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
Louis nodded. He understood the undertone of Luke’s words. Luke was telling him not to be concerned about borrowing less from him and spending all his cash on this jewelry set as it would affect his family. "Brother, don't worry. I know what to do," replied Louis. He would not let his family suffer just to satisfy Susan, especially Thea. He needed to spend a lot of money on her now."It's getting late. Get some rest." Luke patted Louis' shoulder and left the balcony. Louis watched Luke leave from behind. Luke had always been taking up responsibilities since he was a little boy. Until now, Luke was still the well-qualified big brother in Louis’ heart. Louis recalled that when he was still young, the relatives of the Crawford family were unhappy that Allison brought Luke back home. They often spoke ill about the mother and son in front of him. They even told him that he had to be better than Luke. Otherwise, they would lose everything they had. Although he was not as outstandi
Luca’s mind went completely blank, just like what happened a few days ago. Her brain froze uncontrollably…“Mr. Crawford…” Luca tried to push the man away. She accidentally touched his fiery skin and quickly pulled her hand away. His skin was burning. “Luca, am I sick?” Even though Luke knew what was happening to him, he still hugged her. Luca drank the tonic too. He believed that she was not feeling any better than he was now.“Let go of me. Let me check on you.” Luke’s scent filled her nostrils. Perhaps the scent used to be hypnotic, but now, the scent seemed to have triggered something in her body. It silenced her thoughts. All she wanted now was to drown herself in him, do something crazy, and let the chips fall where they may. "You can cure me, right?" Luke was still hugging Luca, refusing to let go of her. He longed to make Luca melt into his body, his blood, and his cells. Luca knew it was impossible to ask Luke to let go of her now. She had no choice but to say, “Ho
The following day.Susan yawned while making her way down the stairs. She could not sleep after waking up in the middle of the night. The heat in her body went away not long ago. She wanted to rest more but did not feel like sleeping anymore, so she thought of getting up and keeping an eye on Luke and Luca. “Good morning, Madam Crawford.” Mr. Griffin noticed how pale Susan was, and he understood why she was looking pale. Susan must have had a hard time trying to fall asleep last night. After all, she took the medicine that the old master had asked someone to prescribe. Even though she was a middle-aged woman, it was hard to resist the effects of the medicine. “Is breakfast ready?” Susan asked.“Mrs. Nancy is still on it,” Mr. Griffin lowered his head and answered. Susan complained, “She’s still making breakfast? What’s wrong with her working efficiency?”Mr. Griffin glanced at the time, lowered his head, and replied respectfully, "Madam Crawford, Mrs. Nancy didn't know you'
“Business trip? Why are you going on a business trip again?” Old Master Crawford said querulously. He knew that Luke was going on a business trip to handle T Corporation’s matters, but the old master was unhappy now. Luke would rather stay up all night and waste his efforts than take the initiative to look for Luca and solve his problem. One could not make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear! “It’s the company’s affairs,” replied Luke.Old Master Crawford sneered. He knew it must be related to the company. It was just that Luke had never thought about his marriage! Even though the old master was dissatisfied, there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he could not rewind the time to last night no matter what he did. Besides, Luca was smart. She should have noticed that there was something wrong with the tonic. Hence, the old master could not use such ways anymore. “Let’s eat,” said Old Master Crawford. Luca let out a sigh. It was fortunate that the old master did not c
“Madam Crawford, isn’t it a bad idea to look at this?” The guard hesitated. Although Old Master Crawford did not tell him that he should not watch the footage, there was a chance that he might get fired if the old master found out about it.“What’s wrong with it? The security cameras installed in the house belong to the Crawford family. Am I not the madam of this family? Why can’t I see it?” Susan raised her brows and threatened, “You’ll be fired if you don’t help me get the footage.” The guard had no choice but to search for the footage after getting threatened by her. "Give me a second," replied the guard. He began to open all the security footage folders and checked which one had been opened recently. Susan rushed him, “Make it fast. I have an appointment later.” The guard nodded and looked at a bunch of security camera footage recordings. There were many security cameras in Crawford Manor. Most of them were installed outside the gate and in the public areas in the house.
Luca nodded. She did not expect the old master to sign up for a class for the kids.“There’s no need to trouble Uncle Zander. I’ll send you there. Wait a minute. I’m going to get the car keys.” Luca turned around and headed to the living room to get the keys. Although it was difficult to drive on a snowy day, she had been driving often lately. That was why she was confident to take up the job. Lanie and Rainie nodded. They stood still while waiting for Luca.Tommy was the only one pouting his mouth and following behind Luca. “Ms. Luca, I don’t want to go to class. Can I stay?” "Why?" Luca picked up the car keys and looked at him with confusion. Were they not the ones who chose which classes they would be attending? Tommy’s dark pupils were filled with a grievance as he said, “I didn’t want to go to that class. But Great-grandpa said I’m too naughty and need to train my character so I could be calmer. That’s why he chose the calligraphy class for me.”Luca nodded to tell Tomm
"By the way, I promised the kids that I'll be preparing dinner tonight, so please don't prepare dinner. I'll come back to cook." Luca informed Aunt Neile so that she would not prepare dinner in advance. The kids were picky with their food. They would know who prepared the meal with just a bite. Luca was trying to prevent them from wasting food.“Alright. I got it. Ms. Craw, drive safely,” said Aunt Neile with a smile on her face. She appreciated that Luca would always inform her of things in advance. This could prevent her efforts and time from being wasted. Luca nodded, indicating that she heard her. Then, she turned around and walked out of the villa. After Luca put the gift bags into the car, she was ready to drive to the hospital. Her phone notification suddenly rang, telling her that she had received a message. Luca picked up her phone. It was a message from Luke. [Boarding now.] Those simple words seemed to throb in Luca's heart. Luke was telling her where he was. Al
“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