After the caretaker left the ward, Luca and Luke sat on the sofa, keeping Jack and Queenie company.Luke held his phone and got busy handling the company’s matters. Even though he was not in the office now, there were piles of documents that he had to review. Jason sent him the electronic version of the documents to him. Then, Jason worked together with Luke to handle the documents through a virtual meeting while Jason remained at the office. Luca knew Luke was busy attending to the company's matters. That was why she did not disturb him.She looked down as she tried to figure out everything that happened today. If it were not for Leia, her biological parents would not have gotten injured. Even if the police officers could not figure out what happened, she would not let Leia get away with it easily.Luca looked at the thick bandage around her hand. Matysh was another person whom Luca would not let get away easily either…If Matysh’s men had only injured her, she would wait for
Mandy stood straight and looked at how hilarious Matysh looked when he was so desperate to get Luca. Lust was destructive to men. Matysh thought he had everything under his control when, in fact, he would only be getting himself killed by a woman. Luca was the one who would get him killed.She was in the same boat…Mandy sneered. "Matysh, if you're going to prison with me, which one of us is going to suffer a much greater loss?"Matysh glared at her and asked, “What are you up to?”Mandy picked up her phone on the floor with a cold expression on her face. Her phone was protected by the phone cover. It was still fine after being thrown on the floor. She turned on her phone, pressed the button, and showed Matysh her phone screen. "This is the voice recording of you discussing with those men how to kidnap Luca and how you wanted me to cooperate with you. If this recording falls into the police's hands, you're definitely going to prison. Think about it. I've got nothing to lose. Go
10 minutes later, Mandy came to the ward that Leia told her on the phone earlier. She was startled for a moment when she saw a police officer sitting there. Then, she immediately took two steps backward.After everything that she did, she had the feeling that the police were after her whenever she saw an officer.Mandy pretended that she came to the wrong place. After she left the ward and headed to a quiet place, she gave Leia a call. “What’s going on? Why is there a police officer in your ward?”“He’s here to take my statement. What brings you here?” Leia glanced at the police officer, feeling guilty. Could it be that Luke had already found out something and that was why Mandy came here looking for her in a hurry?"I'm here to give you the money. But there are so many people there. I think it'll be better for me not to enter the ward," replied Mandy. She was afraid she would wear an unnatural expression on her face in front of the police officer and arouse his suspicion. She
Madam Norman paused for a moment, then she said, “I’m not sure about their situation either. I’ve been calling them all morning. No one’s answering the phone. But Leia, you don’t have to worry about your parents. I’m sure they’re going to be fine. Everything will be fine.”Madam Norman specially persuaded her, thinking that Leia must be worried.Leia rolled her eyes. That was pretty helpful.Then, Leia replied, “Grandma, if you happen to know how Dad and Mom are doing, please tell me right away. I’m worried about them.” “Okay, I will. You’re a good child. I’m counting on you to take care of my son and my daughter-in-law,” said Old Madam Norman. She thought Leia was doing her duties as a daughter well.Old Madam Norman had no idea what Leia did to Queenie back then. Jack did not want to piss the elders off, so he deliberately did not mention it. Therefore, Old Master Norman and his wife still adored Leia a lot, especially when they were in such a situation. Old Madam Norman hear
Mandy pulled her mask up and said in a low voice, “I’m injured.”“You’re injured?” Leia stared at Mandy’s face. She reckoned that Mandy’s wound had been concealed under the mask.Mandy noticed that the other two patients in the ward were looking at her too. Hence, she asked, "Why aren't you staying in a single-room ward?""Do you think I wanted to stay here? There's no single-room ward in the Department of Hepatobiliary. The wards upstairs are full too.” Leia rolled her eyes. Mandy rose to her feet and said, “Why don’t we go out for a walk?”“Sure.” Leia knew Mandy did not want the other patients in the ward to stare at her. Thus, they walked out of the ward together. The two patients in the ward exchanged glances with each other. The patient who fought with Leia said, "I just recalled who she is. I kept wondering why she looked so familiar to me…" “Who is she? I think I’ve seen her somewhere before too,” asked another patient.“Oh, she’s Leia Norman. A celebrity has-been wh
The middle-aged woman who was mocked by Leia earlier thought what the caretaker said made sense.The caretaker was only doing her job, and she did not mock them. Therefore, she said, “She went out with a disreputable-looking woman. They’re probably talking about something others shouldn’t be listening to. That’s why they went looking for a quiet place to talk.” “Thank you.” The caretaker immediately picked up the bag filled with a few water bottles and went looking for Leia based on what the middle-aged woman had told her. She eventually saw Leia and Mandy at the end of the corridor in the hospital. Even though Mandy was wearing a mask, the caretaker had memorized the faces of the people who often appeared around Leia before she came here. That was why she recognized Mandy with just a glance. She was the woman who was with Matysh.It seemed like what the middle-aged woman said was true. Their conversation had to be kept secret. The caretaker pretended to be anxious and headed
“Okay, Ms. Luca. How’s Grandpa and Grandma doing?” Tommy asked again and glanced at Lanie and Rainie, who were beside him.They were worried about Jack and Queenie’s health. Luca was startled for a moment, and she asked, “How do you know about that?”“It’s on the news. We saw it,” replied Tommy. “But those people only said that Grandpa and Grandma are injured. They didn’t go into the details.” “They’re fine. Besides, the doctors and nurses in the hospital will be taking care of them. Don’t worry,” said Luca.Tommy replied, then said to Lanie and Rainie, “Lanie, Rainie, did you hear that?”“Yes.” Lanie nodded.Luca then found out that the kids were listening to their conversation beside the telephone. They cared about Jack and Queenie.“Stay at home and be good. Have your dinner first. I…” Luca glanced at the man who was busy driving beside her and said, “Your daddy and I will be home soon.”“Okay, Ms. Luca. Daddy, drive safe,” reminded Tommy.“Okay.” Luca waited for the oth
Luke sighed helplessly. It seemed that it was necessary to temporarily transfer a maid over from Crawford Manor.When she noticed that he did not move, Luca said softly, "The soup won't taste as good once it’s cold.""Give me your hand." Luke held out his palm to motion for her to put her hand in his own.Luca deliberately handed him her left hand.Luke was not annoyed. He picked up her right hand, kissed the back of it, and stretched out another hand. "Give me your right hand too."Luca blushed. She put her hand in his palm and explained, "I'm fine."Luke checked the gauze carefully and found no bleeding. He lowered his head slightly and kissed the gauze with his cold lips.Luca's fingers curled slightly, and the blush on her face spread.His affectionate actions pulled at her heartstrings.The gauze rubbed against Luke's lips, and he let out a long sigh. "You still have to be careful. The maid from Crawford Manor will come over tomorrow. You don't have to prepare breakfast f
“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