They placed the bags on the coffee table and Luca began to sort the things.She was able to distinguish the items in the bag by the branding on the bags.Luca took out the bag that contained dessert and handed it to Aunt Neile. “Aunt Neile, this is the cake Mr. Crawford bought for you and your family.”“There’s something for me too?” Aunt Neile said in surprise, then looked at Luke to thank him. “Thank you, Mr. Crawford and Ms. Craw.”“You’re welcome,” said Luke. He looked at his phone screen and noticed some unread messages, so he said to Luca, “I need to go take care of some things.”“Okay.” Luca nodded, and after seeing him go upstairs, she picked up a few supermarket bags and unloaded the things.Some were kept at room temperature, whereas some had to be refrigerated.After Luca sorted the ones that had to go in the refrigerator, she said to Aunt Neile, “Aunt Neile, these need to be kept in the refrigerator. Could you please help me store them?”“Okay, Ms. Craw. “ Aunt Neil
"Here are your photos. Pick your favorites." Luke handed him the remote.Lanie took it and started going through his photos.He flipped through all the photos but did not have many thoughts, so he looked at Luke, unsure of which to choose."I think they’re all good," Luca said when she saw his expression.They had looked through all the photos. She did not see much of an issue for Lanie to pick everything.Rainie chimed in, "Yeah, Lanie is so handsome. If you can't choose, let’s have them all?"Lanie looked at Luke. He was unsure of which to choose."Let's take them all." Luke knew that his eldest son was not good at choosing photos, so he stopped embarrassing him and helped him make a decision.Luca smiled, looked at Rainie, and said, "It's Rainie's turn.""I’ll choose carefully!" Rainie gave a victory gesture.Luke started to show Rainie's photos.She loved to look at the details, and each of her photos was selected with special care.Aunt Neile, who was on the side, coul
Aunt Neile knew Luca was going to make a cake and had the cake molds ready.Luca started making cakes and some snacks for the children.Since it was Luke who promised to give them snacks, it was only natural for her to fulfill it. After all, they were also her kids...An hour and a half later.Luca's cakes and snacks were ready. She then started to help Aunt Neile prepare a sumptuous dinner.She glanced at the heavy snow that fell outside the window and could not help but sigh. "It's snowing again.""That's what the weather is like. The snow is beautiful. If it wasn’t too cold, the kids would all want to go out for snowball fights," Aunt Neile said with a smile."Kids do love to play with snow." Luca smiled and cut the washed meat into thin slices."This weather isn’t the best for driving, I wonder how our guests are doing." Aunt Neile was worried."It's alright, Lliam is a good driver. Mr. Crawford is there as well. We don't have to worry about that. Let’s focus on getting di
"Thank you." Vivian picked up the teacup Luca handed her, took a sip, and flashed a smile. "The taste is so mellow. I’ve never tried such good tea in Russia."Luca smiled and brought another cup to Luke."Thank you." He took a sip.Vivian put down the teacup and looked at Luca. "Luca, are you free tomorrow? Can you accompany me to the apartment to have a look?""Okay, I could do that." Luca agreed without hesitation.Tommy listened, raised his hand, and shouted, "I want to go too! Aunt Vivian, I want to visit your apartment too."Seeing his enthusiasm, Vivian smiled and said, "Okay, no problem."Luke shook his head and said, "Don't get in the way of the adults."Tommy pouted and protested, "Daddy, I can help too.""Don't cause any trouble and stay at home," Luke said with a stern expression. He did not allow him to be reckless. Vivian went to Luca to ask for help because she trusted Luca.If the children were over, the two of them would be distracted taking care of them.Tom
Gordan called him the moment he replied to him."Brother, isn't it Sunday in A City today?" Gordan asked the moment Luke answered the phone."It's Saturday," Luke corrected him softly as he turned on his computer and looked at his unread work emails."You don't look at your phone on a Saturday? I've been looking for you all day." Gordan's tone was a little impatient, but he respected Luke, so he did not throw a tantrum despite his frustrations being accumulated all day. "I had some work to deal with, so I put my phone on mute. I didn't pay much attention to it afterward." Luke read his emails one after another patiently. He noticed Gordan's anxious voice but did not ask him what it was about.He did not need to ask Gordan to know why he was looking for him.If he had known it would come to this, he would not have acted that way."Ahem, are you that busy?" Gordan wanted to immediately ask what was on his mind, but he held back."It’s the end of the year," Luke continued with hi
Gordan did not force him, nor did he blame Luke for his response.He knew that Vivian had tipped Luke off in advance, so he did not press further. Gordon said, "I see.""Sorry." That was all Luke could say."You didn't do anything..." Gordan was not that irrational to blame Luke for Vivian divorcing him.After they ended the call, Luke put his phone aside. He looked toward the door when he heard footsteps.Luca was heading upstairs."Luca." Luke stopped Luca, who was just about to walk into the bedroom."Huh?" Luca turned around to look at him.The memory of sitting on his lap to look at the photos was vivid. She could not help herself from blushing."I have something to tell you," Luke said. He was worried that Gordan would find Luca and she would tell him about Vivian.Although Luca was not someone who gossiped, he thought that anything could happen if he did not specifically warn her."Can I go see the kids first?" Luca asked. Luke did not look too serious, so she guessed
Unless someone disclosed it to him.However, Gordan had never bothered to get to know her, so he had no idea who her friends were.He only knew Jones, whom he was closest to among the bunch.[Okay, take care of yourself in A City!] Jones replied within minutes.Vivian looked at the hotel’s decoration. She was in a family apartment suite that Luke booked for her and Ray. Everything here was of A City’s style.Everything here was great.[A City is great. Jones, I'm sorry for getting you involved with Gor…] Vivian typed. When she got to Gordan's name, she paused and felt a little guilty. She then typed: [I’m sorry that Gordan is harassing you. You can block him. Tell him that you don't know about me.][Don't worry, I know what to do. No matter what he says, I won't tell him anything about you.] Jones assured her.Vivian breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Jones' reply. She put down her phone and opened the curtains.It was still snowing outside.This was A City, so it looked
"The interior was well thought out..." Vivian sighed, walked out of the master bedroom, and opened the door of the bedroom opposite.Luca said, "If you don't like living alone, the desk can also be set up in the master bedroom. The designer has reserved enough space for it. Of course, you can also rent out the second bedroom to a girl, making the apartment more lively.""Mr. Crawford is so thoughtful." Vivian smiled as she looked at the furnishings of the guest bedroom. The designer did not take it less seriously just because it was the guest bedroom.She also liked the decorations of the guest bedroom. "I prefer to have a space to myself. I plan to live alone for the time being."She did not have many friends when she was in Russia, so Vivian did not plan to rent her room out.She was used to being alone.Moreover, Vivian did not want others to know about Ray and their family."Mm, it's better to live alone. It’ll be quieter." Luca knew Vivian’s temperament so she did not say a
“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