Nina was so stubborn that she did not even bother to look at the breakfast on the coffee table.The maid did not say anything. She did not think that she needed to worry because Nina would certainly eat when she got extremely hungry. If Nina refused to eat, she would just report it to Pierre.After the maid left, Nina put on her shoes and opened the bedroom door.There was no one at the entrance. She walked to the end of the corridor and arrived at the stairs. She went down the stairs without a second thought.After she arrived at the living room on the first floor, she found that there was still no one around.Nina did not wander around. Her goal was clear, so she walked directly to the door.She walked out of the door and saw the garden. It was not big. Nina turned around and glanced at the villa. She had been in the architectural design industry for so long, so she knew at a glance that she was in a small villa in the suburbs. It was not luxurious, but it was perfect as a vaca
Listening to Luca's analysis, Percy frowned even more.Whenever Jean faced him, he was always submissive. It was the same when he saw him that day.If they did not employ special means, it was difficult to find out more.However, Jean was Nina's brother. He did not want to use those special methods to extract a confession from Jean if it was not necessary. If he did so, it might alert Pierre. "Jean acted normal. There was nothing out of the usual," Percy said.Luca shook her head and replied, "You can't get information from him through normal means. Why don't I give it a try?"She was in a hurry to find Nina, so she offered to help.She had an organization behind her, but to be on the safe side, she could not make use of those resources. As such, she could only help through these means."No." Luke objected without a second thought. He knew that Jean had bad intentions toward Luca.If she took the initiative to approach Jean to investigate this matter, she would be sending her
However, he was well aware that Pierre would never compromise because of her actions.Percy was worried that if Nina hurt herself like that, Pierre would double his efforts..."I'll find out Nina's whereabouts as soon as possible," Luca said. Her gaze was as firm as her tone.Percy looked at Luca and nodded.Into the night.Luca got off work, dressed up, and was on stand-by in the apartment. She was ready to head out as soon as she found out which bar Jean was in.After a while, Percy texted her a location.Luca glanced at the bar and frowned.Although this bar operated with a license, it was also infamous in A City. Those who frequented this bar did not go there to drink.Everyone who went in had an ulterior motive as the bar had in-house hookers and pimps.The men were the ones who paid for the hookers, while the women who went in were voluntarily selling themselves.This bar was not a fancy one either.Luca frowned. She did not expect Jean to frequent this kind of bar. I
The woman looked in the direction Jean was walking to and knew that he had been bewitched by Luca.She was jealous when she saw Luca. âSheâs beautiful, but who isnât if theyâre willing to spend a little money?!â"B*tch!" The woman scolded as she knew that Jean would not return to her. The big fish she finally caught had gotten off the hook. The woman stood up, finished her drink, and turned around to leave.Luca was still paying attention to Jean even when she was surrounded by the men. She knew that he saw her when she saw him stand up.Jean came over with an eager gaze. He changed how he would usually greet her to get closer to Luca. "Luca, why are you here?"Luca acted surprised. She looked at Jean and said, "I have a lot of things stressing me out, so I just picked a bar at random to drink, but these people..."She looked helplessly at the men around her, acting like she did not know anything.Jean did not have much doubt and believed her. "Of course, you wouldn't know since
Jean asked with concern seeing that she refused to share her troubles, "What's the matter?"Luca shook her head, smiled slightly, and just said, "It's nothing."Jean noticed that she had frowning eyes, and it was as though they contained endless sadness. Unfortunately, she refused to talk and instead looked at him without saying anything else.Two glasses of cocktails arrived at the table. Luca took a sip and said, "This bartender is great at what he does. The cocktail is delicious.""If you like it, drink more. When you can't express the sadness in your heart, you can be more free and easy after a few drinks," Jean said as he ordered Luca an extra drink without asking her.Luca did not stop him.Before she set off, she took a drug that would help keep her sober regardless of how much she drank. Seeing that he had ordered another drink for her, she raised her head and chugged the drink in her hand.Jean blinked, not expecting Luca to be so bold when it came to drinking."Luca,
