Late in the night. Sue was in the critical stage of her pregnancy, and she could not move about that easily. That was why she left the venue first. Bianca and Nina also felt tired and said goodbye. Other than Michelle, the ones who remained in the private room were all men. After saying their superficial goodbyes, they continued having fun. Armand wanted to see Bianca off instead of staying in the boring room. He pretended to stumble and said that he was drunk and needed to go home and rest. The other male colleagues did not persuade him to stay. After all, those who remained had their own agendas. After most of the female colleagues were gone, the male colleagues that usually looked serious called for the manager of the karaoke bar, selected several escorts that had decent figures, and continued their merriment… The situation inside the room was warm and lively. Once they stepped out of Blue Honors, the biting cold wind froze their necks. Fortunately, Bianca, Sue, and
As Luke turned his head over, his face was illuminated by the street light and moonlight. That was the first time Anand saw his face clearly. The curves of the man's lips were elegant and graceful. He was noble and otherworldly. For a brief moment, Anand thought that the man was Prince Charming who had walked out of a book. His lofty demeanor was breathtaking, but he emitted an aura as serene and tranquil as the bright moonlight. Anand had to admit that he was impressed. The man whom he had recently classified as a "love rival" was noble and aloof, while Bianca in his arms was graceful and beautiful. As the couple hugged each other, it was extremely pleasing to the eye. Whoever looked at the man or the woman could have easily been charmed. His crush was as docile as a kitten in the man's arms. Anand felt uneasy. He wanted to say hi to Bianca, but the man escorted her to the car and opened the door like a gentleman. Bianca was smiling like a blooming flower. Anand stoo
As Bianca walked onto the podium, her gaze subconsciously turned to Luke. She saw that the man was looking at her encouragingly, and that had made her slightly at ease. She handed copies of the documents to the bosses of the two companies as well as the higher management… Then, she inserted the flash drive into the laptop, adjusted the microphone, and prepared to give her presentation. Quinton flipped through Bianca's document, and his expression instantly sank. "Ms. Rayne, are you mistaken about this meeting's agenda?" Bianca looked curiously at a copy of the document in her hand and was instantly shocked. 'How… how is this possible? This isn't the document that I prepared the day before, but the weekly report of our design department…' Slam! The chairman of Vivi Group slammed the document on the table. Quinton's authoritative expression became even gloomier because of his anger. "How could you possibly make this kind of mistake as a designer? Even a rookie employee wo
What a bold claim! Did she know what she was saying? Some people might meticulously prepare their presentations, and there would still be errors. Right now, she was going to improvise her presentation! Everyone cast suspicious glances on Bianca, which made her palms wet with sweat. Bianca's grip on the stack of documents in her hands became tighter. Earlier, while she was looking for her missing documents, she found some design sketches in her cabinet. Those were not floor plans or 3D renderings but colored pencil concept sketches done during her free time. Bianca was not professionally trained in illustration, but she possessed certain talents. Moreover, whenever inspiration struck her, she would draw her designs on paper with a sketching pen or colored pencils instead of drawing them on the computer. The thick stack of paper was all her concept sketches for the project. The department lead had commented that Bianca was old-fashioned for sketching on paper, but Bianca
The urban reconstruction project involved funds of over a hundred billion dollars. The reason behind T Corporation and Vivi Group's collaboration was not only because of the astronomical sum of money involved, but also because it was impossible for a single corporation to gain sole development rights over the entire area. In an attempt to regulate the economy, the local government did not want to give the entire pie to one corporation, even if the company could do so. Even a single percentage point of profits from this project was a huge sum of money. Vivi Group was not going to go down without a fight. The two parties were caught in a stalemate. All of Vivi Group's higher management was furious. They were planning to fight tooth and nail for one or two percentage points. Now that Luke wanted a whole ten percentage points, they were definitely angry. After all, all civilities were already off the table. There was no point in courtesies, and therefore the boards of directors f
Quinton nearly popped a vein when he heard that! He was not expecting that Luke had several other partners waiting in line. However, he hesitated when he considered Luke's massive network. If he did not agree to Luke's offer, Luke might really go and look for another partner. Moreover, those companies were no pushovers either… Quinton clutched his chest that was starting to become painful and waved his other hand. "I'll discuss this with the other members of high management, and I'll give you a reply!" "Help yourselves with any of the conference rooms here, Mr. Lamarr," Luke said generously as he stubbed out his cigarette. The meeting was paused. The higher management of Vivi Group went into a smaller conference room next door. Bianca and her colleagues returned to the design department. Bianca wanted to spend some private time with Luke. After all, Luke must be tired from the intense negotiations earlier. She wanted nothing more than to hug him. However, their rela
Mavis went to the CEO's office to ask Luke why he changed his mind. Before the meeting, he had said that they were going to sign the agreement with Vivi Group. She did not expect to see that heartbreaking scene at the door. Mavis wanted to laugh, but she felt something stuck in her throat. It was uncomfortable, and at the same time, it felt like it was burning. She had fallen in love with Luke the moment she laid her eyes on him. Mavis had returned to the country after graduating from an internationally renowned design college. Many large corporations wanted to recruit her, but she chose Crawford Industries that was on the brink of bankruptcy only because Luke was the general manager. She noticed Luke's infinite potential since then. Indeed, he did not disappoint her. He managed to turn the tables, expand the business, wrested it from his family's control, and renamed it T Corporation. The more she interacted with Luke, the more she was smitten by his character. Her lov
Bianca was silent. From the moment she knew that Mavis had planted a pair of lace panties in Luke's car, she could tell that Mavis was a scheming woman… However, she believed that the love between her and Luke was indestructible. So what if Mavis was a scheming woman? She was the woman that Luke loved. If Luke had any feelings for Mavis, they would have already been a couple. Mavis would not have to wait. Bianca smiled at Sue when she thought of that. "I know, Sue, but I believe that our love can overcome every obstacle. If he belongs to me, then no one can take him from me. If he doesn't belong to me, then there's no point in me retaining him. We've gone through so many ordeals. It won't be that easy to tear us apart." When Sue and Nine saw how confident Bianca was, they did not say anything. They sincerely hoped that Bianca could find bliss. After all, a good woman like Bianca deserved to be loved. Nina decided to change the serious conversation topic. "Hey, Sue, Be
Allison was so thrown off by his commanding presence that she took two steps back.When Luke mentioned Susan, her eyes widened, and she shook with anger. “I'm your real mother! Who does that woman think she is?! You call her 'Mother'? No! Susan’s not your mother. I'm your only mother!”Consumed with jealousy, Allison's eyes turned red. She could not stand Luke calling Susan 'Mother'.Furious, she smashed several items in the living room.“Madam Allison, please calm down.” Sophian was startled by Allison's sudden outburst.Allison shattered another item, casting a hateful, challenging glare at Luke. She was like a child causing trouble. When he still showed no reaction, she picked up a vase and smashed it, creating a louder racket.Luke watched the whole scene with an icy calm.These were genuine art pieces from reputable brands. Even though they were not as costly as his grandfather’s antiques, they were still valuable. One piece could cost a white-collar worker half of thei
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