Anna was wiping her tears beside the ward bed and looking at Jean, who said nothing. She thought Jean was in pain, so she asked in a worried tone, “Are you in pain? Let me ask the doctor to come over and give you an injection for the pain.After that, Anna pressed the patient call bell beside the bed.Jean did not stop her. He closed his eyes and recalled what had happened yesterday.Jean was beaten up by Cobra. His body felt weak, and he could not find where his phone was. There was no way he could ask for help. He ended up sleeping beside a pile of trash.He was in pain and freezing at that time. Slowly, he began to feel drowsy and fell asleep. He forgot what happened next. Anna’s face came into sight when he opened his eyes. There was no memory of what had happened to him in between…The nurse walked into Jean’s ward when she heard the patient call bell. She asked, “What’s wrong with Patient No. 1?”“He’s awake,” answered the caretaker.“Okay. Let me call the doctor,” rep
Even if Nina had no idea about it, how could Percy not know about it?Percy had even asked his lawyer to draft the contract.Jean looked at the satisfied smile on Anna’s face. He had this feeling that there was something wrong, so he frowned. Anna noticed that and said, “Son, we don’t have to depend on others anymore in the future. Why are you still frowning?” Jean asked, “Mom, let me take a look at the contract.” “Contract? What contract?” Anna was startled for a moment. Then, she realized what Jean was talking about and immediately said, “I don’t have the contract.”Earlier, Anna was disgusted when she looked at Nina. That was why she did not take the contract. She had a feeling that it would bring bad luck to her when she saw Nina’s name. “Why didn’t you take it?” Jean’s voice was rising uncontrollably.“Why should I take it? She agreed to sever ties with her family and they gave me the money. She has nothing to do with us anymore,” said Anna. “Aren’t you afraid that t
When Luca got into Warren's car and headed back to T Corporation, it was already lunchtime.Luca hurried upstairs, assuming that Luke must have finished eating his lunch by now. She planned to head downstairs to grab something to eat after she put her briefcase in her office.Luca walked out of the elevator and shot a glance at the assistants’ office first. Zoey and Rhett were not in the office. She reckoned that they had gone out for lunch.Then, Luca walked back to her office, pushed the door open, and saw Luke, who was sitting on the sofa. She was startled for a moment. “Mr. Crawford, why are you…” Luca glanced at the lunch boxes on the coffee table. They were unopened. Luke had been waiting for her to come back and have lunch with her.“Come over here. Let’s have lunch together,” said Luke as he opened the lids of the lunch boxes.Luca put down her briefcase and walked toward the sofa before sitting down. Then, she said, “You didn’t take your lunch first. You even waited for
Although Luke had arranged for a translator to be by her side, Allison could cause less trouble when she was in a country she did not speak the language of.However, the hospital could only hold Allison for a few months only. Allison replied with dissatisfaction, "Other countries? I heard that Seoul has the world's best plastic surgery technology. Are you thinking of sending me to a different country? The farther the better? It’s just like how you treated Bianca, huh? You sent her abroad and found a new girlfriend for yourself. Why? Are you trying to do the same thing to me so that you can acknowledge Susan as your biological mother?"Allison had seen their so-called family photo. Susan had sent it to her to show off. It was as though Susan was dropping her a hint that her son was no longer hers. Allison was pissed when she saw the family photo. If it were not for the nurses who stopped her, she might have smashed everything on the floor.“What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Okay. Let’s go.” Luke held Luca’s hand. They were about to make their way down the stairs.Luca paused. She gently withdrew her hand, shook her head, and said, "Go."She was worried that the kids would feel uncomfortable if they saw her being too close to Luke.After all, they already had a mother. If they saw their father holding another woman’s hand, what would they think about it?The kids were attentive. Luca did not want them to have such negative thoughts. Even though she slept with Luke every night, the kids were already asleep at that hour. They would not see them sleeping together. That was why Luca did not say anything about it.However, every time she woke up earlier, she would carefully close the door. That way, the kids would not enter her bedroom without her permission.Luke knew something was holding her back. He felt helpless as there was nothing he could do about it.The kids had found out that Luca was their mother earlier than he did, but Luca was still bei
The makeup artist smiled and said, “A wife in the 1930s? It does suit your looks.” Luca looked at herself in the mirror. The makeup artist had already started to get ready before doing her makeup. She had never thought that Luke would ask her to choose the theme she liked for her photoshoot.If she knew she would be taking photos too, she would have chosen something simple.After all, she would have to put on a silk gown to dress up like a wife in the 1930s.Silk gowns were close-fitting and would show the contours of the body…Luca’s face reddened at the thought of Luke losing control when he saw her in a close-fitting dress. “Uh, can I change to another theme?” Luca asked the makeup artist.The makeup artist could not understand why Luca wanted to change the theme, so she said, “Ms. Luca, the vintage look will look great on you. Why would you like to change?”"I think it's too complicated. The silk gown is a bit too much," said Luca.The makeup artist smiled and said, “Y
The makeup artist came in and looked at Luca's slim figure. Her eyes shone with admiration. "Ms. Luca, you look gorgeous in this silk gown.""You did a great job at dressing me up." Luca felt embarrassed to receive such compliments."We just bought this silk gown yesterday. It was designed and sewn by the best tailor in our country. Speaking of that, you're lucky to be able to have this beautiful gown. It's just that the waistline of the gown is a little wider. It needs some altering." The makeup artist sized her up and found out what was wrong with just a glance.Luca's waist was too small. The gown was in the smallest size, but Luca's waist was still too small for the gown.“Your assistant has already gone looking for the tailor,” said Luca."Okay. It's better to look for the tailor. It won't take long to alter this. Besides, I don't dare to do anything to such good material," said the makeup artist. Then, she put the faux fur coat and pieces of jewelry aside.After a while, th
“I’ve never worn a silk gown. I don’t know if it’ll suit me…” Luca felt a little embarrassed. It was as though Luke’s burning gaze could light the cells in her body on fire. “It looks good on you. Don’t doubt what I said. If I say you look great, you do. It suits you perfectly,” Luke assured her and gently squeezed her hands.If it were not for the outsiders around them, Luke would have pulled her into his arms and murmured to her how beautiful she was in a soft voice. Luca smiled and replied, “Mr. Crawford, you look handsome in this military uniform too.”She finally understood why couples loved wearing silk gowns and military uniforms to take couple photoshoots.Wearing this for the photoshoot would make it seem like their love had lasted for a century.The moment she saw Luke in the uniform, she fell into a daze and seemed to see their past lives.Luca held Luke’s hands, interlocking her fingers with him.The assistant stood beside the makeup artist, looking at them from b
“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