Although they could not treat these people as if they were gods, they could not offend them either.Luca was worried that Abel would make a move in the later stages.His pharmaceutical company was quite well-known in A City. Plus, Watson’s welfare package was not the best, so if he made a proposal to these professors, he might be able to win them over.The research results may also be taken away or even abandoned. If that happened, the research funds that were invested at the beginning would all be for nothing.Luca would not sit back and give Abel such an opportunity. The general manager dared not express his suspicion of these professors again because of her relationship with Luke.The meeting lasted for more than an hour.As Dr. Linwood had said, the general manager put all his hopes for the company’s performance on her research group.All she could do was bite the bullet and agree to it.After the meeting ended, Luca did not stay back to chit-chat with the other professors
Zoey hurriedly walked out and said, “Dr. Craw, are you going to the lab?”Luca stopped in her tracks and looked back at her. “Yes, what is it?”“Dr. Craw, Mr. Crawford is waiting in your office…” Zoey informed her. Luke had just come downstairs looking for Luca. After learning that she still had not returned from her meeting at Watson, he decided to wait here.After hearing that Luke was waiting for her, she started to feel all warm inside. She turned around and made a gesture to Rhett, signaling him to go in first. Rhett nodded and walked toward the lab.Luca looked back at Zoey and asked, “How long has Mr. Crawford been waiting?”Zoey glanced at the time and replied, “About ten minutes. He knew that you were still in a meeting at Watson, so he went straight into your office without telling me to inform you.” Luke was the boss of this company, after all. Hence, she watched him walk into Luca’s office without stopping him.“Got it.” Luca turned around and walked back to her o
After Luca had successfully clocked out, she walked into the CEO’s exclusive elevator with Luke.The elevator doors closed slowly, and Zoey withdrew her gaze as she could not help but sigh. “What a perfect match, but how unfortunate…”Rhett walked into the office and heard her sigh, so he asked out of curiosity, “What match? What’s unfortunate?”Zoey shook her head as she dared not gossip about the boss’ relationship with him. “Are you going home?”“How can I go home when the research professor hasn’t gone home yet?” said Rhett while picking up a stack of files next to the printer on the desk. He was the laboratory assistant. If the researchers were working overtime, he would have to as well.“But Dr. Craw has just gone home,” said Zoey.Rhett was about to exit the office when he stopped in his tracks all of a sudden and looked back at her. “Dr. Craw got off work already?”“She just clocked out half a minute ago. She should have arrived downstairs by now,” informed Zoey. If Luca
“Of course.” Luca caressed the child’s head. After what happened previously, she did not purposely keep her distance from the children in front of the old master anymore. “By the way, where’s Lanie and Rainie?”If they wanted to be close to her, then she would let them be.After all, the days she spent with them were numbered.“My brother and sister are upstairs doing their homework,” Tommy said with a smile, leaning even closer to her.Luca simply put her arms around him.Luke stood aside as he watched Luca and Tommy stick together eagerly, which did not make him jealous but made the corners of his mouth curl up into a smile instead. “I’ll go upstairs and keep the files.”“Go ahead. I’ll entertain them here.” Old Master Crawford waved his hand without paying any attention to Luke.He saw Luca’s concern for the children, which differed from other women. There was no pretense, and the affection in her eyes did not look like it was for show. She was not fake at all and was very su
After the argument between Old Master Crawford and Susan, Luca dared not pick up the medicinal herbs to take a closer look at them as she did not want Susan to find faults with her actions and further provoke the old master.She reckoned that the herbs really belonged to Yuri, so there should not be a problem.The last time, there was a problem with the old master’s stew because Susan had tampered with it. Yuri was her daughter-in-law and she still hoped that Yuri and Louis would have a second child, so how could she have tampered with the herbs?It was a strong tonic at most. Even if it was not suitable for Yuri’s body, it would not be too bad.Luca picked up the cup of tea, which had cooled a bit during the two’s argument. She took a big sip to please the old master.He did personally prepare it, after all.Susan snorted when she saw Luca drink the tea. She poured a cup for herself as well.“What are you doing?” Old Master Crawford looked at her indifferently.“If she can hav
“Father, you’ve been around for some time and have seen a lot of things, but there are many scammers nowadays and they’re using more tricks that you’ve never seen, so don’t be deceived.” Susan was even more upset when she saw how Old Master Crawford defended Luca, so she pointed out that Luca was a liar.Old Master Crawford had a gloomy expression. As expected, Susan would not be bothered to think about her reputation when she went crazy. She was like this with Allison and now, with Luca.Was she trying to badmouth Luke by hinting that Luca was a liar?Old Master Crawford was very fond of Luca and would never allow such a thing to happen.Just as he was about to speak, Luke’s voice could be heard from the stairs. “Mother, are you doubting the professional skills of the person I hired?”Susan looked up at Luke and frowned. It seemed like he was involved now.She already felt pressured from facing Old Master Crawford. Now that she had to face Luke, her imposing manner immediately d
After careful consideration, Susan indignantly put the teapot down.Life flashed before the butler’s eyes, and since Old Master Crawford had already gone upstairs with Luca, he asked, “Madam Crawford, would you still like some tea?”“No way. It’s disgusting.” Susan sat on the couch, slightly grim-faced.She thought that after Biana and Allison were sent abroad, her days in Crawford Manor would be peaceful. Little did she know that Luke would bring another woman back to infuriate her!Mr. Griffin noticed that she was enraged but was not foolish enough to comfort her. Instead, he bent over to place the teapot and teacups in the tray before leaving.In the study.Old Master Crawford pulled a chair out for Luca to sit down.Luca sat on the chair. She looked at the old master and said, “Old Master Crawford, don’t be angry.”“Is it that obvious?” Old Master Crawford touched his face. He was indeed angry at Susan’s pettiness.She had been the daughter-in-law of the Crawford family fo
Everyone could see Luke’s affection for her.Even after she had changed her identity, Luke still treated her…The thought of her having intimate contact with Luke before made her cheeks flush.Old Master Crawford noticed her blushing and guessed that her feelings for Luke were not that simple, so he deliberately let out a long sigh. “These problems have bothered me for a long time. That’s why I haven’t been able to sleep and eat well.”“The children can take care of themselves. Don’t worry so much about them. Your health is the most important. Maybe one day, Mr. Crawford will be more open-minded. Then you won’t have to worry,” Luca patted his hand and comforted him.A light flashed before Old Master Crawford’s cloudy eyes. After hearing her words, he asked, “Luca, do you really think he would open his mind?”Luca froze. Would Luke really open his mind?It had been so many years, but she had never heard of Luke having any sort of relationship before her return. She also heard the
“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