Jean took a sip of his cocktail and was in a good mood because he finally had a chance to get closer to Luca. "Yeah, sheâs still in A City.""Iâm happy to hear that she's fine." Luca acted relieved.The drinks were getting to his head. Jean looked at Luca with eyes full of fascination.Luca was beautiful. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. All the conditions at that moment were excellent, so he knew he had to grasp the opportunity. "Come, cheers!"Jean ordered another cocktail for her. Although his plan was deplorable, he had to do it to win over Luca. If he had some blackmail material, someone like Luca would have to obey him.Luca took a sip of the cocktail.Jean was satisfied. He was surprised at how submissive she was."Don't stress about it. Nina is not a child. Sheâs fine. Thereâs nothing to worry about." He comforted her.Luca looked at Jean. He made it seem as though he knew everything about Nina. She felt confident and held her chin.The move was a sig
Luke was disdainful because of Luca's interaction with Jean.Rain saw everything clearly, and she reported to Luke without missing a single detail.That was why his expression was ugly.Luca sat up straight and put on her seatbelt."You don't have anything to say?" Luke asked.Luca wondered what was there to say. âAm I supposed to tell him what I discovered?âShe nodded and said quickly, "After talking to Jean, I'm sure that Nina is in Pierre's hands and she shouldnât be in any danger now. We can focus on investigating Pierre. We can start withââLuke interrupted her and said coldly, "Rains is aware of all that you mentioned. Sheâs taking action now."Luca was astounded, nodded, and said in a neutral tone, "Oh."Luke was infuriated when he thought of how Jean took advantage of Luca. He stopped talking, stepped on the accelerator, and drove off.Luca could tell that he was speeding and pursed her lips. Even if he did not say anything, she could tell that he was fuming.When L
"Can you sleep?" Luke leaned against the door and stared at her.Luca rubbed her eyes, pretended to be sleepy, and said, "Mr. Crawford, I'm very tired now and want to go to bed."Luke did not expose her. Since she did not want to talk to him, he decided to be forceful. He walked into the bedroom and sat on the sofa."Mr. Crawford?" Luca was shocked by his actions. âIs he going to stay here tonight?âLuke's slender legs were crossed, and he found a comfortable position. Luca drank a lot of alcohol, so even after she washed up, he could still smell the faint alcohol smell in the air.It did not smell bad since it was blended with her body's special scent...On the contrary, he was even a little tempted."There's something I want to talk to you about," Luke said. After he debated internally for half an hour, he decided that he could not let Luca escape from the truth any longer.The fact that she flirted with Jean had stimulated his nerves. He could not stand it even though he kne
âAs long as he stays out of your sight, I wonât make a move,â said Ray.If Gordan were not one of Lukeâs 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.âAlright, Ray. Just let it go. Iâve moved on and started a new life. Plus, Iâm studying at Capital University. We have mutual friends, so running into him is inevitable. If that happens, weâll just be strangers. Thereâs no need to step in for me or act impulsively.â Just as Vivian finished speaking, the doorbell rang.âIs it the clothes delivery?â asked Ray.âNo, 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,â Vivian said, grabbing a mask and hat before heading to the door.âMiss, is the boss alright?â asked one of Rayâs subordinates.âHeâs fine. Did you ge
When Ray heard that there was a 90% chance of success, he could not help but ask, âCan you walk me through your plan?ââThe prison where Kassy is being held actually has an underground passage. Iâve 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 facilityâs underground pipes donât 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.âThis whole operation can be done without anyone noticing, which is why Iâm confident itâll work.â As Luke explained, he pulled out a detailed map of the sewer system. âHereâs 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 Abelâs people.âAbelâs 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 Gordanâs current behavior quite intriguing.âLuke, whatâs with that look?â Gordan felt uneasy under his gaze.âYou seem pretty concerned about Vivian,â Luke leaned back on the couch and said thoughtfully.Gordan froze for a moment before laughing it off. âWhat? No way! Why would I care about her? Come on, Luke, donât say stuff like that. If she hears it, she might start getting ideas.