"Okay, please greet the guests. Luca, accompany me inside? Let’s have some tea?" Old Master Crawford invited her."Okay." Luca nodded in agreement. Rather than standing here, it was a better option for her to accompany Old Master Crawford in for tea.She did not have the right status to be standing here and greeting guests. "Come, give me a hand. I’m old and my legs are not working as well as they used to," Old Master Crawford said. He was in a wonderful mood.Luca obediently helped him, and the two walked in with the butler following closely behind.Luke glanced at Luca's back with a tender gaze.Susan was enraged by what happened and thought Luca must be proud of how things turned out. Getting the love and attention of Old Master Crawford meant that she had won over the entire Crawford family. If Luke was involved with her, she was unsure where she would stand in the future.She felt threatened once again. To her, Luca was a bigger threat than Bianca!Susan looked at Louis,
Tommy was unwilling to be outdone and said, "Ms. Luca is more beautiful than a fairy princess! In my heart, Ms. Luca is the most beautiful woman in this universe! Brother, what do you think?"Lanie, who was named, nodded nonchalantly. In his heart, his mother was indeed the most beautiful woman in this universe.The smile in Luca’s eyes deepened as she listened to the compliments from the children. She enjoyed being with her children more than anything.She touched the children's heads and asked, "Are you hungry? There are refreshments here. I'll have them send some over?""Yay!" The children clapped their hands. They were picked up by Zander from school and had not had anything to eat yet.Luca picked up the landline nearby, dialed the service desk, and told them to bring some refreshments.There was a knock on the door of the lounge as soon as she hung up the phone.Luca went to open the door and found that it was the maid from the Crawford family. When she saw Luca, the maid
Luca was ingenious. She quickly helped Rainie to do her hair. It looked good but it was somewhat different from her own.Rainie looked in the mirror and boasted, saying, "Ms. Luca, you’re amazing. My hair looks great!"Luca smiled, looked at the smile on Rainie's face, and said, "It's still a little different from mine.""This looks good too! Ms. Rainie, do you want to put on a necklace?" The maid, who was by the side, asked.Rainie nodded.The maid took out the necklace Luke had prepared for Rainie and helped put it on her. Luca noticed that Rainie's necklace was also made of pearls.She was stunned, "Are Rainie's accessories also made of pearls?""Yes, these are what Daddy bought for me yesterday. Ms. Luca, do I look good?" Rainie fiddled with her necklace. Luca could tell that she liked it very much.“Yes, you look wonderful." Luca wondered if Luke did it on purpose. Although Rainie's necklace was for children, it was similar to the necklace on her neck."It’s the same neck
“Yes, I said that too.” Queenie was busy admiring Luca’s beauty. Luca had always dressed up casually, and she looked pretty even then. Now that she was all dolled up, she was even more stunning. She could not help but compliment Luca.“Thank you. You look great too.” Luca felt embarrassed receiving compliments from them. She lowered her head a little and looked down. Wanda laughed and took a sip of the red wine before saying, "Luca, let me tell you something. My father has been taking the medicine you prescribed and using the herbal concoction to soak his feet in. He feels a lot more comfortable now. He can sleep early every night without waking up in the middle of the night all of a sudden. He'll only wake up around six in the morning. You're amazing."Luca nodded as she listened to Wanda’s feedback. She already knew that her prescription would have long-term effects on Old Master Rayne. That was why she was not surprised to hear that when Wanda told her about it.Queenie, who
Luca went to the washroom when the banquet was halfway through.When she was in the cubicle, she coincidentally heard the two women outside talking about her.“Who’s the woman who walked into the hall with Luke while holding the two kids’ hands? I remember that his wife doesn’t look like that,” one of the women asked. “So, is she not really his wife? I thought I remembered it wrongly. Then who’s that woman?”"Luke's wife is still abroad. There's no news of her returning here. Who knows who that woman is? After all, she looks well-behaved. Perhaps she's that kind of woman."“What kind of woman?”“A mistress. Isn’t it normal for a man as outstanding as Luke to keep a mistress?”“That can’t be. How dare a mistress show up on such an occasion? Even if she dares to, Luke wouldn’t dare to bring her here. Isn’t he afraid of pissing off the old master?”“I agree, but did you notice how close the kids are to that woman? I heard Susan mention that this woman’s identity is unknown and sh
The car was moving slowly and steadily. Luke did not turn on the radio this time. There was dead silence in the car.The coat was still on Luca's shoulder. She turned around and looked at the man beside her. She pondered before lifting her hand to take off the coat.Luke spoke, "Put it on.""It's warm enough in the car. It's a little hot for me…" Luca explained. Luke turned on the heater once they got into the car as he was worried that she would catch a cold.“It’ll be cold outside when you get out later,” Luke said, telling her to leave it on her.Luca had no choice but to leave the coat on her. She looked outside the window and realized they were not going to Nina’s apartment. "Mr. Crawford, are you going the wrong way?" she asked. He should have made a right turn just now if they were heading to Nina's place. The road they were driving on now would take them back to his apartment. She thought Luke had accidentally taken the wrong turn.Luke continued to drive forward with
After Luca returned to the apartment, she stood at the balcony and looked down. However, it was too high. She could not see when she looked down.The weather was getting cold. Luca, who was wearing a dress, felt a little cold. She walked back into the room and turned on the heater.She took off her dress and quickly washed up. After she changed into her pajamas, she let out a sigh of relief. She was intentionally provoked and gossiped by the others tonight, but it was finally over.She lay down on the bed. Her phone suddenly rang.Luca picked up her phone. She thought it was Nina who called, but she did not expect it to be a video call request from the Island of Despair. She quickly tapped on the screen to answer the call.Her youngest daughter, Nyla, showed up on the screen.“Mommy!” Nyla called out to her in a baby voice when she saw her mother. Her eyes reddened as she missed her mother so much.Luca was surprised to see her daughter. She sat up straight and looked at the
The next day, Luca opened her eyes as she woke up. She rubbed them.Indeed, there were tears in them.After the video call last night, she took some pills and fell asleep. She had nightmares all night. In her dreams, she was locked in a cage. When she looked out, she saw her youngest daughter, Nyla, getting tortured by Abel. She screamed and yelled in her dream, calling Luke’s name and hoping that he could save their child.However, no matter how many times she called out, Luke never showed up in her dreams. There was only the sound of her miserable shouts and Nyla’s cries. Luca clenched her fists and covered her chest with her hands. Her heart was still aching after a night of torture. “Nyla…” she called out in a soft voice. Then, she opened her phone gallery and found her child’s photos.Nyla was smiling innocently in the photos. Luca felt a sharp pain in her heart. Luca stared at the photos for a while before she kept her phone away. Today was her official first day back
“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