Leia could not accept that horrible fact. She instantly went to the best hospital to confirm if she was really pregnant. 'What if the pregnancy test kit is faulty?' She remained hopeful. 'What if I'm not really pregnant?' She rushed into the VIP wing of the hospital wearing a mask and an oversized pair of sunglasses. The nurse took a urine and blood sample for the hCG test. Half an hour later, the head of the obstetrics department read Leia's test report carefully. "You are pregnant, Ms. Norman. The baby is thirty-six days old," she announced formally. "That's… that's impossible! I can't be pregnant!" Leia shrieked and covered her mouth. She felt her blood turning cold. "Your urine and blood tests both show that you are pregnant, Ms. Norman. It is almost impossible that both tests are wrong. Do you want to carry the child to term?" The doctor did not know how else she should explain it to Leia. Leia was already an adult. If she did not want a child, she could have taken
Leia stepped out of the hospital entrance and hurried over to the parking lot. She did not want to be late. After all, her father had summoned her back home, and she dared not disobey him. She had just fastened her seatbelt when she realized that the pregnancy test report was missing. She must have accidentally dropped it when she bumped into that young woman earlier! Leia's head spun. She wanted to go back up to collect it, but there were so many people in the hospital, and someone might have already taken it. Moreover, if Xavier had picked it up, he must have already seen it. There were so many people with the same name in the world. Even if Xavier had seen it, he might not guess that it was her. Even if Xavier guessed that it was indeed her, all she had to do was not admit it. Leia breathed a sigh of relief after thinking of that. She started the car and left the hospital. She tuned in to a radio station, hoping to lighten the mood by listening to some music. There
Jack paused for a moment as he looked at Leia's pathetic demeanor. "Are you still trying to deny what you've done, despite all the evidence that's been laid bare in front of you? If you've been honest with me right from the start, I wouldn't have been so angry. Do you think that I'm an idiot?" Jack had to admit that the mountain of evidence presented to him was true. He was stunned when he first saw the evidence. He could not believe that his "considerate" daughter could be so ruthless in private. It took him a long time to accept it. Tears swished in Leia's eyes. Her back was straight, but her chest was heaving. "I only have one question for you, Dad. In all my years in the Norman household, have you ever treated me as your daughter? You've always been cold to me, and I can never figure out what you're thinking. You don't seem to like me no matter what I do to gain your favor. I thought that it's just how your personality is, but the truth is cruel to me… "Ever since Bianca
Jack calmly kept away the stamp pad and the documents. Queenie happened to step into the study as he locked the drawer. Leia remained kneeling on the floor, staring vacantly at her father's actions. How she wished that she could spit fire from her eyes to burn those documents into ashes! Fortunately, her mother came back just in time. Her father would not give her a hard time. Queenie's smiling face sank drastically when she saw her daughter kneeling on the floor while sobbing as though she was punished. She hurriedly rushed up to Leia and helped her up. "Why are you kneeling on the floor, Leia? The floor is so cold. Get up!" Leia stubbornly remained kneeling, her frail body swaying as though she was a dying flower, and shook her head at her mother. "I should be punished for my mistakes, Mom. Dad is right to punish me." When Queenie heard that, she dragged Leia from the floor and glared at her husband. "Why did you have to make her kneel if she did something wrong? You co
Other than giving the families of the victims a huge sum of money as compensation, Luke Crawford, the CEO of T Corporation, made a personal promise that he would grant a job for anyone from the victims' immediate family. If there were any elderly dependents, Luke also promised that T Corporation would support them with their living expenses for the rest of their lives. The families of the victims were incredibly grateful for Luke's generous measures. T Corporation had resolved its crisis, and its share prices continued to rise. The companies that had severed ties with T Corporation during its crisis regretted doing so, but it was already too late. However, the collapse of The Galleria was a serious incident. Even though T Corporation was innocent, the police arrested eighteen people, including the contractor, the general manager of the management company, and the construction company. The head architect of The Galleria was investigated by the Public Integrity Committee, and T C
Wanda had been undergoing a naturopathic treatment procedure for her breast cancer. She took bitter herbal tonics every day, and her health slowly improved. She was happy that she did not have to remove her breasts. One day, she came over to the mansion to visit Bianca and Old Master Rayne. Bianca was giving some pointers on oil painting to her aunt in the studio. On the walls of the studio were an assortment of paintings done in different styles. The paintings were beautiful. Bianca had painted most of them during her free time. She mixed some oil paints on the palette while explaining the theory behind oil painting to her aunt. "Painting with oils is very different from painting with watercolors, Aunt Wanda. "When you paint with watercolors, you treat the paper as part of your process. Even if you leave certain parts unpainted, it can still be a completed piece. On the other hand, oil painting emphasizes shape and color. You'll have to fill in every square inch of your c
The next three months passed in the blink of an eye. The growth of Brilliant Architectural Design LLC, Bianca's company, was on track. Other than her, Sue and Nina were also in the company. Bianca's designs were spectacular, and she treated every client with equal respect. Moreover, she remained in contact with many clients from the time she was the CEO of T Corporation, and Sue and Nina had many contacts of their own. The company was swamped by projects ever since it started operating. The company made a profit in less than three months of operation, and it had to hire new employees to keep up with the workload. Bianca and Nina went to a few prestigious academies to scout for prospective employees. TO their disappointment, most of the graduates were boastful with their abilities, and they demanded a high salary despite having no work experience. She posted job listings on several recruitment websites to hire some experienced employees. While Bianca was working in her offic
Bianca walked up to Nina and gently patted her back. "Hey, it's time to go home, you workaholic. Let me treat you to supper." Nina put her pen down, tidied up the scattered pieces of paper on her desk, and smiled gently. "No, thanks. I'll have to rush home later. My mom called me earlier and said that she's fallen sick. I'd better go home soon. Otherwise, she'll be yelling at me again." Bianca was worried when she saw that Nina's complexion was pale. "Should I go with you?" She knew that Anna, Nina's mother, had always abused Nina. Anna's abuse was not so flagrant. Even since Jean was sent to prison, Anna's character seemed to have changed totally. She had become a leech that sucked Nina's blood. Nina declined. "It's fine. I can manage it. My mom is still very prejudiced against you. I don't think it's a good idea that you show up." Jean was sentenced to six years in prison because he had plotted to harm Bianca. He was still in prison. Bianca was silent. She remembered ho
The men in the room were wincing in pain, but when they heard Gerald’s words, they were so furious they almost wanted to lash out at him. However, all their strength had been sapped by the excruciating pain, so they could only groan helplessly.As Shanks made his way upstairs, he paused halfway up the staircase and asked, “Is Luca cooking?”Gerald glanced at the kitchen and replied, “Yes, Mr. Shanks. It’s their fault. Ms. Craw was delayed in making dinner because of them.”Shanks' expression remained unchanged as he simply said, “Let me know when it's ready.”“Yes,” answered Gerald.After Shanks went upstairs, Gerald hesitated for a moment but decided to help the men to their feet, placing them one by one on the couch or chairs. As they slouched, groaning in pain, Gerald shook his head. “Do you guys now understand what happens when you mess with the wrong woman, especially Ms. Craw?”One of the men winced and asked, “Why did she have to be so brutal when throwing down?”“She
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