“Of course.” Luca caressed the child’s head. After what happened previously, she did not purposely keep her distance from the children in front of the old master anymore. “By the way, where’s Lanie and Rainie?”If they wanted to be close to her, then she would let them be.After all, the days she spent with them were numbered.“My brother and sister are upstairs doing their homework,” Tommy said with a smile, leaning even closer to her.Luca simply put her arms around him.Luke stood aside as he watched Luca and Tommy stick together eagerly, which did not make him jealous but made the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile instead. “I’ll go upstairs and keep the files.”“Go ahead. I’ll entertain them here.” Old Master Crawford waved his hand without paying any attention to Luke.He saw Luca’s concern for the children, which differed from other women. There was no pretense, and the affection in her eyes did not look like it was for show. She was not fake at all and was very su
After the argument between Old Master Crawford and Susan, Luca dared not pick up the medicinal herbs to take a closer look at them as she did not want Susan to find faults with her actions and further provoke the old master.She reckoned that the herbs really belonged to Yuri, so there should not be a problem.The last time, there was a problem with the old master’s stew because Susan had tampered with it. Yuri was her daughter-in-law and she still hoped that Yuri and Louis would have a second child, so how could she have tampered with the herbs?It was a strong tonic at most. Even if it was not suitable for Yuri’s body, it would not be too bad.Luca picked up the cup of tea, which had cooled a bit during the two’s argument. She took a big sip to please the old master.He did personally prepare it, after all.Susan snorted when she saw Luca drink the tea. She poured a cup for herself as well.“What are you doing?” Old Master Crawford looked at her indifferently.“If she can hav
“Father, you’ve been around for some time and have seen a lot of things, but there are many scammers nowadays and they’re using more tricks that you’ve never seen, so don’t be deceived.” Susan was even more upset when she saw how Old Master Crawford defended Luca, so she pointed out that Luca was a liar.Old Master Crawford had a gloomy expression. As expected, Susan would not be bothered to think about her reputation when she went crazy. She was like this with Allison and now, with Luca.Was she trying to badmouth Luke by hinting that Luca was a liar?Old Master Crawford was very fond of Luca and would never allow such a thing to happen.Just as he was about to speak, Luke’s voice could be heard from the stairs. “Mother, are you doubting the professional skills of the person I hired?”Susan looked up at Luke and frowned. It seemed like he was involved now.She already felt pressured from facing Old Master Crawford. Now that she had to face Luke, her imposing manner immediately d
After careful consideration, Susan indignantly put the teapot down.Life flashed before the butler’s eyes, and since Old Master Crawford had already gone upstairs with Luca, he asked, “Madam Crawford, would you still like some tea?”“No way. It’s disgusting.” Susan sat on the couch, slightly grim-faced.She thought that after Biana and Allison were sent abroad, her days in Crawford Manor would be peaceful. Little did she know that Luke would bring another woman back to infuriate her!Mr. Griffin noticed that she was enraged but was not foolish enough to comfort her. Instead, he bent over to place the teapot and teacups in the tray before leaving.In the study.Old Master Crawford pulled a chair out for Luca to sit down.Luca sat on the chair. She looked at the old master and said, “Old Master Crawford, don’t be angry.”“Is it that obvious?” Old Master Crawford touched his face. He was indeed angry at Susan’s pettiness.She had been the daughter-in-law of the Crawford family fo
Everyone could see Luke’s affection for her.Even after she had changed her identity, Luke still treated her…The thought of her having intimate contact with Luke before made her cheeks flush.Old Master Crawford noticed her blushing and guessed that her feelings for Luke were not that simple, so he deliberately let out a long sigh. “These problems have bothered me for a long time. That’s why I haven’t been able to sleep and eat well.”“The children can take care of themselves. Don’t worry so much about them. Your health is the most important. Maybe one day, Mr. Crawford will be more open-minded. Then you won’t have to worry,” Luca patted his hand and comforted him.A light flashed before Old Master Crawford’s cloudy eyes. After hearing her words, he asked, “Luca, do you really think he would open his mind?”Luca froze. Would Luke really open his mind?It had been so many years, but she had never heard of Luke having any sort of relationship before her return. She also heard the
