Shakira's words hit Queenie hard like a bomb, exploding instantly! The fragments penetrated deep into her heart, making her feel throbs of pain...Queenie thought she had misheard her. She grabbed Shakira's arm tightly, her pale face full of shock. "Shakira, what... What did you say?""I said your daughter is alive and well. She wasn't stillborn when you gave birth to her!" Shakira's arm hurt from Queenie's grip. She took in a cold breath and said bluntly, "Queen, would you please ease your grip? It hurts."Queenie let go of Shakira with a look of joy on her face, but then it quickly dimmed again. She mumbled in disbelief, "Impossible. My daughter can't possibly be alive. I gave birth to a stillborn baby! The baby was so stiff that she didn't have any warmth when I held her. I remember it clearly!"Queenie began to cry again at the mention of her biological daughter.Children were her armor and her weakness.Shakira took out a piece of tissue and wiped Queenie's tears. She said w
Bianca rested at home for a few more days and felt almost well enough to go back to work.She was bored out of her mind resting at home for so long.Technology was so advanced now that people could communicate with others through video calls without going to the office. However, if a person was separated from a group for too long, they would not only feel lonely but also out of place when they got back to work.Luke could not resist Bianca's repeated requests. His heart softened, and he relented when she repeatedly assured him that she would not tire herself out.Luke never had the heart to refuse anything Bianca requested.Bianca returned to work and clocked in as usual. As soon as she got to the Design Department's entrance, she came face to face with the cold and elegant Mavis."Good morning, Ms. Laviere," Bianca greeted her with a smile.Mavis glanced at Bianca, her gaze falling on her belly that was clearly showing. Her eyes did not seem to stir."Good morning, Ms. Rayne."
Soon, it was time to get off work.Thinking that he had not taken Bianca out for dinner for a long time, Luke drove Bianca to a fancy restaurant for dinner.Shakira ran the restaurant, and the dining environment here was excellent.The music from the melodious violin wafted through the entire space. The place overlooked the city’s scenic lake and one could admire the sight by the French windows. They also served a variety of delicacies.As they were regular customers she was familiar with, Shakira served them personally.She placed the last dish on the table and said happily, "Luke, what have you been up to all this time? I haven't seen you for a long time. I missed you."Although Shakira got along well with Queenie, she did not have much contact with Allison. However, she was very fond of Luke. Plus, her husband was close with Zachary, so she was naturally more attentive to Zachary's son.Shakira had watched Luke grow up, so to speak, and sometimes, she was even more like his m
Fortunately, Shakira was an agile person, and she was experienced with such situations. She managed to catch the plate before it hit the floor, thus averting disaster. However, what Bianca said earlier rang in Shakira's ears like a clap of thunder. 'Allison was married to Bianca's father, and she said that Bianca was her daughter? How is that possible 'Luke said that he had done a DNA test with Bianca, and it proved that they're not siblings! 'That has to be it. 'The two are not related by blood. 'However, It's undeniable that Allison used to be related to Bianca's father…' Shakira remembered very well that Allison only bore one child, who was Luke. Luke was Allison's tool to enter the Crawford household, but Old Master Crawford had not recognized Luke's status back then. He only wanted to wait for Susan to give birth to a legitimate Crawford child. Zachary did not have the authority in the family, and he dared not go against his father's wishes. The child was not abl
T Corporation. Bianca's daily life had been smooth-sailing. She did not encounter any obstacles at work or at home. She had discussed with Luke, and they decided to get their marriage certificate from the Civil Registry Office at the end of the month. Bianca was especially happy every time she remembered that she would be Luke's legally married wife soon. "Ms. Rayne…" Mavis's impassive voice resounded in the conference room. Mavis was glaring unhappily at the daydreaming Bianca. A hint of disgust flashed past her eyes. Nina pinched Bianca heavily! Bianca suddenly came to her senses and focused on her surroundings! She looked down the long conference table and noticed that all her colleagues were looking at her, including her boss Luke Crawford. Embarrassedly, Bianca smoothed her hair and sat up straight. "Yes, Ms. Laviere?" Bianca looked at Luke. He was sitting up straight in his seat with a serious expression on his face. To everyone else, he was stern and impassiv
Bianca looked carefully. Those "test papers" were A1-sized. They were a lot bigger than A4-sized paper. There were no grids or lines on those pieces of paper, but it was filled with neat handwriting. The handwriting was powerful and fluid, and it looked as though it was printed. "These are the main points and topics of the architect certification test. I believe that you'll be tested on these topics, so I did a summary for you. You'll definitely pass." Luke's resonant voice rang in Bianca's ears. He was confident of her passing the test. Bianca took those pieces of paper and glanced at them. The topics covered Engineering Economics and Engineering Management, which were the papers she would be sitting for tomorrow. All the main topics were succinctly covered, and it was even better than the notes from college professors. She understood everything at a glance. Bianca knew that Luke had always been an ace student. It was a good thing that an ace student was helping her. She
"Yes, Ms. Laviere. I know what I should do," Bella replied fawningly. Bella was a smart woman, and Mavis had made it obvious. She would be an idiot if she did not understand what her superior was trying to imply! So many people coveted the position of deputy general manager! There were so many talented people in the design department. Even Tom and Sue were just as capable as she was. If she were to rely on her capabilities alone, it would take her a few more years of hard work. She would have to come up with a scheme tomorrow so that Bianca would be forced to leave T Corporation! … At the hospital. Leia was dressed in a loose hospital gown and looked haggard. She stared blankly at the ceiling, and no one knew what she was thinking. She had not applied beauty cream to her face for a few days, and she had not been sleeping well. Her skin was not as smooth and tender as before, and it was a stark contrast to her beautiful and pure image on television. The nurses were e
After work, Bianca received a call from her aunt Wanda, saying that Old Master Rayne had been thinking of her. He also wondered about how Bianca's health had been, and he missed Lanie and Rainie. Bianca had been busy with work lately, not to mention that she had been stuck at her home for the past few months while her leg recovered. Her communication with her grandfather had been limited to phone and video calls. After hearing from her aunt, Bianca decided that she would visit her grandfather. She wanted to bring the twins along. However, it would be difficult. The twins were in Crawford Manor, and Luke was away on a business trip. Bianca knew that Old Master Crawford still had a negative impression of her, while Allison did not even want to talk to her. She would only be humiliating herself if she went there. … At home. Old Master Rayne was very excited when he saw Bianca. He asked her many questions, including questions about her health and why Luke did not come along.
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