Regal Capital. "You can live here for now, Nina. I've paid a year's rent in advance, and the lease won't be up for more than half a year. It's non-refundable, and it'll be vacant anyway," Bianca said as she held Nina's hand. "Thank you, Bianca. Without you, I don't know what I should do if I'm alone." Nina looked around the one-bedroom house with homely furnishings. She was extremely grateful for Bianca. Right now, her mother's full attention was on her brother Jean. Anna was running up and down different prison departments to help Jean and ignored what Nina was doing. Moreover, if her conservative mother found out that she was pregnant, she would be forced to abort the baby. "I'm the one who has to apologize to you." Bianca's gaze was once again suffused with guilt. "Stop saying that. What happened has happened, and there's no use regretting it. You're my best friend, and I don't want to see you living in the guilt. What we should do now is to think positively. I believe w
Bianca made a sumptuous lunch for Nina. After lunch, Bianca did the dishes and thoroughly cleaned the kitchen. Then, she returned to the grocery store and replenished the supplies in the fridge. She had said that the roads were slippery from the snow, and she did not want Nina to step outside. With the fridge stocked full of vegetables and poultry, it would be convenient for Nina to cook for herself. Nina was grateful beyond words for what Bianca did to her. "It's almost the end of the year, so you don't have to go to work. I'll let Luke know, and he can approve your leave until the new year," Bianca discussed with Nina before she left. Nina shook her head. "It's been too long since I've skipped work, and you know that I can't sit still at home. You can let Luke know that I'll go to work when I'm ready. I'm afraid that if I stay for too long at home, I'll start imagining things…" Bianca could only agree. "You should just rest at home, and we'll talk after you're ready to co
Bianca stepped out of the courtroom. The sky was clear once again. The sun was as bright as usual, and she felt as though a heavy burden was lifted from her heart. Jennifer and Marie had received their just desserts. Luke was hugging Bianca's waist. He saw that her brows were tightly knotted, and he could not guess what she was thinking. "You seem to be lost in thought. What are you thinking?" He asked softly. "I was thinking whether the judgment would be different if Jennifer and Marie appealed." Bianca sighed. Luke's gaze turned cold. "It won't. If they appeal, I can guarantee that their sentence will be even more severe." He had ways to make those despicable characters' lives a living hell. Bianca leaned gently on Luke's shoulder. His strong and rhythmic heartbeat calmed her down. "Thank you for all that you do for me." Bianca understood that without him, putting Jennifer and Marie to justice would be a long and arduous ordeal, if that were even possible in the fir
Louis wanted to cry. He seemed to have dug a hole for himself. He thought that his future sister-in-law was a docile sheep, but she was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing. "I thought I knew you well, Sis. How can you be like that?" Louis said resentfully. "It seems like you don't have enough to do here," Luke said coldly as he walked toward the CEO's office. "If there's nothing else for you to do here, you can head over to South Africa now. I'll get Mr. Doyle to buy the fastest ticket there!" "Ah, Brother, must you drive me away so mercilessly? There aren't that many kind and honest younger brothers in the world like me! I admire you, Brother…" Bianca was speechless. It was the first time that she had seen a childish exchange between the two men. Louis shot a resentful glance at Louis, then returned to his office. He had to continue his boring work so that his elder brother would not transfer him to South Africa. … Bianca returned to the design department. Some c
When Bianca was reading the documents, the department lead brought several people into the office. "Let me introduce everyone. This is the design manager from Vivi Group and the core design team." Bianca observed them carefully. The female design manager was in her late thirties, while the others were a lot younger. "Nice to meet you. I am Sue Carter, the design team lead from T Corporation. It's a pleasure to be working with you," Sue said with a smile as she stretched out her right hand. "Yanis Fuller," The female design manager said briskly and lightly shook Sue's hand. Tom also shook hands with Yanis and introduced himself. When it was Bianca's turn, she stretched out her right hand and said, "I am Bianca Rayne. Nice to meet you." Unexpectedly, Yanis glanced at Bianca coldly and did not shake her hand. Bella was feeling rather smug about it. Earlier, when she had the opportunity, she had slandered Bianca in front of Yanis. She said that Bianca had gotten into th
