"You can’t pick up the phone the way you are now." Allison did not need to look to guess who was calling.Bianca lowered her head as her tears continued to flow out."Come on, wipe your tears and follow me." Allison could not say anything comforting. She took out tissues and handed them to Bianca as if it was the best thing she could do.Bianca rejected the two tissues Allison was giving her. She took another deep breath, wiped the tears from her face, and walked into the hospital.A sad person who kept crying while they walked in the hospital would attract a lot of people's attention, but they would not stare because sad people were aplenty in a place like that.The elevators in the hospital were not busy in the afternoon.Soon, Bianca arrived at the floor where her dad was hospitalized."I need to go to the bathroom."She knew she had to take into account her dad's feelings and not let him see her embarrassed and sad.Allison stood silently at the bathroom door, waiting.Bi
"Your friend gave me her key." Luke explained how he got the key in his hand.Bianca glanced at him to signify that she understood, but her eyes were still red and swollen from crying.Luke suddenly took two steps toward her to check what was going on with her. However, when he saw that she was frightened by him approaching, he took several steps back.It was clear that she was dodging him instinctively.Luke did not know why she was avoiding him.He carefully recalled that she did not reject the hot kiss when he leaned on her body in front of the car before going to bed when they were still in the small town last night. In fact, she was receptive most times and responded enthusiastically.Since they were in the car with the old man in the morning, he did not talk much with her due to the old man's presence. However, when they were conversing normally, she did not show such an alienated attitude toward him.It only started in the afternoon when he tried calling her but she did n
Luke could not tell what Bianca was thinking. That feeling made him panic because he had hoped that they were able to know what each other was thinking in their relationship."Come here," he said those two words softly as he stretched out his arms and pulled her into his embrace.The moment the man’s big hand touched Bianca's back, she shuddered. Each distinct finger of his was like a soldering iron that burnt her skin."Let go, don't hug me..." Bianca said tiredly and hoarsely.The woman in his arms had lost all her strength to break free.Luke hugged her even more tightly. His thin lips started from her forehead and kissed down inch by inch, sliding across her cheeks and finding her lips…When both of their lips touched, Bianca cried out loud.Luke stopped all of his movements as his body stiffened. She felt his hot and rapid breath on her lips."If you do this again, I will disappear completely from your sight from tomorrow onward." Bianca threatened.She was cornered.Luk
After going to the hospital in the morning, Bianca went to work at T Corporation.She received a call from Allison at noon."Did you know that Luke is in a horrible mood right now?”"I didn't know." Bianca did not like hearing Allison's voice even if the woman was her biological mother.Allison lowered her voice and reminded again. "I hope you can understand which one is more serious. Breaking up with Luke will cause him more than a few months of pain, but if you tell him the truth, I'm afraid the pain will last a lifetime."Bianca said mockingly, "I don’t know whether Luke should feel lucky or sad to have a mother like you.”After Bianca said that, she hung up and placed her phone heavily on the desk.Sue, who saw everything from the side, was sensitive on the matter and knew that Bianca was in a bad mood.Bianca got up and went to print a document.As she stood in front of the printer, she thought painfully about how Allison could be her biological mother. No matter how cold
Luke quickly rushed from the office to the neighborhood where Bianca and her grandpa lived.The black Range Rover stopped at the gate of the neighborhood. As soon as he got out of the car, his sharp-eyed subordinate came to report to the tall man. "Mr. Crawford, the people have been contained and the car has been towed away.""Good job," Luke said those two words indifferently and walked toward the frightened old man.The person behind him did not follow him. After reporting, he was not sure what to do next.The police took away the two scar-faced men. The traffic police department had also ordered a tow truck to tow away the already broken car. However, the crowd from the neighborhood were still excited and surrounded the old man.Luke walked up to the old man, helped him up, and said, "Grandpa, everything’s settled.”"Sorry about the trouble… I couldn’t get through Bea's phone so that group of people called you…” Grandpa was extremely sorry and out of breath. He kept thinking a
Bianca did not expect that Luke would take the two little kids to watch a movie like Life.Even though she had never watched it, she had seen several of her colleagues and ex-classmates posting about it, saying how some parts of the film were scary and bloody. Some even called it disgusting.Bianca glanced at Luke and said nothing. She had the little kid in her arms and went into the manor with her head down.Rainie laid on Aunt Bea's shoulder, but she seemed to be able to sense it when she passed by her dad. She raised her head to stick her tongue out at her dad.Luke, "..."Allison stood on the balcony on the second floor, looking at the scene at the main entrance downstairs with an ugly expression.‘Didn't I tell her to stay away from Luke? Why is she here? Isn’t she ashamed of herself?‘She’s acting like they’re a family of three!’After getting angry, Allison sorted the expression on her face and went downstairs.The two old men in the garden also saw the scene at the doo
