Meanwhile, in the other elevator. Luke hugged Bianca tightly in his arms and shielded her from the crowd. She did not lean on him. Instead, she stood straight and looked at his face. She could not help but grin as she remembered the scene from earlier. Luke lowered her head and noticed the grin on Bianca's face. "Why are you smiling?" The elevator cabin was crowded, but his voice was warm and clear in her ears. Bianca shook her head but did not say anything. How was she going to tell him that what he did earlier was extremely cool? On the first floor, most of the people in the elevator went out. Bianca was pushed from behind and fell onto Luke's chest. Tears nearly fell from her eyes when her nose knocked onto Luke's solid chest. "Are you okay?" Luke instantly held her face and noticed that her forehead was slightly reddish. Instantly, there was a hint of gloom in his eyes. He turned around. Most of the people in the elevator were gone, and he did not know who bumped
"But it's Friday tomorrow…" Bianca was a little troubled. Usually, the family would go back to Crawford Manor to have dinner on Fridays. Old Master Crawford adored his grandson and great-grandchildren. He was dissatisfied when Luke and the children moved away because he would only be meeting them once a week. If they did not return to Crawford Manor the next day, the old man would be even unhappier. "Grandfather will understand why we're doing this. Moreover, we can invite him over to your grandfather's house. The two old men can chat." Luke had already thought of a solution. "Okay." Bianca nodded. She agreed with his suggestion. The two old men enjoyed an amicable relationship ever since they first met. They could entertain themselves for an entire afternoon over a game of chess and a pot of tea. They might be better friends if not for that incident. The next day, Bianca and Sue went to visit Nina during lunch hour. The atmosphere in the private ward was calmer and more
"Bea." Nina reached out weakly, seeking comfort. Bianca quickly walked over, sat down next to her, held her hands tightly, and comforted her, "It'll be okay. The doctor said that the diagnosis isn't confirmed, right? It might be a harmless lump, or it might be a technical problem." Nina shook her head. She had been an optimistic person, but she could not even pretend to be optimistic anymore. "I remember Uncle Kevin, Bea. His liver also had a problem, right?" she said. Bianca nodded. "My dad was very sick, but he eventually got better, didn't he? Don't worry, your mom will be fine." Kevin Rayne might not be her birth father, but he had raised her since she was young, and that was why she had continued to refer to him as "Dad." The Normans also supported her doing so. "But if it's cancer, it'll be fatal…" Nina covered her mouth and sobbed softly. Sue also tried to comfort her, "That's not necessarily the case. Medical technology is so advanced now, and they can remove cancer
Bianca and Sue ran back to the car and locked the door. They breathed a sigh of relief when they noticed that Pierre had no intention of chasing after them. "Start the car, Sue," she urged. Sue came to her senses. She was shocked when she saw that man drag Bianca toward the middle of the road. Throwing the ice packs at that man was pure instinct. Seeing that the man was still looking at them, she started the car and quickly drove away. After they were some distance away, Sue asked, "Who is that man, Bea?" "Percy Mallory's younger brother," Bianca answered as she rubbed her reddish wrist. It would definitely leave a bruise, and she wondered how she would explain it to Luke. Sue nodded and said nothing. The Mallory family was famous in A City, though they were not similar to the Crawford family. The Mallory's family business was famous, but not as famous as their underworld dealings. Sue felt worried for Bianca. Fortunately, Bianca had Luke behind her. Otherwise, she wo
Rainie was not interested in chess, but she was curious about Wanda's handmade objects. "Mommy, I wanna see Grant-Aunt Wanda's handicrafts." Bianca glanced at the nearby room. That was Wanda's handicraft studio. "You'll have to ask Grand-Aunt Wanda yourself then." Rainie nodded. She saw that Wanda was coming out from the kitchen with a tray of cut fruit and drinks, so she went to her and asked, "Your handicrafts look beautiful, Grand-Aunt Wanda. May I take a look?" The little girl was interested in beautiful things. Wanda placed the tray on the coffee table and held Rainie's hand. "Of course you can." Bianca reminded her daughter, "Careful, don't touch anything without Grand-Aunt Wanda's permission." "Yes, Mommy." Rainie turned her head and smiled at her. Then, she glanced at her father. All three children were not bothering their parents. Perhaps they could work out the disagreement in the car now. In the living room, only Luke and Bianca were standing. Old Master Rayne
Bianca wiped away the tears on her face and shook her head. "It's nothing, Aunt Wanda." Wanda remained suspicious. Why would Bianca suddenly cry if nothing was happening? She handed her a napkin. "Don't use your hands. They might be dirty. Also, what's going on?" Luke took the napkin and wiped Bianca's tears. "It's my fault, Aunt Wanda. I made her cry." Bianca shook her head to indicate that it was not the case. Wanda felt quite worried as she looked at the married couple who did not say anything. "It's nothing major, Aunt Wanda, and it's also not Luke's fault. Don't worry," Bianca sniffed and said. She had not cried for a long time, and she could not hold her tears back. For a while, she thought that their marriage was facing a crisis. Her weak heart could not take it. Wanda felt a little more at ease after hearing the reassurance from Bianca. "I'll get an ice pack for you. I wouldn't want the two elders to think that something happened between the two of you." "Than
