Marie bit her lip. She knew all of that?She instantly felt guilty when Wanda looked at her.Luca was puzzled when she heard Wanda’s words and looked at Marie’s guilty expression.What else did Marie and her mother do that she was not aware of?Nina stood at the side and apologized to Wanda, “I’m very sorry, Aunt Rayne. If this happens again, please just call the police immediately without informing me.”She already knew that she would not be able to chase Jean away even before she came.It was because this was the first time this had happened, so she wanted to apologize to Wanda personally.“Nina, what did you say?” Jean did not believe the words that came out of her mouth. He instantly could not bear the sight of her and raised his hand to slap her.Luca reacted quickly and blocked him. She raised her hand and forcefully grabbed Jean’s wrist. “If you dare lay a finger on her, I’ll make you regret it.”Jean looked at Luca’s exquisite face. Even though she was barefaced and lo
After a while, Luke’s people rushed over.Then, Luca briefly explained everything to them and let them go back.Luca heaved a sigh of relief as the matter had finally been resolved. Wanda saw the smile on her face after the problem was dealt with and could not help but lift her hand to dust off the fallen snow on Luca’s shoulders.“You must’ve rushed over here, right? You don’t even have your gloves on. It must be freezing. Let’s go inside,” she said.“Okay, Aunt Rayne.” Luca rubbed her palms together and followed Wanda into the neighborhood.Wanda walked beside Luca, and when she looked sideways at her, she was momentarily distracted by the fact that Luca was the same height as Bianca.Bianca used to walk beside her like this, but walking with Luca beside her gave her the same feeling.She was bewildered.Wanda shook her head slightly. Luca noticed and asked, “What is it, Aunt Rayne?”“Nothing. It’s a cold winter day, so let’s hurry inside the house. Old Master Crawford is he
Wanda carried the tea upstairs and saw that the two old masters were in fact sitting in the second-floor living room playing chess.“Dad, Old Master Crawford, have some tea first. The refreshments will only be done later.” Wanda did not mention the incident with Jean and Marie.However, Old Man Rayne had heard about it from the maid. He waited until she put down the tea before asking, “Has that girl left?”“Dad, you know about it…” Wanda sighed resignedly.“The maid was the one who helped me after I woke up from my nap. How could I not know? Hasn’t it been some time since she came here? Why is she back?” Old Man Rayne may be old and in need of affection from his family, but he did not have even the slightest bit of affection for Marie.He thought that Marie was gone for good. He did not expect her to come again today, which made him feel disgusted.In Wanda’s haste to rush out, she forgot to inform the maid to not tell the old master about this. She then glanced at Old Master Cra
The oven was done preheating right after Luca finished shaping the cookies.After she placed the cookies in the oven, she looked back at Wanda and saw that the eggs in the bowl were beaten as well.“Do I add flour next?” asked Wanda. She knew how to bake cakes. Usually, the next step would be to add flour, but she still subconsciously asked Luca.“Aunt Rayne, let me take it from here.” Luca blinked.“Could it be that you have a secret recipe?” Wanda was curious and passed the baton to her.“Not really, but I’m not making a chiffon cake, so the steps are a little different,” said Luca as she added the melted butter into the egg mixture. Then, she added an appropriate amount of sugar substitute and milk. Finally, she added the flour.Wanda watched her stir the mixture and took out cupcake molds from the cupboard to hold the batter.After Luca mixed the cake batter evenly, she poured it into the molds.Then, she readjusted the temperature of the oven and placed the cupcakes into t
Only after Wanda had called attention to herself did the two old masters who were playing chess realize that Luca was here.Old Master Crawford was all smiles as he watched Luca sit down. He said, “Luca, what brings you here? Did you purposely come over to visit me because you knew I was here?”Old Man Rayne immediately waved his hand and said with a straight face, “I’ve seen my fair share of shameless people, yet I’ve never met anyone as shameless as you. Of course, Luca came here to visit me. Isn’t that right, Luca?”After saying that, he looked at Luca with all smiles as well.Luca did not know whether to laugh or cry when she saw the two old masters behave like mischievous children. She put down the tray in her hands on the coffee table and said, “Old Masters, would you care to try my creations?”The aroma of the cookies on the coffee table smelled amazing. Old Master Crawford could not help but drool a little. “Luca, of course, I know how good your cooking skills are. That bo
“Okay, I’ll be careful. I’m about to drive, so I’ll hang up now,” said Nina as she ended the call with Sue and drove to Jean’s home.While waiting for the traffic light, she thought about what Sue said and reconsidered. She decided to send a voice message to Percy to tell him about what just happened and notify him that she was heading over to Jean’s place.Percy did not reply. Nina assumed that he was busy, so she continued driving to Jean’s home without sending any more messages.She parked her car somewhere nearby as Jean currently lived in the Langdon family’s old house. The parking spaces would be full if she went any farther, so she could only park her car here and walk inside.Several motorcycles were parked in front of the house.Nina frowned. It seemed like not only Jean and Marie were inside but their scoundrel friends too…However, she could not tell whose friends they were.Nina took out her keys and opened the door. The sound of an uproar came from the living room.
Nina looked at Jean, and he subconsciously dodged her eye contact.She could tell what was going on with just one gesture of his.“Jean.” Nina’s voice was low and had a warning tone.Jean could not help but shiver a little and hurriedly said to Jonny, “Jonny.”Jonny lifted his hand and interrupted him, “Shut up.”Jean shut his mouth instantly.Jonny looked at Nina and said with a smile, “So you’re Percy’s girlfriend. Forgive me for the nonsense I said just now. It was ignorant of me to have failed to recognize you.”Nina was disgusted at Jonny’s change of attitude. Before she could give another eviction order, Jean informed him, “Jonny, my sister is now Percy’s fiancée.”Although the engagement was low-key, Percy’s announcement after it happened was very high-profile.Therefore, practically everyone in A City knew that Percy was engaged.“Oh, yes, yes, I forgot. Your sister is already engaged to Percy.” Jonny slapped the back of his head. “Hey, don’t blame me. If you had made
Nina snorted when she saw Marie weeping and sobbing. “If you had gotten together peacefully, then I wouldn’t have bothered. Besides, both of you are just two peas in a pod, hurting each other. I have no problem with that. But Marie, you compelled him to go to the Rayne family’s house today with malicious intentions. That’s why I brought this up. Jean, if you don’t believe me, open your email in an hour.”She uploaded the video the bar owner gave her onto her cloud storage because phones could easily be lost.Marie listened to her tone, and Nina did not sound like she was bluffing. She glared at Nina with bloodshot eyes and snarled at her. “Nina, why are you trying to screw me over?”Nina acted as if she did not hear her. She stared straight at Jean and warned him, “In the future, don’t even think of going to the Rayne family’s house. I’ve already told Aunt Rayne that if you dare cause her trouble again, she can just call the police without informing me.”After saying that, she turn
“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