When Bianca was imagining her children's smiling faces, Sue abruptly patted her shoulder. "Hey, look at the silly grin on your face. Were you talking to the boss earlier? You should've seen how gentle your smile was. I'm so jealous!" Bianca knew that Sue was almost thirty years old but remained single. She guessed that Sue must have experienced some trauma in her previous relationship. Many men tried to court her, but she rejected all their advances. Sue was an intelligent and capable individual. Bianca did not know that Sue had an ulterior motive when she tried to be friends with her. However, when Sue got to know more about Bianca, she found out that Bianca was full of personal charm and design talent. Eventually, they became true friends. "It's not him. I was on the phone with Lanie and Rainie earlier." Bianca had always had a good impression of the carefree Sue. Not only Sue had a good personality, but she had also helped Bianca when she was in a pinch. Bianca was gra
Melissa instantly noticed Bianca. She held onto Xavier's arm tightly and grunted audibly. "Why do I see that woman everywhere? How unlucky!" Not only had she failed to frame Bianca in the luxury fashion store, but she had also lost a diamond necklace worth almost a million dollars. She was scolded when she got home, and her elder brother had docked her allowance. Melissa had been troubled by that incident. Of course, Bianca was not too happy when she saw the capricious and unreasonable Melissa. She was about to hold the children's hands and turn in the other direction when Lanie suddenly looked at the woman and blinked. There was a mischievous glimmer in his eyes. He tugged the hem of Bianca's shirt and said childishly, "Mommy, I've seen that woman before…" Bianca looked at Lanie curiously. She did not understand how the little boy would recognize Melissa. "Where have you seen her, Lanie?" Bianca asked. Melissa was also surprised. She looked at Lanie and racked her
The host of the clubhouse glared at Melissa coldly. His tone of voice was like Arctic ice. "Miss, we do not tolerate such behavior here. This is a high-end place, and we do not welcome any guests who do not behave themselves. No one can insult any of my honored guests. You keep saying that my guest is a thief, but what you have lost is only a 900,000 dollar item. Anything of Mr. Crawford's presents to his woman would have cost at least millions. Would she be bothered about your diamond necklace? What nonsense!" The other guests in the clubhouse exclaimed in surprise. Indeed, Luke Crawford was richer than some countries. Any of his woman's accessories would have cost millions. Would she be bothered about stealing a 900,000-dollar necklace?The woman had been yelling that Mr. Crawford's woman was a thief, but she did not have any evidence. She must have lost her mind for accusing Mr. Crawford's woman in public. Melissa had been slapped first by Xavier, then by Luke. She was like
The two women froze in surprise at the sound of the commanding voice. Allison realized Luke had returned, and from his tone, he was clearly angry. Panic gripped her, and just as she was not paying attention, Susan scratched her again. The pain on her face was searing, and she let out a loud, pained scream, stumbling back and covering her face.Luca, who stood beside Luke, was equally stunned. They were actually fighting! What on earth was going on?!Allison staggered back a few steps and saw Luke's dark expression. Even though she was afraid, she felt reassured that her support had arrived. She cried out, “Luke, you're finally back! Your mom's getting beaten by an outsider!”Luke looked at the two women, whose ages added up to over a hundred years, in complete disbelief. He exchanged a glance with Luca before speaking again, “Are you two going to keep fighting?”Susan let out a cold sneer. She had been scratched by Allison several times, and her face now burned with pain.
Sophian realized she had made a mistake and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Madam Allison. I saw it was someone familiar, so I didn’t think too much about it.”Allison shot her a furious glare.Sophian knew full well that Allison and Susan did not get along, yet she still opened the door for her. Was she out of her mind?“Oh my, after all that time in Seoul, you didn’t pick up anything good? Still that same fiery temper.” Then came Susan’s mocking voice.Allison froze for a moment and shifted her gaze toward the doorway.“How did you get in here?” demanded Allison. Did she not just ring the bell outside? How did she get in so quickly and without anyone opening the door to the villa?!Susan gave Sophian a smirking glance. “Your helper let me in.”Allison frowned, still confused. Susan continued, “I’m living right next door now.”“Oh, so I heard you got kicked out by Old Master Crawford. Moved right next door, did you? Sticking around like a ghost that won’t go away, living jus
Sophian stood before her. Her face was a picture of hesitation and discomfort. “Madam Allison, how about you order using your phone?”“What? You can’t even handle this small task?” At this point, Allison had completely shifted her view of Sophian, now seeing her as just another maid. Her previous tone vanished, replaced by a much more domineering attitude.Sophian felt helpless and quickly explained, “It’s just that the food from this place is just too expensive. I don’t have that kind of money.”Once she finished speaking, a flush of embarrassment crossed her face.Sophian had come back with Allison to work off the debt she owed from her cosmetic surgery. Therefore, she had no money to spare.Allison paused for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. After a brief moment, she picked up her phone and said, “It's not like I'm having you pay for it. You can't even temporarily cover it?”Sophian smiled awkwardly. “I just transferred money to the hospital.”Allison let out a faint hu