Luke had been thinking about something else just now and did not focus on playing with his children. However, he knew that if he stayed close to his daughter, he would definitely meet Bianca.Bianca walked over and flashed a look at Luke. Then, she crouched down to wipe the tears from the little kid's face.Rainie laid on Bianca again.Bianca picked the child up and coaxed her. When she turned around and saw a complicated look on Luke’s face, she could not help but say, "If you don't know how to play with kids, you can do other things."The two kids were about the same age as her kids.Bianca hoped that her kids were not being treated that way by a father like him.Luke stood by the side with a calm expression. He looked at his daughter's face that looked similar to Bianca’s. He said in a daze, "Who are you to tell me how to be a dad? An outsider might even think that you’re the mother of my children.”"..."Bianca glanced at the man swiftly.At dinner.The two old men took t
Jean walked out of his room and went to eat.Nina also went out with him. She told him that she was going to wash her hands in the bathroom first. After she made sure her brother was sitting at the dining table, she tiptoed into her brother's room again.She picked up the laptop bag and fiddled with it for a while. However, she realized that the lock could not be opened without the passcode.The material of the computer bag was special. It was not made of normal fabric and could not be cut open with scissors."Sneaky man. I wonder what horrible things he’s up to." Nina was so angry that she wanted to smash his laptop....Nighttime had fallen.The black Range Rover slowly drove on the street that had surging traffic.Luke drove intently. He was wearing a black suit and white shirt which seemed to make his serious and distant expression look even colder.The first impression the man gave was always indifference.Bianca sat quietly in the passenger seat."Do you mind if I smok
“You don’t like eating outside food, do you?” Luca thought that preparing breakfast and dinner for him was not a big deal.Besides, the main point was that Luke did not like eating out. He always felt the taste was off and lacked nutrition.“Actually, it’s not that I don’t like eating out. It's just that all the food outside tastes the same to me.” Luke gently squeezed her hand.“Hey, focus on driving.” Luca chuckled.Luke withdrew his hand and returned it to the steering wheel. “With that woman around, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to cook. Are you really going to make breakfast for them too?”If that happened, it would defeat the purpose of his plan.Luca thought for a moment. She did not mind ignoring Sophian, but if she cooked for Luke and not for Allison, that might not sit well with her. Allison could easily make a fuss over even the smallest details. “So, should we just eat out for breakfast and dinner from now on?”“Yes.” Luke did not mind.It did not matter where t
“Something I like?” Luca laughed. “What could that be?”“You’ll find out when we get there.” Luke kept it mysterious.“Alright then, I’ll wait for your surprise, Mr. Crawford.” Luca was in good spirits without letting family issues dampen her mood. Therefore, she video-called the kids.Luca dialed Mr. Griffin’s number.After Mr. Griffin answered the call, he handed the phone to Lanie. “Young Master Lanie, Ms. Craw wants to talk to you.”“Thank you, Mr. Griffin.” Lanie took the phone and pressed ‘accept’.Luca positioned the camera to include both her and Luke. She waved at the screen. “Lanie, Rainie, Tommy, what are you all doing?”“Lanie! Lanie, I want to talk to Ms. Luca!” Tommy waved excitedly at the camera, eager to take the phone.Lanie handed it to him. “Go on, tell Daddy and Ms. Luca about your good news.”Luca smiled and asked with curiosity. “Good news?”“Daddy, Ms. Luca, I made it to the next level in the math competition! The finals are this Saturday!” Tommy said e
“Why are you being so slow?” Allison was irritated. She shoved the products into Sophian’s hands.“I told you to use them, so just use them.” Allison ran out of patience. After urging Sophian, she lay back down.Sophian had no choice but to follow her instructions and poured out some product. The texture of the product in her palm made her pause for a moment. It was incredibly moisturizing!She gently patted it onto Allison's face and noticed the area she touched felt just as smooth.Allison let out a content sigh. “This essence is really soothing.”Even though Sophian was still worried about potential side effects, she could not help but admire the instant hydrating effect. She asked in a low voice, “Madam Allison, is this really developed by that woman?”She could not believe that Luca had such skills and wondered if the essence had just been repackaged into another bottle and sold as her own creation.“That's what she says,” replied Allison. “But she's into pharmaceuticals, s
