Luca stared at the flowers on the casket. The scent of the flowers was constantly stimulating her sense of smell. It made her feel like crying.Luca blinked her eyes and took her name card out of the briefcase. Then, she said, “Mrs. Wade, this is my name card. Don’t hesitate to call me if you need any help. I’m staying in A City. I have some connections here, so I should be able to help.” Luca knew she had to be responsible for the family for the rest of her lifeShe hoped that she could free herself from the Island of Despair and stay in A City for a longer time.“Alright. Thank you.” Mrs. Wade was weeping silently. Previously, someone told her to look for Luca when her mother-in-law was sick. After all, Luca had something to do with her mother-in-law being seriously ill. Hence, she should take some responsibility and pay for a portion of the medical bills. However, Mrs. Wade did not do that.Luca was not the one who sent the thief to the apartment. Hence, even though her hu
“You talk too much.” Luca took out her phone from her briefcase. "I don't have any cash. I’ll transfer the money to you.”Warren, who was standing in front of her and blocking her from the man, was slightly taken aback. Did this mean that Luca was willing to help this woman pay her debt?Did they know each other?The man turned back to the panicked middle-aged woman and smiled. "I didn't think anyone would really be willing to help you pay the money.""Cut the crap. Your Venmo.” Luca asked him to hurry up. She did not intend to discuss much with this group of people.The man pulled out his own phone and opened the Venmo app. Luca looked at Warren and said, "Take out your phone and record everything.”She was worried that the man would not acknowledge that she had transferred money to him after receiving it."Okay." Warren hurriedly took out his own phone and opened the camera, ready to record a video.Luca transferred the money. “Are you gonna let her go now?”"Let her go."
Sarah wiped a tear from her face. She looked toward the direction of Luca’s departure and said her thanks, "Thank you, Luca. If I ever get the chance, I’ll definitely return your great kindness."Inside the car.While driving, Warren asked Luca, still puzzled, “Dr. Craw, do you know a lot about that woman?""No. This is the second time I've met her." Luca shook her head.“But you still helped her, and you seemed to know that she wasn’t a gambler…” Warren murmured. He had met all kinds of people. He just needed to look at someone twice to figure out their identity and occupation.However, when it came to Sarah, he had the wrong first impression. He had assumed that the other party was a gambler who had lost all her money, went to borrow money so that she could continue gambling, and failed to pay her debts. That was why her debtors personally came to collect their money from her. “I guessed. The first time I saw Sarah, she seemed familiar. Maybe it’s because I’ve been around peop
The phone rang happily once again.Matysh glanced at the caller’s number. It was an unfamiliar number. He took the call. "Who is it?""Mr. Matysh, it's me." On the other end of the line, a familiar voice sounded.Matysh recognized this voice. It was the mob boss. “What did you call me for? Have you set things right with the police?" He wanted these people to abduct Luca and bring her over to him after dealing with their issues."Mr. Matysh, you shouldn’t think about getting that woman. I just received a piece of information. You should hurry and pack your bags, then buy a ticket back to Russia as soon as possible,” the man said."You promised me that you’d do the job for me after receiving the money! The job is not done yet, but you want me to go back to Russia!” Matysh said angrily.The man on the other end of the phone heard Matysh's reluctance and said, "It's not that we don't want to do the job, but the police are now investigating this case. The situation is quite bad. I r
"Bankrupt?" Matysh could not help but repeat and wondered if he heard it wrongly.“Yes. I’ve been digging up some information on A City’s business website. The company declared bankruptcy three years ago,” repeated the secretary.“Are you able to contact the business owner?” questioned Matysh.The secretary was confused. It had been years since they worked together. Why was he looking for him now?“Boss, I looked into some other related information on the internet after that. The news of the company going bankrupt caused a riot back then. The business owner absconded with the money. I heard that he fled abroad. I think we’ll need some time to look for that person now.” The secretary went straight to the point.The business owner who absconded with the money would not dare to use his real identity and personal information after fleeing. It would be difficult to look for him now.Matysh listened to what the secretary said and hung up the call right away.He knew even if he asked h
Gale could not help but ask with curiosity, “Boss, are you picking up someone from the airport?”“We’re going there to stop someone from leaving,” replied Luke.Gale understood at once. He knew that Luke was on a call with the police not long ago. He was probably heading to the airport to stop Matysh. “Alright, Boss. Do we need to bring more men with us?”“The police will be arresting him. We’re heading there to be onlookers.” Luke’s eyes darkened. He was not planning to get himself involved in the police’s arrest. However, if the police failed to catch Matysh, Gale and Rain could help.“Got it, Boss. I’ll have a few men arranged in front of the airport security to wait for him,” replied Gale as he immediately understood what Luke meant.Gale and Rain would follow Luke to the airport. Their main purpose was to watch them, and those men who were guarding the airport would also stop Matysh from escaping.“Okay.” Luke hung up the call.He continued to go through the document.Th
Luca nodded. She did not ask where Luke was going and replied, "Okay. I'll turn the lights on for you." “Okay. Don’t wait for me. Go to bed early,” reminded Luke. He could not stand to see her staying up late for his sake.After all, he would probably only come back home around 3:00 a.m.“What time are you heading out?” asked Luca.“Half an hour later.” Luke glanced at the time. They had to arrive at the airport earlier than Matysh. Only then they would not be discovered. They only had to wait for the police to deal with Matysh after hiding.“Yes. The weather forecast says the temperature will drop tonight. Put on a few more layers of clothes,” reminded Luca. It was colder at night. She did not know what Luke would be doing, and she had no idea if he would be staying indoors or outdoors.Hence, she reminded him to put on more layers and keep himself warm."Alright," replied Luke. How he wished Luca could ask him where he was going and what he was up to.However, she did not
“Yes, Madam!” Tommy saluted Luca. She could not help but smile when she saw how cute Tommy was.After she watched Tommy take his pajamas and walk into the bathroom, she returned to her bedroom and sat at the dressing table. She looked at the plastic wrap and stared blankly at herself in the mirror.Luke was the one who had been helping her to wrap the plastic wrap on her hand for the past few days before she took a shower. She had to do it herself today.Luca picked up the plastic wrap. When she was about to wrap the plastic wrap on her hand, there was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” Luca went to open the door and realized it was Lanie. “Lanie, what’s wrong?”“I received a call from Daddy before I went to shower. He asked me to do something,” said Lanie in a cool manner.“Huh?” Luca did not understand what the child meant.Lanie walked into the bedroom and picked up the plastic wrap on the table. “Daddy told me it was inconvenient for you to wrap it yourself, so he asked me
“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