Luca nodded and then asked, “Mr. Crawford, what do you want to have for breakfast?”“Anything will do. Bring Tommy along with you too. Buy something he actually likes to eat,” replied Luke.Luca nodded in response and brought Tommy out of the ward.After Luke walked into the bathroom to wash up, his phone rang. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Bianca calling.After he knew that the Bianca in A City was a fake, he decided to remove everything that he had customized for her—including ringtones and wallpapers.He had no reason to do all that for a fake woman.Luke answered the call and spoke coldly, “It’s late. You’re still not asleep?”His words were showing concern for her, yet they were spoken in a cold tone. That surprised her, but she still replied, “I’m about to sleep, but I miss you, so I decided to give you a call. Luke, I hope I’m not disturbing you?”“Not at all.” Luke’s tone remained ice-cold. He left the bathroom, sat on the sofa, and waited for her reply.
After breakfast, Johann walked in with a medical report in hand and announced, “The report is out, and Jason will bring in the receipt in a short while. Arrangements for your discharge are complete, Mr. Crawford.”Luke stood up and said, “Let’s go, then.”Johann looked at Luca who stood at one side and asked her, “Dr. Craw, I suppose you’re still taking part in the off-site training today?”Luca nodded. She woke up early today, so she might be able to rush there.“I have nothing planned for today. Why don’t I give you a ride?” said Johann with a smile.Before Luca could reply, Luke interjected, “Is the car downstairs?”“Yes, Boss.” Jason nodded.“We’ll send Dr. Craw over to the training site,” said Luke. He then looked over at Johann and continued, “You don’t need to entertain Dr. Park.”Johann shrugged as he listened to the avaricious words and said, “Alright then. By the way, I asked forensics yesterday and they said the report on the blade should be out by today.”Jason cou
Luca did not need him to remind her about it. She looked in Dr. Albus’ direction and nodded.Since she did not say anything, Rhett chose not to either. After all, he just wanted to remind her, but she seemed calmer than he was. Not even a veteran like Dr. Albus could have a temper like hers.After Luke dropped Luca off at her destination, he went back to the office with his kid.After arriving at the office, Jason frantically pushed open Luke’s door before he could even get to work. “Boss, Miss Norman is waiting for you in the lobby. She said she has something important she wants to talk to you about.”“Which one?” Luke replied coldly, not bothering to raise his head.Jason replied, “Leia Norman, Mrs. Crawford’s younger sister.”When Luke heard her name, he suddenly remembered that she was here as well. He rejected outright without even thinking about it. “I have no time for her.”Jason knew he would say that, so he passed on Leia’s message. “Boss, Miss Norman said she has somet
Leia was stunned. Just as she was trying to figure out his words, Jason pushed the door open.“Please leave, Miss Norman.”Leia left just like that and was dissatisfied. She suddenly realized something. Queenie had mentioned before that she could come back as long as Luke gave the word. It turned out this was what she meant by that. Apart from Jack, even the man in front of her was stopping her from going back!She ignored Jason as she raised her pitch. “Why are you doing this to me? I want to go back!”Jason frowned when she raised her voice. He knew that this was not going to be easy to handle, so he walked out and spoke to the secretary, “Tell security to come up here, please.”Leia knew she was going to be dragged downstairs. She shuddered and fell to her knees, “Brother-in-law, I beg you. I just want to go back home.”She had never wanted to call him her brother-in-law, but now, she had no choice but to give in.Luke glared at her coldly. Her cries for help sounded like ins
Tommy stared blankly at her with tears in his eyes as if he would bawl his eyes out if she said she did not like him.Luca was mad at herself. She thought she had hurt his feelings with the tone of her voice.“Ms. Luca, I won’t bother you. Please don’t dislike me.” Tommy rubbed his eyes as he tried to contain his tears. Just the sight of him would melt anyone’s heart.“No, I don’t dislike you. Stop overthinking.” Luca grabbed his hand and said, “I just went to the supermarket. Guess what I bought?”Tommy still had tears in his eyes as he looked up at her. At least he was somewhat distracted now. “What?”“Your favorite snack,” replied Luca as she opened the drawer. She was going to be here for two weeks and would meet Tommy anytime, so she prepared them.She picked up a bag of chips that kids liked and handed it to him. “Here you go. Treat this as an apology from me. Don’t be sad, okay?”“You didn't do anything wrong.” Tommy was very happy when he saw the bag of snacks that he li
The car remained where it was. When she got out of the cab, she noticed that it was an ordinary car.As it was an ordinary car, she could not tell if the car belonged to Luke or Abel’s men.She did not walk over. Instead, she walked into an alley. The moment she went in, she heard the sound of car doors opening. She then quickly turned the corner. Since she was quite familiar with the place, she managed to avoid them.The spies looked at each other helplessly. She must have realized their presence…As a result, they failed their mission…After Luca was sure she lost them, she walked over to her destination. She then knocked calmly on the metal door.After a while, an enormous man walked over and opened the door. “Who are you looking for?”Luca did not panic as the man glanced at her from top to bottom. She replied, “I’m looking for Solomon.”“What business do you have with him?” The man let his guard down as he looked at the frail-looking woman in front of him. He lit a cigaret
Luca pulled the needle away and circled her arm around Solomon’s neck. There was a vicious expression on her face which sent a wave of terror across the two other men.“What… What are you… doing…” Solomon had some trouble speaking with his neck being choked like that.“Just testing the drug.” Luka glanced at the man's face. The venom would take some time to work. It seemed that she had to stay for a while longer. “Why don't we wait and see if the venom works before we talk?”Solomon shuddered for a moment. The force applied to his neck was so strong he could not break free. He knew what would happen if he did not administer the antidote in time, so he begged. “Please don’t. Let’s… Let’s talk about it.”As he said those words, he signaled his lackeys with his eyes.Luca noticed the slight changes in her opponent's movements, so she tightened her grip. “If you dare do anything funny, you might just endanger someone’s life.”Solomon shuddered once more. She was just a frail Eastern
Amur nodded but he did not mention what mission it was.“So you were carrying out your mission at that place?” Luca asked again.“Yes,” Amur replied and noddedSolomon was a well-known black market dealer, but he was different from others. His products were popular, but he had a terrible character.There was a kind of drug that Abel sought after.However, Solomon was not the original seller, so it was quite difficult to get the goods. After a few trials and tribulations, Abel managed to get information that Solomon had a customer who wanted the same drug, hence he ordered a batch of them.That was an opportunity for him, so success would have to depend on whether their plan worked out or not.Luca smiled as she listened to Amur’s explanation. There was no reason for him to lie. In that case, Luke’s poisoning had nothing to do with Abel.She breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she could not help but tease Amur, “Amur, you should not have been tied up like that.”Even though the th
“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