"My choices have always been rational. As for the Norman family and other matters, I'm confident I can handle them well.
Regarding the company and my personal matters, you don't need to worry about them," said Luke as he rose to his feet.
He did not explicitly ask her to leave, but every sentence he uttered hinted at her departure.
"Hmph, you don't know what's good for you." Susan gave a cold snort and left.
"Madam Crawford, my maid has finished her shift. Could you please help close the door when you leave?" Luca could not help
but say.
When her mind was in turmoil, Susan showed up in front of her.
By not completely shutting her down, it was already a kind gesture for the Crawford family's sake.
Besides, considering her current personality, if the other person was not a member of Luke's family, she might have just walked
away without wasting half a minute on their nonsense.
Susan cast a malicious glance back. She watched both of them stand up, shoulder to shoulder.
In terms of height and appearance, they were a good match.
However, what did it matter?
Luke had Bianca. It seemed like Luca's fate had already been written. She was destined to become a weeping loser.
Susan's figure disappeared in the foyer, and Luca's smile slowly faded as she turned to look at Luke. "Did you hear everything?"
"Yes." Luke nodded.
"Why were you hiding behind the stairs?" Luca could not help but wonder as she walked into the kitchen. She had been chatting
with Susan for quite some time, and she was thirsty.
"She initially came looking for you. If I hadn't hidden behind the stairs, she wouldn't have had the chance to finish her speech.
She'd come bother you again tomorrow. It's better to give her a chance to say everything at once," replied Luke as he followed
her into the kitchen.
He knew what Susan was up to, but no matter how foolish she might be, she would not betray the interests of the Crawford
family. Therefore, he did not intend to pay her any attention.
However, he did not expect her to have the audacity to come looking for Luca after what happened at Crawford Manor.
Trying to persuade Luca to leave? Luca's real identity was Bianca, and Susan's speech would have no effect on her.
Lovers and mistresses...
It was simply ignorant and laughable.
"You do have a point." Luca admitted as she poured a glass of warm water for him and handed it over. After he took it from her,
she poured herself a glass as well.
Luke furrowed his brows and took a sip of the water she handed him. "I heard everything."
"I know..." Luca knew what he meant.
He was talking about her confession of love for him in front of Susan.
Luca thought about it. It was indeed embarrassing, but at least it was only heard by the parties involved and not their kids.
Otherwise, she could not imagine the expressions on their faces when they heard her confessing.
Even though the three kids were still young, both Lanie and Rainie understood these so-called matters of the heart. After all, she
had done her research. Kids their age, like Lanie and Rainie, were already starting to lose interest in studying and beginning to
explore their unique personalities.
Some kids their age had even started dating.
"Is what you said true?" Even though he knew Luca's confession was heartfelt, she only said those words in front of Susan. He
wanted her to confirm it in front of him.
"Yes, it is.” Luca slightly lowered her gaze and wore a smile on her face.
Luke felt like his heart was about to be melted by her gentle smile.
Luca had been back for a while, but she had never confessed so sincerely and bashfully before.
While the two of them had exchanged many endearing words in bed back then, those moments could not quite measure up to
the current setting.
Luke felt that the current situation moved him even more.
Luca loved him.
Luca was mesmerized by the starry look in Luke's eyes. After a moment, she felt her mouth go dry and remembered that she
was thirsty. She took another sip of water.
Only then did she ask, "Earlier, you told Madam Mallory that you could resolve this issue?"
"Yes, the news has been spreading for a day, and it's time to address it." Luke finished his glass of water and gently tucked a
strand of her hair behind her ear.
"What's your plan?" asked Luca.
"I'll clarify the situation and counter with even juicier news." Luke did not hide anything from her. There was nothing to hide.
Luca nodded. It was a general strategy. Luke then added, "But by doing this, you might have to put up with a bit of
inconvenience. I don't want that for you."
Luca shook her head and replied, “It's okay.”
Luca understood what he meant by that. Even if Luke's PR team distanced her from the situation, there would always be some
nasty people who would say she was deliberately trying to cozy up to Luke. It was why this kind of murky gossip news surfaced.
They would say that this was all part of her calculated schemes and such.
"In fact, I didn't want to resort to this method. I didn't want you to get hurt. It's just that the Norman family..." Luke saw the chance
and deliberately chose this time to bring it up.
Luca's heart skipped a beat, and she stared at him anxiously, her eyes filled with concern.
She wanted to know what happened to the Norman family.
Luke did not make her wait too long. He continued, "The situation with the Norman family has turned into a mess because of us.
My mother-in-law's blood pressure hasn't gone down since then."
"How could this happen? I saw her earlier in the day when she came back from her check-up, and she seemed fine..." replied
Luca. She was familiar with the symptoms of hypertension. When she saw Queenie during the day, it was clear that her blood
pressure had been stabilized with medication.
"Yes. She was perfectly fine this morning, but the news coverage escalated the situation further. Plus, they received news about
Leia from the detention center. Mother couldn't handle it, and her blood pressure shot up again.
"Johann said they gave her prompt medical care, but the stress really got to her. Her blood pressure remains elevated,"
explained Luke.
Luca listened with a heavy heart. Prolonged high blood pressure could cause severe damage to various organs, especially the
heart and lungs...
Typically, high blood pressure could be controlled using different medications to lower it. However, there were instances where,
due to psychological stress and other factors, the blood pressure remained high no matter how much medication was taken.
Moreover, overdosing on hypertension medications was not advisable.
If long-acting drugs were not effective at controlling blood pressure, doctors might switch to shorter- acting medications.
If the blood pressure did not come down, doctors would be cautious about administering medication indiscriminately. There was
a risk that excessive medication could flip high blood pressure to low blood pressure, which would be a clumsy solution and
harmful to the body.
Luca could not help but feel unsettled when she heard that Queenie's blood pressure remained high.
"For now, I have no choice but to put you through some trouble. I need to use these methods to suppress the news coverage. I
also hope my mother-in-law can believe that I've been framed, that there's no truth to these allegations.
"But by doing this, you'll not only face criticism from the people, but you also won't be able to go to Norman Residence..." Luke
explained, seizing the opportunity to push Luca into a corner.
When she had no way out, it would be the right time for her to come clean.
Luke did not want to be so ruthless, but reuniting with his family was a top priority. He needed to gather more information about
the Island of Despair and rescue Luca.
"It's okay. Really," Luca reassured him, shaking her head repeatedly.
It was okay for her to be criticized by the people...
Not being able to go to Norman Residence did not matter to her either. She could secretly pay Queenie and Jack a visit.
As long as Queenie got better, that was what mattered most.