Old Master Rayne lost two straight games to Luke. He patted Lanie's cheek and said, "But I'm better than your Great-Grandpa!" "Nonsense! I'm the one who taught Luke how to play chess. If you can't beat him, then you're not better than me!" Old Master Crawford was not willing to admit defeat. "And the student surpasses the master. Luke is a better player than you. If you don't believe me, you can stay here for the night, and I'll play you until you're satisfied," Old Master Rayne said. He usually played chess alone, and Old Master Crawford rekindled his interest. "Challenge accepted. After dinner, I'll show you who's the better player!" Old Master Crawford was determined to win. "Let's eat," Luke reminded them. "Right, let's have dinner. We shouldn't let the children starve." Old Master Rayne pushed himself up with the help of the table and his walking stick. His physical condition had declined after the operation, and he could only walk with the help of a walking stick. Bia
Luke was also reluctant to be separated from her for so many days. He hugged her tightly and said, "We'll send the children back to Crawford Manor, and you can come along with me." Bianca knew that the children would be taken care of in Crawford Manor, but there were other reasons she could not leave. She leaned on his chest and said unhappily, "I have to attend to my company. There's St. Heckler's new project, and Nina is in the hospital. I'll have to take over her work." Luke stroked her hair gently, feeling a little sorry for her. She would not have been so busy if he had not supported her decision to start her own company. He could only accept that she was too busy with work to accompany him on a business trip. "I'll be back as soon as I can." "Mm," Bianca replied. She glanced at the suitcase next to them and hugged him even more tightly. Luke held her arm and carefully examined it. The redness had dissipated, but the bruise became even more obvious. He led her out of t
Hera panicked the moment she heard that. “I trust her!”Luca and Shanks were both watching her.Hera repeated herself, saying, “I trust her, okay? What kind of treatment does she need? I’ll cooperate with anything. But what about Abel…”“I’ll tell him it’s just to help improve your overall health,” replied Shanks. Then, he turned around, opened the medicine cabinet, and started preparing the prescription.Hera let out a sigh of relief. As long as Abel did not find out about her health condition, that was all that mattered.If he knew she was unwell, he would send her back to A City. Without free medical help and no way to make extra money, she would be in serious trouble.“Thank you,” said Hera.“Wait outside,” instructed Shanks.“Okay.” Hera carefully stepped out.Luca, however, remained where she was, waiting.While preparing the medicine, Shanks asked, “Do you know which acupoints to target for her?”“Yes,” Luca replied confidently. As long as she checked Hera’s pulse, sh
“There are a lot of issues.” Luca did not hide anything and handed Hera the phone.Hera looked at it and frowned.“I can't understand any of this.” Hera felt dizzy just looking at the text, let alone the long list of medical terms. It was giving her a headache.“Look at these summaries and indicators. Compare the values on top with the normal values at the bottom, and you'll see what I mean,” explained Luca.Hera did not trust her. Therefore, Luca decided to let her see for herself. Seeing it with her own eyes would prevent any doubts later.Luca pointed out how to read the test results, and after a moment, Hera managed to understand the report. Her face turned pale. “How can there be so many problems?”She looked at Luca and questioned, “Did you fake this?”“I don’t have the power to make the medical center fake anything. Besides, the report has the medical center’s official stamp. If you don’t believe me, you can go directly to the medical center and ask for the official cop
“I heard from the boss that he's coming because of Vivian.” Gale paused for a moment before adding, “But never mind, you don't seem interested in her affairs anyway. I'm just letting you know he's on his way.”Gordan frowned. Ray was coming for Vivian?What could that ugly woman possibly need?“What do you mean by that?” asked Gordan.Gale smirked. “If you and Ray meet, that’s bound to end in a fight. And since you can't win against him, you might want to mentally prepare yourself, or better yet, find somewhere else to stay. It’d be safer that way.”Gordan's expression darkened. “If you have nothing nice to say, just zip it.”Gale grinned, clearly pleased with himself like he had just hit a sore spot.Gordan exhaled sharply. “Of all times, why is he coming to A City now? He’s just making things worse.”“It can't be helped. Vivian's situation is urgent.” Gale covered his mouth mockingly after he said that. “Oh, right. I forgot you don’t like hearing about her.”Ray wanted to br
