"Okay." Luca rose to her feet and followed the stylist to the fitting room. Hundreds of gowns were displayed on the racks. There was a dazzling array of choices."Ms. Craw, since it's the company's dinner, I shall pick something simple and elegant for you. I’ll go with something that matches your makeup and hairstyle and isn't too showy," suggested the stylist. She walked to the end of the rows of gowns and asked for Luca’s opinion.The last row of gowns was the most exclusive gowns displayed. The stylist picked a few simple, short dresses and tried matching them with Luca's body figure. "I think these will look great on you. Ms. Craw, what do you think?""I'll take this." Luca pointed at a black-colored short dress. It had clean cuts, and it was perfect for the event tonight. It would not make Luca look overdressed."You have good taste. I’ll let my assistant help you get changed." The stylist smiled and handed the dress to her assistant. Luca shook her head and replied, "It
"It's on the fifth floor,” replied Rhett as he pressed the button heading toward the fifth floor.Luca nodded and watched the number that gradually went up as the elevator rose.Rhett asked, “Dr. Craw, have you reviewed the report yet?”“I did. But I think something’s missing. I’d like to request more funds for this project. We have to hold a meeting next Monday,” answered Luca. She did not intend to discuss work with Rhett now. However, she decided to go along with it since he brought it up.“Sure.” Rhett nodded. Mo Stone was more familiar with the paperwork. He knew it would be much easier for Luca with him and Mo Stone helping her.Ding. The elevator door slowly opened when it arrived on the fifth floor. Luca stepped out of the elevator, and Rhett led her to the left. “Gabriella Hall.”“Alright.” Luca followed Rhett into the banquet hall.Many employees were already seated.Someone noticed Luca's arrival and said, “Dr. Craw is here.” It caught everyone's attention, and t
Dr. Linwood paused before realizing what he had just said, and immediately tried to explain himself, “Dr. Craw, you had more chances of interacting with Mr. Crawford when you were working at T Corporation, so I thought you would know.”Luca forced a smile by lifting the corners of her mouth.She did have more chances to interact with Luke, but she did not ask whether he was coming today.He would come, right?It was Watson Biopharmaceutical’s big day after all. As the boss, it was only right that he attended.“I don’t know,” said Luca.“Hehehe.” Dr. Linwood smiled to ease the tension, but in reality, the professors there all thought that Luca and Luke were having an affair.“By the way, I remember that Mr. Crawford has mentioned that whoever’s research enters the final stage will move to T Corporation’s office. I wonder if that’s still true?” A research professor quickly changed the subject.“I don’t know. Working at T Corporation is great, but who would want to leave under the
Luke originally wanted the stylist to give her a more glamorous look, but after listening to her opinion, he went with her idea.She looked pretty even with a simple look.Luca felt his eyes on her, and she started breathing faster.“Mr. Crawford, the ceremony is about to begin,” Luca reminded softly. If they stayed in here any longer, people would start to misunderstand.Mo knew that she was inside.With a guy and a girl were alone in a lounge, it would be hard for other people to not overthink.“What did you just call me?” Luke narrowed his eyes to show dissatisfaction. Was she using this alienating title on purpose to keep her distance from him?“This is a public setting, and the people from Watson Biopharmaceuticals are inside.” Luca knew that calling him that would upset him, so she had to explain.“Uh-huh.” Luke was still unhappy.What did those people have to do with him?She was his beloved wife.“Luke…” Seeing his expression, Luca had no choice but to compromise and
Luca heard that and turned to look at the stage. Indeed, under Mo Stone’s arrangement, the employees of the PR department walked toward the stage with the microphone in their hands.They held the scripts and started giving speeches.As Luca listened to their speeches, she suddenly asked Luke, "Mr. Crawford, will you be delivering a speech?""I don't have to," replied Luke. There was a section arranged for him to give a speech, but he had it canceled. After all, Luca was the brightest star of the show tonight."I don't want to give a speech either," replied Luca as she expressed her thoughts.She hoped that Luke could cancel it.Dr. Linwood, who sat beside them, could not help but secretly guess that something was going on between Luca and Luke. Otherwise, how would Luca dare to say something like that?"Alright," replied Luke. He picked up his phone and sent a message to Mo Stone.Mo Stone felt a vibration in her hand when she was holding her phone. Then, she glanced at it
Luke immediately came forward and stood in front of Luca with a concerned expression on his face. He did not expect Ambrose to make such a move, nor did he expect that the security guards would remain rooted on the spot instead of stopping Ambrose."Are you hurt?" Luke’s expression was gloomy, but it was obvious that he cared for Luca.Luca shook her head. Her heart slightly pounded. Fortunately, she was quick enough. Otherwise, Rhett and she would have been hurt.As Luca stared at the burnt and corroded carpet on the ground, she realized that even Shanks would not have been able to save her from disfigurement if the acid was splashed on her. It would have been even worse if it had gotten into her throat or esophagus.Luca's heart could not help but increase. "I didn't get any on me.""Leave it to me." Luke turned around and looked at Ambrose and the stunned onlookers with a grim expression on his face. "Why are you still standing there? Get him."Rhett was the first to step forw
Luke had the same question in mind too.He suspected someone was behind this and encouraged Ambrose to do so. Then, that person bribed the security guards working at the hotel. That was why they stood there watching and did not stop Ambrose when he was trying to cause trouble. …On the other hand…Leia leaned against the ward bed, feeling bored as she watched the soap opera on the television. She still had not been able to get into the VIP ward for the past few days. There was no news of the Norman family either.For the others, no news was good news.However, Leia knew that it was not bound to be good news. It had been so long since she heard from the Norman family. Therefore, Mr. and Mrs. Norman should be fine. It was just that they were hiding in the VIP ward and avoiding her.Not meeting her meant they were sidetracked by something else. Just then, her phone rang. Leia glanced at her phone. It was Mandy who called.She glanced at the caretaker next to her, who was
The patient who was being pointed at furrowed her brows. No one liked being pointed at with a finger that way. However, judging from Leia's aggressive personality, if she were to retort, she would definitely get criticized and end up having a heart attack.Hence, she held back and gave Leia a cold snort without saying a word.Leia seethed with anger at the thought of her failing to hurt Luca after spending all that money. Also, she was pissed after she overheard them speaking ill of her when she was in the restroom a moment ago. Leia was so infuriated that she immediately got out of bed and tried to get into a fight with the patient next to her bed. "I'm going to rip your mouth apart today!"The caretaker immediately stopped her. "Ms. Norman, calm down.""Get out of my way!" Leia pushed the caretaker.However, the caretaker was good at martial arts. Leia pushed her hard, but instead of pushing away the caretaker, Leia staggered and slumped onto her bed while the caretaker remained
“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