The sun was setting. Luke drove a fishing boat on the surface of the sea. From afar, he could see a luxury cruise ship. The cruise ship was brilliantly lit. There was a party going on. He had been to such occasions before. He knew that people from the upper layers of society loved to host tacky events like those to flaunt their family's wealth. He narrowed his gaze and thought of an idea. Instantly, he abandoned the fishing boat, dove into the sea elegantly like a swordfish, and swam toward the cruise ship… In the VIP cabin of the cruise ship. A young and handsome man was dressed in the classic English style. His skin was more delicate than a female, and his deep blue eyes and sculpted mixed-blood features inspired romance. He stood tall and straight like a noble in front of the window, looking down at the hall while slightly frowning. He seemed like a gentleman, but his thin lips were slightly pressed together in disapproval. In front of him was Shanna, a sweet, ch
"Where do you think you're looking?" The man behind Anand spoke hoarsely, and his grip on Anand became tighter. Anand dared not look around, but he saw that the man had rolled up the sleeve of the arm that was pinning him. Terrifying scars crisscrossed the muscular arm. Anand suddenly remembered that Bianca's husband had been missing for two years. When he wanted to visit Bianca, she had rejected him, and he did not pursue the matter further. Where had Luke Crawford been in the past two years? What had he been through? No one would know. From what Anand could see, he could tell that Luke had been suffering. Otherwise, the wealthy and noble Luke would not have so many scars. Suddenly, a servant knocked on the cabin door. "Mr. Anand, were you quarreling with Ms. Shanna earlier? Madam wants you to meet her in the front hall…" Anand could feel something hard and tubular press into his waist. "Listen to me if you want to live. Tell her that you're occupied now." Luke's ton
When Bianca heard that voice, she felt an invisible hand grip her heart, and the pain caused her to tremble uncontrollably. Tears started to fall. "Luke… is that you? Is that really you, Luke?" The woman's stifled sobs were very soft. Like a wisp of smoke, it traveled through the phone and entered Luke's ear. It was as though he could see Bianca's crying face in front of him. Luke's heart wrenched, but he forced himself to stay calm. "Don't cry… It's me. I'm still alive. Listen to me. I'm in a risky situation now, and I can't contact you too often. Otherwise, you and the children will be in danger. I can't tell you too much now, but when I get home, I'll tell you what happened to me over the past two years…" Now, she was like a flower blooming under the sun, but he could only look at her from the shadows. He wanted to pluck that flower, but he could not risk exposing himself. Bianca wanted to stop crying, but she could not stop her tears. "Alright, we'll wait for your retur
Bianca dreamed of Luke that night. In the dream, they were lying on a meadow. The willow trees were sprouting, and the sun was gentle. Her face was buried in his chest. One hand was caressing his handsome face, immersed in the bliss of reunion, while the other hand was playfully punching him. She alternated between crying and laughing, asking him, "Where have you been for the past two years? Don't you know that I've almost lost my mind thinking about you?" He did not speak, but she could see her reflection in his clear eyes. His gaze was so gentle and profound that she could drown in it. He kissed her madly. "I miss you, Bianca, I miss you," he mumbled. Their limbs intertwined with each other. She could sense the warmth of his body. His soul belonged to her. Just when she was about to tear his clothes away, she felt her body suddenly sink, waking up from her dream. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of eyes as clear and profound as Luke's. Tommy sprawled mischievously
In the dining hall, the maid tore off a paper-thin mask from her face. Bianca had never seen the face below the mask before. She was shocked. "Who are you? What did you do to Mary?" Mary was the maid who personally attended to Bianca. "You can ask her that in hell!" The "maid" smiled sinisterly. With a wave of her hand, many strangers wielding machine guns rushed into the dining hall. Selena was shocked. She tried to hold off the intruders with her taekwondo skills while shouting to Bianca, "Run away with Tommy, Sis!" Naturally, bare fists were no match to guns. Soon, Selena was sprawled on the floor with a gun pointed at her head. "Selena!" Bianca cried out. She carried Tommy and tried to find a way out. "Mommy, Mommy…" Sensing danger, Tommy hugged Bianca's neck tightly and did not make a fuss. Bianca felt a muscular arm hold her by her beck, and the maid held a dagger to her face. The coldness of the blade made Bianca shudder. "You'd better listen to what I
The female assassin stuffed Bianca and Tommy into a car without a license plate. Bianca could feel that her heart was going to jump out of her chest when she felt the barrel of a gun press against her head. However, Tommy did not seem to be afraid at all. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the female assassin. He even pulled a funny face at her and reached out to touch the gun. "Do you have a death wish, you brat?" The female assassin said fiercely and pointed the gun at Tommy's head. Bianca hugged Tommy tightly and pressed his head onto her chest. "Don't harm my son. He's still young and doesn't know anything! Come at me if you're unhappy!" She did not know why Tommy was so bold. He was usually quite sensible and intelligent, but he seemed to have lost all sense of danger. The people around them were merciless assassins. What if they got angry? Tommy struggled and lifted his head. His handsome face flashed a cheeky grin at the female assassin. The little boy started
