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
What bothered him was the fact that Susan did not know how to properly educate her daughter-in-law.She let Yuri become like her, which made Old Master Crawford very unhappy. The good thing was that no matter how similar to Susan Yuri’s nature became, she would at least pretend to be well-behaved in front of him.Therefore, Louis was the one at a loss.Old Master Crawford had no intentions of interfering with that as Louis was very frivolous when he was younger, so having a wife like Yuri to keep an eye on him was not such a bad thing.Luca assisted the old master to the main seat while everyone was watching.After the old master had sat down, Luca thought about sitting somewhere near the edge, but Tommy waved at her. “Ms. Luca, sit here!”Looking at the spot next to the child, she hesitated for a bit.There was an empty spot next to Tommy, and to the right side of this empty seat was Luke…It was like this seat was purposely reserved for her.It would be odd to leave an empty
“Louis and Yuri are busy with work. Who’s going to look after Thea if you don’t move out of the house?” Old Master Crawford did not allow her to stay.“If they can’t look after Thea, they can hire a maid to take care of her. Or they can just send her over here if that doesn’t work for them,” said Susan. She insisted on living in Crawford Manor.Susan and Allison used to argue and fight with each other every day. It had become a fight to the end. However, Allison moved out of Crawford Manor after she thought Luke got killed. That was when Susan won the fight. Hence, Susan insisted on staying in Crawford Manor. This was her territory. “Mom, I’d still be worried if I leave Thea to the maid. You know Thea is unlike other children. I’ll be more assured if you can look after her yourself,” said Louis. What he said was true. Thea started suffering from a psychological disorder after what she went through when she was little. They had brought her to the psychologist, and the psychologi
Luca knew about medicines, and Old Master Crawford was worried that she would refuse to drink the tonic. If that happened, everything he planned would be for nothing. Hence, he tried his best to make Luca believe that he had no intentions of harming her.“This is the tonic that the old master had prepared for the two of you. We got the herbs from Dr. Archer. It’s good for young people who often stay up all night to work,” added Mr. Griffin.Mr. Griffin knew what the old master was up to.Mr. Griffin had been serving the Crawford family for years. He knew Luke since he was a boy and watched him grow up into an adult. Hence, he had the same thought as the old master. They both hoped for the best for Luke.At least that way, Luke would not have to be alone for the rest of his life. He would have someone he loved to keep him company.The old master meant no harm. He could see that Luke and Luca had feelings for each other, but they were making slow progress. That was why the old maste
Luca knew rumors would fly if she agreed to spend the night here tonight. Luke was going on a business trip tomorrow. Luca thought of letting him spend the night peacefully to boost his mood and handle his work.Luke had never shown his emotions on his face even after spending so much time together, and he seemed like a heartless person who never took the affairs of Crawford Manor seriously. However, Luca knew that Luke was more concerned about the affairs in Crawford Manor than anyone else."Oh no, the tonic you just drank contains high alcohol content. You’ve considered to have drunk. Besides, it's snowing out there. There's no way Luke and you can drive back home. As for Zander, he's old, so it's better not to trouble him at this hour. So, both of you should spend the night here and get some rest." Old Master Crawford patted the table and decided for them. Luca listened to what the old master said. It seemed like she was left with no choice but to stay here. She could hire
“Is this the jewelry set that I asked for? Louis, you probably think that I’m old and my eyes are getting bad. Is that why you’re trying to fool me?” Yuri stood at the stairs, holding Thea's hands. Susan must be in a bad mood now, not to mention that she was lectured by Old Master Crawford not long ago. Yuri grabbed Thea's hand and decided not to return to their bedroom to prevent her from getting into trouble. Hence, Yuri lowered her head and said, "Thea, have you finished your homework?" Thea pouted, and there was clearly a disapproving look in her eyes. “Mommy, I don’t want to do my homework.” “No way. Come on. Let’s go to your bedroom and finish your homework.” Yuri did not want to deal with Susan’s anger. She dragged her daughter and headed to Thea’s bedroom without a second thought. The jewelry set was Louis’ idea. Yuri had thought it was a bad idea from the very beginning. After all, jewelry meant a lot to a woman.However, Louis refused to listen to her. He thought get
Louis did not stop Yuri. It had been a long time since he gave Yuri any jewelry. Yuri looked at Louis after she closed the safe and said, “Our family needs the shares no matter what. If you sell all your shares, we can’t depend on my family when we’re facing any difficulty in the future. Are you going to take out a loan when the time comes?” “Mom said that she’s not going to host the birthday party if she doesn’t have the jewelry set.” Louis pulled his hair fretfully. “Why is this old woman so stubborn?” Yuri frowned. She had expected Louis to get scolded by Susan, but she did not expect that the old woman would threaten her son by not hosting the birthday party if he could not get the jewelry set for her.No way!The hotel had been booked and the invitation cards had been sent to the guests. People would think that there was something wrong with the Crawford family if they canceled the birthday party out of the blue.Besides, Yuri had always relied on the parties held by 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