The employees of T Corporation fixed their gazes on the crowd, perhaps because their boss had appeared in front of them. Leia was worried that she might be recognized if she stood there for too long, so she turned around and left. When she returned to Xavier's Porsche Cayenne, she lightly furrowed her brows. Marie was not familiar with Leia yet, and she regarded Leia as a celebrity way beyond her league and herself as a lowly commoner. For a moment, she did not know how to speak to Leia. Leia was not bothered with Marie's presence. Instead, she kept thinking about the scene earlier. Leia already knew who Luke was. As one of the darlings of A City, and now that she had become one of the most famous celebrities, she held two extremely enviable identities. One of Leia's friends once asked her what kind of man she would want to marry in the future. She had admitted that she had her eyes on someone, but she was not sure whether fate would lead her to him. However, with the t
"It's not that…" Bianca's denial was weak. "I know that even if someone catches us in the act, you have the clout to suppress the news. I'm just a little tired after a full day of work, and I just want to go back to my room and rest." Luke's gaze on her was profound. He leaned close to her, deliberately lowered his voice, and spoke each syllable clearly. "I'm not going to suppress the news if the scandal breaks out. When I saw the news this morning that you are his legally wedded wife, I was so jealous that I was losing my mind. Now that you've appeared on the news with him, do you still mind that you'll have a scandal with me?" Bianca was worried that the children might hear. She might be surprised, but she kept her voice low, "That was just an accident. There's nothing to be jealous of. Don't be childish." She knew that Xavier bore no love for him, and he only forced her into a marriage out of malice. Even if he had a shred of affection for him, there was nothing to be proud of
Jason was suddenly silent. While Bianca took out the plates and cutlery from the cupboard, she asked, "Is everything OK, Mr. Doyle? Can you hear me?" One minute passed, then two minutes… Jason did not make a sound… The other colleagues had all woken up. Several people were doing chores in the courtyard. Joe was watering the plants and was rambling on, "I saw from the weather report that it'll be turning cold from Wednesday on. These pots need to be brought indoors. Is anyone willing to take two? Otherwise, I'll be bringing them all into my room." It was noisy outside. Bianca could not hear any sound from the other end of the phone. On the third minute, Bianca decided that she would end the call. Perhaps the reception was bad, or perhaps Jason was busy with work. Suddenly, Jason spoke. He sounded especially clear. "I'm sorry, Ms. Rayne. The reception was bad earlier," Jason explained. "It's fine. I thought that was the case. I was about to hang up." Bianca handed the p
Bianca put the keys away, changed into slippers, tiptoed into the bedroom, and found two blankets. She draped one over Lanie's body and the other over Rainie, who was sleeping soundly on Daddy's tummy… Bianca was about to walk away when the man on the couch suddenly opened his bloodshot eyes. His eyes looked tired under the angular brow ridge. Blood vessels could be seen at the corners of his eyes. On other days, she would tell her not to work so hard and rest more, out of concern as his employee or as the father of her children. However, Bianca was speechless. Every word that Jason said over the phone lingered in Bianca's mind. "Boss received a dinner invitation after he got back yesterday. He left the two children in the apartment, and no one was around to take care of them… "Boss drank a little too much last night, and we haven't managed to contact him at the hotel…" Luke was wholly unqualified as a single parent. After Luke woke up, Rainie also woke up. After Ra
Bianca was flustered when Luke suddenly mentioned that they were going to do a DNA test. What if Luke was mistaken? What if Lanie and Rainie were not her children? Suddenly, Bianca's heart was overcome by worry and apprehension. Her desire to be the children's mother was too strong, which was why she was afraid of losing it all. Even if the probability that she would lose the children might be 0.01%, the pain felt as though she had a knife stuck to her throat. Bianca did not ask Luke the exact time they should go to do the DNA test. She wanted to run away. After deciding on the DNA test, they did not have any other topics of conversation and looked at each other silently. They were alone in a room, which made it easy for the atmosphere to become intimate. "I'll go and contact the colleagues in the small town." Bianca found an excuse to move to the living room. However, her delicate wrist was immediately grabbed by the man's strong hand. He pulled her back, and she s
After the waiters served all the dishes, they left the private restaurant room. The restaurant's service was personalized. The owner did not believe that the customer was always right, and it was up to her if she wanted to serve those that came through the doors. Her customers were either regulars or those whose personalities and mannerisms were to the owner's satisfaction. Of course, they had to be able to afford the food there too. Anyone rude or boorish would not be able to taste the spectacular food of that restaurant. Shakira Neile, the owner, had a temperamental character. She had offended many people in her career, especially the nouveau riche who had money but no manners. She could afford to offend those people. Her husband and son were influential VIPs. Bianca took a few bites and turned to feed Rainie, who was clinging onto her and causing her heart to melt out of tenderness. Even if Rainie threw a tantrum and did not want to eat the delicious food served on the tab
Luke looked at Bianca and tried to discern her feelings. When Luke was a child, he did not have his father and mother by his side. However, he knew that his mother was the one who sent him to an orphanage. In those few years living in the orphanage, his mother had visited him a few times. Back then, he had several questions. 'Who is my father? 'Why does my father never come to see me? 'Does my father want me?' Luke knew how it felt to be abandoned, and that was why he wanted to shower all his love and care on Bianca. However, he knew that he could never match the love and care given by one's parents. Bianca had never met her mother. Like Rainie sitting next to her and Lanie sitting opposite her, they had always eagerly hoped that their mother would appear in their lives and love them. Unfortunately, Bianca's mother never appeared, even until the day she became a mother herself… Lanie was sitting next to his father and eating his meal like a gentleman. At that mome
Assaulted by the cold wind, Marie felt that her face was becoming stiff and her limbs were becoming icicles. She turned around and saw the RV parked in the distance. After that morning, she was familiar with the RV driver. She brought the coat with her, went to the RV, and asked the driver to open the door. She could not stand the cold anymore. The driver recognized Marie. He thought that she was Leia's new assistant or something. He opened the door to the trailer. Marie sat inside, rubbing her fingers, trying to warm herself up. Meanwhile, at the shoot, Leia was not concentrating. The director was nationally renowned, and his movies were widely acclaimed. He was a regular at award ceremonies. Countless actresses wanted to star in his movies but there were not many that could impress him. The director put Leia Norman in the starring role out of desperation. One of his biggest funders had withdrawn their financial support, and production of the movie was stalled. Just wh
“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