The snipers stationed at the higher ground were very accurate. They killed one person with every bullet they fired. Ray's men quickly dispatched the other assassins and began to clean up the scene. Ray walked up to Bianca. He frowned slightly when he saw the bloodstains on her delicate arm. "I'm sorry, Sis. I have been negligent. Fortunately, you're safe. Otherwise, I don't know what to tell Mr. Crawford." Bianca shook her head gently. "The blood belongs to someone else and not me. I'm fine. Tommy is also fine. Thank you, Ray." Ray could not help but be impressed when he saw the little boy in Bianca's arms smiling and waving. Any other child would have been reduced to tears after witnessing such a horrific scene. Tommy was not afraid at all. Ray believed that the boy would grow up to be an extraordinary man. "You were so cool when you got out of the car, Uncle Ray!" Tommy reached out with his meaty arms, wanting Ray to carry him. Ray took the little boy from Bianca's ar
Kassy lit another cigarette. Her expression was gloomy. Three separate forces were searching for Matthew. The first was the League of Shadows, the second was Ray's men, and the third was Percy Mallory, the leader of A City's criminal underworld. It was a race against time, and Kassy had to be faster than Ray and Percy. Otherwise, once he managed to escape from her clutches, it would be next to impossible to capture that crafty man again. "Ms. Kassy…" While Kassy was deep in thought, another subordinate rushed into the room excitedly. "We found Matthew's whereabouts." Kassy instantly stubbed out her cigarette and stood up. "Where is he?" "He is seen near a shopping mall in Arbat Street…" Before he could finish the sentence, Kassy was nowhere to be seen. … Late in the evening, in Moscow's famous pedestrian street. Luke walked among the crowd. He wore a pair of oversized sunglasses, and only his sculpted chin was seen. He glanced coldly at the black cars that surro
As Luca thought about it, she heard the volunteer exclaim, “With a wife like you, your husband must be so lucky and blessed.”Luca shook her head. To her, being cherished by Luke was a real blessing.“You’ve got it wrong. He’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”Luca had often wondered what her life would have been like without Luke.Perhaps she would have married Jean, only to watch his true nature slowly reveal itself. She would have struggled, eventually unable to endure it, and maybe even ended up divorced.It could be something worse. She might have been taken advantage of, lost all hope, and spiraled downward...Anything was possible.However, Luca knew that no matter what happened, life would not be as good as it was now without Luke.Though she remained under someone else’s control, and life on the Island of Despair was fraught with hardship, with Luke by her side, she felt an unshakable courage.A light laugh from the volunteer interrupted her thoughts.Luca
The volunteer did not mind. As long as it meant he could recover, he was willing to endure any pain. “It's okay. I can handle it.”Luca nodded.The door to the vehicle opened, and a man stepped inside. Due to the lack of sterilization, he did not dare approach the inner part of the vehicle. Instead, he placed several bottles of saline on the outside.“This is the saline that Mr. Shanks prepared. He asked you to inject it when you can,” the man relayed Shanks' message.“Got it.” Luca reached out to take the bottles. After thoroughly disinfecting them, she brought them inside.It was more complicated than being in a hospital.Since the volunteer's body was still weak. They had to maintain as sterile an environment as possible.However, it still fell short of the ICU's standard.Luca stayed with the volunteer until evening. Gerald stood outside the medical vehicle and called, “Ms. Craw, it's time for dinner.”Luca took off her protective gear and stepped outside.“Ms. Craw, di
“Don’t worry, it won’t affect you in the slightest,” said Abel.The villa was bought under Shanks’ name.So while it appeared to be the Island of Despair’s property, it was, in fact, Shanks’ personal asset.Abel shot a glance at his subordinates, who stood beside him. Without hesitation, they grabbed the doctor and hauled him away.As Hera watched the scene unfold, she felt a sudden pang of unease. She was well aware of Abel's methods. Punishment was never off the table. However, seeing the way things were unfolding, Hera could not shake the feeling that Abel might actually take the doctor’s life.Still, they were in A City, a country with strict laws. Would Abel really go that far?As Abel turned to leave, Hera said almost nervously, “Darling…”“I have some matters to take care of. Be good and stay here. Don’t wander around, okay?” Abel’s mood was apparently lifted by the successful surgery. His voice was unexpectedly gentle.Hera’s unease only deepened. She grabbed the slee
