As soon as Eric heard that, he immediately praised Pierre, "That’s smart! When will this matter end?"Based on the industry standards, they had to complete everything before they could receive any money.Pierre glared at him. "If Luke cares about this woman, he’ll act soon. Why are you in such a hurry?"Eric was speechless when he heard that Luke Crawford was involved.He was not afraid because Luke was involved. There were not many people who could get Luke’s attention. If he compromised because of a threat, he would have to compromise a lot.What worried him was if Luke treasured the woman in the room.The two seemed to be romantically linked… If he and Derek were not able to escape in time, both of them would be sent to jail!"What? Are you feeling dissatisfied? Do you think I’m not paying you enough?" Pierre asked when he saw Eric keeping quiet.Eric wailed in his heart. If he had known that this woman was involved with Luke, he would never have kidnapped her no matter ho
Luca stared at the ceiling and could not think of any ideas.Her only option was to obediently go with their arrangement lest she suffered again. A woman against two men was not a fair fight to begin with. On top of that, her hands and feet were bound.Eric opened the door and walked in. When he saw how desperate Luca looked, he thought about the connections she had.He felt uneasy, so he opened the door and walked in with some medicine."Does it hurt?" He looked at Luca's swollen face. He did not hold back when he slapped her earlier. After all, he did not dare to disobey Pierre’s orders in front of him.Luca glanced at him and said nothing.It hurt for her to open her mouth, let alone speak.Eric was not bothered that she did not respond. He took out the medicine in his pocket. When he went to purchase merbromin and iodophor, the pharmacist recommended it after she learned about the patient’s wound.She told him that if he was unsure of the depth of the wound, it was best if
Luke turned on the camera, and at the same time, the video was done loading. He moved the mouse to the button for it to start playing, and his hands were shaking a little."Luke, calm down." Percy saw the cursor trembling slightly on the computer screen and knew that he was nervous.Luke acted calm but he could never calm himself down whenever the matter involved Bianca.Bianca was his other half. She was his sun and moon. After all these years, she finally came back to him but was forced to go through these hardships all over again. When he thought of that, Luke could not calm down. "Click on it," Percy said.Luke clicked on the video.The video had been edited. What they saw was Luca being slapped in the face by a man wearing a mask. After a few slaps, her face swelled at a speed visible to the naked eye.The loud sounds of slapping came from the stereo, which showed that this video was not faked.Luke could not help but clench his fists when he saw Luca being tortured. He
Luke glanced out the window and said in a confident tone, "It's here."Jason was about to pull over to the side of the road when he heard Luke say, "Go a little farther.""Yes." Jason followed his instructions and drove past two villas before he stopped the car.Luke sat in the car and had no intentions of getting out. He directed the men who were already lurking in the area.He was feeling extra confident since Percy had lent him his men as well.Jason sat in the driver's seat without moving, silently waiting for the next command.Once everything was planned out, Luke opened the car door.When Jason saw that he was about to get out of the car, he quickly asked, "Boss, do you want me to follow you?""Wait here," Luke instructed him with a blank expression. He got out of the car, walked to Pierre's villa, and glanced at the surveillance camera at the door.He did not bother to sneak around because he was not afraid that the people inside would find out that he was here and run
He switched positions with Eric, and his knife was on Luca's neck. "Come on, shoot me. I promise that this woman will die if we die. It’s not too bad having a woman with us on the road to hell. Mr. Crawford, what do you say?"Luke’s heart tightened when he saw Luca's pale face and how she was being held against her will by the knife on her neck.She seemed uncomfortable and had some difficulty breathing.When Eric saw the muzzles of the guns aimed at him, he threw caution to the wind. The most important thing now was to escape. The woman in front of them was their only bargaining chip."Yeah, if you dare to shoot us, I’ll stab this knife into her body.”Luca heard their threats, and she winked at Luke. She could not speak, so she could only hint at him.It was time to turn passive into active...Derek said, "Now, get out of the way and get a car ready for us at the door..."Luca twisted her bound hands while Derek was talking and hit the acupuncture points of the person behind
Jason shot her a glance. His boss must never find out what they were talking about. He would probably fly into a rage judging by how much he cared for Luca. He reminded Tina in a soft voice, “Don’t ever let Boss hear this. Otherwise, you and I will get into trouble.”Tina was enlightened after he reminded her. She covered her mouth and looked around her. Fortunately, Luke was not around.Jason headed to the payment counter and said, “Go back to the office first. Handle any tasks in the office, and if you can’t deal with any, leave it for the boss when he comes back.”Luke would not be able to work under such conditions now. It would be better to wait until Luca’s condition had stabilized. “Alright. I know what to do.” Tina nodded.After Tina left, Jason brought Luca's information with him and registered her admission to the hospital on her behalf. Then, he returned to look for Luke.Luca was still undergoing various medical check-ups."Boss, I've registered Dr. Craw," Jason r
He looked at the badly injured Luca. She would not be able to eat anything, not even porridge. With her condition now, she needed someone to feed her little by little.Johann suggested, “I’ll give Dr. Craw an IV drip so she won’t feel hungry. But she’s lost a lot of blood. She needs to restore her nutrition. You can get someone to prepare some oatmeal for her. You’ll have to find a way to make her get used to eating it, or maybe feed her when she’s awake. She must eat something.” "Alright." Luke picked up his phone and ordered Mrs. Nancy to prepare some oatmeal to send to the hospital.Crawford Manor.Mrs. Nancy told Mr. Griffin that Luca was injured right after she received Luke’s order.Previously, Old Master Crawford and Mr. Griffin had already known that Luca was kidnapped. The old master was worried sick, and he even sent his men to look for her.Mr. Griffin told Old Master Crawford about the news immediately after he was informed.Old Master Crawford could barely sit st
Old Master Crawford frowned, and he said worriedly, "The IV drip won't supply as many nutrients as food does. She should take the oatmeal while it's still warm." Luca was still asleep, and Luke could not bear to wake her up. He glanced at the thermos flask on the coffee table and reminded the old master that the oatmeal would not get cold that easily. "The oatmeal is in the thermos flask." Old Master Crawford cleared his throat. He was so worried about Luca that he forgot Mrs. Nancy had kept it in a thermos flask that could keep the food inside warm for six to seven hours.After a while, Jason entered Luca's ward along with the printed document. Then, he handed it to the old master respectfully.Old Master Crawford took it from him and read the information that they had found out. Indeed, Pierre had established a company of his own. He had raised quite a huge amount of funds, and his company was even listed on the market in New York. "Good gracious. I thought he was a good-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