Blanche, who was being hugged by Granduncle, glanced at Xavier who had been staring at him. He blinked cluelessly and got a little scared, so he turned his head away and grabbed onto Granduncle's neck.Blanche was a little uncomfortable being stared at."Come on, give Uncle a hug!" Xavier stretched out his hands toward Blanche.Blanche did not recognize this uncle and did not like the look in his eyes, so he did not look back because he did not want to give that uncle a hug.Granduncle said to the child in his arms, "Lanie, this is your uncle.""But I’ve never seen him before." Blanche thought that this uncle looked like a meanie with fierce eyes."He’s really your uncle. He’s my biological son. What are you afraid of? If he scolds you, just tell me and I’ll peel his skin off.”When Daniel said that, he stuffed the child into Xavier's arms.Xavier hugged him safely.Blanche was a little reluctant and looked at his daddy for help. He did not want to look at Xavier's face.Xavi
Bianca looked up at Xavier and recognized who the man was.When Grandpa suddenly coughed up blood in Crawford Manor the other day, he stayed there to recover and rest. While they were there, that man and Yvonne were with Luke in his study.Since Bianca's impression of Yvonne was bad, she decided that the man might be a bad person too.At that moment, someone passed by. Bianca ignored Xavier and passed the flyer to the passerby, repeating the words, "Hello, if you have the time, please take a look. Thank you."Xavier turned to look at her.Bianca wore a black cotton T-shirt with a knot tied at the back of her waist and a pair of denim moderate-length shorts.The way she dressed made her look like a female college student who had not graduated yet."Don't you need to go to work today?" Xavier asked, taking his gaze away from her small waist that would make anyone want to grab it.Bianca continued handing out the flyers as she looked back at him, candidly saying, "No."The truth
"An aunt? What aunt?" Blanche asked as he stood next to Granduncle, pursing his lips cluelessly.Both Granduncle and Grandaunt's eyes lit up in an instant.Did the blockhead finally open up? Did he finally get together with a girl he liked and was going to bring her back to meet everyone?Tears of joy filled their eyes as the old couple looked at each other. It was as if all the hardships they had endured over the past few years were finally released. They were relieved. Their son was finally becoming a good man.After a few years in prison, it seemed that the time spent was not in vain.In the beginning, Granduncle had forced Blanche to make that call. He even whispered for Blanche to turn on the loudspeaker so that he could hear it too. Therefore, Blanche followed the orders and turned on the loudspeaker.As soon as the loudspeaker was turned on, Uncle Xavier said, "Don’t worry, she’s a beautiful aunt. You’ll definitely like her."When the old couple heard how nice his son was
Blanche no longer wanted to talk to Daddy. He took a towel to dry Rainie’s fingers when she was by the pool, playing happily."Why did you get your hair wet? You’re a girl." Blanche sighed. Apart from her strict dad, there was her older brother who was slightly older than her.He crouched in front of the pool, drying his sister’s hair and face while he solemnly wondered how much easier life would be with a mommy.Since he was a baby, he always hoped that his mommy would come back to look for Rainie and him. He thought that even if Mommy did not get back together with Daddy, at least she would visit them on the weekends to see Rainie and him because that would be enough.However, it was different now. Blanche no longer hoped that Mommy would come back to look for them. He just wished that Daddy could marry Aunt Bea and make her their mommy instead.That way, Rainie could also have a beautiful childhood like other girls."Is that... Yvonne?" someone asked and pointed at the manor’s
"Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom." Luke finished another glass of red wine, put down his glass, and nodded to the influential people on the table. Then, he turned around gracefully before leaving.The dinner was set in the air-conditioned living room. It was a cold evening outside, and the dinner was very lively.Jason saw his boss heading upstairs, so he took the two kids and walked toward the stairs."Uncle Jason, why are we going upstairs?" Blanche asked with his little fingers still pressing on the buttons of his game console. He was blinking his big eyes."To look for your dad.” Jason could not explain too much to the child.After taking the two children upstairs, Jason asked the two children to put on their shoes while they sat on the chairs next to the stairs. He continued, "Let’s sit here and wait. Your dad went to the bathroom."Blanche nodded.He waited for Daddy to come out of the bathroom."But Uncle Jason, I still want to stay.” Rainie thought that waiting fo
At that moment when the air in the bedroom was heavy, she managed to find her cell phone.After turning it on with difficulty, all her notifications flooded in.Brayden texted and asked her, ‘Bea, what time are you getting off work? Shall we have dinner together tonight?’Bianca rushed back to reply to Brayden.After replying to him, Bianca did not dare to look back at Luke who was next to the bed. She took a soft breath, turned the doorknob, and walked out in a pretend huff.She carefully closed the bedroom door. Bianca looked around and realized that she was in a manor, presumably Xavier's home.There were sounds of glasses clinking from downstairs. It sounded like a cocktail party.Bianca looked around and there seemed to be no other way out except for going downstairs and leaving through the main entrance. She walked toward the stairs and did not dare to make a sound."Ms. Rayne?" As Jason walked upstairs, he happened to bump into Bianca who was looking down from the stairs
However, he did not want to use the children to blackmail her.The beginning of a relationship should start for the sake of marriage. Once they got married and became husband and wife, their relationship should be eternal and endless.However, he was stuck in a deadlock that could not be broken.Their relationship started too early. He did not even have the time to meet her formally and confess to her. Instead, they had children right from the get-go. Twins too!The moment she resisted him, he could just tell her that those were her kids and forced her to marry him.However, to what extent would the love be if he forced her to get married to him just because she loved those two kids? Would she be willing to abandon her own freedom and everything for the sake of her kids so that she could be by their side?If they went that route, the union of their marriage would not be pure.The hatred in her would drown all his love for her.It would not be love that bound her and kept her by
Yvonne was busy thinking about things.Among the wealthy bachelors of A City, who was the most difficult? No, not the young playboys nor the fickle-minded prince. It was none other than the cold and indifferent Luke Crawford.Especially when dealing with women, Luke was extremely indifferent.Yvonne needed to admit that she had a lot of chances to get closer to Luke, but after all those years, the two of them were practically strangers.However, Yvonne never felt humiliated because other women were treated just the same.Bianca Rayne alone was the outlier who Luke seemed to have taken a liking to.Yvonne could not wrap her head around why that mediocre Bianca was so beloved by Luke! However, no matter what Bianca used to get Luke to be hooked on her, she knew she had to solve the Bianca problem as soon as possible.She wanted to make Bianca a dirty whore, inside and out.If Bianca got married to a poor scumbag and suffered a torturous marriage while living in a hell on earth, Y
“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