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.
Wanda did not want Bianca to notice that something was wrong with her. She quickly pinched her nose to stop the blood from flowing while she brought the spatula under the tap to wash away the bloodstains. Her movements were natural and agile, as though she was used to it. She thought that it was fortunate that the blood did not drip into the pan and that her back was facing Bianca at the moment. The scene at the hospital replayed in Wanda's mind. "Mdm. Rayne, your immune system is getting weaker, and you need to be hospitalized for chemotherapy as soon as possible. If you delay it, you'll only be causing more damage to your body, and the chances of you recovering will be lower." "I don't want chemotherapy, Doctor. Are there any less intrusive methods of treatment? I don't mind taking medication too, as long as I can maintain my basic bodily functions," Wanda asked. She knew the side effects of chemotherapy. Other than nausea, vomiting, and lethargy, she would also have to l
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