The sales clerk overheard that and asked, "Are you a fashion designer, Madam?" "No." Bianca shook her head while glancing around the bridal boutique. She did not see anything out of place. "My elder sister is an architectural designer. She designs many big buildings." She could tell that Bianca was being wary. She tried to praise her to lower her guard. "I see, Madam. Would you like a drink?" The sales clerk asked. "Warm water will be fine," Bianca said. "Alright. Please sit on the couch. Our designer will be here soon," the sales clerk said. Leia held Bianca's hand enthusiastically and led her to the couch. The bodyguards followed behind them closely, never allowing them to be more than three feet away. Leia glanced behind her and said, "Don't you think that's too much, Bianca? You don't need to bring so many bodyguards with you to just a bridal boutique." "Luke arranged that for me," Bianca said while observing her surroundings. Leia was angry. Was Bianca trying t
Bianca heard the moan and turned her head to look at Leia. Leia was fine earlier, but she seemed to be in a daze now. She was holding her head as though she was uncomfortable. Bianca placed her hand on Leia's shoulder. "Leia?" "Get lost!" Leia was suddenly hostile. She wanted to push Bianca's hand away, but she did not have the strength to do so. "Ugh… Bianca… you… drugged me!" "I didn't…" Bianca stood up and frowned. "That cup of water." Sean was thinking of the same thing. He took the cup that Leia had drunk from, carefully brought it to his nose, and smelled something sweet. "It's a sedative drug, Madam," he said. He had learned to discern different types of drugs in his bodyguard training, and he was very sure what drug that was. Leia slumped on the couch right after Sean finished speaking. Jamie stood there, flustered. "What's going on?" The three bodyguards surrounded Bianca while Sean deftly went behind Jamie, restrained his arms, and pinned him down on the coffe
Bianca was carried onto the bridal boutique van. She was already fully unconscious. Abel sat next to her. He thought for a while and removed the silver needle from her neck. He had learned his needle skills from Robert, his godfather. Robert had offered to teach those skills to Luke, but he was not interested in learning them. Abel pinched Bianca's petite face and said, "Your man doesn't know what's good for him. He didn't want to learn how to fire a needle, but his wife ended up being a victim of the needle. Tsk tsk tsk, how pathetic." His subordinate, who was driving the van, said, "Boss, are we going back to the mansion?" He was referring to the mansion that Maxine had prepared for them. "Go to the seaside," Abel said. He originally planned to stay there for longer, but he had a better plan. "Yes." The subordinate made a U-turn at the traffic light ahead and went straight to the seaside. When they reached the seaside, Abel got out of the car. He had already called
Queenie's face turned pale instantly. When she received the call, she only got to know that something happened to Leia. The phone call did not mention anything about Bianca at all. She grabbed Luke's sleeves and asked him, "What are you talking about, Luke?" Jack was also anxious when he heard that something happened to Bianca. "What happened to Bianca?" He asked anxiously. Luke's eyes were bloodshot. "Bianca was abducted at the bridal boutique." When Queenie heard that, her eyes glazed over, and she fainted into Jack's arms. "Queenie? Queenie?" Jack hugged her and shook her, but she gave no response. When the medical staff saw that, they immediately brought a gurney and took Queenie to the emergency ward. Jack had never faced such a situation before, and he hurriedly followed the nurses in. It was only when he turned around to look that he realized Luke did not come along. "Luke… Sigh!" The nurses closed the curtains and blocked Jack's view. Not sure of what else he could
"How long will it take?" Luke's expression was grim. His mind was occupied by thoughts of Bianca. "They just got back. It should take another half an hour," the superintendent said. Looking at Luke's frigid expression, he promised, "Don't worry, we'll get to the bottom of this. I've already contacted the people in the traffic department, and they should be able to track down the getaway car in half an hour." Luke understood that the superintendent was telling him to wait. He could have skipped past the superintendent to receive the security footage from the traffic department. What he wanted was the facial composite from Ripley and the bodyguards' descriptions. Knowing that the culprits were Europeans, he had a vague feeling that the culprits were related to his past. Ten minutes later, Luke received a call from Ripley. "Boss, I've already tracked down the car that took Madam away. They drove straight to the port area in the west, and they did not swap cars." Luke frowned. "
Jack could not bear to see Queenie cry. He took out a handkerchief and wiped her tears. "Alright, don't cry. You shouldn't be emotionally agitated." Queenie had passed out for the past few hours. If she became agitated, she might pass out again, Queenie took his handkerchief and looked at Leia on the bed. She was still under the influence of the anesthesia. Her eyes were bloodshot. She remembered that before she passed out, Luke had said that Bianca was abducted at the bridal boutique. She turned around and asked Jack, "Is there any news about Bianca yet?" "I asked Luke earlier. Not yet." Jack looked at his daughter on the bed and wondered if she had anything to do with the incident. If she was proven to be involved, he would disown her! Queenie was overcome by sorrow and nearly passed out again. Jack steadied her by the shoulders. "Luke will find her, and she will return safely to us." "Mm…" Queenie tried hard not to cry out loud. She could only silently wipe her tears
