When the kids insisted on listening to that story, he went online to search on it but he could not find any information about the story she told them.Left with no other choice, Luke went to buy different kinds of storybooks to let the kids read them themselves. "I came up with the story," Luca answered. As the children's mother, she knew what kind of story the kids would love to hear even though three years had passed. That was why they loved her story very much.“You came up with the story?” Luke looked at her. Luca had immensely surprised him at this moment.The kids liked to cling to her. Her culinary skills were as good as Bianca’s, and she was even good at making up stories of her own…Luke thought of Bianca, and it set his nerves on edge. “Well…” Luca nodded. She stood up and said, “Mr. Crawford, I’d like to leave first if there’s nothing else.” Susan leaned against the wall outside the study while listening to the noises inside. Still, she did not hear anything.Su
Susan dared not speak after being scolded.Luca was looking down. Her heart was in a mess with roiling waves when she heard Mrs. Nancy say Luke had specifically ordered her to prepare this. It was just a minor injury…Old Master Crawford went along with what Mrs. Nancy said and said caringly, "Ms. Craw, why didn't you tell us that you're injured? I'm sorry to have troubled you to come back and forth. You had to take care of the children too.” “It’s just a minor injury. It’s not a big deal.” Luca shook her head gently and took a sip of the stew. She savored the rich taste of the stew. There was more than just ginger and turmeric in the stew. There were also herbs that were good for health. Luca scooped a spoonful and smelled it. She was sure that tonic had been added to the stew.Young people like her were fine with drinking such nutritious stew. Elderly folk like Old Master Crawford should only take tonics at appropriate times to nourish their bodies. Taking tonics too ofte
Luke drove back to Crawford Manor right after sending Luca home.He parked the car and walked into the house. He saw Mr. Griffin in the living room and said, “Follow me.”“Yes, Young Master Luke.” Mr. Griffin nodded and followed Luke into the kitchen.“Where do they usually keep the dried foods and supplements?” Luke asked.Mr. Griffin opened one of the cabinets and said, “All the dried foods and supplements are kept in here." Luke squatted down and took out the dried foods that were packed in bags. Mr. Griffin was puzzled when he saw him doing that, so he asked, “Young Master Luke, may I know what you’re doing?”"Open them all," Luke said nothing else and ordered Mr. Griffin.Mr. Griffin nodded and opened all the bags one by one. Mrs. Nancy saw them when she walked in and asked immediately, “Young Master Luke, Mr. Griffin, what’s the matter?”Luke took out the last bag and stood up. He looked at Mrs. Nancy. “The dried foods and supplements are all kept in here?”"No, I kee
If it were not for Luca, he did not know how much longer he would have continued to drink that tonic."Grandpa…" Luke was speechless. No matter if it was Luca or Tia, he approached them only because he suspected that both of them had something to do with the Island of Despair.His suspicion toward Luca had lessened for now. Although she was similar to Bianca in some ways, there was no tattoo on her body. Even though the Island of Despair was involved in illegal business deals, the members were disciplined and organized. Hence, there was a specific tattoo on everyone’s body.Luca did not have any…Luca showed up before the fake Bianca was discovered. If the people of the Island of Despair needed to train someone to approach him, they would need some time for that. She would have that tattoo on her if she was one of them.After all, the fake Bianca previously lurked beside him for three years. She had a tattoo on her body too. They would not have been able to do things so meticulo
Luca opened the door, only to see Old Master Crawford and Uncle Zander standing outside the door. She asked with surprise, “Old Master Crawford, you’re here?”Old Master Crawford smiled and entered the house. He looked like he was familiar with the place as he immediately walked to the couch and sat down. He looked around at the furnishings in the house. “What a nice place you have here, Luca.”Luca stroked the back of her head. She was a little confused about what was going on now. “Uh, it’s Mr. Crawford’s house.”"It was Luke who made it the employee residence for you, right?" Old Master Crawford pointed at the coffee table in front of him, signaling Uncle Zander to put the things here.“Yes,” replied Luca as she watched Uncle Zander move bags of stuff to the coffee table. What was going on?Old Master Crawford said, “Since Luke let you stay in here, then it’s considered your house. Oh, come over and sit here. Take a look at what I got you.” Luca sat down. She was a little unc
After Old Master Crawford had his breakfast, he left the gifts there and left with Uncle Zander.He refused to bring the gifts back no matter what Luca said to him. Luca looked at the supplements on the table. She would not normally take these.Moreover, she had a strong and healthy body. Luca thought of returning them. Hence, she called Luke. Luca took a deep breath after the call was answered. Then, she told him why she called. "Mr. Crawford, Old Master Crawford gave me a few boxes of supplements. Can I return them to you?" Was she going to return the supplements that were given to her?Luke raised his eyebrows. Others would have given the supplements to their family or friends if they did not take them. Some would have sold them back to the outlet. It was rare to see someone like her who would return the supplements. Luca realized he was not saying anything, so she added, "I can't accept such expensive gifts from the old master. And I'm strong and healthy. I don't need to
Jean rubbed his hands and wanted to take a step forward. "Ms. Luca, how sweet of you. Let me help you carry those."Nina blocked his way and gave him a stern look. “There’s no need to. How shameless of you!” Jean was embarrassed. Nina was not helping him even though he was his sister. She even wanted to stop him.If he won Luca’s heart, would he still need to depend on her?Nina turned around and handed the things back to her. “Luca, I can’t accept these.”“I’ve already brought them here. Take them. These are good for Aunt Anna.” Luca looked at Anna and decided to lend Nina a hand. “Aunt Anna, I remember you’ve been staying in the hospital for quite some time. Why aren’t you having the surgery?”Anna looked at Luca. She was plotting something in her heart. She wanted Luca to help her and matchmake Luca with her son.“Sigh, I won’t recover even if I go for the surgery. I’d still have to take medications. I can’t afford to pay the medical expenses. I don’t think I’ll go for the s
Setting Jean Up With Luca?Nina was not insane. She would never lead her friend into danger, and she wanted to immediately reject them. However, when she thought how Anna was going for surgery the next day, she might mess everything up if she rejected them right away. She thought about it for a moment and said, "You have surgery tomorrow. We'll talk about it after this."Jean narrowed his eyes and pondered when he heard her say so. It was much better than her rejecting him from the get-go. He had his ways to see Luca even if Nina rejected him after the surgery. He had seen Luca with Nina a few times. She seemed to hang out around Nina a lot. Hence, he only had to keep Nina by his side, then he would certainly get to see Luca. She would probably agree to whatever he asked her to do.“No, you have to promise me now, not after the surgery. Look at your brother. He’s old enough. When will I get to see my grandchildren if you refuse to help your brother?!” Anna did not have as many
“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