Luke sat in the villa, staring at Luca’s message.He was worried.For a moment, he considered calling her, but then he remembered that there were surveillance cameras everywhere on her side. He dismissed the idea immediately.Her safety came first.Luke reminded her: [Take care of yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll handle everything. Just focus on keeping yourself safe.] The worry in his heart refused to subside, but at this moment, there was no better solution.“Boss, you’re worried about your wife, huh? If you really can’t stand it, we can sneak you in again during the next shift change, just like last time,” said Gale.It had been his idea last time.Now, the real Lucius was still locked up in the basement of the villa.It had been nearly a month. Luke had forced him to take the antidote Luca had recreated. The man was still alive, proving the antidote worked perfectly.“That plan is too risky.” Luke put his phone away. His gaze was dark and thoughtful.“Risky, sure. But at lea
Luca had not expected Abel and Shanks’ relationship to be like this.It seemed Abel still did not trust Shanks.Shanks continued, “Abel isn’t someone who trusts people easily. He doesn’t trust anyone. You think he’s devoted to Kassy now, right? That’s just his obsession. He's allowing Kassy to receive my treatment, but if it were him… No matter if he were blind or crippled, his safety would always come first. If he were seriously injured, maybe he’d accept treatment, but he definitely wouldn’t do it right away.”Luca stayed silent. Shanks really understood Abel well.Abel did not trust anyone—not even Kassy.Calling him paranoid would not be an exaggeration.Luca felt like they were getting off-topic, but she had never seen this side of Shanks before.In her mind, he was always buried in his work at the lab, only leaving for meals and sleep. Other than that, he was practically never outside.The lab was like his home…“Are you troubled by Hera’s situation?” Luca asked directly
Hera was startled by Luca's words.The refusal that had been on the tip of her tongue suddenly got stuck in her throat.“I…” Hera hesitated, feeling conflicted. Leaving Abel might not be such a bad idea. At least she would not have to live in constant fear.She was finally realizing how unpredictable his moods were. At first, she thought it did not matter as she could still look at other men. She just had to ensure there was no physical contact. In reality, even if she so much as glanced at someone, Abel's expression would darken with anger.It was frustrating. Now, the only person she was allowed to look at was Gerald. Still, what was the point of just looking at Gerald?At that thought, she lifted her gaze to Luca.Luca added, “I’ll give you five minutes. If you refuse treatment after that, I’ll take the medicine back to Mr. Shanks and won’t try to convince you again.”Hera's heart tightened. She did not even need five minutes. She had made her decision within 30 seconds.“I’
“If Abel finds out that Hera's body isn't suitable for organ donation to Kassy, what do you think he'll do?” asked Shanks.He already knew the answer, but he still wanted to hear Luca’s thoughts.“He has invested a lot of time and money in Hera. If he gets nothing out of it, he won’t let her off easily,” Luca said bluntly.Luca and Shanks were on the same page.They did not have a good relationship with Hera, but they had no intention of ruining her either.Hera’s personality was unpleasant, but that was not enough for them to hate her so much that they wanted to see her suffer.“What methods do you think he’ll use?” Shanks asked again.Luca was silent for a long moment.Shanks already knew the answer, yet he still wanted her to say it out loud.After thinking it over, she finally said, “There are plenty of ways he could go about it, but no matter what he chooses, Hera’s fate is sealed. She’s as good as dead…”She lowered her gaze, her tone firm and certain.Shanks nodded.
Hera heard that Luca had returned and immediately went to find Shanks. She narrowed her eyes.That woman went to see Shanks. Could she be talking about her?The thought made Hera uneasy. She had a nagging feeling that something was wrong with her medical report.However, when they left the medical center earlier, Abel asked Luca when the report would be ready, and she said it would be available tomorrow.Hera turned to Gerald and said, “Take these back for me first.”“Alright.” Gerald carried the bags as he walked away. He could not help but wonder what exactly Hera bought. These bags were really heavy!Only after Gerald went upstairs did Hera slowly make her way up as well. Her room was on the third floor, but she stopped when she reached the second floor. She glanced around to make sure no one was watching before heading toward the laboratory.The door was closed.Instead of knocking, Hera pressed her ear against it, trying to eavesdrop.However, the laboratory was special
“This cup of coffee is from that gentleman for this lady.” The waiter smiled as he explained, placing the cup in front of Luca.Hera followed the waiter’s gaze and immediately recognized the man Luca had been looking at earlier.Her eyes darkened. She had noticed the man glancing in their direction. However, she had assumed he was looking at her.After all, she was dressed seductively, had put on makeup, and was undeniably beautiful. Any man who saw her would be attracted. If a man’s eyes lingered on her, it was not surprising at all.Realizing that the man had been watching Luca the whole time instead of her, Hera suddenly felt annoyed.Luca noticed her displeasure, glanced at Gordan, then smiled and said to the waiter, “Please thank the gentleman for me.”“Of course, miss. Enjoy your coffee.” The waiter, sensing the tension between the two women, quickly grabbed his tray and left before Hera’s sour mood could affect him too.“Hmph, feeling proud of yourself?” asked Hera.Luca