Hotel.After Wayne's persistent torturing, Leia barely had one last breath left. When her body was full of bruises and marks, she received a call from the private investigator agency.They gave her an address.Though she was exhausted, Leia drove to the mysterious destination....Today's sun was not harsh, and it was Luke's rest day. He stayed in the villa to accompany Bianca and the two children.After lunch, Luke took the two children to the outdoor pool for a swim.The outdoor swimming pool was oval-shaped. Looking down from above, it was like an emerald embed in the mansion garden.The pool water was blue and warm.In the pool, Luke, who was wearing sunglasses and shorts, patiently taught the two adorable kids how to swim.Bianca lay quietly on a recliner, reading a book as she smiled at the interaction between the father and children.Although Bianca held a book in her hand, her eyes would still drift to Luke from time to time.The man was in great shape!Even though
In the mansion, Luke and the children were sitting on the couch in the living room playing a fantasy video game while Bianca was in the bedroom chatting with Nina on the phone. Nina complained to Bianca that she had hit a weirdo a few days ago. Not only did he have a terrible attitude, but he had been tormenting her constantly. He wanted her to pay for his living expenses and treated her like a maid. Thanks to that man, she was almost losing her mind! Bianca comforted Nina for a while before the latter felt a little better, though she remained angry. Bianca could not help but chuckle. Nina had been lifeless ever since that incident. Bianca had not seen her acting so lively for a long time. As they chatted, Nina suddenly lowered her voice. "Bea, have you… read the news recently?" "I was busy with reading textbooks and studying some of our seniors' designs, and I haven't been paying attention to the news. What's up?" Bianca said. Nina paused for a long while before stamme
Luke was surprised when Old Master Crawford and Allison arrived at the mansion at the height of their anger, but it was not totally out of his expectations. He frowned. "Mother, Grandfather, why are you here?" Old Master Crawford's expression was sullen! He walked in front with the help of his walking stick. Behind him was Allison and several bodyguards dressed in black. When he saw Bianca standing in front of the couch, a hint of gloom flashed in his eyes. He knocked his walking stick on the floor heavily and asked his grandson with an unpleasant tone. "Why isn't that woman gone? Why are you still together with her?" His angry gaze wavered when he noticed the slight bulge in Bianca's stomach. The atmosphere in the living room was tense and stifling. No one made a sound. Bianca lowered her head, averting Old Master Crawford and Allison's disdainful gazes. She did not dare to greet the guests. Luke did not answer his grandfather's questions. He walked up to help Old Ma
Old Master Crawford nearly choked when he heard what Luke said! Why did that ingrate not think of how to mend the broken relationship between the Crawford and Norman families, but instead wanted to call off the marriage? That was totally different from what Old Master Crawford had in mind, and that had made him angry. "Luke, since you were young, I've taught you that you should be a man of your word, and you should be responsible for the promises you make. What do you have to say about your actions? Do you want to be known as an unfaithful man? Do you wish for the Crawford name to be the subject of ridicule? You'll have to marry Leia Norman no matter what!" Veins bulged on Old Master Crawford's face because of his anger. His tone of voice was menacing. To be frank, Old Master Crawford did not care whether his grandson was unfaithful. What was more important to him was the financial benefits of the union with the Norman family! "Grandfather, I will only marry Bianca Rayne and
Bianca had never seen Luke being embarrassed. She could not help but take a dig at him. "I expected that you'd be an ace student since you're young, but…" She shifted her gaze onto the test papers with single-digit scores. The two children covered their mouths and giggled as they looked at their father. They had never seen such low grades before. In kindergarten, the lowest-scoring student in their class at least had a double-digit score. They had never seen a single-digit score before. "Daddy, Big Bro and I both scored 100 marks in the test last week. We always get 100 marks!" Rainie looked at her father smugly as she chewed on gummy candy. "Daddy, Mommy says that you have a doctorate from Harvard University. Why are your grades so bad? You even left this essay blank…" Lanie pointed at Luke's writing test and looked at him slyly. "That's because you've never seen what I can do when I work really hard. When I got to high school, I'm always at the top of my grade, and no
Bianca carefully observed Luke. His sculpted face was handsome and exquisite, his bewitching eyes were narrow and icy, and he exuded a unique masculine charm. That face undoubtedly belonged to Luke Crawford. Bianca would never forget that face. However, Bianca wondered why that familiar face would give her such an unfamiliar sensation. Luke also stared at Bianca without saying a word. His gaze was profound as it landed on her fair and petite face. The man was Gordan Norton, who had disappeared for the past few months. He was currently wearing the same face as Luke Crawford, and he was observing Bianca and the two children in the mansion with some interest. "Luke?" Bianca asked doubtfully when she saw that he did not say anything. Her instincts told her that something was not quite right about the man. "Luke" reflexively touched his face and smiled ambiguously when he saw Bianca's shocked gaze upon him. "Mm," he replied. The two children did not notice anything strange a
