Luca did not explain herself. Instead, she said, "I don't have my acupuncture needles with me. Can you find me a set?" The nurse looked at the patient's family. None of them had any objections, as though they trusted that woman completely. On the other hand, they seemed to have ignored her question. "Are you sure that you want to perform acupuncture on the patient?" The nurse asked again. "Yes." Luca nodded and pulled her hand away. Seeing that no one raised any objections, the nurse left the room. Tommy walked up to Luca and asked her softly, "Ms. Luca, can you make Mommy well again?" Luca patted the boy's head but said nothing. If her guess was correct, no one could make Bianca well again. Bianca should have taken a drug that had no antidote. Shanks had discovered the properties of the drug when he was teaching medicine to Luca. He did not find an antidote for it because it was not lethal. Luca knew that Bianca's condition would continue to deteriorate, but she woul
Bianca could also sense the situation she had put herself in. At the moment, she was clearly lucid, but her body was uncomfortably hot. "I took one pill," she said. Luca blinked, though her expression did not change. "That's too much. You can only take half a pill at most." "You're lying." Bianca did not believe her. She thought that Luca was only trying to scare her. "I guess the person who gave you the pill didn't tell you the proper instructions, or you might have missed it." Luca stood up and walked toward the door. Bianca tried to recall what she was told when she was given the pill, but her head was spinning, and she could not remember anything at all. She wanted to ask more probing questions, but Luca had already left the room. "Mrs. Crawford is awake," she told the people waiting outside of the room. Bianca watched Luke walking into the room while holding Tommy's hand. Behind him, Queenie, Jack, the caretaker, and the nurse also followed. She could only swallow the
Bianca glared at the nurse. When she was about to speak, Luke spoke first. "Give her some water." "Yes." The caretaker deftly poured a glass of water, put a straw in the cup, and brought it next to Bianca's mouth. "Please drink some water, Madam." Bianca glared at the nurse, though she had no choice but to drink from the straw because Luke had given her the order. Two hours later, Queenie returned to the hospital with the concoction. Bianca did not want to drink it. After all, it was Luca's prescription. However, she remembered what Luca had told her. Fearing that her brain might melt if the fever persisted, she hesitated for a while when the caretaker brought the straw close to her mouth, but eventually, she took the flask and finished it all. Half an hour later, Bianca's body temperature began to drop. The nurse read the thermometer. "Your temperature now is 99.5 degrees." Queenie was overjoyed. "I knew that Luca was capable. The concoction worked in half an hour."
Queenie understood that one should not judge another by their appearance alone. Even though she had a good impression of Luca in the few times they interacted, she could understand why Bianca felt uneasy. "Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on Luke," Queenie comforted her. She knew that Luke was not flirtatious, but many women had tried to get on his good side over the past three years. Bianca took Queenie's hand and pretended to look grateful. "You're so nice to me, Mom." "I'm your mother, silly girl. No matter what happens, I'll be by your side. Don't worry. Luca is only close to me because she treated my illness. I'll make sure that they don't have any private affairs." Queenie patted Bianca's head. Meanwhile, after Luke left the hospital, he sped back to T Corporation. Tommy was sitting in the backseat. He thought for a while and said, "Daddy, shouldn't you let Ms. Luca know that her concoction works?" "Mm." Luke nodded. "Let me tell her then!" Tommy said while grinning.
Jason smiled wryly when he saw Tommy's frustrated expression. He shook his head and went back to work. Five minutes later, he stood up and said to Tommy, "Hey, Little Mr. Crawford, I can't do anything if you miss Ms. Luca, but I can bring you to someone else. Do you want to go?" "Is it Madam Tina?" Tommy asked. Tommy chuckled. Luca and Tina were about the same age, but to Tommy, the former was a "Miss" while the latter was a "Madam." Tina would lose her mind if she found out about it. "Yes. I'll need to attend a meeting with Mr. Crawford in a while. Why don't you go to Madam Tina's office?" Jason said. He did not want to leave the young child alone in his office. "Alright then." Even though Tommy missed Luca, he did not want to burden Jason with extra trouble. Jason took his hand, and they left the office. After handing him to Tina, he rushed to Luke's office to remind him that the meeting was almost starting. It was already half-past nine when the meeting ended. Tina
'Did he skip lunch and dinner again?' Luca remembered the scene at the hospital earlier. She heard that he had been keeping watch in the hospital for the entire night, which meant that he probably had not eaten a proper meal since the plate of spaghetti at her house the day before yesterday. Tommy noticed her hesitation. He wagged her hand. "My Daddy has gastric problems, Ms. Luca." 'Right, he has gastric problems…' Luca gently pinched Tommy's hand and said, "I only have spaghetti, vegetables, and eggs at home, so I can't cook something too fancy. He can come and eat if he doesn't mind that." She sighed to herself. She could not bear to see Luke torture himself after all. 'He must be tired all these years, having to take care of the company and the children…' "Daddy won't mind it at all. Your scrambled eggs are great," Tommy said with a grin. He ran back to the car and told Luke who was sitting in the driver's seat, "Daddy, Ms. Luca promised to cook for us. Let's go." L
"Thank you, Ms. Luca!" Tommy thanked Luca and continued eating. Luke noticed that Luca was very gentle toward Tommy. Over the past three years, he knew that many people had tried to be nice to Tommy so that they could get closer to Luke, but none of them had managed to do what Luca did. Her care toward the boy seemed to be genuine. She was not faking it at all. Luke picked up his fork and began to eat. Luca felt slightly relieved when she saw that Luke had started eating. It was the third time sitting at the same dining table as Luke. Every time, she could not process her feelings. Fifteen minutes later, all the plates were swept clean. Luca stood up and cleared the table. Tommy yawned. Luke noticed that it was already eleven o'clock. Usually, Tommy would have already been in bed, but today was different. "Tommy is sleepy, Mr. Crawford. You should send him home." Luca also thought it was already quite late. When Tommy heard that, he shook his head and said, "I'm not
Cole's expression sank even more, which confirmed Talia's guess. Talia had expected that Cole would be selected to join the off-site training, but the results were out of her expectations. Disregarding Cole's sullen expression, Talia continued asking, "So who got selected?" "Luca Craw, and Dr. Albus!" Cole sat sullenly on his office chair. As the manager of the Technical Department, it was a huge embarrassment that he was not selected for the off-site training. He said sternly to the woman in front of him, "What happened? Can't you even do a simple job?" Talia felt quite aggrieved that Cole was blaming her for it. She knew about the deal between Cole and Dr. Albus. Cole was the only one who had benefited from the deal, and she did not see a single cent from it. If Cold had not accepted Dr. Albus's bribe, he would definitely be selected. She thought that it was wrong for Cole to blame her. After all, she managed to make friends with all the researchers' assistants except for
“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