Luca''s gaze slightly lowered, and suddenly she remembered the words Susan said to her while she
was drunk at the time Luke brought her back to Crawford Manor.
She thought they were heartfelt, but in reality, they were quite awkward.
Now, here she was in yet another awkward situation. Even though Susan had changed her tone, Luca
could not help but recall the past and found it as awkward as before.
Susan noticed that Luca did not say anything. She thought her words had struck a chord. Therefore,
she changed her approach, putting on the expression of a wise elder. She said with sincerity, "You''re
beautiful, talented, and young. What kind of man can''t you find?"
Luca blinked her eyes. Was she actuallyplimenting her?
If Susan was trulyplimenting her, it was as likely as seeing pigs fly.
Luca lifted her head and put on a pitiful expression on her face. She did not understand why Luke had
note down yet. Since she let Susan in, it was up to her to resolve this issue now. "Madam
Crawford, you''re absolutely right. I know I''m exceptional, but I''ve realized that with someone as
outstanding as me, I must find a man better than me. That''s why I decided to be with Luke."
Susan was rendered speechless for a moment. What nonsense was she talking about?
After praising her a couple of times for being outstanding, did she actually consider herself an
outstanding person? Did she have no shame?
Suppressing her urge to mock, Susan continued persuading, "There are plenty of good men in the
world. I heard you''re from Russia. Aren''t there many sessful businessmen in Russia?Têxt belongs to N?velDrama.Org.
"You can easily leave Luke and be someone''s legitimate wife instead of a mistress. Besides, Luke
truly loves Bianca. Perhaps hispse in judgment is due to his loneliness while Bianca is away. When
Bianca returns, you... Sigh."
Luca sat up straight while listening to her, pretending to hesitate for a moment. However, her tone
carried a sense of determination.
"But the more I''m with Luke, the more I sink into it. Madam Crawford, I truly love him. I can stand
behind him for a lifetime, even if I''m not acknowledged or known. It doesn''t matter as long as I''m by his
side, because I love him." Luca intentionally said these to provoke Susan.
However, what she said was the truth as well.
She loved Luke Crawford.
She would love him for the rest of her life.
No matter what she went through, nothing could change her feelings.
As Susan watched Luca confess her love for Luke passionately, she could not help but feel annoyed.
She hade here to create a rift between Luca and Luke today.
The way things were headed, it was like she was doing them a favor!
Susan stopped putting on a show and became blunt. "You shameless mistress. Love? Do you even
understand love? Are you worthy of it? You''re only after Luke''s money, aren''t you? I won''t allow you to
be together with Luke!"
"Mother, what right do you have to disapprove of me being with Luca?" Luke''s voice echoed from
upstairs.
He had not even arrived yet, but his voice had already reached them.
Luca turned around to nce at the staircase corner where Luke was.
It turned out he had been eavesdropping on her conversation with Susan behind the stairs!
Luca recalled the affectionate words she had just spoken and could not help but blush. She had never
said something like that back when she was just Bianca.
Surprisingly, the honest words she had told Susan to provoke her had all been overheard.
Luca felt embarrassed...
Susan saw Luke make his way down the stairs and raised an eyebrow.
She assumed he was workingte at T Corporation...
After all, when she left Crawford Manor, she had asked if Luke had returned home.
Old Master Crawford told her that Luke had gone to work.
Work? Should he not be at thepany? Why was he working here?
Susan nced at the wall clock. It was not toote yet. ording to Luke''s working habits, he would
not be back before midnight!
"Luke, you''re here." Susan changed the subject and softened her tone.
"Yes, I was upstairs handling some work," replied Luke without mentioning that he had overheard their
conversation. He went down the stairs and took a seat next to Luca.
As soon as he sat down, hisrge hand gently held Luca''s delicate hand.
Luca was startled for a moment, but then she held his strong hand in return.
As Susan watched their hands entwined like they were deliberately showing off, she felt disgusted. She
did not expect that her carefully crafted words would fail to achieve her intended oue. Luke had
also heard everything.
Moreover, Luca''s insincere confession might actually make Luke fall deeper for her.
She must have known that Luke was listening from behind the stairs. That was why she said that!
Susan secretly cursed Luca in her heart. Then, she straightened her posture, adopting the demeanor of
an elder. "Luke, you''ve been too careless about this matter. Even though I knew about your rtionship
with Luca, the situation is different now.
"With everything out in the open, I don''t want the Crawford family''s reputation to be tarnished. I don''t
want others to say that all the men in the Crawford family are the same.
"That''s why I''vee to talk to Luca. I hope you understand that this is my sincere concern as your
mother." “Mother, I refuse to ept it." Luke''s gaze darkened. He treated everyone the same, except
when it came to Luca and the kids. That was when his tender side came out.
"You..." Susan had already expected him to say something like that. She knew her n had failed. Now
that Luke hade downstairs, there was no way she could continue trying to create divisions.
She had no choice but to shake her head helplessly and say, "Never mind. You''ve never really treated
me as your mother anyway. Since you refuse to ept what I said, just pretend I never came. I might
as well have thrown my efforts down the drain."
Luca frowned. What was she saying?
Efforts?
In vain?
These words did not sound well-intentioned, and it was likely that even Tommy would not fall for them.
Luca pondered for a moment and thought it was wrong to get Tommy involved in this. The child could
not wait to run and hide from Susan when he saw her.
After all, the child often met Susan when he was at Crawford Manor.
When Susan was at Crawford Manor, she was not pleasant to anyone. The kids did not like her, and
some were even afraid of her. That was perfectly normal.
"Mother, save it for Louis and Thea," replied Luke, repeating the words he said to her when they were
at Crawford Manor. "I''ll take responsibility for my choices, and I have the capability to handle this
matter. You don''t have to worry about it."
Susan took a deep breath to maintain herposure. She did not want to let him get under her skin.
"Fine. You can pretend I never came today. But, Ms. Craw, what I said was the truth. And Luke, Bianca
has some influential supporters on her side. If you insist on choosing Luca, be prepared for potential
challenges from the Norman family.
"When have businessmen ever defeated politicians? I''m saying all this because I care about your
wellbeing. Choosing Bianca will make your path smoother. But if you choose Luca..."
Susan cast a disdainful nce at Luca, brimming with contempt. "Apart from acquiring a few forms,
what else can thepany gain? Anyone can develop those forms. What can she bring to the
table? You''re part of the Crawford family. You should learn how to make the right choices."a