Jack did not agree to it. Leia was already an adult, and she should have the mental capacity for it. "You can't hide it for too long. If Brody doesn't come, she'll eventually realize what happened." Queenie was silent. "Leia isn't a child anymore. If she had been lucky, she would have been a mother in two months. We shouldn't shelter her anymore. She was the one who decided to keep the baby and marry Brody, and she'll have to bear with the consequences herself," Jack said. Usually, fathers educated their children differently from mothers. Queenie began to reflect if her educational methods had been correct. "Alright." She eventually agreed after pondering over it. Leia woke up two hours later. Before she could feel sad about the fact that the doctors failed to save her baby, Jack told her that the Hiltons had called off the wedding after they knew that the baby had congenital birth defects. "That's impossible!" Leia leaned on the headboard. She shook her head in disbelief w
The doctor did not know how to react when he heard that. Now that she thought about it, Leia's reason for her emotional distress was indeed different from other women. She guessed that she needed the baby to retain her fiance. "Do you know who that woman is?" The head nurse suddenly came over. As the leader of the nurses, she should not have been nosy, but she could not help but gossip when she overheard the conversation between the doctor and the nurse. "I don't know, but she seems familiar," the doctor said. "I don't think you'd know her since you just got back from abroad. She used to be an actress that has acted in many movies. However, that did nothing to boost her popularity. She retired from public view following an incident, but after that, there was the news that she would be married to Brody Hilton. You should know about the Hiltons, right? They're involved in international trade, and they're extremely wealthy. The baby should be her bargaining chip to enter the Hilton
“As long as he stays out of your sight, I won’t make a move,” said Ray.If Gordan were not one of Luke’s pals, he would have been long gone.Anyone who dared to mess with someone Ray cherished would not be let off easily. The only reason Gordan was still breathing was thanks to Luke.“Alright, Ray. Just let it go. I’ve moved on and started a new life. Plus, I’m studying at Capital University. We have mutual friends, so running into him is inevitable. If that happens, we’ll just be strangers. There’s no need to step in for me or act impulsively.” Just as Vivian finished speaking, the doorbell rang.“Is it the clothes delivery?” asked Ray.“No, while you were talking with Mr. Crawford, I asked someone to buy some medicinal cream. The ones here work better than the ones in Russia. A little massage with it should help you heal faster,” Vivian said, grabbing a mask and hat before heading to the door.“Miss, is the boss alright?” asked one of Ray’s subordinates.“He’s fine. Did you ge
When Ray heard that there was a 90% chance of success, he could not help but ask, “Can you walk me through your plan?”“The prison where Kassy is being held actually has an underground passage. I’ve already spoken with the prison officials, and we can use that passage to transport her out. It connects to the sewage system, which leads directly to another detention facility. "The only catch is that this facility’s underground pipes don’t connect to the outside world, so the remaining 10% risk lies in moving Kassy onto the main road and securing her at the new location.“This whole operation can be done without anyone noticing, which is why I’m confident it’ll work.” As Luke explained, he pulled out a detailed map of the sewer system. “Here’s the layout I had someone retrieve. This is the starting point, and this is the destination. If we take this route, we can move Kassy without alerting Abel’s people.”Abel’s men were keeping a constant watch outside the prison now. That was prec
Luke had no idea what kind of mindset the person who poisoned Vivian had. However, he found Gordan’s current behavior quite intriguing.“Luke, what’s with that look?” Gordan felt uneasy under his gaze.“You seem pretty concerned about Vivian,” Luke leaned back on the couch and said thoughtfully.Gordan froze for a moment before laughing it off. “What? No way! Why would I care about her? Come on, Luke, don’t say stuff like that. If she hears it, she might start getting ideas.”Luke could not be bothered to expose his act and got straight to the point. “Why are you here?”“Speaking of that, I almost got sidetracked by that woman.” Gordan quickly pulled out his phone, grimacing. “Man, Ray really didn’t hold back. I need to get some treatment for these bruises later.”Luke took the phone and tried to unlock it. It needed a passcode. He handed it back. “Unlock it.”“All set, boss.” Gordan unlocked the phone and went back to pressing an ice pack against his face.Luke scanned the scr
