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
After the people from the Norman family left, the media reporters flocked to Luke. They bombarded him with questions, and their cameras did not stop flashing! "Mr. Crawford, will the cancellation of the engagement today negatively affect the relationship between the Crawford and the Norman families?" "Mr. Crawford, it goes without saying that you are the perfect match for Ms. Norman. What is the real reason for the cancellation of the engagement?" "Mr. Crawford, T Corporation will be launching a series of products soon. Aren't you worried that the cancellation might affect its sales?" The reporters shoved their microphones in Luke's face. Their cameras accurately captured his expression. Luke loosened his tie, and his Adam's apple moved. The impatience on his sculpted face was evident. His grandfather had passed out. He was not in the mood to deal with all the reporters. He shot an icy gaze toward the reporters that were taking his photos. Instantly, everyone fell silen
Luke faced the people from the Public Integrity Committee with an indifferent expression. He loosened his tie and ignored them. A group of bodyguards surrounded him and prepared to escort him away. "Hold it right there, Mr. Crawford! You are suspected to be involved in a major bribery case. Please cooperate with us and follow us back to the headquarters for investigation." Amid the tumult, a young officer squeezed past the crowd and stood in Luke's way. Jason was standing next to Luke. He wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and smiled gently, but the words that came out of his mouth were a stark contrast to his expression. "Mind your words, Sir. Mr. Crawford has always been honest in his dealings, and slander is a serious crime." Jason quickly sized up the officer from the Public Integrity Committee. He seemed young, perhaps in his mid-twenties, and he had a round and plump face. Jason could tell that he was a new recruit. He could not help but be impressed by how that new
In the hospital. "Unforgivable! This is unforgivable!" Right after Old Master Crawford came to, he saw that every channel on the television was reporting negatively on his grandson. He was so angry that he flung the bowl of medicine that the nurse brought in. The black liquid splashed all over the floor. The nurse stood there stiffly and helplessly, not sure what to do. "You've just woken up, Father. The doctor said that you shouldn't be emotionally agitated…" Susan was trying her best to comfort his father-in-law, but she was laughing up her sleeve. Her decades-long existence in the Crawford family was fraught with misery. She blamed Old Master Crawford for not controlling his son. If Old Master Crawford had been strict with Zachary, he would not have been so brazen to bring Allison back home. What was worse than accepting Allison into the family was that the old man had allowed that b*stard child to take over the family business. Luke's control over T Corporation was
The setting sun was like a burning flame, shrouding the lake surface with color and lighting up the mansion like the scene of a dream. Bianca sat peacefully next to the artificial lake, resting her cheek on her hands. She felt bored as she looked at the fish swimming in the lake. The nurse quietly stood by her side. A string of footsteps walking toward Bianca broke the silence. Bianca saw Luke walking toward her while facing away from the sun. She smiled happily, but her tone was doubtful. "Why are you back so early?" Bianca knew that Luke had been very busy lately. He would usually come home almost close to midnight, and sometimes he would reek of alcohol because of the business dinners he had to attend. She felt sorry for him. The nurse nodded politely when she saw her employer approach. Then, she discreetly went away and gave the space to the lovers. Luke walked in front of Bianca's rattan chair and sat down. He loved to hug her in his arms. He thought that it was an
Sophian was also shaken by the events of the day. If Luke had not returned just in time, she did not know how long the fight between the two would have lasted. As Sophian thought about Luke, admiration showed in her eyes. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him, making her lose focus and become careless with what she was doing.“Ouch! Are you trying to kill me?” Allison winced as she clutched her face. Her hand instinctively shot up.Sophian came back to her senses and quickly moved away. “Sorry, Madam Allison, I’m so sorry!”Allison’s slap did not land, but her anger was evident. “What are you doing? Are you trying to hurt me?”“No, Madam Allison, I was just lost in thought and didn’t pay attention…” Sophian stammered, terrified of Allison’s strength.Allison's strength was immense! If Sophian took a slap from her, it would probably hurt for days. What worried her most was that Luke would see it, and it would ruin the impression he had of her.Allison noticed the lingering
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