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
Allison glared at Luke but dared not to talk back.She followed him into the bedroom and took one look around. She was instantly dissatisfied when she saw the size of the room. “Why is this room so small?”“This is the only bedroom left,” replied Luke.“So, this is the guest room?” Allison shrieked. “I’m your mother, and you’re actually making me sleep in the guest room?”“All the furniture here was bought brand new, specifically from the brand you like. No one else has slept here. If you’re not satisfied, you’re welcome to stay at a hotel.” Luke was not usually a talkative person, but when it came to Allison, he found himself having to say more.Even a couple of words felt insufficient to quell her sharp tongue.Allison inspected the newly arranged furniture. It seemed it had been set up just for her. She even noticed the plastic wrapping on some of the pieces.Allison did like this brand. She thought it was Luke’s arrangement. Figuring Luke must have spent quite a bit on the f
As Aunt Neile listened to Allison's words, she barely dared to breathe. She was afraid that if she said something wrong, she would be fired.However, Luke had the final say in the household. Even if Allison were to fire her, Luke might not necessarily go along with it. Even so, Allison was one of the ladies of the family, and Aunt Neile’s role was to follow orders.As Luca continued to give Aunt Neile a massage, she replied to Allison, “Madam Allison, if you need a massage, I can call a therapist from a wellness center to come and help you.”Allison crossed her arms and stood there, looking down at both of them. “I want you to do it.”“I can’t do that,” replied Luca.“Why not?” Allison snapped. Did Luca think she was even worse than a maid? Did Luca not understand the benefits of trying to please her? If Luca wanted to marry into the Crawford family in the future, she would have to face one less obstacle if she won Allison over now.“You don’t trust my skills. If I were to gi
However, Luke's heart was already churning with emotion. If it were not for his strong self-control and his exposure to far worse horrors back on the Island of Despair, he would have probably lost his composure by now.“This is all because of you! So, everyone else has the right to despise me but not you!” Allison’s voice had turned nearly hysterical.Luca turned off the shower and could clearly hear Allison’s hysterical rant. Her gaze darkened, and there was a trace of sympathy in her eyes. She felt sorry for Luke.He escaped the Island of Despair by the skin of his teeth, yet here was Allison, blaming him for everything as though he had ruined her life.Once one learned to shift the blame, one would become nearly unstoppable. Or rather, one would become especially shameless...Luca put on her nightgown and opened the bathroom door, locking eyes with Allison. Allison glared daggers at her.Treating Allison as though she were invisible, Luca walked over to the vanity, opened he
During that time, whenever there was a chance to pray, Luca would silently pray for Luke to come back safely and for their family to be reunited.“Back then, I was pregnant, remember? If it weren't for Louis, I might not have made it through waiting for you to come back. People are really complicated beings. Even though I was practically part of the family, there was no way to stop them from wanting to hurt me when they set their minds to it. "That’s why I have a pretty open mindset about your mother. As long as she doesn’t cross any fundamental lines with me, I can endure it,” said Luca.It was just a few bottles of skincare products, and she knew that it might not be as simple as that in the future. However, she had to endure, right? It was only because she loved Luke.“I’ll handle this as soon as possible,” said Luke, but he felt a whirlwind of worries in his heart.Handle it? Allison was his mother. Even if he could be ruthless, she could always stand on her moral high gr
The next morning, Luca went downstairs but did not see Allison. She figured Allison might still be adjusting to the time difference, which was normal. After all, Allison loved to sleep in, and Luca recalled her habits from their time at Crawford Manor. Old Master Crawford usually turned a blind eye to Allison’s late mornings. As long as there were no major issues at home, he would not worry about how late Allison got up. Everyone usually had breakfast at their own pace.“Good morning, Ms. Craw!” Aunt Neile greeted her cheerfully as she came down.“Good morning, Aunt Neile.” Luca rubbed her eyes. “How’s your back today?”“Thanks to your massage yesterday, I feel much better,” Aunt Neile answered with a smile. Previously, if she had injured herself, she would often be unable to sleep at night due to the pain. She expected last night to be the same, even with Luca's help. To her surprise, however, she fell asleep almost as soon as she lay down. She slept very soundly.“My gr
On the other hand, Allison could not sleep, so she got up early. She first checked the master bedroom, noticing that Luke and Luca were already up. Thinking of her own matters, she quickly headed downstairs.When she came to the living room, she found Aunt Neile tidying up and asked, “Aunt Neile, where’s Luca?”“Ms. Craw is already off to work,” replied Aunt Neile. She could not help but flinch slightly when she looked at Allison’s face, but she quickly tried to hide her reaction, not wanting to offend Allison.“Already at work?” Allison’s voice rose a little. “Isn’t that a bit early?”“Madam Allison, it’s almost 9:00 am. It’s not that early,” Aunt Neile pointed out, noting that most people were already at work at this hour. Luca was probably settled in at the company by now.“Isn’t 9:00 am early?” questioned Allison. “Isn’t she working at Luke’s company? Why would she have to clock in on time?” Aunt Neile finally understood what she meant.Allison was clearly expecting that
“What do you mean ‘suppose so?” Allison hated vague answers like that. The more uncertain she was about how Old Master Crawford felt about Luca, the more she wanted to know.“Where's the car key?” asked Allison.“Madam Allison, what do you need the car keys for?” asked Aunt Neile, already knowing the answer but trying to delay her.“Of course, I’m going to Crawford Manor. Old Master Crawford is the strictest with Luke, and I can't let him ruin everything because of a woman." Allison was already planning ahead. She was worried that the old master would not like how Luke was behaving and that he might strip him of his power. A wave of panic washed over her.“Madam Allison, it’s already too late to go to Crawford Manor now,” Aunt Neile quickly said. “If you drive over there now, they’ll already be having dinner. If you go now, Old Master Crawford will just scold you for being disrespectful. You just came back. It’d be better not to upset him, right?”Allison paused for a moment.
“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