On the other side of the manor.Mr. Valentin informed Marcos of the news about Matysh asking someone to investigate Luca.Marcos’ eyes darkened. Matysh did not listen to his advice. Mr. Valentin realized Marcos was keeping silent and asked in a low voice, “Mr. Marcos, should we stop Master Matysh?”“Who would be able to stop him?” Marcos’ tone was filled with disgust. Other than the elders in the family, no one could stop Matysh.However, no one in the family would care about Matysh’s ridiculous behavior. After all, they were proud and stubborn, thinking that they were still living in an era where having a strong and wealthy family background meant they could dominate everything. Even if what Matysh did was wrong, they would let him do whatever he wanted because of his status. Marcos had no right to speak no matter how much money he had earned for this family. It became clear to Marcos that he was little more than a money-making machine for this family. The reason was simple.
“It’s not a big deal.” Matysh did not say anything about his interest in Luca. After all, that woman was Marcos’ business partner. He had to keep it a secret without letting the old master, who put benefits and interests before everything, find out about it. The old master was able to guess what his son was thinking about. “Who caught your attention this time?”Matysh looked up and glanced at the old master, saying indifferently, “Dad, I know my boundaries.” "You're getting older. Why don't you settle down, get married, and raise a chubby grandson for me?" said Old Master Abaza. He knew Matysh and him were the same kind of people.Although Matysh was playful, he would take his future wife’s status and background seriously. That was why Old Master Abaza was not worried that he would be like Marcos’ father who married a commoner. “I’m not ready yet. Dad, stop talking about this,” replied Matysh. Marriage could take his freedom away. So far, he had never fallen in love or though
Luke did not say a word while he looked at Luca who was quietly closing her eyes and resting. After traveling with Luca a few times, Luke could feel that Luca was especially quiet when she was beside him. Luca would take the chance to get some rest once she got into the mode of transport when they were traveling long distances. Luke took his eyes off her.The stewardess started to distribute the meals to the passengers after the plane had reached its cruising altitude as compensation for the flight delay. Luke made a silent hand gesture when he watched the stewardess carrying the tray and walking toward him. The stewardess noticed the woman beside him was taking a nap with a blanket covered over her. She secretly complimented him for his consideration of the woman next to him. Then, she handed the menu to Luke. Luke shook his head to tell her that he did not need it. The stewardess nodded and continued to ask the next passenger. The flight took almost ten hours. An annou
Luca sighed when she heard what Uncle Zander said. She was not a qualified mother. The children’s affection and their thought of longing to see Luca again would only end up in vain.Uncle Zander noticed that Luke and Luca were not talking to each other, so he added, "Young Master Blanche, Young Master Tommy, and Ms. Rainie have been behaving themselves. When they talk to Old Master Crawford, they’d always ask about Young Master Luke’s recovery and when the two of you were returning.”Luca’s heart was filled with bitterness while listening to Uncle Zander’s chatters. She could only conceal her feelings and smile as she went along with Uncle Zander, saying, “They probably miss Mr. Crawford more.”Luke raised his brows. She had no idea that the kids had already found out about her true identity, and that was why she would say something like this. Luca did not know that if the kids were to choose between him and Luca, they would always be on her side, not his.Luke and Luca got out
“Alright, Mr. Crawford.” Aunt Neile left the tea room.Percy was dissatisfied and protested. “I’m so exhausted after the long trip. And you’re giving me a cup of coffee? What a heartless man!” "It was Pierre who caused the trouble. You deserved it." Luke's words hit a nerve in Percy relentlessly. When Pierre was arrogant and domineering back then, Percy had no intention of stopping him. Instead, he spoiled him and let Pierre do whatever he wanted to.The Mallory family doted on him, and that was why Pierre behaved like that. He got into trouble everywhere he went, yet he showed no remorse or guilt for what he did. Percy would have to take up the responsibility of spoiling Pierre. He had to clean up the mess Pierre had made. The only difference was that Percy used to deal with the troubles that Pierre had gotten himself into. Now, Percy was the one sorting him out.Percy quickly waved his hand. Fortunately, Luke was his best friend. Otherwise, this matter would not have been so
Something came across Percy’s mind. Then he said, “Speaking of this, regarding the matter that you instructed Adrian to investigate, he looked up and found out that the IP address is located in this city. If Dr. Craw was the one who tipped you off, then who sent the email?” said Percy. Was she not afraid that she would get caught by asking someone to tip Luke off? “She has a nominal brother here,” Luke reminded him while he made some tea.Percy patted the table. He hardly remembered Luca's brother. If it had not been for Luke reminding him about his existence, Percy would have forgotten him.“If that’s what her brother did, then her brother must be a computer geek. He’s probably better than Adrian.” Percy could not help but exclaim. After all, if it was really Amur who did it, they had already gone up against each other a few times. However, Adrian could only find out that his IP address was located in this city. He could not go into further details. It was only because the other
Aunt Neile dared not to disturb them as they were discussing matters inside the tea room. She could not make the decision, and that was why she came to ask Luca.Luca glanced at the time, then she glanced at the tea room with the door closed. She said, “Just prepare his portion. There’s nothing wrong with preparing more.” Although Percy was Luke’s friend, it did not matter if they prepared lunch for him or not.However, this was basic courtesy. By preparing more, it might lead to more food wastage, but it would be impolite and drive the guests away if they did not prepare anything for him.“I think so too, but Mr. Mallory’s preferences…” Aunt Neile was afraid that the dishes she prepared would not suit Pierre’s taste. Luca said, “Prepare some home-cooked dishes. I remember that Mr. Mallory loves home-cooked dishes.” "How do you know that?" Aunt Neile asked with curiosity. It was Percy's first time staying here until lunchtime if she remembered it clearly. Luca was dumbfound
“Yes, Nina is my fiancée now,” Percy admitted. As Nina’s best friend, Luca wanted Nina to be happy. Although the Mallory family was still against it, Percy insisted on holding an engagement ceremony. It was a simple ceremony, but he did it with all his sincerity and wholeheartedly.Percy believed that he could give Nina a happy and blissful life.Luca turned to look at Luke. Was this true? How did that happen out of the blue?“He went to look for the priest on the second day we went to Russia. He grabbed Nina with him and got the engagement ceremony done,” Luke told her.“Yes. We were low-profile. I only informed my family and a few close friends about this. But we didn’t invite anyone to our engagement ceremony. That’s why Nina didn’t tell anyone either,” said Percy. Percy was worried that someone would mess up the engagement ceremony. He kept a low profile before the engagement ceremony. Only after the ceremony was over did he inform his family and Luke.Nina was worried tha
“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