“You don’t like eating outside food, do you?” Luca thought that preparing breakfast and dinner for him was not a big deal.Besides, the main point was that Luke did not like eating out. He always felt the taste was off and lacked nutrition.“Actually, it’s not that I don’t like eating out. It's just that all the food outside tastes the same to me.” Luke gently squeezed her hand.“Hey, focus on driving.” Luca chuckled.Luke withdrew his hand and returned it to the steering wheel. “With that woman around, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to cook. Are you really going to make breakfast for them too?”If that happened, it would defeat the purpose of his plan.Luca thought for a moment. She did not mind ignoring Sophian, but if she cooked for Luke and not for Allison, that might not sit well with her. Allison could easily make a fuss over even the smallest details. “So, should we just eat out for breakfast and dinner from now on?”“Yes.” Luke did not mind.It did not matter where t
“Something I like?” Luca laughed. “What could that be?”“You’ll find out when we get there.” Luke kept it mysterious.“Alright then, I’ll wait for your surprise, Mr. Crawford.” Luca was in good spirits without letting family issues dampen her mood. Therefore, she video-called the kids.Luca dialed Mr. Griffin’s number.After Mr. Griffin answered the call, he handed the phone to Lanie. “Young Master Lanie, Ms. Craw wants to talk to you.”“Thank you, Mr. Griffin.” Lanie took the phone and pressed ‘accept’.Luca positioned the camera to include both her and Luke. She waved at the screen. “Lanie, Rainie, Tommy, what are you all doing?”“Lanie! Lanie, I want to talk to Ms. Luca!” Tommy waved excitedly at the camera, eager to take the phone.Lanie handed it to him. “Go on, tell Daddy and Ms. Luca about your good news.”Luca smiled and asked with curiosity. “Good news?”“Daddy, Ms. Luca, I made it to the next level in the math competition! The finals are this Saturday!” Tommy said e
“Why are you being so slow?” Allison was irritated. She shoved the products into Sophian’s hands.“I told you to use them, so just use them.” Allison ran out of patience. After urging Sophian, she lay back down.Sophian had no choice but to follow her instructions and poured out some product. The texture of the product in her palm made her pause for a moment. It was incredibly moisturizing!She gently patted it onto Allison's face and noticed the area she touched felt just as smooth.Allison let out a content sigh. “This essence is really soothing.”Even though Sophian was still worried about potential side effects, she could not help but admire the instant hydrating effect. She asked in a low voice, “Madam Allison, is this really developed by that woman?”She could not believe that Luca had such skills and wondered if the essence had just been repackaged into another bottle and sold as her own creation.“That's what she says,” replied Allison. “But she's into pharmaceuticals, s
After agreeing to become the maid, Sophian’s excitement gradually turned into anxiety.The villa was so large. Could she really handle all the tasks a maid was supposed to do?As she thought about it, she accidentally left the bread in the toaster for too long. After serving it to Allison, she was scolded.“What’s this? It’s just a slice of toast. How could you burn it like this? How am I supposed to eat it?” Allison was clearly displeased.Sophian awkwardly explained, “Madam Allison, this is my first time using this toaster. I didn’t quite get the temperature right...”Allison was about to keep complaining but paused for a moment, remembering that Sophian was the one she had brought in to be the maid. Now, she was the only one who could make breakfast for her. She disdainfully tore off the burnt part and took a bite. “Where’s the soy milk?”“It’ll bring it out,” replied Sophian, heading back to the kitchen. She brought out two glasses of soy milk and another slice of toast tha
“Are you planning to tell me that Madam Allison brought someone back?” Luca had a feeling she knew what was going on. Luca had been wondering why Allison had taken such a big risk by going out during the day, but it all made sense now.“Yes, she brought someone back and said she'll be taking over my job,” Aunt Neile replied helplessly. She was worried she had lost her competitive edge, which made her feel anxious.“I got it, Aunt Neile.” As soon as Luca spoke, there was a cheer from inside the lab. She glanced back and saw that there seemed to be progress in the research. Rhett gave her a thumbs-up to signal success.She slightly smiled and nodded before hearing Aunt Neile's voice again on the phone. “Ms. Craw, there’s something I’d like to say, though I’m not sure if I should. I’ve thought about it, and I feel like I should. Even though Mr. Crawford isn’t the type to fool around, you have to be careful. He has no interest in that woman, but she’s clearly interested in him. You sh
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.