âLuke could not be bothered to expose his act and got straight to the point. âWhy are you here?ââSpeaking of that, I almost got sidetracked by that woman.â Gordan quickly pulled out his phone, grimacing. âMan, Ray really didnât hold back. I need to get some treatment for these bruises later.âLuke took the phone and tried to unlock it. It needed a passcode. He handed it back. âUnlock it.ââAll set, boss.â 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.Gordanâs furious curses rang out. âDamn it! You're really going all out, huh? Do you think I'm scared of you?âAnother 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.âEnough!â shouted Vivian.The two men locked in the fight froze for a moment.âVivian, stay out of this. Iâm beating him to a pulp today,â growled Ray, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was not in great shape, but neither was Gordan.âRay, I donât want to see him,â 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.âFine. If you donât want to see him, Iâll 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.âRay, this apple is really good. Want to try one?â asked Vivian.Ray shook his head. âYou go ahead. By the way, can I take a look at the luggage you brought from Russia?âVivian nodded. âI only hung up my clothes. Everything else is still in the suitcase. You can just take the things out.âRay walked into the bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it. Inside were just books and a few other small items, nothing unusual.âYou didn't bring any food with you?â asked Ray.âI havenât 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.â Vivianâs tone was lighthearted now that she was in a better mood.âThat's true.â Ray agreed, then asked
Ray's tone turned serious. âAlright, I'll make the arrangements immediately. Dr. Craw, once the toxicology report is out, weâll still need your help.ââFor toxicology cases like this, I recommend combining both modern medicine and traditional herbal medicine. Donât worry, if I can help, I definitely will,â Luca assured him.âAlright, thank you.â Ray expressed his gratitude and ended the call before updating Luke on the situation.Luke reassured him, saying, âIf Vivian was really poisoned, donât 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 didnât take long for all the toxins to be expelled, and her health fully recovered. So, rest assured. If itâs something she can fix, sheâll do everything she can.âBesides, once we identify the exact problem, the doctors will be able to step in and help, right?ââYes. Thank you both in advance
Gerald walked over. âMs. Sanchez, what's wrong?âHe 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. âI thought it was some expensive brand. But it's just this? And youâre acting all deferential to her over this?âGerald was rendered speechless. âI knew Ms. Craw was going out, so I asked her to bring these back for me. This is the brand Iâm used to. Maybe itâs not expensive to you, but for me, itâs what I can afford.âRealizing she had misspoken, Hera felt a bit awkward. She quickly changed the topic. âStill, is a pack of cigarettes really worth you being so grateful to Luca? How much could it have cost?ââItâs not about the money,â replied Gerald. âIt'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.âHe was ba
Lucaâs lips were already swollen and flushed from Luke's kisses.That deep shade of red, reflected in Lukeâs 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.âŚThe two of them stepped out of the bedroom.Vivian quickly turned her back and greeted Luke when he saw him coming out, âHello, Mr. Crawford.ââVivian, donât worry. Everything will get better,â replied Luke.Vivian simply hummed in response.Ray gave them a grateful nod as Luke took Lucaâs 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, âVivian, theyâre your friends. You donât have to act this way around them. They wonât judge you.ââI know they wonâtâŚâ Vivian let out a soft sigh. âI just feel like I look terrifying right now. I didnât want to scare them, so I avoided facing them directly. But itâ
âI once treated someone who had been slowly poisoned over a long period of time. Their pulse was similar to Vivianâs. 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.âCould it be that someone in your family has been poisoning Vivian? That would explain why her skin ended up like this.ââIf she really has been poisoned, then would staying away from that environment or identifying the person responsible help her get better?â asked Ray.Luca shook her head.âThe poison Iâve encountered before was a slow-acting toxin that kept the victimâs skin dark. I donât 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 canât be sure whatâs really causing Vivianâs condition.âIs her skin deteriorating so quickly because she was poisoned once more a