend?”Gale gripped the champagne roses tightly in his hands. His heart was pounding, thumping like crazy as he waited for her answer.Rain did not keep him waiting long.She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, then let out a little laugh and smiled brightly. Taking the champagne roses from his hand, she nodded and replied, “Yes, I will.”“Hurray!” Applause erupted from everyone around them.Luke and Luca also stood up, joining in the applause to celebrate the happy couple.Music soon began to flow fro
As Allison stepped out, she spotted Luke and tugged at the scarf around her neck. Quickly, she walked over with Sophian.“Why did you park so far away? I'm about to be burned by the heat!” Allison complained to him in frustration.Luke replied in a cold voice, “There was no parking over there. If you’re feeling hot, maybe you should wear less.”Allison’s expression soured. She would have liked to dress lighter. However, her skin was not in good shape. If she exposed it, people might get scared. She definitely did not want to return to A City only to have kids pointing at her and calling her a witch.Sophian, hearing the conversation between them, decided to chime in and remind them of her presence. “Mr. Crawford, Ms. Allison's skin is in really bad shape right now. She can’t be exposed to the wind, so she has to bundle up.”It was as though Luke did not hear her at all. He ignored her and opened the trunk to load all the luggage inside.Then, he settled into the driver’s seat.
Luke drove the car into the villa and parked it in the lot.Allison got out and looked at the villa, exclaiming, “This place is a far cry from Crawford Manor.”“A five-star hotel is luxurious enough,” Luke replied nonchalantly.Allison fell silent.A five-star hotel was indeed luxurious and offered more freedom, but Luke would only cover the room cost. She could not afford any additional expenses.When the car came to a stop, Luca walked out with Aunt Neile.“Madam Allison, you’re back,” Aunt Neile greeted Allison with a warm smile, aware that she had undergone a transformation and prepared to keep her surprise in check. Despite Allison’s covered face, it was quite bizarre to see her so bundled up in the sweltering summer heat.Luca also greeted her, “Madam Allison.”Allison let out a cold snort and said to both of them, “Help me carry my luggage.”“Sure.” Aunt Neile walked to the trunk and pulled out Allison's three large suitcases.Seeing the three suitcases, Luca hurried
“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