"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
"Bianca told me that..." Louis did not dare to tell him the truth, but he could not think of a lie that could fool the very smart Luke.While he said that, he got stuck and could not continue his sentence.Luke fiercely squeezed a cigarette in the ashtray. He picked up his car keys and planned to leave."How can you drive after drinking so much alcohol? You’ll regret it when you wake up tomorrow!" Louis had not ever seen Luke drunk. That was the first time he did not want his brother to get into an accident."If you want to go somewhere, I’ll get the driver to send you there."Louis successfully persuaded him to let go of the car keys.The whole city was flooded by the heavy rain.Under the rainy night sky, Luke did not let the driver drive him nor was Louis allowed to follow him.He was drenched when he arrived at the neighborhood where Bianca lived.At her door, the man rang the doorbell for the first time, the second time, the third…The rented place was not expensive as t
“Alright.” Ray nodded and put the phone case on to protect the device.Gale glanced at Vivian, who was sitting on the couch. She did not say a word. She looked like an empty shell, completely indifferent to everything. It was as though she was trapped in her own sorrowful world.“Well, I should leave now,” said Gale.“Okay, let me see you off.” Ray nodded, then called out, “Vivian?”Vivian came back to her senses and turned to look at him. “Huh?”“Mr. Gale is leaving,” added Ray.Vivian nodded before turning to Gale. “Goodbye, Mr. Gale.”“Goodbye, Ms. Vivian.” Gale stepped out the door and noticed Ray was about to walk him out. He quickly waved him off. “Mr. Ray, no need to see me off.”“Alright, take care on your way back.” Ray nodded. He did not feel comfortable leaving Vivian alone in the suite anyway.She was in bad shape right now.After Gale left, Ray shut the door and walked over to her.Vivian was still staring blankly into space.“Vivian,” Ray called in a low voice
Luca deliberately cracked her knuckles, making a loud 'pop' sound.Gerald immediately shrank back, pulling his neck in.“Ms. Craw, I’m sorry! I was being nosy. Please don’t be mad. I’ll just go take a nap,” he quickly apologized.“Hold on.” Luca stopped him.“What is it?” Gerald looked at her in confusion.“Do you know how to remove an IV yet?” asked Luca.“I’ve seen it done a lot, but I haven’t actually tried it myself.” A glint of eagerness flashed in Gerald’s eyes. “Ms. Craw, are you asking me to give it a shot?”“Do you want to try?” asked Luca.“Yes!” Gerald nodded enthusiastically. “I may not be a medical genius, but I can at least do something useful.”“Come with me. Let’s start with changing the IV bag,” instructed Luca.Gerald followed her, and under her guidance, he clumsily went through the steps but managed to replace the IV bag successfully.“This is so cool! I think I could totally be a nurse.” Gerald flashed a victory sign. “What do you think? Would I make a g
“Yeah, something came up with my family, so they got delayed. They just brought me my meal,” answered the volunteer.Luca glanced at his food, which consisted of meat and vegetables. It was clear that his family treated him very well.“That’s quite a feast,” remarked Luca.“Heh, they know I need the nutrition, so they always give me this much. Ms. Craw, have you eaten yet?” the volunteer asked cheerfully. Now that his health was improving, his appetite had returned, and his mood was much better too.“I have. You should eat more. I just came in to check how much IV fluid is left. There’s still quite a bit, so I think it won't be done before the guys are done eating," replied Luca.The volunteer chuckled. “They eat fast. You guys are amazing, taking such good care of me. I haven’t suffered at all since being here.”“Your recovery is our biggest wish,” replied Luca.“Mm, I’ll definitely cooperate with the treatment,” replied the volunteer.“Alright, I’ll get back to work. Enjoy yo
Abel's hand paused for a moment before he continued stroking her eyelids.“What’s wrong?” His voice was eerily low, carrying a chilling edge.Hera could not see his expression, but just the sound of his voice was enough to send shivers down her spine.“Thank you.” Hera forced herself to smile, summoning what little courage she had.“No need for thanks. Just be good from now on.” Abel’s fingers continued their slow, deliberate caress. It was like he was handling a priceless treasure.Hera remained still, letting him touch her without protest. More than anything, she did not dare to speak. She was terrified that if she broke the moment and interrupted whatever was going through his mind, he would be displeased.At that moment, Luca brought the food to the table and asked, “Mr. Abel, Ms. Sanchez, lunch is ready. Would you prefer to eat here or in your room?”“I’ll go with whatever my baby wants.” Hera smiled sweetly, masking her fear behind a bright smile. For some reason, she ha
