The Island of Despair. Bianca lay in her bed weakly. She had not eaten well for the past few days, and she was showing signs of miscarriage. Dr. Shanks instantly treated her. It took him a lot of effort, but he managed to stabilize Bianca's condition. Looking at Bianca's pale face, Shanks realized that his supplements could only sustain Bianca's life but could not promise that the baby in her womb would be safe. He told Abel, "No matter what, you'll have to let her eat something. The baby can't survive on the supplements alone." Abel frowned hard. He looked at Bianca, half-dead on the bed, and could not help but curse, "How troublesome. Can't you invent a supplement that can nourish the baby?" "Even if I could, it'll take time," Shanks said. His supplements were developed for the League of Shadows's agents. Sometimes, the agents would have to stay in less-than-ideal conditions to complete their mission, so the supplements would provide them enough nutrients to carry out t
Shanks observed Bianca eating the spaghetti. After not eating anything for a few days, Bianca found it difficult to swallow. She did not complain. Instead, she chewed slowly and swallowed carefully. Shanks was secretly impressed. Abel was Robert's successor and wielded supreme power on the Island of Despair. No one under him had the right to talk back. However, Bianca, a powerless woman, managed to negotiate with him. What surprised him the most was that she did not ask for Eler's younger brother's release by offering him money. Instead, she offered her unborn child for the life of a stranger, and Abel actually accepted the offer. Shanks grunted coldly, feeling something in his usually cold heart. He turned around and prepared to walk away. At the door, he stopped and said, "Don't eat too much in your first meal in a while. You should still eat your supplements and only stop when you can eat the normal amount." When Eler heard that, she replied on behalf of Bianca, "Yes,
Eler slowly pulled her hands away as tears brimmed in her eyes. "Are you thinking of your family?" She had caught a glimpse of Bianca's husband while in the surveillance room. Even though she only saw him remotely, she could tell from the man's face that he loved Bianca very much. "Mm." Bianca's eyelashes fluttered. She did not open her eyes, so she could imagine that she was not imprisoned in that small room but that her lover was not far away. Eler saw the tears in her eyes. She helped her wipe them away with a paper towel. She stood there without saying a word. Just like Bianca, she had lost her family after being abducted, and she would often dream of her family whenever she slept. Such memories could only exist in the mind, and she would have to face the cruel reality once she woke up. Eler knew how it felt, so she did not know what to tell Bianca. She was not going to comfort Bianca with false promises. Bianca quietened down and said nothing. Eler took a chair and
Eler could not help but shed tears when she listened to Bianca speak to her younger brother. Amur would be sent back to the training grounds if Bianca had not saved him. She used a towel to stop Amur's bleeding, then cleaned him up. Other than the injury on his forehead, the other wounds were not serious. Eler turned around and spoke to Bianca, "Miss, I want to go to get some medicine from Mr. Shanks." "Mm." Bianca shook her head. She sighed when she looked at Amur's pale face. Amur was much weaker than she thought. She would have to spend more effort on him to strengthen him. After Eler left, Bianca asked, "Amur, do you want to protect your sister?" "Yes!" Amur gradually calmed down. He felt that he could be calmer with Bianca. "Then you'll have to work hard. You might be out of the training grounds, but you're still on the Island of Despair. You won't be safe just because you're here. You should know how to train yourself, right?" Bianca said. All she could do was prote
Bianca tossed the dagger in the air, thinking of catching it as Abel did. When she tried to catch it, the sharp blade cut her finger, and blood instantly gushed out. "Miss!" Eler ran over and tried to stop the bleeding with a napkin. "You're too careless." Bianca pulled her hand away and pressed on the wound. "It's just a small cut." "Where did you get that dangerous weapon?" Eler said while she turned her head toward Amur. She was just about to reprimand her brother for not taking care of Bianca when she saw the sword in his hands. "Amur, how did you…" There was a rule on the Island of Despair that no one should bring their weapons out of the training grounds. "You'll get into big trouble if Boss sees it!" Eler broke out in cold sweat. Her mind raced, thinking of how she should dispose of the weapons before someone saw them. "Boss gave us these weapons, Eler. The whip on the floor is yours." Amur stood up, tossed the longsword away, and patted Eler's shoulder with one ha
Lanie held Luke's hand tightly as they walked down the stairs. "Right, Grandma's lawyer is here. He's been waiting for you for more than an hour." "Lawyer?" After he got downstairs, he looked around the living room but did not see Walter. Instead, there was a middle-aged man whom he did not know sitting on the couch. He seemed to be the lawyer that Lanie was talking about. The man sitting on the couch was called Henry Sneyder. He stood up when he saw Luke. Despite being one of the best lawyers in A City and having won many lawsuits for wealthy families, he could not help but feel nervous when he saw Luke. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Crawford. I'm Henry Sneyder, and this is my name card," Henry said politely while handing Luke his name card. Luke did not take it. "What is your business here, Mr. Sneyder?" "It's like this. I'm representing your mother, and I'd like to discuss something with you," Henry said, though his arms remained in the same position. He felt awkward because
"Bea is one of us. You'll have to bring her back no matter what," Old Master Crawford said as he looked at the children who were playing in the garden. They might seem happy, but the old man could tell that they were worried. The children were still young, and they needed a mother for their upbringing. Luke was not the kind of man who would marry another woman just for their children. He was not going to love another woman other than Bianca. Luke looked at the sun that was setting beyond the mountains. Summer was coming to an end. Bianca had said that summer was her favorite season. "I will bring her back," Luke said. He had said the same sentence to many people, and he had sounded confident every time he said that. He was not afraid of any danger. Bianca was everything to him. Old Master Crawford patted his shoulder and said, "I've heard that Old Master Rayne's health is declining. I know that you're busy searching for Bianca, but don't forget to show some concern to the o
"I'm worried that she'll tire out." Eler knew that Bianca's accuracy had improved. However, it was no use if Bianca's arms tired out before she could finish the task. "Believe in her," Amur said. The mercenary noticed the siblings whispering to each other and reprimanded them, "What are you doing? You don't get to eat if you don't finish the arrows." After Eler heard that, she picked up the bow and arrows and began to shoot. At first, Bianca found it relatively easy to hit the bullseye. As time passed, her arms began to feel weaker. When she stretched the bow, her arms were shaking. "Continue!" The mercenary yelled. He did not give her time to rest. Sweat poured down her forehead. Bianca pressed her lips together and fired another arrow, which hit the bullseye. Eler could not help but feel nervous for her. Abel came to the training grounds. When he saw that Bianca only had about twenty arrows left, he smiled and slapped her arm. "Not bad. You've hit quite a lot." Bian
“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