Nina glared at Jean. She did not expect him to use such a despicable method to sneak in. "Jean, you’re so shameless.""You brat! What are you talking about? I'm your brother!" Jean narrowed his eyes, his deep gaze focusing on the two of them who were guarding the door. He was thinking about how to get in.He would not get in if he could not figure something out. He decided to force his way in. As soon as he got in, she would not be able to drive him off!After Jean made up his mind, he insisted on barging inside.Nina knew what he was up to and warned loudly, saying, "Jean, if you dare to barge in, I’ll call the police!""Why? This is my home!" Jean stopped. He was a regular at the police station and was a little afraid of the men in blue."I didn't buy this place, I’m renting it. Also, you don't have a lease contract so how can you say it's your home?" Nina was worried that Jean would bump into Luca if he dashed in so she stood in front of Luca to protect her.Luca held Nina's
When Bianca did not hear any sounds coming from the front, she raised her head despite her horrible mood and cramps. It was then that she saw the man walking over to her.He was tall and his legs were long. He looked very serious. When he was wearing a suit, he looked like a god.The boss was still a boss at the end of the day. No matter where he was, be it a forum on the financial street in New York or the meeting room in the office, or even the countryside where they would sometimes hold events, he was still able to maintain a serious face.It was as if nothing or no one in this world was able to make him change his expression. His face and eyes were always filled with heartlessness.Even if he had driven all the way to the countryside, he was still wearing his usual and tastefully chosen suit. He was always giving everyone a feeling of sophistication and extreme fussiness.Bianca would never expect Luke to walk over to her.Why was he here?He had his back against the setting
“What did you see? Tell us.”The few female colleagues from the finance department who were watching from one side asked their colleague who was holding the binoculars.The girl with the binoculars was a newbie in the finance department, so she was more naive. She told everyone what she saw.However, when everyone heard that, they all shared looks of confusion at the same time.“I’m telling the truth,” the female colleague holding the binoculars said innocently.Her colleague turned around and looked at her. “Child, you have such a mouth for making up stories. You can even submit your manuscript to romance magazines. If you say you saw that woman sitting on the boss’ lap, kissing him furiously while seducing him and maybe grabbing his belt to force herself onto him, then I might believe you.”The boss was drying that woman’s hair and wrapping the towel on her? Plus, he even massaged her calf? What a colossal joke!Another colleague carried her items. “That woman is pretty good-l
Percy heard him and sighed. Both of them were pursuing the woman they loved but unfortunately, they could not make any moves because of their women.He said, "If you want to eat home-cooked food, take her away quickly."Percy could only be brazen-faced if Luca left Nina’s home."What reason do I have to do that? What in the world did you do to make Nina run away again?" Luke said. He was upset that he could not see Luca as well.Even when she was Bianca, she was still equally concerned about Nina. Although Percy had a poker face that scared everyone, Bianca would somehow summon the courage to defend Nina.She would naturally act the same even though she was Luca now."Okay, that’s enough. Ugh, you can't take your woman with you?" Percy mocked him impatiently and hung up the phone.He did not intend to mock Luke. He was just a little upset.He was overjoyed in the morning but in a blink of an eye, Nina had closed herself off from him and asked Luca to accompany her instead.For
Luca planned to do some light makeup and tie her hair casually, but Nina expressed her disapproval. She insisted on helping Luca get ready.Over the years, to maintain her appearance despite her deteriorating mental state, she had acquired a certain level of skill in makeup.After half an hour or so, Nina gave Luca a simple yet classic look. Luca looked gentle and virtuous. The makeup look was subtle and paired well with the gown."Nina, you’re amazing at this." Luca praised Nina as she looked at herself in the mirror.Nina proudly said, "That's right! This makeup look makes your charming facial features softer and more elegant. It matches your gown well."Luca nodded in agreement.Nina took out Luca’s gown and urged her. "Come on, go and change."Luca took the gown and was pushed out of the bedroom by Nina. Her eyes met Luke’s while he was sitting on the sofa. She retracted her gaze and walked into the bathroom.Nina stood there and waited for her to change.Luke asked, "Did
Nina shook her head. She thought that they would make a cute couple but she was in a dilemma when she was reminded of Bianca, who was still abroad.Nina looked at the closed door, then sat on the sofa. Before long, the doorbell rang again."Did you forget something?" She thought it was Luca, so she opened the door without looking into the peephole.When she saw that the person standing outside the door was Percy, Nina subconsciously wanted to slam the door shut.However, Percy moved fast and pressed himself against the door. The strength between them was so disparate that Nina could not close the door."What are you doing here?!" Nina stared at the person in front of her.Percy lifted the bag in his hand and said, "I bought you some fruits.""I don't want them." Nina refused angrily. ‘Isn’t Mallory Corporation about to go bankrupt? Why has he appeared in front of me three times in the last two days…’Percy leaned against the door with a relaxed expression as if it did not take
"A gift? I've prepared something on your behalf." Luke went to the trunk and took out a nicely packaged gift.The gift was handed to her but Luca did not take it. "Is there only one? If you give me yours, what are you going to give to Old Master Crawford?""My gift has been passed to Grandpa. I prepared this for you. Take it," Luke said. He guessed that Luca might have forgotten to prepare a gift so he prepared one for her in advance.In the past, she was not as forgetful and was always the one who reminded him about things as such. He was somewhat not used to it now that the tables were turned.Luca took it. The gift was heavy and looked expensive. "Mr. Crawford, how much is this? I'll pass you the money for it later.""We'll talk about it later." Luke helped her prepare the gift but had no intention of asking her to pay him back.Luca felt impotent. Luke then took out an envelope from the pocket inside his suit and handed it over."I assume you didn't prepare any birthday mone
Susan asked on purpose with the intention of humiliating Luca."Dr. Craw is not familiar with Antique Street in A City, so I took her there. She personally chose the gift for Grandpa." Luke knew what Susan had in mind and saved Luca from blushing out of embarrassment.Susan would feel threatened as long as the matter was related to Luke."Oh, no wonder! Luke, items from the antique street that you mentioned should be very expensive, right? Dr. Craw is just a researcher. Her position and salary are decent but those antiques are worth tens of millions. Dr. Craw, wouldn't it be a burden for you to buy something so expensive?" Susan continued. Even if she could tell that Luke wanted to protect Luca, she was unwilling to let it go.Luca felt powerless. She could tell that Susan was not going to let her off easily."It's nothing expensive. I’m happy as long as Old Master Crawford likes it," she said."It's not expensive?" Susan smiled and looked at the gift box in the butler's hand. "H
“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