After Marie was brought away, Leia took the rest of her break half-heartedly and continued the shoot. The tearful scene had been reshot from morning to night, but the director was not satisfied. "Never mind. Let's wrap up for today. Go home and think through the scene and we'll try again tomorrow," the director said disappointedly to the male and female lead actors. Leia was not in the mood to think about the shoot. She wanted to leave the set as soon as she could. Her acting career was important, but it was not as important as finding an opportunity to meet Luke so that they could get married. When the RV was about to leave the film set, Leia gave Xavier a call. Xavier was at home playing chess with his father. Lacey was pleased when she saw that Xavier and his father were at peace with each other. She kept on serving them fruits and drinks. When Xavier's phone rang, he saw that it was from Leia. He answered the call, though his eyes remained on the chessboard. "Yes?"
She felt a twinge in her nose and an indescribable feeling in her chest. No one had unconditionally treated her so well like Luke did. Bianca's long eyelashes fluttered. She picked up the limited edition black credit card. She had read about it in a finance magazine before. The morning sun shone through the wide floor-to-ceiling, into the kitchen, and onto Luke's sculpted, angular side profile. The man was unbelievably perfect! She was only a plain, unremarkable woman, but she was lucky enough to gain his love and pampering. "Thank you…" Bianca was starting to sob when she spoke. The man had given her warmth and companionship at her lowest point. Her father's passing had left her clueless and helpless. That was a huge blow. Fortunately, Luke was by her side. There were her children too. Lanie and Rainie were like angels. They were the proof of her relationship with him. She was unlucky, but at the same time, she was the luckiest woman. Fate had been kind to her. L
Now that she was not living alone, Bianca prepared more food for breakfast. However, she had limited experience in preparing a meal for a family. She prepared many different items so that the children could eat what they wanted. On the big breakfast table were ham sandwiches and scrambled eggs. Next to them was French toast and fresh milk, and also oatmeal seasoned with vanilla and cinnamon. In the middle of the table was a grilled salmon steak. Luke was already dressed neatly in his business suit. He sat cross-legged on the chair, his casual posture giving him a natural air of nobility. His sculpted features were perfect yet distant. Bianca thoroughly appreciated the elegant way Luke ate his breakfast. Lanie and Rainie were well-trained to take their meals without speaking. They sat next to Bianca and operated clumsily with their utensils. When Bianca saw that, her motherly instincts were triggered, and she started to feed them. She picked up a slice of ham with a
Luke let out a gentle sigh. Now that he had successfully cowed the two little ones, he had to take care of the big one. He failed as a father. He stood up helplessly, went to Bianca's side, and gently hugged her delicate body into his steel-like arms. He gently stroked her back and said, "Alright, it's all my fault. Don't be angry, OK? I'm afraid that they might grow up to be picky eaters, and that won't be good for their health. I won't be so harsh on them the next time." Seeing that he was apologizing earnestly, Bianca decided to let the matter rest. "You've made your promise that you won't ever do what you did today. They're children after all." Luke could breathe easier, seeing how Bianca became less angry. God knows how much he cared for her feelings. "…" Lanie and Rainie rested their cheeks on their hands. They could not believe what they saw. Daddy changed a lot ever since Mommy was here. They had nothing but admiration for Mommy for being able to tame the tyrant
Xavier was Bianca's legal husband. He should have been in Luke's position, doing what Luke was doing. That was more than a joke! Xavier walked to Kevin's casket, his heart filled with indignation and grievances. "I'm sorry that you've never met me while you're still alive. I'm Xavier, your son-in-law. It's a pity that Bianca and I didn't hold a grand wedding ceremony before you left. Don't worry. I'll hold the biggest wedding ceremony that the world has ever seen. Bianca shall be my wife and only my wife. I swear that I'll take good care of your two grandchildren too." Xavier turned to look at Luke with an instigative gaze. As expected, the man's eyes flashed with hostility and curiosity. 'It's fine. He can have the upper hand for now.' Xavier felt a little better when he saw that Luke was angry but could not release it. However, fires of anger started burning once again in Xavier's heart when he saw Bianca, in her sorrow, being hugged and comforted by Luke. 'Bear with it.'
In the evening, the mourners who had come to pay Kevin their last respects had left. Only several people remained in the house. The two children were hungry. Wanda brought them away for dinner. Luke received an urgent call. He informed Bianca about it and hurriedly left. Bianca was currently cleaning up the house. The Rayne family house was a simple house with two rooms. She looked around her, finding her surroundings familiar yet foreign. After all, she was only brought there when she was a teenager. Memories of her father surfaced, though they were of somewhere else. That was the time when Jennifer and her daughter had not moved in. Whenever Kevin visited Bianca in the small town, he would carry her on his shoulders and call her "my dearest darling." She remembered that she had a high fever when she was six years old, and she had faded in and out of consciousness. Even the doctor was helpless. She vaguely saw her father kneeling in front of the doctor and beggin
Even the usually docile Rainie was angry when she saw her Mommy bullied. She grabbed a mop that was conveniently nearby and smacked it on Xavier. "Bad Uncle Xavier! You're a bully! I'll kill you!" She screamed out. "Hiss!" Xavier felt the intense pain in his leg and let go of Bianca. Bianca frantically ran away. Her eyes were brimming with hatred, and her lips were swollen and red with hints of blood on them. She looked as though she was more than willing to murder Xavier. Xavier licked his lips. His tongue was hurting. If he did not let go of the woman, she might even have bitten off his tongue. He looked down, and upon seeing that Lanie was still biting him, dragged the little boy away. He rolled up his pants. Lanie seemed to have almost bitten off a piece of flesh from his leg. 'That savage whelp. He's indeed Luke's son!' Xavier glanced at Rainie. She was trembling with fear, but she continued to stand in front of Bianca holding the mop and baring her teeth as th
Jack sized up the man who had claimed his daughter's heart. The man was robust and mature. He looked like a man who had succeeded in life. Furthermore, the man knew that he was the Provincial Committee Secretary but had no intention of sucking up to him. He was polite but kept his distance. Jack nodded in satisfaction. Luke was a man worthy of Leia's affection. If his daughter wanted him, then he would do his best to fulfill her wishes. After Jack introduced Leia to Luke, he asked, "I've heard that the CEO of T Corporation is a man of many talents, and now that I've met you, that seems to be the case. I wonder if you are married?" "I'm not married, but I have two five-year-old children." Every gesture that Luke made caused Leia to swoon. Jack was slightly disappointed when he heard that Luke had two children. However, he did not mind that, seeing how infatuated his daughter was and considering the wealth and influence Luke wielded. If he married Leia, then she could event
“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