“Huh?” Luca's voice was thick with sleepiness.“You can't see me in the dark,” hinted Luke.Luca slapped his restless hand away. “I'm tired.”Luke let out a sigh.Luca knew what he was sighing about, but with the intense experiments earlier that day and having waited so long just now, she just said, “Stop thinking about it. Go to sleep. I'm really tired.”Besides, this was the base of the Island of Despair. She was truly scared...“Good night.” Luke had no choice but to endure it. He held her in his arms and closed his eyes.When Luca woke up the following day, Luke had already left.She was used to it by now.Luke had a regular workout routine. Since he did not have to handle work here, he would get up early to train. He even sparred with others at the base. These people had all been trained on the Island of Despair, but none of them could beat Luke. Every one of them had gotten a few injuries from him.On the other hand, Luke came out unscathed each time.Only then did
Given Abel’s temperament, he would definitely inject the volunteer with double the dosage. However, they still did not know if the medication was safe now, and directly administering it could cause irreparable damage.Luca thought about how innocent the volunteer was, and how he had suffered such severe injuries for the sake of his family. His eye surgery still had not been done, and if Abel harmed the volunteer now, the subsequent clinical work would be impossible.Shanks did not have the authority to save lives here. It was already difficult enough to have a volunteer cooperating with the clinical trials.Luca knew Abel well. He would not listen to these concerns, and he would only focus on speeding up the research to rescue Kassy. Luca stopped speaking when she noticed Shanks remained silent. While Shanks was not doing this research for Kassy, it still cost him considerable effort.Luca assumed that he would not allow Abel to destroy his hard work. After all, finding ano
Hera suddenly felt a chill and turned to look at Abel.His expression was calm, not as eerie as when he was angry, but she still felt an unsettling vibe from him. Was he jealous?Hera quickly tried to flatter him, saying, “No way, I think the most good-looking man here is you, my dear.”Abel did not show any sign of happiness at her flattery. He did not actually have feelings for Hera. Her sweet words could not fool him.“Since you like him so much, let him stay with you and work for you in the next few days.” Abel was indifferent.As long as Hera did not embarrass him by cheating on him here, it was fine.Hera was a bit surprised, but at the same time, she realized that Abel did not really like her. If he truly cared about her, he would have been jealous when she kept staring at another man.Once she accepted that this was all just a business arrangement, she happily agreed, “Alright. Thank you, my dear.”Luke’s gaze darkened for a moment, but no one was paying attention.Abe
Shanks furrowed his brows. He knew Abel would snap, but he did not expect him to go this far.He grabbed Luca and pulled her behind him. “Abel, what the hell is wrong with you?”Luca touched her quickly swelling face. A flash of hatred crossed her mind, but she was also worried about Luke. If Luke found out that Abel hurt her, he would definitely lose it. She had to keep everything under control for the sake of her child.With that thought, Luca took a step back, exposing half of her swollen face to look at Abel.Abel was furious at the sight. “She’s useless, and that’s why the experiment is going so slowly. What’s wrong with me giving her a slap?”Shanks’ face turned livid at his crazy words. “This experiment is mine. If you have an issue with it, take it up with me. There’s no reason to take it out on her. I’ll do what you want and increase the dosage. But if this volunteer dies, you’ll have a hell of a time finding another one for the clinical trials. Abel, is this really how y
The volunteer was attended to in shifts, and he asked the person in the current shift, “Did that person leave?”“Yes.” The man attending him let out a sigh of relief. He had been so nervous when Abel was here that he could barely breathe.“Who was that person?” the volunteer asked curiously. He could not see, but he could still sense the heavy, oppressive aura. It was as though the person might take his life at any moment.“Don’t ask about things you shouldn’t know. Just focus on your recovery,” replied the man.The volunteer heaved a sigh and gently turned around. Lying here, he had no idea when it would end. However, ever since the nerves had started reacting, he felt that his legs were getting better day by day.After a while, Luca entered, carrying a tray of dry needling tools. She glanced at the attendant, noticing that it was another man today.Luca asked, “Did the boss come by earlier?”“Yes.” The man nodded.Luca’s heart skipped a beat. She looked at the volunteer, wh
“It's nothing. I just think you and our boss make a perfect match.” Luca decided not to say anything more. She was unwilling to risk causing trouble for herself.Hera felt that there was something mocking in her tone. It was meant to be a compliment, yet it felt like mockery, leaving her with the sense that something was off.Hera let out a cold snort. “Of course, we’re a perfect match. No need for you to say it.”Even though she knew there was an undertone of sarcasm, she still acknowledged it. She sized Luca up with a look of disdain. “You’re a doctor, right?”Luca shook her head. “Not exactly.”Gerald explained, “Ms. Sanchez, she’s skilled in medicine, but she wouldn’t call herself a doctor.”Hera shot him an annoyed glance and then turned back to Luca. “It’s fine as long as you know medicine. I’m not feeling well. Come help me with some treatment.”Gerald had no choice but to awkwardly suggest, “Ms. Sanchez, if you're not feeling unwell, perhaps I could ask Mr. Shanks to che
“Alright, I'm really tired. How about we rest for a bit?” After kissing him, Luca snuggled against his waist and playfully whined. “The medication I took has some strong side effects. I've been feeling drowsy for hours. Can we sleep now?”A flash of concern appeared in Luke's deep eyes. His voice was hoarse as he replied, “Okay.”After lying down, Luca suddenly remembered Hera. She asked, “Have you met Hera?”“Hera? That woman?” Luke pulled her closer into his embrace.“Yeah.” Luca could tell from his tone that he did not remember who Hera was, so she explained, “Hera was a classmate of ours in high school, the popular girl. She was interested in you back then. We even ran into her once when we were abroad.”Her memory was sharp, and she remembered clearly all the details about people and events that did not seem important.Luke only caught one detail—she was a former classmate.“I don’t remember,” replied Luke.Luca continued, “Back then, Hera had a crush on you, but... I didn
The man remained cautious. When he heard Hera was looking for Luke’s room, he immediately asked, “What do you need with Lucius?”Hera felt like her intentions had been seen through, and a sense of unease washed over her. However, when she thought about her status and position, she confidently replied, “Your boss said that Lucius is to serve me from now on. I'm hungry now, so I need him to go get me some late-night snacks. What's the matter? Is that not allowed?”The man remained silent, thinking that Hera could just order delivery.Why go to another man's room in the middle of the night?He thought about a possible reason and could not help feeling a little jealous, thinking that he was definitely more handsome than Luke. His feelings of imbalance grew. Why go to Lucius and not him?Hera, noticing his hesitation, snapped, “What are you zoning out for? Are you going to go for him?”If it had been any other task, the man would have been happy to step in. Still, something like g
“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