As they walked into the venue, Nina felt that all of the flashlights of the reporters’ cameras were directed at her.She was so nervous that her body could not help shaking. However, she straightened her back, followed Percy's footsteps, and arrived at the main seat. She then sat next to him at his signal.Since she had chosen to be with Percy, it was time for her to learn to face the camera.She put on her best demeanor so the reporters would not have the slightest chance to use her to attack Percy.Percy sat down, and the reporters in the audience were eager to ask questions.Percy raised his hand, indicating that it was not the time for them to ask questions. He was the host and main speaker since it was a last-minute press conference with no moderator."Hello, everyone. Good morning. Today's press conference is held because there’s something I want to clarify. I hope that after you hear my side of the story, you can report what I said truthfully and inform the general public,
When the reporters saw what he was doing, they knew that they were about to get their hands on some juicy news. All of them directed their cameras at the screen.Percy said, "A large part of the reason why I terminated my engagement with Ms. Madison, in addition to the commercial crisis that the Johnston family is facing, is because I found out that Ms. Madison is a scarlet woman. She doesn't meet the criteria I have for a wife. Besides, I still care deeply about Ms. Nina. As such, despite knowing that the dissolution of the marriage would harm me, I still firmly terminated my engagement as soon as I found out."Nina's gaze fell on the projector screen. There were piles of documents side by side, all of which were records of Madison's hospitalization records.Among them, there were her gynecology reports. Everything was recorded on the computer, so Nina could understand the writing. The report mentioned that Madison had contracted multiple STIs and had two abortions in the past few
However, at that time, Percy did not say anything and she did not take the initiative to ask him. That was why they ended up where they were.Nina felt terribly guilty. He was doing his best to overcome difficulties just to be with her, but she was constantly doubting him. She even told him that she was leaving him, unknowingly troubling and stressing him out.He even went as far as getting drunk to hurt himself."Percy, I’ll never leave you again—not unless you don't want me anymore." Nina hugged him back.Percy heard her and said solemnly, "What are you talking about? I’ll never let you go for as long as I live."Nina listened to his oath and smiled sweetly.Even though the price of their happily ever after was hurting Madison, Madison had indeed deceived Percy. Nina did not feel as guilty anymore. She was happy as long as she was with Percy."Okay, we'll be together forever, then!" Nina felt that every cell in her body was filled with joy. She felt like she was walking on air
"I can't go out now!" Nick was sour. The Johnston family had always been a patriarchal family. If Madison did not have some means, she would not have any say in the family.Madison was stunned, and her face was pale. She had just browsed the internet and saw that public opinion had changed drastically.It was only half an hour after Percy's live broadcast.The public had been scolding Nina and Percy but had since shifted to gossip about her. Madison was scared of seeing this change.Her absurd days in the past involved a range of men, some of which were not of quality. If they saw the news, they might use the one night they spent together as bragging rights on the internet."What happened?" Madison wondered, wanting to go out to see.Nick held her and said with a sullen expression, "Thanks to your plan, the place is flooded with reporters. They’re not the ones you arranged either! I’m not the only one who can't get out, no one else can! Why should I contact the chairperson? Even
Luke looked at her deeply. He knew that Luca was smiling like that because Nina was happy.He did not misunderstand. He just nodded slightly and walked out of the office.Percy may seem cold, but he had a romantic side when he was with Nina.If he did not know the details, he would likely have gotten jealous of Percy for making Luca smile like that.Luca watched Luke leave. She touched her chin and wondered why he walked over. ‘Is there work for me to do? If yes, he could’ve easily called me to notify me. But he came in and left without talking about work?’Luca was puzzled.When Luke returned to the office, he remembered why he went to look for Luca just now. He was in a daze thinking about how her smile was not for him, so he was so annoyed that he even forgot that he was there to talk to her about something.He was a little embarrassed to walk back to her office, so he picked up his phone and texted Luca.[Dinner at the Royal Crown Hotel tonight at seven.] He pressed ‘send
Luke was secretly delighted that his small actions would make her react so strongly. He casually put his hands on the steering wheel after he fastened his seat belt.When faced with Luca, he felt as though he was a young schoolboy. He was head over heels for her since back then.Back then, he was not sure how to strike up a conversation with her, so he played on the court to attract her attention.Luke felt like he had gone back in time when he would secretly rejoice because of her small actions.Luca noticed that Luke had not started driving. She turned her head to the side and looked at the man's strong side profile. "Mr. Crawford?"Her voice was soft and gentle, grazing his ears like a gust of soft wind. All of the cells in Luke's body shuddered.He turned his head and looked at her, her gaze softening involuntarily."What's the matter?" he asked.Luca raised his hand slightly, pointed ahead, and asked hesitantly, "Aren't you going to drive?"After being reminded, Luke real
Luca thought Jack was acting a little weird.In the past, Jack had always been polite to her, but today, he was welcoming and kind.That was how he acted toward her when she was still Bianca.Luca nodded and sat on the chair.Jack looked at her delicate facial features. Her looks were significantly different from what she used to look like. ‘In the past few years, she has been controlled by a mysterious organization and was even forced to change her face. She must have suffered a lot…’He was distressed and could not help but blame himself for not protecting Luca well enough.Luke cleared his throat. After Jack found out that Luca was his daughter, his mentality must have changed. However, the change should not be too obvious so as to not arouse Luca’s suspicions."Father-in-law, I’ve already ordered some dishes to share. They’re home-cooked dishes. I also ordered a bottle of wine,” he said. "Did you go over the budget?" Jack came to his senses. He was deep in thought looking
It seemed that if she did not answer his calls or reply to his messages, Enoch would never let it go.Luca frowned. It was not the first time she had faced such a clingy man, but she did not expect Enoch to be like this too. She felt that Enoch, as an educated civil servant, should not be acting like this.Luke walked in front. Luca did not listen to the voice message and wanted to turn her phone on silent when Enoch sent another message.At that moment, Luke stopped and turned around to look at her.Luca used to have a narrow social circle. After she came back to A City as Luca, her circle became even smaller. From what he knew of her, her phone never rang like this during non-working hours."What's wrong?" He noticed that Luca seemed helpless and had a gut feeling that something had happened."It's nothing." Luca did not dare to tell him about Enoch. Although he said that his feelings for her had yet to reach fiery and intense, her intuition told her that if she told him, som
“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