“I’m just making plans with a friend. No need to go into all that, right?” As Luca said, she lifted her gaze to meet Shanks.His eyes were as deep as the ocean, and in that split second of eye contact, she felt like she was being pulled in. She suddenly felt like she had just exposed herself.Awkwardly, she cleared her throat and said, “Mr. Shanks, I’ll head downstairs to make lunch.”Shanks did not call her out on it, nor did he press further. He simply returned to his experiment.Downstairs, Luca saw Abel sitting on the living room couch. Ignoring him was not an option.Luca greeted him politely, “Mr. Abel.”Abel took a slow drag from his cigar, his blue eyes scanning her from head to toe. He was deep in thought.He remained silent, seemingly deep in thought. His dark and brooding expression sent a chill down Luca’s spine. Without saying a word, she turned around and walked straight into the kitchen.Gerald was already inside.When he saw her, he mouthed, “You’re here?”Luc
If Shanks’ prescription could help Hera sleep earlier, that would not be a bad thing.“Then I need to be treat…” Hera paused for a moment, realizing she could not say the word treatment. That would imply she was sick, and she could not let people know that. Instead, she corrected herself and asked, “How long will I need to take this herbal medicine?”“You can stop when your test results are back to normal,” replied Luca as she picked up the medical waste and headed out of the room.Gerald followed closely behind and asked with curiosity, “Ms. Craw, how long is that?”“How long is a standard treatment cycle?” Luca asked in return.Gerald pondered for a moment. “Usually about a month?”“The average endocrine cycle for women is three months, so the minimum duration for proper regulation is three months,” explained Luca.Although Abel could take action at any time, there was no way Hera could endure three full months of treatment. However, until Abel made his move, she would have
Luca’s head was slightly tilted, her cheek burning with pain.Abel had not held back at all. The force of his slap was merciless. A numbness spread across her face at an alarming speed.From the next room, someone peeked out again and asked in a low voice, “You okay?”“I’m fine.” Luca’s expression remained calm. This kind of injury was nothing to her.Back on the Island of Despair, she had endured far worse during training. She survived, did she not?Without another word, Luca pushed open the lab door and stepped inside.The man watching shook his head. Her face was already that swollen, and she still said she was fine… What a tough woman. She took a slap that hard and brushed it off like it was nothing.Shanks lifted his head when he heard the door open. When he saw it was Luca and noticed how swollen the side of her face was, his brows furrowed.“Abel did this?”“Who else?” Luca let out a bitter laugh, only to wince as the movement tugged at the pain. She sucked in a sharp b
“No.” Shanks’ tone was cold and firm with no trace of hesitation.Abel still looked doubtful.Shanks added, “Would you like to see her medical report?”Abel was startled for a moment. How did Shanks know he had been thinking about that report?Now that Shanks brought it up, the idea lost its appeal.Abel shook his head. “Even if you showed it to me, I wouldn’t understand it. Shanks, Kassy’s life is in your hands. If you can give her a second chance, I’ll provide as much research funding as you need."Shanks remained silent. He could save Kassy. In fact, his research had always been for Kassy.However, he did not expect Abel to be so ruthless as to insist on using a living person as a donor for Kassy. That was something he could not accept.Kassy’s condition could be treated with organs from a brain-dead patient. Why destroy a perfectly healthy life?Shanks was not acting out of mercy. He simply refused to go against his medical ethics.He was not someone who had to save lives
“You don’t need to remind me. I was going to check anyway.” Abel shot Luca a chilling look.She took a step back and stayed silent.Abel turned to the pale-faced Hera and said, “If you’ve got low blood sugar, get up and eat something.”“I’ll eat now,” Hera replied, sitting up.Luca handed her the takeout.Abel glanced at the food and then frowned at Luca. “Why didn’t you make breakfast this morning?”“I was busy,” Luca explained with a calm indifference, her expression unwavering. She showed no fear, even under Abel’s questioning.Hera suddenly found herself admiring Luca. Everyone feared this man, yet Luca remained composed even when facing potential punishment. Not just anyone could pull that off.At the thought of this, Hera opened the takeout and kept quiet.Abel narrowed his eyes, glancing between Hera and Luca. His gaze was not exactly gentle as he muttered, “Stop eating this junk. It’s bad for you.”“I know, babe. Just this once. After this, I’ll have what Luca cooks f