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, she’s still in A City.""I’m 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. She’s fine. There’s 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. ‘Am I supposed to tell him what I discovered?’She nodded and said quickly, "After talking to Jean, I'm sure that Nina is in Pierre's hands and she shouldn’t be in any danger now. We can focus on investigating Pierre. We can start with—”Luke interrupted her and said coldly, "Rains is aware of all that you mentioned. She’s 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. ‘Is he going to stay here tonight?’Luke'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
After Luke talked to Luca, he fell asleep easily.After a dreamless night, he woke up to find that Luca had left the apartment.He raised his eyebrows when he saw the breakfast on the table. Luca did not usually make these dishes. Sometimes, when they were in a rush or if the prepared breakfast could not be eaten in time, she would make these dishes.Luke touched the toasted bread with his hand and found that it was cold. It seemed that it had been on the table for a while."What an ostrich." He looked at the breakfast prepared for him and commented in a soft voice. He felt relieved that he had laid it all out on the table. No matter how much Luca wanted to run away, she would not escape from his palm.No matter if she was Bianca or Luca, she was the love of his life.Luke glanced at the time. He was not going back to the office that morning because today was the day Allison would get out of jail.Even though he had only visited her a handful of times in the past few years, he h
Allison watched arrogantly as they welcomed her. She was discontented. The maids calling her ‘Madam Allison’ reminded her that Susan was inside the manor, ready for a fight.Although the maids did not dare to look up at her face, she knew Susan must be waiting to make fun of her.Allison lowered the brim of her hat and said to Luke, "Come on. Walk in with me."Within the family, the only one she could rely on at that moment was Luke.Luke stayed silent when he saw that she did not dare to take a step forward. He made a gesture to the butler and walked in with her.The butler got the hint and dismissed the maids who were involved in the welcoming ceremony.Crawford Manor’s living room.Susan sat on the sofa. She held a cup of floral tea, drinking from it elegantly. She looked at the woman walking in, smiled, and said, "I was wondering why the butler brought all the maids together. It turns out that you’re released from prison today."Allison glanced coldly in her direction, kept
In the study.Old Master Crawford watched Luke light the incense, then looked out the window. His eyes were cloudy. He seemed to have a lot on his mind.Luke closed the lid and said, "Grandpa, if you have something to say, just say it.""Is your mother's face incurable?" Old Master Crawford knew that Luke had arranged for a doctor to go to prison to check on Allison but he never asked about it. After he saw Allison wrapping herself up like that, he knew that the treatment was not working as well as she hoped."The wrinkles on her face are permanent and irreversible," Luke said.Old Master Crawford sighed. He knew that it was Allison's fault and she had no one to blame but herself. However, she would bring embarrassment to the Crawford family if she insisted on going out in public.He said, "This home is not peaceful, and it’s not good for the physical and mental health of the kids. If you want, you can move out with the kids and only bring them back to accompany me during the hol
The more Susan thought about it, the more she felt that something was wrong. She muttered, "No, I'm going to ask Louis about this. He’s so unsensible. What’s wrong with staying here? Why does he want to move out?"The butler watched her leave in a hurry and shook his head helplessly.Louis was the kind of person who did not fight for anything. It was normal for him to want to move out after being forced by her to fight for everything every day....After Luke arrived at the office, he immediately asked Jason to schedule a meeting.The entire management team was expected to be present, including Luca.After she received the news, Luca packed up the materials she needed for the meeting. As she carried her laptop, she suddenly thought of what Luke had said last night…This morning, she ran away and left like an ostrich. However, she knew that she would have to face him sooner or later...It was what it was. Although she had to deal with Luke because of work, she still felt uncomfo
“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