Luca's hatred toward Abel grew as she listened to the busy tone on the phone. She had tried to stay away from Luke and carry out Abel's orders, yet Abel was toying with her feelings. Tears of agony flowed down Luca's cheeks. What could she do to free herself from this mess? She knew Luke too well. Luke was not one who would want to seek a relationship with other people. Even though she had been constantly lying to him, he kept on trying to approach her. It only meant that she was somehow special to him… Luca threw the phone on the bed and covered her face. She could not stop her tears from falling. Amur stood outside her room and listened to the sounds from inside. Luca had lost control of her emotions and had spoken a little too loudly, and he had overheard her conversation… 'Abel…' Amur clenched his fists hatefully. He wished that he could claim that man's life. … Meanwhile, after Luke returned to Crawford Manor, he was surprised to see that Bianca was still awake
Bianca pretended to look awkward. "But Grandpa, it's been a long time since I went out with Luke alone…" Old Master Crawford glanced at her. Before he could say anything, Lanie, who had been quiet all this while, said, "Tommy, let's not disturb Daddy and Mommy's date. Let's go and play some video games, alright?" Lanie knew that Luke must have something important to do, and that was why he wanted to bring Bianca and no one else. The reason most likely had to do with the fact that the woman was an impostor. Tommy turned to look at Lanie, then at Bianca. Bianca took the chance to say, "That's right, Tommy. Lanie has a big collection of video games. Don't you want to play with him?" Tommy hesitated. Rainie chimed in too. "Tommy, how about we go to Ms. Luca's house after playing video games?" She suggested that because she knew that Tommy adored Luca. As expected, Tommy chose Luca over Bianca. He nodded and said, "Really? Can we really go to Ms. Luca's house?" "Of cours
After they got out of the car, Bianca took the initiative to hold Luke's hand as they walked into the villa. She displayed her full affection and wanted nothing more but to be as close to Luke as possible.She was too engrossed that she did not notice the gloomy look on Luke's face.Bianca turned her head to look at his handsome face. Her heartbeat sped up inexplicably when she thought about how there were only two of them in the villa. She had to make the best out of this opportunity.Luke keyed in the code on the digital lock. With a click, the door opened.Luke stood aside and looked at Bianca, who had no doubts. He said, "Go in."Bianca thought of what was going to happen in a while and her face turned red. She nodded shyly and walked into the villa.The lamps lit up the place in an instant. When she saw a man and woman inside, she turned around and looked at Luke, confused.At that moment, he walked in and the door behind him was closed."Luke, this is..." Bianca looked
Luke left without looking back, leaving Bianca completely hopeless.Bianca was in tears. Rain looked at her pitiful and seemingly innocent face. It reminded her of the evil people from the Island of Despair. When she thought of them, all her pity for Bianca was no longer there.If the real Bianca were still alive, it was highly likely that she was forced to go through a lot of suffering. Gale looked at the fake Bianca cry and felt no pity for her. Instead, he said to Rain, "I’ll carry her into the room.""Go ahead." Rain nodded. She felt nothing but annoyed listening to Bianca's wails.Luke told her that he wanted the truth no matter what methods they used. He had a reason for keeping her in this villa. This was a private property of his located in the outskirts. The nearby villas belonged to the local tycoons of A City. They bought the villas for vacation, so there were not many people around on a normal day. No one would notice no matter how loud Bianca yelled.Gale carried
Tommy smiled, raised the almost ready dough in his hands, and said, "Look, Daddy. Ms. Luca is teaching us how to make croissants."There was flour everywhere on the table. The kids must have caused this mess. The kids never had to do any housework in Crawford Manor. Although the house was in a mess, Luke felt a strange feeling when he saw how the kids were helping Luca.‘This is how a home should feel like.’He saw the children’s joyous appearance and felt like he was missing out on it. Luke touched Tommy's head and asked, "Why aren’t you using a bread machine to knead the dough?"Luca stood there and looked at him for a while. She then walked to the table, continued to knead the dough, and said, "Manual kneading makes better bread compared to using a bread machine."Rainie listened and had a sudden realization. "No wonder the croissant made by the chef at home is not as delicious as Mommy's."Luca paused. ‘She said ‘Mommy’… Is she referring to me or the fake Bianca?’She unco
The fake Bianca was not involved in any messy relationships, so Luke could manage the Crawford and Norman families with ease."Dad, Rainie and I will keep this a secret, don't worry," Lanie said. The three of them were not close to Bianca at all so it was not too much trouble to fool Tommy.After the two had a chat, they returned to the living room.Tommy waved to them happily and said, "Lanie, come! The show is about to begin."Lanie nodded and sat on the sofa.Luke walked to the kitchen and stood at the entrance. He did not enter and just stood there.The kitchen was indeed very small. If he walked in, it would become more crowded so he just stood there and watched from a distance.Luca's perception was sensitive. She turned her head and saw Luke standing there as expected."Mr. Crawford, are you alright?" She stopped cutting the chocolate in her hand."I’m fine." Luke deliberately glanced around the kitchen and said, "Your kitchen is too small. I assume you like to cook? Do
After an hour, the smell of croissants overflowed the kitchen.Tommy was sitting on the sofa, holding a fruit bowl in his hand. When he smelled the croissants, he greedily sniffed it all in and said, "The croissants smell so good. Can we have lunch soon?"Rainie turned around and said with a smile, "Ms. Luca is still in the kitchen. I’m guessing it’ll take some time."Luke glanced at the kitchen, and Tommy immediately said, "Daddy, Ms. Luca is so busy. Why don't you go over and help?""The kitchen is too small, she won't let me in." Luke did not have any intentions to move.Tommy muttered, "Daddy, you're just lazy."Luke raised his eyebrows and did not speak. The kitchen was indeed small, but it was also true that Luca did not want to have too much contact with him.Luca was deliberately staying in the kitchen just to avoid interacting with him too much.After the croissants were baked, she placed the croissants on the plate one by one and then took the plate out.Tommy kept l
Luca ate alone and would not use so many dishes. Amur counted the plates and knew what had happened.He walked out with his tray and asked, "We had some visitors?"Luca paused what she was doing and did not intend to hide anything from him. "Mm, yes.""Is it Luke and the kids?" Amur continued to ask.Luca nodded. After wiping the table, she folded the rag and explained, "No one was free to take care of the kids so they came over, and then two hours later, he came too."Amur put the tray on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Crawford Manor is so big. How could it be that the kids were left unattended?"Luca knew that the kids wanted to be closer to her but she could not turn them down."Amur, they’re my children. I can’t say no to them. Everything I do now is for Nyla. I do all this without complaint because she’s my little daughter, but at the same time, I can’t only love my little daughter," she said.Amur finished the oats and looked at her, saying, "I know, but I
“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