Tommy was Luca’s child. She knew what it meant when she heard that. Luca noticed the hesitancy in his voice. She could not help but keep a straight face. “Did you get yourself into trouble?”“I didn’t…” Tommy sounded a little upset. He did not want to make this call, but the teacher insisted on asking his guardian to come to school.If Tommy asked his father to come to school, it was inevitable that he would be lectured when he went back home.Besides, his father was busy with work.Hence, Tommy discussed it with his teacher. His teacher knew who his father was too. Thus, the teacher agreed that it would be fine as long as it was his guardian.Tommy dared not to look for his great-grandpa either. He had no choice but to call her.After all, Luca was his mother!“Tell your teacher that I’ll be there in 30 minutes.” Luca glanced at the time and assumed that it would take 20 minutes for her to reach Tommy’s school.“Okay, Ms. Luca. I’ll be waiting for you.” Something crossed Tom
Mrs. Tuffey shook her head and apologized. “The surveillance cameras stopped working yesterday. That’s why there’s no recorded footage of what happened in the classroom.”“My child has never lied to anyone before. He said it was Tommy who pushed him. His statement is the best evidence,” yelled Mrs. Hudson.Luca ignored her and questioned Mrs. Tuffey, “Mrs. Tuffey, did you ask the other kids?”"They're still having class now," replied Mrs. Tuffey. The incident happened during recess. The kids were having class now.Mrs. Tuffey thought of making the decision after the two child’s guardians communicated with each other.“Mrs. Hudson chooses to believe her child, and I believe Tommy isn’t a child who’d hurt others. Mrs. Tuffey, I’d like to talk to Tommy.” Luca made a request. Now, the only way was to ask Tommy what had happened. Only then would she find out the truth.“Let me bring Tommy here. Please wait for a while.” Mrs. Tuffey rose to her feet and marched out of the office.Mrs.
“Why should I listen to you? I’m going to call the police if you don’t transfer the money to me. I’ll let the police officers arrest this little bastard.” Mrs. Hudson was anxious.Luca frowned and covered Tommy’s ears.“Madam, I’m recording our conversation. What you said is enough for me to look for a lawyer and file a complaint,” warned Luca with a serious tone. Who could accept their child being called a little bastard when the child had done nothing wrong? The look on Mrs. Hudson’s face changed. However, she remembered that looking for a lawyer was something someone did just to threaten the other party. Oftentimes, they would just let the matter be. She replied boldly, “Go ahead and look for a lawyer, then. I’ll call the police too.” “Fine. Go ahead. I believe in Tommy anyway. I’m sure he didn’t do anything wrong.” Luca had faith in him.Tommy would not lie to her to evade responsibility. Mrs. Tuffey could sense the tension in the air, and she immediately interrupted, “Mrs
“Mrs. Tuffey, I can understand if you’re reluctant to give me the information, but I’m guessing you know who Tommy’s father is. It’s a simple task for him to look into Mrs. Hudson’s background if he wants to. Besides, I have the audio recording on my phone. I’m not afraid of losing the lawsuit.” Luca made up her mind to sue Charlie’s mother. She could not stand others bullying her son that way.Mrs. Tuffey knew Tommy was Luke's son. She dared not offend Luke. Hence, she said, "Let me look for it. But I'll only give you her name and address."“Thank you. We’ll look into her background to search for the remaining information.” Luca sat there, waiting for Mrs. Tuffey to give her the information.Mrs. Tuffey opened the student handbook. Each student's parent's information was written down in it. She found Mrs. Hudson’s information and copied it down on a paper for Luca. “I can only provide you with this information.”Luca glanced at the address and name. With these two pieces of in
It was Tina who answered the call in the secretary’s office. “Hello, it’s Tina here.”"Hello, Ms. Tina. Dr. Craw is at the front desk, asking to see Mr. Crawford. May I know if Mr. Crawford is available now?" the receptionist asked. Visitors who came to the office seldom looked for Luke. They usually would only look for Jason and the secretaries working in the secretary's office.“Dr. Craw? Let her in,” replied Tina. Even though Luke was not in his office now, Tina dared not to stop Luca. “Alright. Got it.” The receptionist hung up the call. She smiled and looked at Luca, “Dr. Craw, Ms. Tina is upstairs waiting for you.” “Okay, thank you.” After Luca thanked her, she immediately headed upstairs and arrived at the floor where the president’s office was. Tina was waiting for her in the elevator hall."Dr. Craw, you're here," Tina smiled and greeted Luca when she saw her walking out of the elevator.“Yes. I have something to discuss with Mr. Crawford,” replied Luca."He's havin
Luca placed the magazine back and waited for Luke to come in.The moment Luke stepped into his office, Luca looked up, and their eyes met.“Mr. Crawford.” Luca broke the silence. Luke nodded and immediately closed the door behind him. “Give me a minute. I need to handle some documents first.” “Alright.” What Luca was about to discuss with him was not that urgent either. Hence, she picked up the magazine beside her and read it while waiting for Luke to deal with the documents.Luke quickly read through an urgent document. Eighteen minutes had passed when he finally signed it. He pressed the intercom number and said to Jason, “Come in.”Ten seconds later, Jason knocked on Luke’s office door. Then, he pushed the door and came in. “Boss, I’m here.”“It’s done.” Luke handed the document he had signed a moment ago to Jason. Jason quickly trotted toward him and took the document from Luke. Then, he turned around and left the office. He gently closed the door after he left.Luca pu
“Have it your way.” Luke sounded helpless. He did not head out right away. Instead, he discussed with Luca, “It’s okay not to hold hands, but you have to promise me something.”Luca did not expect him to set a condition. Hence, she asked, “What is it?”“Don’t reject me tonight.” There was a touch of intimacy colored in Luke's deep voice. He noticed the fine hair beside her ears. Then, he lifted his hand and tucked her hair behind her ears. Luca's ears were burning red after being touched. She lowered her head, took a few steps forward, and headed out. "Let's go out for lunch."Even though Luke did not get a response, he was in a good mood. Luca’s silence meant that she agreed to it.Luke secretly rejoiced as he watched Luca’s ears turn red.They had been married for years, yet she was still very shy.They had been married for many years, and they were blessed with three kids. They could have lived happily together for the rest of their lives.It was just that someone was alway
Luca had no choice but to choose Amur.Of course, she would have wanted to get the best of both worlds. Luke could get what he wanted from Pierre, and Amur could complete his mission at the same time.However, there was no way she could let the two of them get what they wanted.Hence, she had no choice but to help Amur.Luca needed Amur to return to the island safely. Amur and Eler would be able to take care of Nyla. Luca’s phone vibrated. She turned on the phone screen and saw a message from Amur.Amur asked: [You investigated Pierre?] He knew everyone was looking for Pierre now, and he was one of them too.[No. It wasn’t me. His men are following him.] Luca replied to his message. Then, she deleted her conversation with Amur on the phone.Amur did not reply to her for a very long time.Warren parked the car and turned around. He noticed that Luca was staring at her phone, lost in thoughts. He reminded her, “Ms. Craw, we’ve arrived at Watson Biopharmaceuticals.”“Huh? Oh.”
“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