It was the sound of a body slamming onto the ground.Gordan’s furious curses rang out. “Damn it! You're really going all out, huh? Do you think I'm scared of you?”Another loud thud followed.Vivian frowned. What the hell were they doing? Were they really going to fight until one of them won?Both of them were skilled fighters. If they kept this up, neither would walk away unscathed.“Enough!” shouted Vivian.The two men locked in the fight froze for a moment.“Vivian, stay out of this. I’m beating him to a pulp today,” growled Ray, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was not in great shape, but neither was Gordan.“Ray, I don’t want to see him,” said Vivian. She did not want Ray fighting him. It was not to protect Gordan but because she did not want Ray getting hurt.Also, she definitely did not want Gordan to see her like this. She could already picture his smug face, his sarcastic remarks and his gloating.“Fine. If you don’t want to see him, I’ll just beat
After returning to the hotel from the hospital, Vivian felt much better.To her, the fact that Ray had taken her to the hospital meant there was hope for the future, which lifted her spirits. She picked up an apple from the fruit platter the hotel had provided and took a bite.“Ray, this apple is really good. Want to try one?” asked Vivian.Ray shook his head. “You go ahead. By the way, can I take a look at the luggage you brought from Russia?”Vivian nodded. “I only hung up my clothes. Everything else is still in the suitcase. You can just take the things out.”Ray walked into the bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it. Inside were just books and a few other small items, nothing unusual.“You didn't bring any food with you?” asked Ray.“I haven’t really been in the mood, but the food here is way better than Russian food, so I didn't feel the need to bring anything.” Vivian’s tone was lighthearted now that she was in a better mood.“That's true.” Ray agreed, then asked
Ray's tone turned serious. “Alright, I'll make the arrangements immediately. Dr. Craw, once the toxicology report is out, we’ll still need your help.”“For toxicology cases like this, I recommend combining both modern medicine and traditional herbal medicine. Don’t worry, if I can help, I definitely will,” Luca assured him.“Alright, thank you.” Ray expressed his gratitude and ended the call before updating Luke on the situation.Luke reassured him, saying, “If Vivian was really poisoned, don’t worry. Previously, Luca discovered that her biological mother had been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin. She prescribed herbal medicine and used purely traditional herbal medicine to detoxify her. It didn’t take long for all the toxins to be expelled, and her health fully recovered. So, rest assured. If it’s something she can fix, she’ll do everything she can.“Besides, once we identify the exact problem, the doctors will be able to step in and help, right?”“Yes. Thank you both in advance
Gerald walked over. “Ms. Sanchez, what's wrong?”He was eager to get back upstairs and stash his cigarettes before someone noticed and took them.Hera yanked open his bag, glanced at the cigarette brand, and scoffed. “I thought it was some expensive brand. But it's just this? And you’re acting all deferential to her over this?”Gerald was rendered speechless. “I knew Ms. Craw was going out, so I asked her to bring these back for me. This is the brand I’m used to. Maybe it’s not expensive to you, but for me, it’s what I can afford.”Realizing she had misspoken, Hera felt a bit awkward. She quickly changed the topic. “Still, is a pack of cigarettes really worth you being so grateful to Luca? How much could it have cost?”“It’s not about the money,” replied Gerald. “It's just a nice surprise. I never expected to get anything out of helping Ms. Craw, and this kind of unexpected gift has nothing to do with the price. Besides, I'm not being overly grateful. I'm just happy.”He was ba
Luca’s lips were already swollen and flushed from Luke's kisses.That deep shade of red, reflected in Luke’s eyes, was utterly captivating. It tugged at his nerves, stirring an uncontrollable desire within him.At that moment, he had only one thought, and it was to completely lose himself in her.…The two of them stepped out of the bedroom.Vivian quickly turned her back and greeted Luke when he saw him coming out, “Hello, Mr. Crawford.”“Vivian, don’t worry. Everything will get better,” replied Luke.Vivian simply hummed in response.Ray gave them a grateful nod as Luke took Luca’s hand and led her away.It was only after hearing the door close that Vivian finally turned back around.Ray glanced at her and said, “Vivian, they’re your friends. You don’t have to act this way around them. They won’t judge you.”“I know they won’t…” Vivian let out a soft sigh. “I just feel like I look terrifying right now. I didn’t want to scare them, so I avoided facing them directly. But it’
“I once treated someone who had been slowly poisoned over a long period of time. Their pulse was similar to Vivian’s. Given that your family has good genetics, yet Vivian is different from the rest of you, and her skin improved after leaving her original environment, all of this confirms my suspicion.“Could it be that someone in your family has been poisoning Vivian? That would explain why her skin ended up like this.”“If she really has been poisoned, then would staying away from that environment or identifying the person responsible help her get better?” asked Ray.Luca shook her head.“The poison I’ve encountered before was a slow-acting toxin that kept the victim’s skin dark. I don’t know exactly what it was, but long-term exposure to any poison has an effect on the body. It's just a suspicion now. I need to consult someone I know. And honestly, I can’t be sure what’s really causing Vivian’s condition.“Is her skin deteriorating so quickly because she was poisoned once more a