Abel's mocking comment made Maxine blush. She was used to being pampered, and other than Luke, no other man had ever treated her like that before. That made her even angrier. "Looks like you've been seduced by Bianca too," Maxine said coldly. "Alright, that's enough. Aren't we on the same side? We shouldn't be quibbling." Hera stepped up to be the mediator when she saw that the atmosphere was becoming tense. It would be bad if Maxine made Abel angry before the deed was done. Maxine grunted coldly, sat on the couch, and turned her head away. Abel lit up a cigar and dragged from it. "You don't have to worry about Bianca. Now that she's with me, she'll be begging for me to kill her." "That better be the case." Maxine paused for a while and added, "Not only that, but I want her to give up entirely on Luke." "I think so too." Abel laughed brazenly as he leaned on the couch. The main objective of his visit was to ask Maxine for a favor. "Help me get some photos," he said. "
Looking at Hera's face, Abel smiled but did not say anything. The couple went into the suite. He would not refuse any woman who offered themselves to him. Moreover, Hera was quite bodacious. An hour later. Abel leaned on the headboard and smoked a cigar. Hera took his cigar, kissed his cheek intimately, and took a drag of the cigar. She instantly coughed out loud. "Ugh. Why is this cigar so spicy?" She frowned and handed the cigar back to him. Abel took the cigar, not feeling any pity for the woman. "It's spiked with something." His cigars were too strong for ordinary people. Only one woman in the world could accept the cigar, and that woman was Kassy. Indeed, no other woman compared to her. "It's spiked? What did you put inside it?" Hera was shocked. Abel smiled mockingly when he saw the change in her expression. "Don't worry, you'll be fine." Hera breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that. She leaned on his chest again and looked up at his sculpted chin. "Where
"What else could be more important than spending time with my mother?" Leia smiled innocently. Queenie felt relieved seeing her daughter like that. Ever since Leia lost her baby, she had been blaming them for not saving her child or her relationship with Brody. She might still be holding that grudge if not for Brody's accident. After the incident, Queenie could sense that Leia was growing apart from her and her husband. She wanted to mend the relationship, but Leia did not give her the chance to do so. It had been very long since Leia behaved so warmly toward her. Queenie thought that Leia had perhaps forgiven her. "Good girl. Come sit beside me." Queenie smiled warmly and patted the space next to her. Leia took off her slippers, reclined on the bed, and hugged Queenie's waist. She could not help but think of what was going to happen in her bedroom. Queenie felt Leia's presence beside her. She sighed when she thought of Bianca, who was still missing. "It would be so nice
Queenie turned around and wanted to get her phone to dial for emergency services when she caught a glimpse of the pool of redness in Leia's room. "Ahh!" She noticed the man lying in the middle of the pool. It was Wayne Blatt, the wanted criminal! Queenie's face turned pale, and her heart started to pound faster. She could not catch her breath, and she fell on the floor and passed out. Leia felt a thud next to her. She opened her eyes slightly and saw Queenie passed out next to her. 'Useless!' She thought. She continued to lie on the floor. Her surroundings were totally quiet, and her nostrils were filled with the thick stench of blood. The blood belonged to Wayne. She would have gone into the room and felt the blood turn cold with her fingers if not that it would be hard to explain her actions later on. Leia did not feel very comfortable, but she did not want to get up. Instead, she remained in that position and waited for her father to return. Meanwhile, Abel evaded all th
Jack sighed when he looked at the mess in the room. His eyes were lifeless, as though he had aged ten years overnight. "Did they bring Wayne's body away?" Luke asked. "They did," Jack said worriedly. "His jugular vein was completely severed by a sharp blade." That was the coroner's preliminary finding. When Jack saw Wayne's body, he could even see the bones inside. It was a gut-wrenching sight. Luke was not that interested in Wayne's death. He was so concerned because Wayne might have known something about Bianca's disappearance. Now that Wayne was dead, Luke had no other leads. His phone started ringing. He went to the balcony before answering it. "What is it?" The call was from Percy. "I've found the man you want. My men have just tied him up. Where do you want me to deliver him?" "Your house," Luke said. Ever since he found out that Xavier had harassed Bianca the morning she went missing, they had been trying to find the man. Xavier had hidden himself well, and it to
Xavier thought that he was quite pathetic. However, that was all because of Bianca. He looked at the stack of documents in front of him and considered carefully. Finally, he decided to spill the truth. "I only know that someone wanted to harm Bianca that day, but I don't know who the culprit was." "Tell me everything that you know," Luke ordered. He had already dispatched his subordinates to the ranch, and he would soon find out if Xavier was lying. "You can't imagine how powerful that person can be." Xavier glared at Luke with bloodshot eyes. "I've also been trying to search for Bianca ever since that day, but I've never managed to find her. Luke, if I can't find her, you won't be able to find her either." Xavier was quite confident of his methods, but he had not been able to find anything ever since Bianca was abducted. Luke narrowed his gaze and looked at Xavier. Xavier was not afraid. "That's all I know. You must be sending your subordinates to the ranch now, and they w
Nina was stunned when she saw that Percy had poured all the eggs into the pot. She stirred it with a ladle, covered the pot, and turned around to prepare the toast.The toast she prepared previously was only enough for her.Percy crossed his hands in front of his chest. The sight of her preparing breakfast while wearing an apron brought an unprecedented surge of warmth to his heart.Nina was preparing the salad and picked up her pace when she noticed his scorching gaze. She asked, "Is there any news on Bea?"Although she woke up late, she knew that Percy had gotten up and left after answering a call. She heard him mention Bianca and Xavier Tanner."No." Percy shook his head, and his gaze shifted to the bowl full of washed cherries.He stretched out his hand, picked two, and plopped them into his mouth. The cherries were big and sweet. They were delicious.Nina wanted to say something but hesitated.When Percy noticed her expression, he raised her eyebrows and asked, "What’s wro
Bianca listened carefully to his every word, unwilling to miss out on anything.She had a basic understanding of the drugs in front of her after Shanks’ explanation. She was a little disappointed to find out that these drugs would not cause much harm to the human body. After Shanks went through the basics, he went on to teach them how to operate the instruments without checking whether the two of them could keep up with his pace.Bianca was introduced to these instruments when she was in school. Compared to Eler, she was much more proficient. After Shanks assigned them a task, she mixed the materials and completed the purification process not long after.Shanks sniffed her end product and said as he nodded in satisfaction, "Not too bad. You’re done for the day."Bianca raised her eyebrows. Since she arrived on the Island of Despair, today was the first time she knew she could get out of class early. However, she was happy to leave. She took off her gloves, turned around, and walk
“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