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.
After finishing work, Luca headed straight to Crawford Manor.When she arrived and greeted Old Master Crawford, the three kids came running down the stairs and surrounded her. They each took turns expressing how much they missed her and Luke.Luca missed them too, so after exchanging a few words with Old Master Crawford, she went upstairs with the kids to help them with their homework.It did not take long before Luke arrived.Not seeing Luca in the living room, he asked Old Master Crawford, “Grandpa, has Luca arrived?”Old Master Crawford was in a good mood. He nodded and replied, “She's upstairs, helping the kids with their homework.”Luke sat on the couch and watched the evening news with Old Master Crawford.“Has your mother caused any trouble lately?” asked Old Master Crawford.“Not really,” answered Luke. He could still manage Allison.“That doesn’t sound like her,” added Old Master Crawford, assuming Allison would always be causing trouble.“Her condition is bad right
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
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.
“Sure.” Luca was unsure why he was suddenly interested in the volunteers. She led him into the room where the volunteers were.Luke noticed that the volunteer’s legs were covered in needles.If Johann saw this, he would probably make a big fuss about it.Luke watched as Luca carefully removed each needle, checked some of the volunteer’s nerve functions, and offered a few reassuring words before picking up a tray filled with medical waste and leaving the room.Once they were outside, Luke, not having seen the volunteer's previous condition, asked, “Were his legs completely immobile before?”“Yes. He said it was an injury caused by a machine malfunction at the factory. It hadn’t been treated properly for years. By the time he was sent here, his family didn’t have time to help with massages, and his calves had atrophied. But now, as you can see, the muscles are gradually recovering, and he’s starting to regain sensation. In another week or two, his legs should be able to move.” Luca
“Yes.” Luca nodded. “You have a mild fever and some inflammation in your body.”Hera was surprised. “Inflammation? Where?”She often mingled with men, so every few months, she made sure to get a check-up to avoid picking up any unwanted diseases. Her previous check-ups had all been normal, with no signs of any illness.“You've been getting along well with the boss these days, haven't you?” Luca did not say it outright but hinted at it. She then glanced at the thermometer, seeing that her temperature had returned to normal.Hera understood and widened her eyes. “You're saying I have inflammation there? That's impossible.”“Your body can't handle too much.” Luca did not want to go into too much detail. She looked up and saw that the IV was nearly done. She rose to her feet, removed the needle, and pointed at the medicine on the side. “Your body won't have any major issues. Don't worry. Here are the anti-inflammatory pills for the next three days. Take them, and you should be fine.”
Gerald was relatively strong. However, he tried to avoid touching other parts of Hera's body, making it quite difficult to carry her. By the time they reached the third floor, he was out of breath.Luca, however, seemed to handle it better than he did.“Ms. Craw, aren't you tired?” Gerald could not help but ask as he set Hera down on the bed, panting.Luca glanced at him and replied, “I'm not tired because I'm not worried about touching other parts of her.”Gerald, whose hands were on his hips, was out of breath and muttered, “This is the first time I've realized how exhausting it is to carry a woman upstairs.”After positioning Hera properly, Luca took her pulse and frowned. “Did she mention feeling unwell earlier?”“Yeah, but wasn't she pretending? She was crying, throwing a fit, and making a scene downstairs. It was quite the performance,” Gerald recalled, chuckling at the memory of Hera trying to cling to Luke and failing.Luca switched to her other hand to take Hera's pulse
Abel did not have much of an impression of Lucius. However, he believed he would not lie to him. If Lucius had actually done something to betray him, he would not have been foolish enough to admit that Hera had tried to seduce him.Abel studied his face. Lucius was not handsome, and his physique was not any different from the other people in the organization. His gaze then shifted to Hera. “You didn’t do anything?” Hera could feel the chilling intensity in his eyes, and she could not help but shiver.“A man had to step forward to file a complaint because you were harassing him, Hera. Have I been too lenient with you?” Abel continued, his voice light, almost indifferent. Still, the underlying menace was unmistakable. Despair filled Hera as she shot a resentful look at Luke. How could he be so ruthless, pushing her toward the brink of destruction?“Hera, look at me,” Abel commanded coldly, his hand suddenly gripping her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze.Hera knew she had no
Luke stood still, waiting as Hera had instructed.Hera, on the other hand, walked toward the door with a look of eager anticipation on her face.Gerald stepped forward. “Are you crazy? She told you to wait, and you’re just standing there? Hurry up and go upstairs.”"Isn't she trying to cause trouble? Do you think I can just walk away from that?" Luke suddenly asked.Gerald was rendered speechless. What Luke said made sense, so he patted his shoulder. “I heard everything Hera said to you in the garden. Pal, I respect you for being a man, but this time, you’re on your own.”Luke remained expressionless. His gaze was fixed on Hera, who was now smiling brightly as she linked arms with Abel. Even so, his face betrayed no emotion.Hera noticed that Luke, just as she had instructed, was standing there without moving. Her irritation flared up.If he was too stubborn to bow his head and beg for mercy, then she would not hold back!“Darling, I’ve been so upset today without you around."
