T Corporation advertising department. The interior shooting location was beautifully decorated, and all the employees were busy at work. The shoot was for a commercial of T Corporation's latest Queen series perfumes which would be launched after the new year. It was fragrant, long-lasting, and epitomized feminine charm and allure. The theme of the commercial this time was "obsession." When Bianca stepped into the location, she could see that everyone was busy in their roles. Leia was in a see-through outfit and smokey eye makeup. She was in the middle of a shoot. The crew members were busy attending to her. They took a short break during which the cosmetician touched up Leia's makeup. After that, she returned to the scene. Josef, the director, sat behind a high shutter speed camera. He was talking through the walkie-talkie, telling the lighting technician to turn up the brightness. After the lighting was adjusted, he got cameras 1 and 2 to change their positions. Then
Leia treated Bianca, the designer, as her assistant. Bianca was tasked to fill Leia's water bottle and help her with her lines. Leia even asked her to get coffee from the cafe nearby. She did not give Bianca any chance to rest. Whenever she gave her orders, she did not speak haughtily. Instead, she would gently "beg" and use "Please" to ask for anything, which meant that the other people did not have the chance to criticize her. The employees of the advertising department thought that it was rare for a famous celebrity to behave so humbly. They thought that Bianca should be happy working for her. Normal people would rarely, if ever, get the chance to be a celebrity's assistant. Bianca knew that Leia was purposely making her life difficult, but she tried not to be angry. She was in no position to cross Leia, and she did not want Leia to complain to her father Jack, which might cause trouble for Luke. When she came back with Leia's coffee, she stood next to the director and
Bianca's height was not remarkable, but she had a lean figure. The pure white tube top skirt looked dominating yet elegant on her. The pair of crystal high heels added four inches to her height. "Very good!" Josef exclaimed and gestured a thumbs-up at Bianca. He noticed that Bianca seemed flustered. He patted Bianca's shoulder and said, "Acting can be very easy or very difficult, Ms. Rayne. It's not just about how you look; it's also about how you feel. You just have to put your soul into it. Don't worry, it's just a short commercial. Just relax and treat it as though you're on vacation." Bianca was slightly comforted by Josef's words. It was her first time appearing in front of the camera. She did not have any experience at all. In fact, she felt as though she was forced to do so… Bianca wanted Luke's commercial to be a success. That would be a major contributing factor to the product's sales. No matter how badly Leia might have performed, she was nonetheless a public
Luke frowned when he imagined Bianca appearing on the silver screen for the other men to see and admire. He rejected the idea without giving it a second thought. "There's no need, Mr. Josef. She's not suited for the entertainment industry." However, Josef insisted. "The young lady has great potential. I can guarantee that she'll be famous around the world in just one movie!" Luke believed that Josef had the ability. The director had created more stars in Hollywood than any other director. However, Luke did not want Bianca to enter the chaotic entertainment industry. He expressed his opinion once more, "Mr. Josef, Bianca's interest is in architectural design. She wants to be a famous designer and not a celebrity." "She can be a designer while she works on her acting career. It's just a change in titles. Ms. Rayne can put her acting first and do design on the side. There's no conflict between the two." Seeing that he could not convince Luke, Josef turned his head and asked fo
Luke had a charm that could steal a woman's soul, but he had always kept a polite distance from Leia. Leia did not understand. She had given her all to him, but why did he treat her so coldly? "Mr. Crawford…" Leia pressed her lips together and said coyly. Her thoughts went back to that night when they were entangled on the bed… She kneaded her hands tightly and asked gently, "That night, at my Grandpa's birthday party, have you forgotten what happened between us?" Luke turned to glance at her blushing cheeks coldly. "What could have possibly happened? I was together with Bianca that night. I don't know what might have given you the idea that I like you, but I'm sorry to tell you that the only woman I love is Bianca. That was true in the past, and that is true now. Right, when you go home, please let your mother know that no one can try to meddle in my relationships. Tell her not to cause Bianca any trouble; come to look for me if there's anything. I'll be going off now, Ms. N
After the private detective left, Leia remained on her seat, staring at the cup of coffee that had long gone cold. She pinched her arm and felt the sharp pain. She turned to look at the stack of documents on the table again and finally believed that what happened earlier was real! She had lived as a Norman for so long, and she had treated herself as the one and only Ms. Norman. She had never expected that the true Ms. Norman was still alive and might return to replace her one day. As she thought of Luke, the man she loved, she closed her eyes in agony. She had loved the man for too long. If only the man showed the least bit of tenderness to her, she would be satisfied. Bianca Rayne! Leia cackled hideously. Luke single-mindedly loved that woman with a humble background. If Bianca were truly Jack and Queenie's birth daughter and the truth was revealed one day, Queenie would divert all the love and attention she gave Leia to Bianca. By then, Leia would be abandoned! When
"I'm not judging you, Sue, but it's just that your symptoms look very similar to what I went through when I was pregnant… I mean, a woman should be in charge of her own health. I think you should go to the hospital for a checkup." Bianca knew how helpless a woman could be when they became pregnant before marriage. Back then, she did not know that the father of the babies in her womb was Luke. She had thought that the father was some despicable old man, and that she would never forget the physical and mental torment she went through during her pregnancy. Bianca's words seemed to have convinced Sue. She rubbed her temples, trying to recall something. That night, she had gotten herself drunk at a bar and spent a wild night with a stranger. Her heart nearly stopped when she thought of that. 'That can't be. It's just one night. Why am I so unlucky?' Sue tried to deceive herself that it was not the case. She felt as though her head was going to explode. She felt another wave of
Bianca handed the pregnancy tests to Sue. She waited outside the washroom worriedly instead of leaving. Sue's condition did not look too good. Bianca did not want to leave her alone. A few minutes later, Sue opened the washroom door. Her hand that was holding the pregnancy stick was trembling. Her face was silent and ashen. Bianca instantly saw the two red lines on the pregnancy stick… Her eyes widened, and her emotions became a mess. "Sue…" In the time Bianca was in the company, she had never heard that Sue had a boyfriend. Sue had always prided herself on being single. She even said that she wanted to devote her life to her career and not marry for the rest of her life. Why would she be pregnant suddenly? Sue's mind was blank. She looked visibly panicked. 'What is this joke that fate is pulling on me? I only had a one-night stand with a man because I was drunk, and I hit the jackpot? Is there another woman in this world as unlucky as I am?' "I'm really pregnant…
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
“This cup of coffee is from that gentleman for this lady.” The waiter smiled as he explained, placing the cup in front of Luca.Hera followed the waiter’s gaze and immediately recognized the man Luca had been looking at earlier.Her eyes darkened. She had noticed the man glancing in their direction. However, she had assumed he was looking at her.After all, she was dressed seductively, had put on makeup, and was undeniably beautiful. Any man who saw her would be attracted. If a man’s eyes lingered on her, it was not surprising at all.Realizing that the man had been watching Luca the whole time instead of her, Hera suddenly felt annoyed.Luca noticed her displeasure, glanced at Gordan, then smiled and said to the waiter, “Please thank the gentleman for me.”“Of course, miss. Enjoy your coffee.” The waiter, sensing the tension between the two women, quickly grabbed his tray and left before Hera’s sour mood could affect him too.“Hmph, feeling proud of yourself?” asked Hera.Luca