Like a proud princess, Leia held Luke's elbow and walked along the soft red carpet into the hall. All the guests were gathered there. Luke smiled elegantly and nodded at the people who greeted him. He pressed his lips in response to the congratulatory messages, but there was a hint of mockery in his smile. Countless cameras captured the loving scene, bearing witness to the union of the two influential families. The Crawford and Norman families sat at separate tables. Every one of them was joyous. Old Master Crawford, dressed in a navy blue suit, seemed to be in good spirits. The joy on his face was evident. Originally, he had thought that his grandson would not proceed with the engagement after negotiations failed. That had made him unreasonably angry. He was a control freak. He even thought of resorting to underhanded means so that his grandson would comply. To him, a union of the Crawford and Norman families could only bring them benefits. He would not allow Luke to
When Leia looked at Luke's icy gaze and heard the whispers among the guests, she realized that the man was not joking! No one would make such a tasteless joke at their own engagement ceremony. Leia's face turned pale at an instant. She did not expect that sudden turn of events at all. She was expecting bliss, but it turned out to be ridicule. All her hope had turned into despair! She stiffly lifted her dress, walked in front of Luke, and begged him softly, "Luke, we've never quarreled or fought. If there's a problem, treat it as all my fault. If you don't like any aspect of me, I'll change for you, alright? Don't call off the engagement. After we're engaged, you can do anything you want. Please… there are so many guests and media reporters here. I don't know what they'd say. Can't you spare some dignity for me and my family?" Leia had a pitiful expression as she stared at Luke. Tears were almost falling from her eyes. She admitted that she loved the man in an undignifie
Kassy’s eye donor was Hera, the one Abel had brought over.Even though Hera’s eyes resembled Kassy’s, they did not meet the criteria for a transplant. However, Hera’s blood type matched Kassy’s exactly.Hence, Abel decided to use Hera’s eyes. His belief was that her eyes were specifically meant for Kassy.Shanks knew he would not be able to change Abel’s mind, so he did not try. Abel’s stubbornness was something even Kassy herself could not sway.Luca remained silent for a while, not saying anything further. She understood that using a cadaver was the best option as it would not harm anyone.However, the eyes Abel wanted for Kassy were not from a cadaver. He intended to take them from Hera.Luca certainly would not participate in such a surgery. It was too cruel.“What are you thinking?” Shanks suddenly asked.Luca shook her head. “I’m just thinking about the volunteer’s situation.”“You’re wondering if this solution will be marketed, aren’t you?” Shanks suddenly asked.L
“I’m still a bit worried. Let me take a look in your room and change the dressing while I’m at it.” Luca knew Luke would not want her to worry. Therefore, she needed to see for herself that everything was fine before she could feel at ease.“Alright.” Luke knew she was worried about him, so the two of them headed into the room.He took off his shirt, revealing the bandage wrapped around his torso.Luca could not help but chuckle at the sight. The wrapping was done by Gerald, and it was hilariously sloppy. It was haphazardly bound—overly tight in some places and entirely uneven. It looked like it was just meant to cover the wounds, with no thought for neatness.“Stop laughing.” Luke was clearly rendered speechless by Gerald’s lackluster bandaging skills as well.If it were not for the fact that it was difficult to bandage himself, he would never have let Gerald do it.“With it wrapped like this, how are you supposed to sleep at night?” Luca asked as she began unwrapping the ba
Abel chuckled. His voice was low and gravelly.“Hera, let’s agree on something. Don’t use threats of leaving to manipulate me anymore, or I won’t be happy,” said Abel in a low voice.What might have sounded like a plea or a compromise came across to Hera as a veiled threat.The cool sensation of his fingers brushed against her eyelids, and she could not help but shiver. His touch felt as cold as death itself. She could not feel a trace of warmth.Her hands clenched tightly together. The tension in her grip was the only thing keeping her from trembling further.“Alright,” Hera murmured obediently.Abel withdrew his hand. Hera opened her eyes. A strange unease stirred within her. For reasons she could not quite explain, Abel’s behavior filled her with an unsettling dread…“Will you stay at the hospital with me tonight?” Hera could not help but crave some semblance of comfort.Abel frowned slightly. “Stay here with you? And what about Luca?”“You could just send her home. I onl