Sensing the looming danger fading away, Hera furiously demanded, “What is wrong with that man?”Gerald let out a sigh of relief. He had been truly worried that Shanks might take a few swipes at Hera.It was common knowledge that medical professionals could be terrifyingly skilled. They could cut with precision, avoiding vital organs, leaving you in excruciating pain but far from death.Gerald had witnessed Luca’s expertise in this field and knew Shanks likely had the same skills. That was why he would not dare provoke him.If Hera ended up hurt and miserable, Abel would hold them accountable for failing to protect her. Shanks, however, would walk away unscathed. The blame would fall squarely on them.“Ms. Sanchez, Mr. Shanks doesn’t like people entering his lab without permission. Everything in there is extremely valuable to him.” Even though Gerald did not understand why, it was what the others told him, and he dutifully passed on the message.“I knocked, and he told me to come
Not only did Luke not give in, but he wasn't intimidated by Hera's threats either. Instead, he turned the tables and intimidated her right back.Gerald could not help but feel a sense of admiration for Luke. If it had been him in that situation, he would not have had the guts to refuse Hera outright. Even if he did not want to comply, who would dare offend the boss’ future wife?Even though her position was not set in stone, for now, Hera’s status remained unshakable. Yet Luke did not try to curry favor with her. Faced with threats and temptation, he stood his ground, even flipping the situation to intimidate her instead.Gerald quietly gave a thumbs-up.“This guy’s the real deal,” he muttered to himself.After venting her frustration on the tree, Hera stormed back. Her eyes were red and swollen.When she came to the second floor, she caught sight of Luca stepping out of the lab with a tray in hand. She quickly approached.“Stop right there!” Hera snapped sharply.Luca frow
A flash of disgust flickered in Luke's eyes. He was completely fed up with Hera's relentless pestering.“If you have something to say, just say it here.” Unlike other men, he did not address her politely as 'Ms. Sanchez'.His tone was so indifferent, and he did not even bother to call her by name.Hera’s smile did not falter. She thought he was only acting this distance because there were so many people around, and he could not openly show his affection for her.Hera replied in a soft voice, “It’s something important, and they won’t be able to help. Come with me.”Luke frowned and remained motionless.People around them grew envious.Even if Luke did not actually have a romantic interest in her, just helping Hera would be enough to earn points in their boss’ eyes. Their jealousy turned into playful teasing.“The boss’ girlfriend’s asking for help. Just go already. What’s with the cold act? It’s no fun,” teased one of them.Others chimed in, “Yeah, seriously. Just go. Who are y
“I know you’re not interested in her, but still, we should be cautious,” Luca joked, trying to lighten the mood.She was actually worried that Hera’s feelings for Luke might interfere with their plans.Luca looked at him with concern. “You weren’t in your room last night. If she really went to your room, she must've noticed your absence. How will you explain that?”“There are plenty of reasons I could give.” Luke already had an explanation in mind.However, if Hera really had feelings for him and stayed here, it would definitely cause him some trouble.“Just be careful.” Luca felt helpless. Abel’s sudden appearance had already messed up a lot of their plans.There was no way for her to leave this little villa now.With Abel bringing Hera here and her developing feelings for Luke, it was bound to cause more trouble for him later.Luca felt frustrated. She had enough trouble on her own. She did not want Luke to get caught up in trouble too. She had never intended for him to be