When the HR managers heard Jason’s reply, they said, "That's interesting. The boss isn’t the kind of person who would go for under-the-counter deals. If someone else came here with Ivana’s attitude, they would’ve been kicked out without the opportunity to join the company."Jason listened to their discussion and said with a straight face, "Stop with the gossiping and go focus on what you need to get done."The HR managers nodded and started a discussion on who to hire for the remaining positions.Jason walked out and headed downstairs. He happened to bump into Ivana, who was waiting by the entrance for a taxi. He asked curiously, "Ms. Ivana, do you remember me?"Ivana turned her head and looked at him. Of course, she knew Jason. He was Luke's special assistant and the father of Sue's two daughters."Mr. Doyle, what's the matter?""Nothing much, I'm just curious and wanted to ask you if you know our boss from before?" Jason asked.Ivana frowned and asked, "What do you mean? You t
Bianca bought some clothes and toys in the children's area before finding a restaurant to dine in.She chose a central position to sit and enjoyed the looks of people around her. She was getting used to being Mrs. Crawford.Bianca picked up the coffee that was served by the waiter earlier and took an elegant sip. She remembered what the man had told her.He said that the boss had arranged for the woman to come back to A City. She was instructed to pay attention to the woman and observe her secretly. She had to record her every move and report it back to the Island of Despair through secret messages.‘Isn’t it enough for Abel to have me undergo plastic surgery and send me to Luke? Why did he send the woman back? She’s just going to get in my way.’However, when she thought about how the woman had changed her appearance and did not pose a big threat to her, she became more accepting of it. She picked up a tissue and wiped the coffee stain on the corner of her mouth. She smiled.Bia
"They’ll love it," Luke said.“Tommy never likes what I buy for him. I forget a lot of things, so I don't know what he likes. Sigh, it’d be great if I could remember the things from the past." Bianca pretended to sigh in distress and lowered her head with a sad expression on her face.Luke thought of how Tommy was repelled by her, as well as Lanie and Rainie’s alienation. Their problems began when Bianca lost her memory.However, he did not want her to remember the past.Luke’s hands were full, so all he could do was give her a comforting smile as he said, "Bea, don't think too much about it. The children are still in their rebellious phase. They’ll come to be more understanding of you eventually.” Bianca nodded at him, but the look of grievance in her gaze did not disappear.To her, the kids were an existence that hindered her plan. Sooner or later, they would have to be eradicated.Luke and Bianca returned to the manor. Tommy sat in the living room watching cartoons. When he
Bianca pouted unhappily. "I want to accompany you… and Tommy." "Mommy, I'll be fine with just Daddy here," Tommy said. Bianca bit her lip. Luke had been treating her more and more coldly, perhaps inadvertently influenced by the children. The caretaker brought Bianca's shopping bags into the house and asked, "Madam, should I bring these bags to your bedroom?" Bianca remembered that the other family members were not very happy whenever they saw her buy new clothes. She stood up and smiled at Luke and Tommy. "Alright, I'll go back to my bedroom then. I've also bought some new clothes for you. After you're done tutoring Tommy, come over and try them on, alright?" "Mm." Luke nodded, though his eyes remained transfixed on Tommy. When he saw Tommy make a spelling mistake, he patiently corrected him. Bianca was frustrated that Luke did not look at her at all, though she could not lose her temper in front of her husband and child. She smiled at the caretaker and said, "Follow me."
Bianca was relieved when she heard that Ivana would not be working in the T Corporation building. However, she could not let her guard down yet. She took Luke's hand and said coyly, "Luke, why don't I work in T Corporation too? You can arrange for that, right?" Luke frowned slightly and looked at her. "Isn't it better to stay at home?" Bianca did not know anything after losing her memories. She could not even tutor Tommy with his homework. How was she going to work in T Corporation? "I feel so bored at home. I want to help you too, so that Grandpa doesn't look down upon me," Bianca pouted and said. Luke tried to convince her otherwise. "You've yet to fully recover. It's best for you to stay at home." "I don't wanna. You said that I used to be very career-focused, right? I might not remember anything now, but I want to try to find my former self." Bianca wagged his hands. After thinking very carefully, she thought that the reason for not being able to win Luke's heart w
Ivana knew the internal structure of T Corporation very well. She could navigate her way to the HR department even with her eyes closed. At the HR department, she filled up the relevant paperwork and had her photo taken. After that, she was officially an employee of T Corporation. After the HR staff member gave her the staff ID, she looked at it in a daze. The person on the ID seemed like a stranger to her. "Um, can I change my name on the ID?" She handed the staff ID back. The HR staff member looked at her in confusion. "What name do you want?" "Luca. That's my middle name," Ivana explained. She had given herself that name, while Ivana was the name that Abel had given her. "What?" The HR staff member did not understand. Ivana took a pen and paper, wrote the name down, and handed it to the staff member. The HR staff member looked at the name and said, "No problem, I'll get that changed for you. That's a nice name." Ivana smiled slightly. The HR staff member changed
"Alright, thank you," Ivana said. After Jason left the room, she breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed her pose. Jason was staring at her earlier. She wondered if her cover was blown. Her face had totally changed. How did they manage to recognize her? Ivana held the glass of water and continued to wait. Fifteen minutes later, Ivana turned her head when she heard the room door open and saw Luke coming in. "Mr. Crawford." She stood up and greeted him awkwardly. Luke nodded. His heart skipped a beat when he noticed that Ivana did not wear any makeup. Ivana had a seductive face, but she was different from other women. Most if not all other women would wear makeup whenever they went out of their houses. That reminded Luke of the previous Bianca. Before Bianca lost her memories, she did not wear any makeup unless it was an important occasion. Now, she would spend her time in front of the vanity the moment she woke up… Luke did not remain stunned for too long. He sat down op
Bianca drove the car to Tommy's school. Seeing that it was still early, she sat down at a nearby cafe and ordered a coffee while waiting for school to end. Usually, Luke or the driver would be the ones to fetch the children home. It was the first time that she did so. Bianca browsed on her phone, feeling quite bored. She would not have done this if not that she wanted to gain Luke's favor. To achieve her objective of getting closer to him, she had to pretend that she was a good wife and mother so that Luke would place his trust in her. An hour later, Bianca casually sauntered out of the cafe and went to the school gate. Parents and caretakers were crowding at the gate. Bianca frowned disgustedly when she saw the crowd in front of the gate. She thought that they were disorderly and unmannered. She was not in a rush anyway. After the crowd dispersed, she slowly walked toward the gate. She saw Tommy carrying his backpack standing next to the teacher. Putting on a fake gent
“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