After agreeing to become the maid, Sophian’s excitement gradually turned into anxiety.The villa was so large. Could she really handle all the tasks a maid was supposed to do?As she thought about it, she accidentally left the bread in the toaster for too long. After serving it to Allison, she was scolded.“What’s this? It’s just a slice of toast. How could you burn it like this? How am I supposed to eat it?” Allison was clearly displeased.Sophian awkwardly explained, “Madam Allison, this is my first time using this toaster. I didn’t quite get the temperature right...”Allison was about to keep complaining but paused for a moment, remembering that Sophian was the one she had brought in to be the maid. Now, she was the only one who could make breakfast for her. She disdainfully tore off the burnt part and took a bite. “Where’s the soy milk?”“It’ll bring it out,” replied Sophian, heading back to the kitchen. She brought out two glasses of soy milk and another slice of toast tha
“Are you planning to tell me that Madam Allison brought someone back?” Luca had a feeling she knew what was going on. Luca had been wondering why Allison had taken such a big risk by going out during the day, but it all made sense now.“Yes, she brought someone back and said she'll be taking over my job,” Aunt Neile replied helplessly. She was worried she had lost her competitive edge, which made her feel anxious.“I got it, Aunt Neile.” As soon as Luca spoke, there was a cheer from inside the lab. She glanced back and saw that there seemed to be progress in the research. Rhett gave her a thumbs-up to signal success.She slightly smiled and nodded before hearing Aunt Neile's voice again on the phone. “Ms. Craw, there’s something I’d like to say, though I’m not sure if I should. I’ve thought about it, and I feel like I should. Even though Mr. Crawford isn’t the type to fool around, you have to be careful. He has no interest in that woman, but she’s clearly interested in him. You sh
Allison watched the two of them go upstairs, and instantly, her temper flared.Not allowed, huh?Allison refused to believe it. She would find a way to turn things around and reclaim her position in this family!…The next morning, as Luke and Luca came downstairs, they noticed Aunt Neile looking at them with red, puffy eyes.“Aunt Neile, what happened?” Luca was puzzled. What happened?“Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, Madam Allison just told me that I’m fired.” Aunt Neile looked distraught. She thought Allison’s words yesterday were just a joke, but first thing in the morning, she was told to settle her wages and leave. She was completely stunned.“Mr. Crawford, did I do something wrong?”Luke’s brows furrowed. Allison’s behavior was truly astonishing.“You’re not fired,” replied Luke. “Is breakfast ready?”Relieved to hear she still had her job, Aunt Neile quickly wiped away her tears and let out a sigh of relief. “Yes. Mr. Crawford, Ms. Craw, please have a seat. I’ll bring it out.
Luke was driving back home with Luca. It was already 9:00 pm when they arrived at the villa.Just as they reached the foyer and had not taken more than a few steps, Allison's voice rang out.“Oh, so you're finally willing to come back from Crawford Manor?” Her voice was dripping with sarcasm.Luca did not know how to respond to Allison and looked over at Luke.Luke let go of Luca's waist and whispered, “Go upstairs first.”“Okay.” Luca nodded, changed her shoes, and was about to head upstairs when Allison said again, “Stop. Who told you to go upstairs?”“Madam Allison, is there something you need?” Luca's tone was cold, carefully masking the helplessness inside her.Since she learned that Allison would be returning to the country and moving here, Luca had mentally prepared herself to be put in a difficult position. She loved Luke, so she was willing to tolerate whatever troubles came with it.Luca believed that as long as she and Luke faced things together, there was nothing th
After finishing work, Luca headed straight to Crawford Manor.When she arrived and greeted Old Master Crawford, the three kids came running down the stairs and surrounded her. They each took turns expressing how much they missed her and Luke.Luca missed them too, so after exchanging a few words with Old Master Crawford, she went upstairs with the kids to help them with their homework.It did not take long before Luke arrived.Not seeing Luca in the living room, he asked Old Master Crawford, “Grandpa, has Luca arrived?”Old Master Crawford was in a good mood. He nodded and replied, “She's upstairs, helping the kids with their homework.”Luke sat on the couch and watched the evening news with Old Master Crawford.“Has your mother caused any trouble lately?” asked Old Master Crawford.“Not really,” answered Luke. He could still manage Allison.“That doesn’t sound like her,” added Old Master Crawford, assuming Allison would always be causing trouble.“Her condition is bad right
“What do you mean ‘suppose so?” Allison hated vague answers like that. The more uncertain she was about how Old Master Crawford felt about Luca, the more she wanted to know.“Where's the car key?” asked Allison.“Madam Allison, what do you need the car keys for?” asked Aunt Neile, already knowing the answer but trying to delay her.“Of course, I’m going to Crawford Manor. Old Master Crawford is the strictest with Luke, and I can't let him ruin everything because of a woman." Allison was already planning ahead. She was worried that the old master would not like how Luke was behaving and that he might strip him of his power. A wave of panic washed over her.“Madam Allison, it’s already too late to go to Crawford Manor now,” Aunt Neile quickly said. “If you drive over there now, they’ll already be having dinner. If you go now, Old Master Crawford will just scold you for being disrespectful. You just came back. It’d be better not to upset him, right?”Allison paused for a moment.