Luca's expression was serious, and Hera realized she was not just trying to scare her. Ignoring her warnings had already caused her to suffer once.Unwillingly, Hera sipped on the cereal. Her resentment was evident in every movement.Luca noticed it was not difficult for her to handle. She quietly sat down and ate her own bowl of cereal.Hera did not have much of an appetite.Hera took a couple of bites before growing bored. She glanced at Luca and asked, “How did you end up working for Abel?”Luca did not respond. She calmly blew on her cereal and ate in silence, showing no intention of engaging in conversation.“I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?” snapped Hera.Luca lifted her gaze briefly and replied, “You should finish your cereal before it gets cold.”“I’m not even hungry.” Hera really had no appetite and was not planning to eat the cereal.“It’s still better if you eat something. Otherwise, when hunger strikes later, don’t expect me to help you,” said Luca, “I’m only he
Luke had never taken the medicine that could speed up healing, so his recovery was nowhere near as fast as the others from the Island of Despair.Luca did not respond to Gerald’s comment. Her gaze fixed on him with intensity.“No stitches,” said Luke, “I trust you.”Luca bit her lower lip.“But if you don’t stitch it, it might tear open,” insisted Gerald, staring at Luke’s wounds.Luke glanced at his injuries and shrugged, seemingly unconcerned, as though the wounds had nothing to do with Luca.“Stitches will leave scars.”“Are you afraid of scars? What kind of man doesn’t have a few scars on him? Scars are a symbol of manhood,” teased Gerald with a playful tone, “Scars show you’re reliable, that you can protect a woman.”Luke gave him a look as though he were an idiot, then his gaze shifted to Luca. “I don’t want too many scars. I’m worried my future wife might dislike them.”Luca’s heart sank at his words, but his lighthearted remark eased her sadness. Despite the severity
Luca could not help but tremble with heartache. She fought hard to resist the urge to rush forward.Everyone in the room had survived brutal training to make it out of the Island of Despair, and they could not help but shudder when they saw the scene. The sound of the whip felt like it was landing on their own bodies.Gerald closed his eyes, unable to watch any longer. It was too cruel for him to watch.The ten lashes felt like an eternity, stretching on for what seemed like a century.Luca looked at the drenched clothes on Luke. His eyes were red, and his shirt was so soaked that you could wring out the blood from it. Her hands were clenched so tightly into fists that the veins were bulging.Abel tossed the whip aside, looking at Luke’s disheveled state with satisfaction. He enjoyed the thrill of this bloody scene.He turned to Luca, noticing her reddened eyes, and smiled even more devilishly. “Hera is in the hospital now. You’ll go take care of her for the next few da
Luca instantly understood the situation. It was about Hera.Hera was someone Abel valued, possibly as a future corneal donor for Kassy. While Abel might not love Hera now, he certainly took her health seriously.In a calm tone, Luca explained, “She was hospitalized due to inflammation that caused a fever.”Abel furiously flung his half-smoked cigar at her. The glowing embers singed her clothes, leaving a small burn mark.She instinctively stepped aside.Abel roared, “What kind of care is this?! I told you to look after her! Is this how you handle things?”Luca was perplexed. When did he ever tell her to look after Hera?Besides, she did take care of her.”When Ms. Sanchez fainted last night, she already had a low-grade fever. I diagnosed her condition as inflammation and prescribed anti-inflammatory and fever-reducing medication. I also emphasized that she needed to take oral anti-inflammatory drugs. She didn’t trust me and threw out Mr. Shanks’ medication, which led to her con
Luca placed her hand on Hera’s other wrist, checking her pulse. “Her condition is worsening. The inflammation in her body has intensified.“I prescribed her medication. Those are Mr. Shanks’ formulations, and they're highly effective for reducing inflammation. It shouldn’t be getting worse.” Gerald pursed his lips before finally speaking up. “Luca, when I was cleaning yesterday, I saw that Ms. Sanchez had thrown all the medication you prescribed into the trash. She didn’t take any of it.”Luca was speechless.She had been questioning whether the medicine was ineffective or if she had made an error in diagnosis. It turned out that it was Hera herself who had sabotaged her treatment.“What should we do now?” asked Gerald.“There’s no other option. She needs to go to a hospital,” Luca decided firmly. “Her condition is serious, and since she doesn’t trust my treatment, the hospital is her best choice.”“Can’t you help her just this once?” pleaded Gerald, “I mean, she looks really b
Luke stayed silent, letting the chilled beer cool him down, washing away some of the lingering heat.Gerald glanced around to make sure no one was nearby before leaning in and speaking softly to Luke. “Actually, I’ve seen it.”“Seen what?” Luke could not be bothered.Lowering his voice even further, Gerald whispered just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “I’ve seen you going into Ms. Craw’s room quite often.”Luke’s expression sharpened instantly. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.He had been so cautious. How had Gerald noticed? Was he bluffing?Luke narrowed his eyes and said nothing.His aura grew colder by the second.Gerald, sensing the rising tension, shrank back slightly and quickly added, “Relax, I’m not going to tell anyone. If I wanted to report you, I would’ve done it already.”Luke’s expression eased slightly.Gerald continued to reassure him, “I’m not one to meddle. Look, I haven’t said a word about you, and I even stood up for you during that whole thing