"If I get into trouble, I’ll be sure to ask you for help. I hope I won’t annoy you too much," Vivian said playfully."No." Luca smiled and took a sip of milk to ease her thirst.Vivian glanced at the time. It was noon. She stood up and said, "Luca, you did me a big favor today. Let me treat you to lunch."Luca glanced at the time and stood up as well. She accepted Vivian's kindness. "Okay, I'll pick the location?""No problem!" Vivian said cheerfully, "You’re familiar with the place. I’m sure whatever you pick will be delicious."Luca smiled and shook her head. "I don't eat out very often. I arrived in A City just half a year earlier than you. Let's go, I'll take you to experience your college life in advance. The students are currently on vacation, so we might not have many options.”"Where are we going?" Vivian was curious."You'll know when we get there," Luca said as she led Vivian downstairs.After getting in the car, Luca asked Warren to drive to the food street near Capi
Luca lowered her gaze and was glad that Vivian did not understand English.Otherwise, she would be sad to hear what they were saying about her even if she was used to others pointing and looking."Luca, why aren't you eating?" Vivian asked when she saw that Luca had stopped eating."Nothing to worry about." Luca picked up a burger and took a bite.The boy at the next table could not stop himself. He picked up his phone, walked over, and looked at Luca with a smile. "Hello, classmate. Do you want to add me on Facebook?""I'm not your classmate." Luca did not look at the boy. She acted coldly."We can be friends even if we’re not from the same university. Besides, you don't know what university I’m from. How are you so sure that we’re not from the same college?" The boy did not give up when faced with her indifference."I’m old enough to be your aunt. Besides, I'm not interested in people who like to talk about other people's appearances," Luca said coolly and took a sip of her gr
The corner of Luke's lips curled up a little as he gave a mocking smile.“Leave me alone,” said Luke. “I’ve already finished handling the documents.”There came the sound of someone knocking on his door after he said that.The smile on Luke’s face disappeared. Every time there was a knock on the door, that would mean he had work to do.Luca knew about that too, so she said, “Mr. Crawford, there’s work to do.”“It seems like it.” Luke placed his hand on the mouse and moved it. The computer screen lit up. Only then did he say, “Come in.”Tina pushed the door open and walked into the office. She was startled for a moment when she saw Luca sitting right opposite her boss. She wondered if she had come in at the wrong time.This was why Jason asked her to send the documents into the office herself. It turned out that this was happening.She happened to find out the truth of the rumors surrounding her boss, but at the same time, she had disturbed her boss while he was spending time wi
When they arrived at the villa, the kids came forward and surrounded them. It lightened up the atmosphere. “Daddy, does your holiday start tomorrow?” Tommy held Luke’s hands and looked at him eagerly. The kids hoped that the adults could start their holidays earlier. That way, they could have time to accompany them.It had been a long time since their family celebrated New Year’s together happily. The kids hardly felt any festive cheer during New Year’s celebrations when the impostor Bianca was still here with them. The impostor Bianca would turn Crawford Manor upside down and ruin the festive mood.She argued with Susan every day. It was just like when their grandmother was still living in the house with them. It was chaotic. Now, their mother had finally come back. That was why they hoped that they could start the holidays earlier and spend the rest of the time with them.“I still have to work tomorrow,” replied Luke. T Corporation would let the employees start their holid
"Is there anything else the old master wanted to tell me?" Luke asked. Old Master Crawford's attitude toward Allison was clear enough when he let Luke deal with the matter.The old master did not want Allison back here. However, since she was Luke's biological mother, he should let Luke make the decision.Still, who would be able to stop Allison if she wanted to come back? Allison would only cause trouble if they stopped her from coming back.“Old Master Crawford didn’t say much about Madam Allison. But he was hoping that you could bring the kids back to Crawford Manor to spend New Year’s Eve together with him,” said Mr. Griffin. The old master was thinking of having a family reunion and celebrating the new year together with them.“Okay.” Luke ended the call. Then, he called the interpreter he hired for Allison in Seoul.“Mr. Crawford, I’m sorry. I didn’t get to stop Ms. Allison from booking her flight back.” Once the call was put through and before Luke could say anything, the
“Can we not celebrate the new year in Crawford Manor this year?” Lanie, who had always been quiet, suddenly spoke.Lanie was not afraid of Allison’s appearance, but he did not like noisy places. Luca shook her head and replied, “I’m afraid not. Old Master Crawford already asked all of you to go back on New Year’s Eve.”“Ah…” Rainie cried out and lowered her head.They loved their great-grandpa, but they did not like it when Susan and Allison were at each other’s throats.The kids were not as innocent and naive as they were before. They knew once Allison came back, she would definitely return to Crawford Manor.“Rainie…” Tommy looked at her, asking for help. They lost their appetite when they heard that their grandmother would be coming back and they would have to return to Crawford Manor on New Year’s Eve.“Eat your dinner first. Perhaps it’s not as bad as you think.” Luca convinced them.The kids were no longer in the mood for their dinner anymore.They did not hate Allison.
Sophian had already figured out what kind of person Allison was, so she said, “Ms. Allison, you have such a good son.” Allison got even more furious when she heard such flattering words. She said, "How is he good? He doesn't even want to come here and help me with my luggage. Someone in the family must have had a bad influence on him. This is driving me crazy! I must lecture him this time." Allison called herself a mother. However, she had forgotten that she had never done anything a mother should. Sophian immediately replied, "Perhaps he couldn't find a place to park. You know that there's limited parking at the airport. That's why he can't come in. Ms. Allison, don't you have me with you? I can help."Allison managed to calm down after listening to her. She rested her rough hands on Sophian's smooth hands and said, "You're so thoughtful.""Ms. Allison, what are you saying? You're an elder. Shouldn't I be considerate of you?" Sophian smiled sweetly, trying to please Allison.
"Ms. Allison, please get into the car first. Let me put the luggage in the car trunk," said Sophian.Allison was satisfied with Sophian’s performance. She nodded, then she opened the rear door and got into the car.Sophian dragged the two big and heavy suitcases to the back of the car. She lifted her luggage and put it in the car trunk first. Although the suitcase was big, there was not much important stuff in it. Hence, she could put it in easily. Sophian was planning to put Allison’s luggage in the car trunk too.Sophian was well prepared as she had experienced the weight of it earlier. She took a deep breath, bent down, and was about to lift the suitcase. However, she staggered and almost scratched the car with the suitcase. Sophian was so flabbergasted that she broke into a cold sweat. It was nothing if she scratched the car, but it would be a big deal if she left a bad impression on Luke.Sophian looked at Allison, who was sitting in the car and warming herself up. She
“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