What bothered him was the fact that Susan did not know how to properly educate her daughter-in-law.She let Yuri become like her, which made Old Master Crawford very unhappy. The good thing was that no matter how similar to Susan Yuri’s nature became, she would at least pretend to be well-behaved in front of him.Therefore, Louis was the one at a loss.Old Master Crawford had no intentions of interfering with that as Louis was very frivolous when he was younger, so having a wife like Yuri to keep an eye on him was not such a bad thing.Luca assisted the old master to the main seat while everyone was watching.After the old master had sat down, Luca thought about sitting somewhere near the edge, but Tommy waved at her. “Ms. Luca, sit here!”Looking at the spot next to the child, she hesitated for a bit.There was an empty spot next to Tommy, and to the right side of this empty seat was Luke…It was like this seat was purposely reserved for her.It would be odd to leave an empty
“Louis and Yuri are busy with work. Who’s going to look after Thea if you don’t move out of the house?” Old Master Crawford did not allow her to stay.“If they can’t look after Thea, they can hire a maid to take care of her. Or they can just send her over here if that doesn’t work for them,” said Susan. She insisted on living in Crawford Manor.Susan and Allison used to argue and fight with each other every day. It had become a fight to the end. However, Allison moved out of Crawford Manor after she thought Luke got killed. That was when Susan won the fight. Hence, Susan insisted on staying in Crawford Manor. This was her territory. “Mom, I’d still be worried if I leave Thea to the maid. You know Thea is unlike other children. I’ll be more assured if you can look after her yourself,” said Louis. What he said was true. Thea started suffering from a psychological disorder after what she went through when she was little. They had brought her to the psychologist, and the psychologi
Luca knew about medicines, and Old Master Crawford was worried that she would refuse to drink the tonic. If that happened, everything he planned would be for nothing. Hence, he tried his best to make Luca believe that he had no intentions of harming her.“This is the tonic that the old master had prepared for the two of you. We got the herbs from Dr. Archer. It’s good for young people who often stay up all night to work,” added Mr. Griffin.Mr. Griffin knew what the old master was up to.Mr. Griffin had been serving the Crawford family for years. He knew Luke since he was a boy and watched him grow up into an adult. Hence, he had the same thought as the old master. They both hoped for the best for Luke.At least that way, Luke would not have to be alone for the rest of his life. He would have someone he loved to keep him company.The old master meant no harm. He could see that Luke and Luca had feelings for each other, but they were making slow progress. That was why the old maste
“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
Although Luca did not know the exact value of the clothes, she was certain that anything Luke had specially sent over would not be cheap.So, when she caught the sales associate’s skeptical glance, she felt a bit helpless but did not bother to explain. The truth would speak for itself. Besides, she had no intention of justifying herself to a sales associate.Hera, despite her love for luxury goods, did not actually know much about haute couture. So, when she noticed the sales associate still sizing up Luca, she immediately snapped, “What are you looking at?”“N-Nothing.” The sales associate quickly averted her gaze and turned her full attention to Hera, smiling brightly. “Our esteemed guest, what can I help you find today?”Hera thought for a moment before saying in a serious tone, “Show me your new handbags.”The sales associate’s eyes lit up when she heard this. Anyone who could afford so much designer clothing had to have deep pockets. This meant a solid commission for her!
