Allison took a deep breath. She did not want to throw a tantrum in front of her grandchildren. "Don't be deceived by this woman, my babies. She's a wicked woman, a seductress with a black heart. Be good children and follow your Grandma home. Your Great-Grandpa misses you…" Bianca could feel her heart being torn into pieces. Allison had said that about her in front of her children. She was about to speak when Lanie suddenly turned around. "You've become prettier, Grandma. I hope that you won't be angry or lose your temper. My teacher said that you'll be ugly if you're always angry. I hope that you'll be forever pretty, Grandma," Rainie said as she diligently massaged Allison's legs. Allison laughed when she heard Rainie's words. She enjoyed the special treatment, and her tone of voice became gentler. "You're such a charmer. Have you been eating sweets?" Rainie counted on her cute little fingers. "One, two three… hmm, I can't remember how many sweets I've eaten, but it was a lo
"P… Please give us another chance to correct ourselves, Mr. Crawford! We promise that it won't ever happen again!" Cold sweat poured from Mr. Smith's forehead when Luke glared at him. He hoped that Luke would give him another chance. However, Mr. Robel's eyes flashed with disdain. He was a nationalistic man, and he did not believe that the foreigner would do anything drastic to them! Moreover, not only was he the general manager, but he was also the head chef. His culinary skills were top-notch. Regal would stand to lose a lot without him! Out of everyone's expectations, Luke said, "I apologize, Mr. Robel, but Regal has no further need for your services. You can clear your desk and leave." "What? I've toiled for Regal for the past three years, and this is what I get? How dare you fire me, you filthy foreigner?" Mr. Robel was livid. He stood up abruptly, slammed the conference table, and swore at Luke. The other members of the higher management dared not speak a word. 'W
On the other side of the world, Leia found Xavier in the bar. He was drunk, and she dragged him away from the pile of drunkards. "What's wrong with you? I thought that you have a certain way with women? Has it all gone to the dogs? You can't even handle just one Bianca!" Leia snatched Xavier's wine glass and tossed it carelessly on the floor. Xavier's eyes flashed with hostility. "Get lost! You don't have to interfere with my personal business!" Leia was dumbfounded. As Jack Norman's daughter, no one had dared to speak to her with that tone. She wanted to teach Xavier a lesson, but she remembered the reason she was there. "I'm not here to pick a fight with you, Xavier. You love Bianca, right? Why aren't you out there pursuing her, but instead drinking your brains away?" Earlier, Allison had given her a call and invited her to go shopping together. Leia agreed to the invitation because she wanted to gain Allison's favor. Unexpectedly, Allison complained to her that Bianca
Half an hour later, Bianca appeared in Room 6617 of Yale Hotel. When Xavier opened the door, he saw Bianca drenched to the bone. Her black hair was scattered, and she was as pale as a ghost. The expression on her face was utter despair. "I'm here. Can you let go of Nina now?" Xavier was stunned for a moment. He violently dragged Bianca into his embrace without a care for her freezing cold skin. His index fingers stroked her lips, and his eyes gazed piercingly at her. "Indeed, I was right. My wife is a loyal woman." Bianca's eyes flashed vengefully. "I'm here. Let Nina go!" "There's no rush." Xavier pinched her chin with his fingers, and his eyes took in Bianca's soaking-wet body. "I can't bear to see you cold and shivering. Be a good girl and go take a shower." Bianca walked to the bathroom like a doll without a soul, then obediently took a shower. She stepped out of the bathroom dressed only in a bathrobe. She repeated the same sentence. "Let Nina go." Wet long hair fe
Countless bruises dotted Bianca's arms. Flecks of dried blood crusted on the corners of her lips. The camera on the table was recording the scene on the bed… Luke's devastating anger was unstoppable! He kicked Xavier onto the floor and smashed the camera into bits! Xavier was dazed from the kick. Before he could retaliate, Luke picked him up from the floor and tossed him toward the wall like a piece of trash. His bones struck the wall. Judging from the sounds alone, it was incredibly painful! "How dare you touch her, Xavier?" Luke's hellish voice carried an obvious murderous intent. Jason and Bianca shuddered when they heard that. Bianca huddled her knees in a corner, forcing her tearful eyes to stay open. She was shivering from fright and from trying to fight the effects of the drug. Luke noticed Bianca's unnaturally red face. He knew that she had been drugged. Instead of bringing her away, he looked at her coldly. He was frustrated about the woman's silliness; she h
Luke walked toward the parking lot with Bianca in his arms. She lay there limply, wrapped up in Luke's windbreaker with only her head peeking out. Through the opening of the windbreaker, she could see Luke's divine facial features shrouded by an aura of hostility. It was colder than the piercing wind outside, and it made her teeth chatter. Bianca's face remained unnaturally red. She writhed uncomfortably in his arms. "Luke…" She sounded as though she was crying. She had pretended to be strong earlier, but the pretense was all but gone. Bianca did not know why she cried when she saw him, but she could not control her emotions. Her insides were burning, forming a stark contrast with the chilly weather outside. Luke's unpleasant expression made Bianca uneasy and aggrieved… He continued walking forward as he held her tightly, though he had never once lowered her head to look at her. Bianca could feel that his anger was mounting. They reached the car, and Jason carried her
Luke stepped out of the elevator and walked toward the extravagant suite. The retinal scanner identified Luke, and the custom-made intricate lock opened with a click. "Let me go, Luke…" Bianca's hoarse voice sounded seductive because of the drug's effects. She felt even worse than before, trying very hard to suppress the urge to pounce on him and forcing herself to remain sane. Luke's mouth leaned closer to Bianca's earlobe. His sinister smile grew wider. "Then you'll have to see if I'm willing to let you go." Luke carried Bianca's writhing body to a cavernous room. Countless small lights lit up automatically. They stretched from the wall up to the highest point of the dome. Soft silver light illuminated the room. What was most surprising was that the dome was made of glass. Through the thick glass panels, they could see the beautiful stars in the night sky. The moon was like a mirror, shining brightly in the night sky, adorned by innumerable stars of different sizes an
"Nggh… it hurts…" Bianca thought that she was going to be flayed by how forceful Luke's movements were. Her fair skin was turning pink. The man glared coldly at her. He wanted to remove all the traces of another man on her body! When Luke carried Bianca out of the bathtub, still choking on bathwater, her skin was like a cooked prawn. The man brought her in front of a floor-to-ceiling window. The suite was on the top floor of the hotel. Looking out of the window, Bianca could see the entire city. The city below was lustrous and dazzling, as though it was adorned by precious metals and gemstones. The scene looked like a dream. In front of the window was an exquisite recliner. Someone sitting there would be able to take in the view of the entire world outside the window. Bianca was vaguely aware of what he was doing. Her muddled brain seemed to have regained some consciousness, and she shook her head in shock. "Luke… no… not there…" Bianca was afraid that Luke would do
“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