As night fell, Luke drove back to Crawford Manor. When he stepped into the living room, he saw his mother and Maxine sitting on the couch, chatting and laughing. There was a hint of displeasure in Luke's eyes, but he did not say anything. Instead, he quickly stepped around them and headed toward the stairs. Old Master Crawford noticed his grandson and stopped him from leaving. "Why are you back so early today, Luke?" Luke stopped walking and nodded toward his grandfather. "I'm here to pick up a few things, and I'll be leaving soon." "Mother," he greeted Allison coldly. He did not even look at Maxine sitting next to his mother. Allison was disgruntled when her son barely noticed her, but she was angry when he totally ignored Maxine. Maxine's face flashed with awkwardness, but she did not say anything. The caretaker came into the living room and told Old Master Crawford, "Dinner is ready, Sir." Allison immediately said, "It's rare that you come back, my son. How about you
Bianca's heart was beating wildly. She had the urge to run out of the door. Her anxiety reached a maximum as she saw the office door that opened suddenly. Many scenes from horror movies flashed past her mind. A lot of ghost stories happened in offices around midnight. Was she going to encounter one in real life? Bianca began to regret not leaving the office sooner. Why must she stay in the office alone to work overtime? The footsteps got closer and closer, and she trembled more and more violently… A handsome and graceful figure appeared in front of her. The man was dressed in a light-colored suit that made him look like a model. The sculpted features and profound gaze made him look like a marquis in an oil painting. That person was none other than Luke Crawford. Bianca heaved a sigh of relief. She opened her eyes wide in surprise. "Why did you come here?" She knew that Luke was a workaholic. Most of the time, he would get off work later than her. Why did he have the tim
Despite the chilly weather in the night, Luke broke out in a cold sweat when he could not see Bianca. He parked the car by the roadside, and his sharp gaze pierced every dark corner. He thought of many horrifying possibilities. Could someone have abducted her? After all, Wayne Blatt had not been brought to justice. That man would do anything, now that he was forced into a dead end! Luke hurriedly took out his phone and began to dial her number. He did not want Bianca to follow him to the basement parking lot because the place was not well-ventilated. He did not expect her to disappear after leaving her alone for a short while… Luke had just dialed her number when he noticed a frail figure appear at the entrance of the office building. It was Bianca. Luke dashed up to Bianca and hugged her tightly. "Where were you? Why didn't you wait for me?" He roared. He hugged her so tightly as though he wanted to fuse her body with his. Bianca could feel that Luke's body was sha
The moment Bianca saw the notification, she immediately clicked on it. Her mood instantly came crashing down when she read the contents of it! The Galleria was regarded as one of the most well-known department stores owned by T Corporation. They had more than 400 stores, and because of their excellent locations and high-end interior, they had tens of thousands of customers every day. The annual turnover exceeded 100 million dollars. How did it suddenly collapse? The media had eyes everywhere. With such a major accident involving the Galleria, even if T Corporation immediately dispatched their public relations team to deal with the issue, it was impossible to suppress this news.Bianca froze. She called Luke and wanted to ask about the situation, but no one picked up the call. She assumed that he was in an emergency meeting with the management team. One thing that frightened her the most was that there was an unread message on her phone from Rainie. Raini
Many people were crowded in front of the site of the accident, and everyone looked somber. Bianca pushed through the crowd and stared at the ruins of what was left of The Galleria. It was a sea of red under the rubble. The paramedics carried the little girl on the stretcher and placed her on the flat ground. Blood was still flowing, staining the white cloth... Bianca could not see the girl’s face because she was covered with a white cloth, but the little girl seemed to have two pigtails... Judging from her figure, age, and hair, it seemed to fit Rainie's description. Bianca covered her mouth and kept shaking her head desperately, forcing herself not to cry. ‘No, nothing bad would’ve happened to Rainie!’ Rainie was so well-behaved and sensible. She would not leave her just like that! "Rainie, tell Mommy that it’s not you, okay? You told me in the morning that you were going to bring home a bouquet of roses for me. I’ll wait for you to come home… Y
Bianca hurriedly tied up her messy hair and hurriedly left the site, intending to rush to T Corporation. Her eyes were red and swollen, while her black suit was stained with sand, mud, and debris. However, Bianca, who had always been obsessed with cleanliness, could not be bothered to clean herself up now. She was hoping to get a ride to T Corporation. The weather in September was unpredictable as it changed as it pleased. The sun was still shining a moment ago, but the wind suddenly turned violent and stormy clouds followed. The thunder rumbled, and torrential rain pattered against the windows. The rain fell ceaselessly, and the dark sky seemed like it was going to burst at any second. The wind carried the rain while the rain urged the wind like they were chasing one another in a competition. The city was covered by a misty curtain of rain. The weather was already terrible, and because of the accident at The Galleria, there was heavy traffic on the
Bianca’s tears looked like beads of pearls that fell from the corner of Bianca's eyes. Luke leaned over and gently kissed the teardrops at the corner of her eye as he said, "It's okay, I’ll take care of this. I’ve gone through so many life-and-death situations. This won’t knock me down. The worst-case scenario is that I’ll have to start over from scratch. If I become a pauper, you won't look down on me, will you?" Bianca's tears were salty and bitter. He knew that she was worried about him. His woman had always been strong, and her tears at that moment contained fragility, helplessness, and her concern for him. Bianca’s lips were trembling as she grabbed his arm fiercely, saying, "Luke, I'm serious. How are you still in the mood to joke around?" Luke lowered his head and kissed her from the corner of her eye to her lips. "Silly, no matter how terrible the storms are, as long as you’re by my side, nothing else matters. Trust me." His sexy thin lips were lik
Minimal light shone through the dark tomb. The only thing visible was the body of the tall and fierce figure that was seemingly shrouded in spots of light. It was rather peculiar. The man's voice was hoarse like a ghoul’s. "All of the evidence in The Galleria has been destroyed?" The thin but capable subordinate smiled slyly, answering, "Of course, Boss. We’ve been with you for so many years, don't you trust my capabilities? Before choosing to target The Galleria, I did my research and studied hundreds of internal structure diagrams of the commercial buildings under T Corporation. None of them had any major problems, so it was not easy at first. However, during the investigation process, I found a flaw in The Galleria. The Galleria has a flat structure, which has many advantages, but it’s extremely sensitive and the planning must be precise. The initial chief architect of The Galleria was Wesley Jacobson but he suffered a myocardial infarction and passed away halfway through
Lucius was different.He did not care about getting close to anyone, whether man or woman. Even when Hera’s attempts to seduce him were blatantly obvious, he still remained unmoved and even showed signs of rejection.Gerald could not help but marvel at Luca’s sharp observations and incisive remarks. He could not help but clap his hands lightly, genuinely impressed.“Lucius truly is exceptional,” said Gerald.Luca came downstairs.When she took the last step off the stairs, the men in the living room immediately fell silent.They held their breath as they watched the woman in front of them. Her hair was straight, not like their boss' companion.The men's gazes grew intense.Luca’s expression darkened.Gerald stood beside her and said, “See, I told you—you’re like a piece of meat dropped into a pack of wolves. Be careful.”One of the men heard Gerald and asked unhappily, “Hey, kid, what are you saying? What wolves? We’re gentlemen. We’d never dream of doing anything inappropr
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