In Kevin Rayne's house. Jennifer came back from a session of bridge. She went to Marie's room to check on her and found that her daughter was huddled under her blanket. "What's wrong with you? Haven't you slept enough?" Jennifer flipped over the blanket and asked Marie. Marie turned around and frowned. "Go away! Don't come into my room!" "Are you sick? Did you catch a cold?" Jennifer saw that her daughter looked miserable. She touched Marie's forehead. Indeed, Marie was having a cold and a fever. She almost made out with Xavier in the room above his bar. Xavier had already taken off her clothes, but his interest was dashed after realizing that he had mistaken her for the wrong person. She was even forcefully shoved out of the room. The late fall weather was cold, and that was how she got a fever. Early in the morning, Marie had called in sick to Leia's agent. Marie's mind was not occupied with Leia Norman, but with Bianca Rayne… Marie's head was spinning after sleep
An eye-catching puddle of blackness could be seen in the middle of the study floor that was covered by lightly-colored tiles. It was obvious to the naked eye that the lingerie was designed to tease and excite. Bianca, still blushing, picked up the lingerie in her hands and hastily left Luke's study. She went into the bathroom, closed the door, and looked at the things she was holding in her hands. All the pieces did not use much cloth. She could hold everything in one hand… That was too embarrassing! She took out her phone and messaged Wanda. The lingerie was exactly the same designs as those her aunt picked out for her in the store! How did that end up in Luke's hands? Soon, Wanda sent a reply. [That's right, I paid for the lingerie and had it delivered to you. What else could I do? You didn't want it when I gave it to you at the store…] [I really don't need the lingerie, Aunt Wanda. Can you return it?] Bianca did not know how to explain her grievances. Everyone
"Ah! Let go of me!" Before Bianca could reach, Luke had lifted her off her feet and dashed into the cramped room… She looked at Luke's face while her hands wailed at his solid chest under his shirt. She did not want to be captivated by the man's mature charisma. She gulped and said apprehensively, "What… do you intend to do?" Not only were the two people not married and so it was inappropriate for them to make out, but she also could not stand making out so frequently. In the small town, Bianca lost count of the number of times the man had asked it from her. After they made out, she felt groggy and lethargic. She could not focus on her work. That also happened five years ago, when she was with her benefactor. She thought that she did not have to wait for the DNA test results. From how relentless and eager Luke's sexual habits were, she was almost sure that the benefactor five years ago was him. She felt that it was unfair that he did not seem to suffer any consequences
Bianca had just ended the call with Nina. She hugged her legs close to her and tried to hug them under the oversized sweater. She did not want to meet his gaze and expose her weak point. However, she did not look any better by shying away. Their bodies might have bonded many times, but Bianca could never bring herself to look at him directly in the eye. Even when fully-clothed, his body aroused sinful thoughts in her mind… Those long and masculine legs alone carried deadly appeal. Luke lowered his head and looked at her with a gentle gaze. Seeing that she did not speak, he stroked her hair and asked her, "You don't feel like leaving? I didn't bring my pajamas. How about if we sleep here together. I haven't had enough earlier anyway." The man's lips pressed on her hair and slowly moved down to her brows. Then, his moist tongue extended toward her blushing cheeks… Bianca had to admit that she was still feeling the remnants of excitement from earlier. Now that he was kissing
When the two adults arrived at the apartment, Bianca went to the children's rooms to check on them. Lanie and Rainie were sleeping soundly, though the boy kicked away his blanket as usual. Bianca took the blanket on the floor and carefully tucked him in. The children's beds could not fit another adult. Bianca had no choice but to sleep together with Luke. When she lay on the bed and was about to fall asleep, Luke was still busy working in the study. Bianca had heard from Jason that Luke would usually lose track of time whenever he got busy. Sometimes, the boss would even neglect his health. With the development project going underway in the small town, he became busier. The boss had to handle stacks of work every day. Looking at how he exerted himself at work and on the bed, he was really neglecting his health… … The next morning. Marie's fever finally subsided. "Are you done yet, Mom?" Marie stood at the entrance anxiously with a handbag slung over her shoulder.
Kevin wanted to say something. He lifted a trembling finger and pointed it at Marie. Jennifer turned around to look. She saw that her daughter was glaring defiantly at Kevin with an unpleasant expression on her face. Kevin's mouth was slightly open, and he was gasping for air. However, there was no way an agitated late-stage lung cancer patient was going to catch their breath… "Stop talking, Marie. Get out of the room!" Jennifer rushed up, grabbed Marie's shoulders, and pushed her toward the door. While her back was facing Kevin, she winked at Marie and whispered into her ear. "Let Mom handle this. You'll get what you want." "You can't handle it!" Marie glared at her and shouted. She shoved her mother away once more. Marie felt that her mother was being nothing but a burden. She stepped up next to the bed again, towered over the pathetically frail Kevin, and grinned mockingly. "You've been staying in the hospital for a long time, Uncle Kevin. Perhaps you don't know many thing
At the hospital. Kevin was undergoing emergency surgery. The operating theater light remained lit. Jason rushed to the apartment and sent Lanie and Ranie to school. Luke postponed an important meeting in the morning and went with Bianca to the hospital. Kevin had lung cancer and not some minor illness. Families of cancer patients lived in the worry that the patient's condition might suddenly worsen and leave them behind. Bianca had experienced the pain and agony of waiting in front of the operating theater five years ago. She was not unfamiliar with that sensation. However, her worries had been alleviated recently, thanks to her being busy at work, and to reconnecting with Lanie and Rainie. She had a hunch that her father would soon recover. Every time at the hospital, the doctors and specialists would tell her, "Mr. Rayne's condition is stable. It's a good sign. Don't worry." She had believed their words… Just last afternoon, the doctor had said, "Mr. Rayne's condi
It was considered normal for someone suffering from hypoglycemia to pass out from extreme sorrow. As far as Jason knew, hypoglycemia was not a serious disease anyway. When he heard from his boss that Bianca had passed out, instead of asking his boss to talk in the corridor, he told his boss in the ward what he had found out about the situation earlier. "Before Mr. Rayne's condition took a turn for the worse, his wife brought his daughter to visit him…" Jason observed his boss's expression as he spoke. Luke turned to look at him with surprise. "His wife and daughter visited him?" "Yes. His wife is Jennifer Lee, and his daughter is Marie Rayne. Mr. Rayne and his daughter share the same surname, but she is not his birth daughter. Jennifer had given birth to her ex-boyfriend's child when she married Mr. Rayne," Jason explained. "Why are they here?" Luke frowned hard. He believed that the matter was not as simple as one might think. Jason reported truthfully, "Mdm. Jennifer
“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