All three of them stepped out of the vehicle.Hera realized that the surgery might already be over and could not wait to hear the results.Abel, equally eager, immediately asked as soon as he saw them, “Is the surgery finished?”“Yes, the surgery was successful. The transplant was completed, and all the nerves we could connect have been repaired. Now, it’s up to the follow-up treatment,” answered Shanks.The doctor who had been kicked out earlier stared in disbelief.They actually succeeded in the transplant? How was that even possible?“Great, fantastic!” Abel let out a sigh of relief before bursting into laughter.What had seemed impossible in modern medicine had achieved a different outcome in Shanks’ hands.Unlike others who might celebrate the medical breakthrough, Abel’s joy came from a more personal place—Kassy would soon return to his side. His delight was unmistakable.“T-This can’t be!” muttered the dismissed doctor, who was still in shock. “A surgery this revoluti
After returning to her room, Luca told Luke about the surgery that day.She explained that she had not been able to participate in the operation and was uncertain if Abel would prevent her from being involved in the future. If she was not allowed to take part, she might lose her excuse to stay here. Also, she would not be able to help with what was to come.Luke replied to her message quickly, assuring her that everything was already planned out and she did not need to worry.Luca frowned slightly as she read his message. She wanted to ask about his plan but hesitated for a moment and decided against it. Knowing too much about Luke's men might backfire.Luca deleted their chat history but soon received another message from him.He told her that T Corporation had successfully won the bid and that he had already found someone to replace Lucius’ role.Luca let out a sigh of relief. Finding a replacement for Lucius meant that he was out of danger for now. The worry that had been we
However, Abel was not fooled by her words.He asked again, “Who are you looking for?”“Oh, I'm looking for Gerald. I've noticed that most people are here, but Gerald is missing, so I was just curious,” Hera replied honestly, knowing that Abel was naturally suspicious.“I’m starting to feel like you’ve become quite close with Gerald recently,” Abel asked suspiciously.Hera froze for a moment, then laughed and explained, “I often ask him to help with little things. He might not have many qualities, but he’s pretty diligent.”Abel did not respond right away, as though he was considering her words carefully.Hera lowered her voice and teased, “What's the matter? Are you jealous?”Before he could answer, she quickly added, “You’re so outstanding. How could I ever be interested in some ordinary man?”As soon as she said that, a flicker of unease crossed her mind.Abel was far superior to Lucius in looks and wealth. However, she seemed to be more drawn to Lucius.Despite her actions
For Shanks, no matter how skilled the two ophthalmologists were, they could not compare to Luca. The key was their smooth coordination. They were used to working together. If it were other doctors, they would probably start asking questions once they entered the operating room, making it impossible for Shanks to focus and perform the surgery calmly.Shanks believed this was a groundbreaking procedure, not just another teaching surgery for ophthalmologists.Abel understood Shanks’ concerns, but he still insisted, “They’re not just any doctors. They’ve signed agreements, and they won’t interrupt you with questions during the surgery. They’ll cooperate fully.”As Luca listened to Abel, she realized what he was really worried about. Besides the risk of the surgery failing, he was not confident in her.This surgery was important, and Abel was worried she might sabotage it in the operating room.Shanks furrowed his brows and looked at Luca.Luca gave him a faint smile. Whether or not
As Gerald shook his head furiously, it was not difficult for Luca to figure out what was going on.She glanced at Hera's irritation and figured it all stemmed from Luke being reassigned. Not being able to see him was clearly driving her to act like this.Luca secretly let out a sigh. They said women were the cause of trouble, but honestly, men could just be the same.Even with Luke disguised as an ordinary man, his cold and commanding air still captivated Hera.She glanced at the bowl nearby. The food Gerald brought Hera was barely touched.It seemed like she was so consumed with thoughts of Luke that she had lost her appetite...Luca’s expression remained unchanged. She was long accustomed to keeping her emotions in check around others.“Ms. Sanchez, you’ve misunderstood. I’m not close with Mr. Lucius, so I don’t have his contact information.” Luca kept her face impassive.“You’re lying!” Hera narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You’re so close to him. How could you not have it?”
As soon as Luca returned to her bedroom after dinner, she received a video call request from the kids.It had been a long time since she last saw them. When she saw the call request, she locked the door, put on her headphones, and immediately answered.“Ms. Luca!” As soon as the call connected, the faces of all three kids appeared on the phone screen.“Sweethearts!” Luca blew them a kiss.“Ms. Luca, we miss you so much!” Tommy was the first to express how much they missed Luca.Luca's heart stirred with waves of longing when she heard them. She had been so busy recently, hoping to finish everything here quickly so that she and Luke could reunite with the kids. That was why she had not contacted them much.Plus, with Old Master Crawford taking care of them, she felt at ease.Now that Luca saw the faces of the three kids, her longing for them instantly surged and overwhelmed her.Her eyes reddened. “I miss you all so much too.”Rainie, always the thoughtful one, noticed her em