The sales associate nodded and said, “Yes, we do. I’ve already placed them in the fitting room for you. Would you like some assistance?”Hera shook her head and pointed straight at Luca. “No, I want her to do it.”Luca shook her head helplessly. It seemed that Hera was determined to make her play the role of a sales associate today.Luca asked, “Ms. Sanchez, where’s Mr. Abel?”“What does that have to do with you?” Hera shot her a wary look. “Where he goes isn’t important. What matters is that you’re spending the day shopping with me. And if I’m not happy, be prepared to face his punishment.”Then, Hera strutted toward the fitting room like a proud peacock.Luca had no choice but to follow.Inside the fitting room, Hera closed the door behind them and commanded, “Help me unzip the back.”“Alright.” Luca lowered her gaze. Since they were both women and Hera clearly had no reservations, there was no reason for her to feel uncomfortable. She placed her hands on the zipper.Hera re
After Hera got into the car, Abel turned around. His piercing blue eyes locked onto Luca.“When will the test results be ready?” asked Abel. His primary concern was the results.Luca replied, “It won’t be that fast. She did quite a few tests, so it might take until tomorrow or the day after. But the hospital assured me that as soon as the results are in, they’ll give me a detailed report right away.”Abel looked a little unhappy. “Didn’t I tell you to choose the VIP package?”“Mr. Abel, even with the VIP package, the results won’t be immediate. Getting them by tomorrow is already considered fast,” explained Luca.Abel let out a cold snort.Just then, the car window rolled down.“Baby, I’m still upset.” Hera’s voice dripped with sweetness.Abel turned around, his previously cold expression instantly replaced with warmth and tenderness. “What will make you feel better?”Hera thought for a moment. “How about this? Let her follow me around today and carry my shopping bags. That mi
“You!” Hera was clearly caught off guard that the driver had the nerve to talk back to her.She yanked off her sunglasses, just about ready to snap back at him when the driver got a good look at her through the rearview mirror.“Oh, it’s you?” said the driver.“Who the hell are you? Do I know you?” Hera’s tone was arrogant as though she was naturally above him.The driver reminded her, “Remember yesterday? You had me tail a cab and park outside some ancestral hall for half the day, and you refused to leave. I wasted a ton of gas just idling there with the A/C on because of you.”Hera’s face turned red, then pale. She did not expect Luca to randomly call a cab and end up with the same driver from yesterday.Luca also found it a funny coincidence and glanced back. Hera’s expression was awful.The driver, being a straight shooter, did not hold back. “Huh. Funny how you didn’t complain about my car smelling bad yesterday, but today, all of a sudden, it stinks? After I dropped you of
Luca also reminded Luke to tell the kids not to contact her during this period. The device could not be removed. If it was, Abel would definitely notice. Rather than making him suspicious or prompting him to install even better devices, it was better to just leave this one in place.Luke quickly replied: [Got it.]Luca put on a faint smile and began narrowing down the search, trying to figure out where that man had installed the device.If it was just for listening, she did not care. It could stay. However, if it was a surveillance camera, she needed to be more cautious. In the end, she found the device under the bed.She did not bother checking whether it was for listening or monitoring. After all, if it was placed there, the only possibility was that it was an audio bug. A camera in that spot would not capture anything useful.Anyone trained on the Island of Despair would not make such a rookie mistake.After a quick wash-up, Luca went to bed.The next morning, she receive
“Babe, don’t listen to her nonsense. She’s just trying to drive a wedge between us,” Hera said gently, hoping to earn Abel's affection.Abel did not take Hera’s words seriously. Instead, he picked up his phone and made a few inquiries.After checking with multiple sources to confirm where Lucius and the others had gone, the person on the other end of the line reported that Lucius had not left home in the past few days.As Luca listened to the voice on the other end of the phone, her expression remained calm.Gerald let out a sigh of relief but was also puzzled. He had always felt there was something going on between Lucius and Luca, yet unexpectedly, Luca’s outing this time had nothing to do with Lucius.Hera’s face turned pale. So, it really was not because of him.In that case, she…Hera instinctively looked at Abel, only to find that he was already staring at her. Their eyes met, and Hera could not help but shudder. Abel’s gaze was terrifyingly cold.Just when she thought he