When Nina told her about all these troubles, Luca realized that if no one was there to help her out, she would certainly end up at a dead-end.“Nina, stop thinking that way.” Luca held her hand tightly. She was heartbroken for what had happened to Nina. Nina was a strong and positive-minded woman back then. Her life changed drastically ever since she met Xavier. It was all her fault…Xavier did that to Nina all because of her. Luca comforted her, saying, “Listen to me. The most important thing is to cure your mother’s sickness now. Stop overthinking.”Although what Nina said was true about the burden that she was carrying becoming lighter if Anna refused to receive treatment or if she passed away during the operation…However, she was still her mother, after all.She would be upset for the rest of her life if that really happened. Even if Anna had done so many things that upset Nina, Nina should not forget that she was raised by her mother.Nina sniffed and suppressed the
There was no expression on Luke’s face as he listened to Tia trying to provoke him.He knew exactly what she was up to. He would never talk to such a woman in the past. Luke took a sip of coffee and changed the topic of the conversation. “Let me continue explaining my mother’s condition.”Tia had already expected he would not say anything. After all, a man like him would never say it out even if he was dissatisfied. She was looking forward to how he was going to deal with Nina. She deliberately gave him a gentle smile and said, “Sure. Tell me more about your mother’s situation, including events of the past. I can only treat her better if I understand more about her.”Luke looked up. He was calm as usual despite the tenderness that she showed to him.He continued to talk about Allison.…Luca and Nina left the coffee shop after paying their bill.Nina was holding Luca’s hand, and she asked worriedly, “Luca, how are you feeling? Are you injured?”“I hurt my waist during the t
Although Queenie's matter was urgent, it was not that urgent to the extent that it must be done tonight. When she heard Luca promise to help, she replied immediately, "Alright. Then I'll ask my driver to pick you up tomorrow.""It’s alright. I can go myself. Aunt Queenie, I have something to do. I've got to go." She needed help, so of course, Luca would go to her house. Luca did not want her to go back and forth, so she planned to go by herself.“Sure, off you go.” Queenie was relieved. After Luca hung up the phone, she pressed the password lock and entered the house. She saw the luggage that had not been packed away. She got down and opened it before bringing out the laptop.She carried the laptop and curled up on the couch. Then, she opened a software.It was the hacker software installed by Amur. This made it easy for her to intrude into systems. Luca connected it to the internet and hacked into A City's immigration system.The reason she did that was to check whether the per
“Sir, it’s time to leave.” The Norman family’s chauffeur reminded him. He did not mean to interrupt their conversation, but Jack had to attend an important meeting today. He would be late if they did not leave now. “Alright. I’m leaving for work now.” Jack nodded.Luca smiled. She let out a sigh of relief after watching Jack leave. As Queenie’s body was getting better day by day, Jack’s suspicion toward her was getting lesser too. He was more friendly to her now. Luca felt her heart warm from the kindness he showed her.She rang Norman Residence’s doorbell. Soon, the maid came running out to open the door for her. “Ms. Craw, you’re here.”“Yes, is Mrs. Norman here?” Luca asked."Yes, Mrs. Norman and Ms. Norman are here," the maid blurted out without noticing that she had spilled the beans.“Miss?” Luca walked in and asked intentionally. “Isn’t Ms. Norman studying abroad? She’s back?”The one she was talking about was Bianca, whom Luke had told her about.The maid covered
Queenie had no idea her words had gotten on Leia’s nerves. She smiled and looked at Luca. “Luca, can you take her pulse, then? Leia’s been feeling uncomfortable lately. I’m worried.”"Alright." Luca nodded and looked at Leia. She did not ask Leia to reach out to let her check her pulse. Instead, she was observing her to figure out her condition."Ms. Norman has sallow skin, and her eyes are swollen. These are caused by staying up late for an extended period of time," said Luca. There was a hint of incisiveness in her words as she pointed out the condition of Leia’s body.Leia touched her face unconsciously. Was Luca prying into her life now?Why did she sound so certain about that when she had not even checked her pulse?However, Leia thought for a moment. Staying up late was a common problem for most people now. It was no surprise that Luca would say so.“Ah? Then what should we do?” Queenie asked hurriedly. "Staying up late will only lead to various problems in your body. The
The maid widened her eyes and said, “Do you mean Dr. Craw? I only know that she’s a research professor in a pharmaceutical company. I’m not sure about anything else…”Leia pounded on the couch when she listened to the maid’s worthless words. “Useless piece of sh*t.”After Queenie sent Luca off, she paced back to the living room without saying anything. She then ordered the maid, “Go to my bedroom and bring my bag out. Oh yes, and Leia’s bag too.”“Mom, where are we going?” Leia saw her in a hurry and was confused. “To the hospital. I’m bringing you to the hospital for a check-up now,” Queenie said. Previously, Leia was pregnant with Brody’s child and her body was already in terrible condition then. When she was in New York, she got pregnant with her boyfriend’s child. However, they ended up aborting the child. Her body’s condition had deteriorated after undergoing an abortion twice. Queenie did not expect Leia to have liver and kidney problems other than gynecological issues.
Luke would never call if there was nothing. Queenie signaled Leia, who was sitting beside her, to be quiet. She told her not to speak. Then, she answered the call. “Luke, what’s the matter?”Leia, who was sitting beside her, was already feeling uneasy. She got even more restless when she heard Luke's name. Why was this man calling at this time?!Could it be that he had already found out she had sneaked back here… Leia was listening to the call while comforting herself at the same time. She had found an agency to help her. The agency’s people had been forging her traces to show that she was still in New York. Hence, Luke should not have noticed anything amiss. He was so busy. How could he keep an eye on her?While Leia was comforting herself, Qunnie was worried too.On the other end of the phone, Luke said, “Mother, Tommy told me he’s missing his grandmother. I’m planning to bring the kids over for dinner with you and Father. Is that alright?”Queenie glanced at Leia when she
Luca listened to the kids complaining about how Luke had forgotten his promise and brought her there instead. She was a little embarrassed. After all, it was not like she traveled with Luke to have fun with him.“You can still go there. Your whole family can go there during the holidays,” said Luca.Tommy asked, “Can you travel with us when the time comes, Ms. Luca?” Luca did not expect the child to take the initiative to invite her. She was startled for a moment. She glanced at the kids and said, “Let’s talk about this later.”“I want to go with Ms. Luca, and I want to go with Sis too. It’d be much more interesting compared to traveling with Daddy,” Tommy said while blinking his eyes.Luke was given the cold shoulder, but he did not say anything. He continued to drive as if the person his child was embarrassing was not him. Luca was speechless. She did not expect the kids to embarrass him in front of him.Rainie said, "Daddy is busy with work every day. He would even bring
“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