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
Wanda prepared breakfast early the next day. After breakfast, the driver sent her to the venue. Bianca would be taking her test at a famous economics college. Bianca could see that there were already a lot of people at the venue. It was an impressive scene. Most of the candidates were male, and there were relatively fewer females. Many candidates were reviewing their study material on the eve of the test, whether they were going through what they already knew or cramming last-minute. They seemed to be working hard. That was a regular sight at all test venues. Sean, the driver, was worried that an accident might happen to Bianca. He parked the car at the parking lot and accompanied Bianca to the venue. He did not want a repeat of the accident last time! No one dared to be careless when it came to the people closest to Luke! Many candidates crowded in front of a notice board to find their seating arrangement. Bianca's test location was at Classroom 302, on the third f
Julie noticed that Bianca was watching Luke make his speech. She leaned over and asked, "What are you watching, Bianca?" When she saw the handsome and gentlemanly Luke on the screen, her face lit up with admiration. "Wow, it's Luke Crawford, the rising star of A City! He's so handsome! That man is my idol. He has developed T Corporation from the ground up. That's a miraculous feat! My dream is to work in T Corporation as a regular wage-earner! Do you want to work at T Corporation too, Bianca? We should do our best in this test, get our architect certification, and apply to T Corporation! How about that?" Bianca could not stand Julie's chatter. She seemed like a lady when she kept her mouth shut, but once she started speaking, she was like a twittering sparrow. "Madam is already…" Sean wanted to explain on Bianca's behalf, but Bianca shot a glance at him. "I hope that we'll pass with flying colors," Bianca said. Julie nodded. She wanted to continue watching her idol on Bia
Bianca did not expect that Bella's seat was number 17. That instantly put her in a bad mood. It was already an uncanny coincidence that they were assigned to the same classroom, but consecutive seats too? She cursed her luck! The test was starting soon, and she did not have the time to be bothered about Bella. Bianca shot a glance at Julie, who was sitting diagonally opposite her. The young woman seemed to have noticed that, and she pumped her fist at Bianca as a show of encouragement. Bianca felt relieved when she saw that warm smile. Ring… The bell rang, and the invigilators gave out the test papers and answer sheets. Bianca wrote down her name on the answer sheet, then started to fill in her candidate number with a #2 pencil. After filling in her information, she checked it one more time before quickly browsing the contents of the test paper. She gained a brief understanding of the questions and started to answer them with a black ballpoint pen. It was an Enginee
Right after Bella finished speaking, the classroom instantly erupted in surprised exclamations! The architect certification test was a national test, and the consequences for cheating were harsh. Not only would the results of this test be annulled, but the candidate could not take any more technical certification tests for the next two years! In serious cases, the perpetrator would be criminally viable! The invigilators opened their eyes wide as they looked at Bianca! The other candidates also looked at Bianca differently. They did not expect that the beautiful and gentle pregnant woman would be cheating! The invigilator walked up next to Bianca and looked at Bella sternly. "What happened?" Bella pointed a finger at Bella and said maliciously, "Sir, I noticed that when she was tidying her answer sheets, a ball of paper fell out and landed under her chair. She must be cheating!" Then, her finger pointed to a spot below Bianca's chair. Everyone followed her finger and s
The man's voice on the other end of the phone was too attractive. Julie could not contain her happiness. She could feel her ovaries exploding. She thought that Bianca's husband must have been a perverted middle-aged man, but she had guessed wrong. The man's voice sounded even better than a certain prime-time news anchor she was obsessed with. Someone with such an attractive voice could not have been a middle-aged, potbellied tycoon. She tried to sound as calm as possible. "Nice to meet you. My name is Julie Anderson. I became friends with Bianca before the test. It's like this: Someone framed Bianca for cheating, and the invigilators brought her to the office for an investigation. She gave me your phone number to ask you for help, and that's why I gave you a call…" "Understood. I will show you my gratitude later!" After a pause of a few seconds, the phone call was abruptly cut off. "Um…" Julie wanted to continue hearing the man speak but did not expect that he instantly hun
The investigation in the office lasted until nighttime. However, the invigilators' attitude toward Bianca had improved a lot. Now, Julie was willing to be a witness for Bianca's innocence, and that had made Bianca feel less helpless. However, Bella remained insistent. "I don't care what she says, she has indeed cheated. I saw with my eyes that the ball of paper fell from her hands!" "I did not cheat, Sir." Right after Bianca finished speaking, Julie nodded. "I can testify for Bianca, Sir. She is telling the truth. I saw Bianca put her notes in her handbag. Bella saw that things were not going her way. She instantly shouted, "Sir, I believe that they are complicit with each other. They must be friends that have known each other for a long time, so she's willing to give a false statement to help Bianca!" Julie spoke to the invigilator in a serious tone. "No, Ms. Rayne and I knew each other earlier today, and we have never met before. I volunteer to speak out for her because
When Gerald heard this, his face fell. “Huh? Ms. Craw, you're not cooking anymore?”Luca said nothing. Luke had already left with the others. She turned her gaze back before walking inside.Gerald realized that Luca had only been cooking breakfast because of Lucius. The thought puzzled him. Had they taken a liking to each other from the very start? That did not seem right.In this fast-paced modern world, even if they had, using something as old-fashioned as cooking to win someone over did not add up.Still, the timing was too coincidental to ignore. Luca started cooking for everyone when Lucius arrived, and she stopped as soon as he left. That realization gave Gerald an eerie feeling.Thinking they might have known each other back on the island, it all suddenly made sense. Of course! They must have met before. How else could this all line up so perfectly?With that thought, Gerald quickly caught up with Luca. “Ms. Craw, my cooking is terrible. Why don’t you keep doing it?”
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