Abel’s eyes glinted with amusement. “What do you think?”Luca bit her lip, feeling powerless against the threat.Abel rose to his feet, took a puff of his cigar, and blew a smoke ring toward her face. “I know what you're thinking. If you don’t go, don’t blame me for being hard on your child. She’s so frail. How long do you think she can hold up against those other kids?”He said it in such a chilling tone that Luca seemed to envision her child being bullied. Her heart could not help but tremble. “I’ll go.”Abel showed no sign of satisfaction despite her answer. Instead, his gaze grew darker.Truth be told, he despised everything related to Luke. If it were not for the leverage the child gave him over Luca, he might have already acted against the child.“Luca, behave yourself. Don’t play any tricks. If something goes wrong this time, even if there’s no proof it was you, I won’t let you off the hook.” Abel patted Luca’s face with both hands.The pat was not hard. Her face did not
Luca tried to keep talking, but she could not hold it in any longer and broke down crying. Just thinking about her child still being in Abel’s hands made her heart ache, and she cried even harder. The thought of all the things Luke had done for her in secret pained her even more. Luke had not done anything wrong, but it hurt that he had done so much and never told her. Luca knew he meant well. He wanted to shield her from worry. However, when it came to something like this, she was involved too and could have helped. Yet Luke did everything on his own, keeping her in the dark for her own good, and that hurt her deeply. Luca felt helpless. It seemed he still saw her as someone fragile. It pained her that she could not do anything to help and that Luke had to shoulder everything alone. When he saw her tears, Luke knew he had made a mistake by hiding the truth. She wanted to stand by his side through it all, but he had only thought of protecting her. When it came to the issu
When Luca felt like she was about to suffocate, Luke finally released her lips.His gaze burned intensely, his deep eyes locked onto her red lips. Luca could clearly sense what he was thinking. The desire in Luke's eyes was so overwhelming it felt as though it would completely consume her. She trembled slightly, her own body betraying her, longing to be devoured by him.“Luca,” Luke murmured huskily, his voice thick with desire.Luca softly responded with a faint hum. Just then, Luke’s phone rang. It was his alarm. Luke helplessly silenced it.Clarity returned to Luca’s gaze. “Do you have a meeting to attend?” She knew full well that it was usually for something important whenever Luke set an alarm. An important meeting meant it could not be postponed.Luca let out a chuckle.No wonder Luke had not carried her straight to the lounge. He had something pressing to attend to.Luke heard her laughter and replied helplessly, “I really don’t want to.”Luca shook her head and told
Luca was not one to tolerate nonsense. Without hesitation, she grabbed the man’s arm and shoulder.Before the man could react, he was slammed to the ground with a swift over-the-shoulder throw.The man let out a grunt, stunned by the sheer force of her move. He could not believe a woman managed to flip him like that.He was a man nearly six-foot-three and weighed close to 200 pounds!Dressed in tailored pants instead of a skirt, Luca did not have to worry about modesty. She stepped forward, pressing her pointed shoe firmly onto his chest. “Now, do you believe I’m one of you?”“You! Argh, that hurts—” His attempt to curse got cut off as she applied more pressure with her foot.Strangely enough, he had been beaten to a pulp during training before, but it had never hurt this much.“Still don’t believe me?” Luca’s shoe pressed directly onto one of his weak points.Her sharp-toed shoes made it easy to pinpoint the spot, and the pain was excruciating.“Damn it!” The man clenched his
Abel and Luca were not people one could provoke casually. If one did, one could lose one's life at any moment!“I've said what I needed to say. If you don't believe it, then you're on your own,” replied Gerald, no longer trying to convince the man. There was no point in arguing further.…Inside the laboratory, Shanks did not look up. He pointed at a spot in the room and said, “Change into the lab coat.”Luca followed his gesture and saw a lab coat laid out.She obediently put it on, along with shoe covers, goggles, and other necessary gear. After all, the drugs he researched were highly toxic, so these precautions were necessary for her safety. Once she finished changing, Luca walked over to Shanks’s side.“Mr. Shanks, what do you need me to do?” asked Luca.Shanks pondered for a moment before pointing at some files on the right. “Start by looking at these. A test subject will be coming in for the clinical trials tomorrow. You need to finish reviewing these before they arrive
Once Shanks' figure had completely disappeared from view, Luca finally regained a bit of her composure.She felt an intense cold. It was so cold it felt like she could hardly breathe.Whenever it came to Nyla's safety, she lost all ability to stay calm.Luca quickly made her way up to the third floor. Shanks had already gone back to his room. She walked absentmindedly to the last room and pushed the door open.She entered the room, closed the door, and locked it behind her. Then, she used the device that Luke had given her to scan the room. Once she confirmed there were no listening devices or surveillance cameras, she took out her phone and dialed his number.The phone rang twice before it was answered.“Luca, are you okay?” Luke’s concerned voice filled her ear.Luca trembled. She could feel the cold seeping into her body, and her words were shaking from the chill.“Luke, there are two things I need to tell you,” said Luca.Luke frowned when he heard the seriousness in her t
“Is that so? You didn’t drug me?” Luca's eyes darkened. She was in no mood to be polite with men like him, so she kicked him again.The man screamed in pain. Before he acted, he did not expect Luca to be so strong. It felt like he was about to be crushed! The force and sound made everyone around them gasp in surprise.It was ruthless—too ruthless.A woman could kick that hard? They suddenly remembered what Gerald had said and shuddered. This woman was not to be messed with.Even if she was beautiful and had a great figure, they should never mess with her!Otherwise, the next person getting treated this way might be them.Luca crouched down and reached into the man’s pocket, pulling out a cigarette. She shoved it into his mouth. “Tell me, is this an aphrodisiac?” The man spat the cigarette out angrily. “That's my cigarette!”“Very well, then.” Luca's gaze darkened. She had given him the chance to live, but he did not appreciate it. He even kept harassing her.She was not going
Luca pushed open the door and went downstairs. It was still early, and the people for the clinical trials hadn’t arrived yet.Luca found Gerald in the kitchen, making breakfast.Gerald was not as skilled as the others from the Island of Despair, so he was the one who usually cooked breakfast here. After all, the weak had no say in a place like the Island of Despair.When Gerald heard footsteps, he turned around and saw Luca. He could not help but shiver. The man who had tried to make a pass at her yesterday had been carried away later on.They originally wanted Shanks to help treat him, but after Shanks examined him, he said that he needed to go to the hospital for treatment since the equipment here was not sufficient for the necessary surgery.That man had to be sent to the hospital for surgery that very night.According to the group who brought the man to the hospital, the doctor was shocked when he saw the man’s injuries. The doctor even said on the spot that it looked like
“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