"Nina, are the kids asleep?" Luca asked. She did not want to scare them."They’re asleep. What happened? Why do you sound so weak?" Nina noticed how terrible she sounded and asked quickly."Something happened. Can you drive over and pick me up at the gate of the villa? I can't walk, and they don’t allow cabs to go in," Luca said. If she had the strength, she would not want to trouble Nina."Okay, I'll come out right now." Nina did not dare to delay things. She immediately took the keys and left the villa. Her car was parked in the parking space outside the villa."Ma'am, we’re here. Are you sure you’re alright?" The driver noticed that Luca's complexion was getting worse and worse."I’m alright. I've asked a friend to pick me up, thank you." Luca held on. After she paid, she opened the car door, endured the pain, and got out.She saw Nina's car parked on the side of the road inside the villa area.Luca gritted her teeth and walked forward.It was too dark, so even though Nina w
Seeing that she insisted on not going to the hospital even though she was so injured, Nina gritted her teeth. She could only choose to believe that Luca could do it.With trembling fingers, she picked up the needle and thread. She put the thread through the needle. She asked, "Am I doing it right?""Yes." Luca gritted her teeth. Nina handed her the needle and thread. Luca raised her hand to take them. Then, she began to sew between the open flesh.Fortunately, she could still see where Abel stabbed her.Otherwise, she would not be able to suture her wound herself.Nina looked at Luca's pale face and her hands that were holding a needle to suture her wound. Her face could not help but turn pale.There was no anesthetic or tranquilizer, so it must be very painful. Nevertheless, Luca did not scream.‘Is she numb toward pain, or does she just not want to wake the kids up and scare them?’Either way, Nina admired Luca. She was impressed by her toughness.Luca endured the pain from
After Nina sighed in her heart, she opened the bedroom door and walked out.She checked in on the children one by one. They were all fast asleep, not awakened by their moving about.Nina confirmed that they had not rolled out of bed, then closed the door and shook her head.‘How could Luca have woken the children up when she was so careful all throughout?’She returned to Luca's bedroom, closed the door, and said, "Don't worry, Lanie and the others are sound asleep. They didn’t roll off the bed."Luca opened her eyes and looked at Nina. A slight smile appeared on her face. She knew that Nina was going to stay here tonight and did not want to turn her kind gesture down. She said, "I have a new blanket in my closet. If you want to sleep here, you can share the bed with me as long as you’re okay with the smell of blood on me.""I don’t mind it, but I’m not going to sleep here tonight. I'm afraid that I’ll accidentally hurt you when I’m asleep. I'll sleep on the sofa. The sofa in you
"I feel awkward listening to you thank me. By the way, I've already talked to Mr. Doyle but didn’t share any details. If you decide to go to work, let him know. You’re going to be late if you leave now, so if you insist on going, I'll drive you there." Nina glanced at the time. Luca would most definitely be late for work.Luca glanced at the time. It was late, and she had to go. "I still have to go, or work will start to pile up."While eating breakfast, she texted Jason and told him that she would be half an hour late.Jason replied immediately: [Okay, Dr. Craw.]Luca put down her phone and took her breakfast in big bites.Seeing this, Nina said to her, "Don't eat in such a hurry. Work is important, but your body is more important."Luca nodded and continued to eat breakfast.Nina held her chin, looked at Luca, and sighed. "I think Luke is lucky to have an employee like you."Luca paused what she was doing but said nothing.Nina did not continue to say anything. She just look
After a few minutes, Tina walked in with a few documents. "Dr. Craw, these are the documents you'll be working on today.""Okay, thanks." Luca took them and put the documents on the table.Tina looked at the thick folder. It looked like a lot, but compared to Alya's workload, it was not much at all.After all, Alya did most of the translation work."Dr. Craw, there are more documents today, so it’ll be a bigger pile than yesterday’s," Tina explained."It's okay, I can handle it." Luca smiled, turned on the computer, and started to work.Tina did not want to disturb her and walked out of her office....On the other hand, in South Korea.Luke checked Allison into a well-known plastic surgery hospital in Seoul.Allison looked at the interior and frowned, dissatisfied. "You put me in a hospital like this? The environment is not very good."Luke looked at the luxuriously decorated ward. It was still a ward, after all. It was a little different from a five-star hotel. He said ind
The young woman beside was secretly astonished while listening to the conversation between the mother and her son. However, Luke was her boss now. She could not say anything about it. She only had to listen to his arrangements. After Luke handled Allison's affair, he signed the relevant documents and left the hospital. He refused to stay any longer in South Korea. He could not wait to go home. He missed Luca so much. However, there was no flight back now. He had to stay for another night. Luke returned to the hotel. He picked up his phone and glanced at it. There were no other messages other than the ones from Jason and some other senior managers who were reporting to him. He had not received any messages from Luca or the kids. Luke put on a helpless expression on his face. Previously, the kids would send him messages every day to tell him how much they missed him whenever he went on a business trip, but there was not even one message from them now. It seemed like the k
Abel was in charge of Luca’s life. Luca pursed her lips so hard that her pale lips had turned purple. Even so, she did not say a word. Abel sneered when Luca did not reply to him. He continued, “I’ve already sold the formula. Things are going to get interesting now. Luca, I’d like you to do something for me.”Luca had a bad feeling about it. Her voice sounded hoarse and weak. “What—”Abel replied, “Make everyone think that it was Albus who sold the formula.”Luca was shocked. Let everyone think that it was Dr. Albus who sold the formula?If everyone suspected him, then Dr. Albus would definitely get fired. The company would hold him liable for selling the formula. Luca suddenly realized that Dr. Albus, whom she had been suspecting all this time, was not one of Abel’s men. Who had he sent here, then?Luca felt lost. She filtered through every subordinate under Dr. Albus in her mind, only to realize that none of them could overthrow Dr. Albus’ decision…Luca could not help bu
Mr. Bailey would certainly apply for the patent before Dr. Albus applied for it and launch the product after that.They only had to make up a list for the clinical trial, then they would be able to apply for the patent.Luca suspected that they would choose to launch the product around the time when T Corporation was bidding for the project. Besides, now that Luca had stolen the document, this series of events would deal blow after blow to Luke. Luca held her forehead. T Corporation would face a great crisis if this really happened. It would still be alright if T Corporation’s reputation was still well protected. What she feared the most was that Abel would think of a way to ruin the corporation's reputation. This way, Luke would have to face such a crisis and a huge burden at the same time.Luca recalled a few years ago when the property built by T Corporation was deliberately bombed by someone, causing the building to collapse. Luke had put in a lot of effort to get to the b
“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