Ethan could not be bothered about Kastov. When he saw Marcos walking into his suite, he raised his arm and blocked Marcos from entering his room."Please keep in mind that Luke Crawford and that woman are involved in Mr. Matysh's imprisonment in A City. It’s not a good idea to be so close to him.What will your family think of you if they find out about this? Let me remind you that the priority now is to focus on Mr. Matysh," Ethan reminded Marcos. He believed that Luke and Luca had something to do with Matysh’s imprisonment.Marcos still wore a smile on his face, but his impatience was beginning to show on his face. Marcos knew that going along with Ethan would not allow him to enter the suite easily. He stood there and reminded Ethan, "My uncle was imprisoned because he was accused of sexual assault. The victim was only 18 years old at that time. As a lawyer, you should be able to understand why he was arrested by the police even though you’re not a lawyer of A City."Ethan flew
After leaving the hotel with Kastov for such a long time, Ethan could have easily tampered with anything in their absence. Marcos nodded and said, "Thanks." Then, he closed the door and returned to his suite.Kastov followed suit, not bothering to check his own room since Ethan's attention was solely on Marcos and not him, the bodyguard.He was not going to waste any time or equipment.Kastov opened his encrypted luggage and took his laptop out, placing it on the hotel table. He turned on the laptop and continued reviewing the intelligence he had collected for the day.All of them were about the Island of Despair… The intelligence was sent to him from his informants around the world. Some days, he received only a few reports, but on other days, he received several.Today was one of those days when he had collected a lot of information.However, more information did not mean it was better. The information he received was repetitive most of the time.Kastov lit a cigaret
Luke was speechless…30 million dollars was a drop in the bucket for the Mallory family, but probably not in cash.Luke added, "The Island of Despair demands that one-third of the 30 million must be in cash."Who would keep ten million of cash at home these days?Gordan suddenly understood why they gave the Mallory family some time to prepare the money."When do we take action?" asked Gordan. It had been too long since he had done something like this. His desire to cause trouble was brewing.He had not done this kind of work in a long time!He had been prevented from carrying out any bloody missions ever since he stayed beside Vivian.Perhaps rather than that, it was not that Gordan was stopped from carrying out missions, but Vivian took the initiative to arrange for Ray's men to help him after she found out about it.He had no chance to prove himself.It seemed like his daily training had no other meaning other than to strengthen his body.Whenever he faced an opponent duri
Luca could feel the pain in her body intensifying with every cut. However, she could not stop. If she did, Luke would suffer...She could not bear to hurt Luke no matter how painful it was.The urging voice in her ear grew faster and faster. Luca's movements became quicker and quicker in her dream.Finally, she mustered up the courage to turn around and see the face of the person who urged her to do so.It was Abel…Luca continued to cut herself. The dream felt real. With each cut, there was blood gushing out, but she dared not to stop.There was pain, resentment, unwillingness…Luca felt trapped.She did not know if it was a dream. She only knew that she was instinctively afraid.She was afraid that Luke would be hurt, and she was afraid that she would lose too much blood and never be able to see him or their children again...However, the scene suddenly changed.She was brought to a different place.Luca found herself lying in a white place, seemingly on top of clouds. Ev
Lonnie had been to Old Master Bourne’s office before.Old Master Bourne’s office was luxurious enough as it was, but it still could not compare to Luke’s…The Bourne family’s assets and company were nowhere near as good as the Crawford family’s, hence their office…Although Luke’s office was grand, the design did not come off as flashy. Lonnie could not help but form an opinion as someone in the architecture industry.Lonnie froze for a few seconds until he felt an icy-cold gaze, and he was shocked when he saw Luke.“Have a seat, Mr. Jackman.” Although Luke was not fond of Lonnie, he was still a guest, so he kept his words short and simple.He still had to have the common courtesy of entertaining guests.Luke only invited him to sit down without asking the secretary to pour him a cup of coffee as he only intended to have him here for a few minutes.Then, Lonnie sat on the chair opposite him.Luke got straight to the point. “Mr. Jackman, is there something about Luca you wish t
After Lonnie left, Luke’s expression remained unchanged.He was not afraid of Old Master Bourne’s so-called revenge.He was not an idol who made a living with his youthfulness, so his partner would have little impact on the company.Besides, investors were not his fans. His investors valued the capability of the company’s leader.As long as he did not collapse and T Corporation was still growing, he was not afraid of how other people might look at him.Moreover, so what if everyone thought he had a mistress?It did not matter as long as he knew that Luca was not a mistress.In the business industry of A City, businessmen like Percy and Jim, who were loyal to their partners, were rare.It would be weirder for Luke not to have a mistress.Instead, people would think that it was normal for him to have a mistress.After a while, the landline on his desk rang again.Luke pressed the speakerphone with his right hand and said, “Yes?”“Boss, Mr. Mallory is here,” said Jason. The fr
"Okay, I'll send someone over to support you." Percy decided immediately.He had been thinking about what Gordan said to him all night.He was worried that Pierre might not return even after he gave them the money. However, he was left with no other choice at that time. He could not find where Pierre was. Hence, he had no choice but to accept the conditions of the Island of Despair, even if they might kill Pierre after getting the money. Handing off the ransom was risky.Still, he did not tell Old Master Mallory about it.Old Master Mallory was not particularly rational at the moment. If he said such things impulsively, others might misunderstand that he had no intention to save Pierre. However, Gordan gave him another choice now. Even though it was risky, it could ensure that Pierre would come out alive.Luke saw the look on Percy’s face and reminded him, "There are risks in this operation. You still have to prepare the cash, and it has to be more than before. You can use
Percy knew what they were thinking and remained silent. It was not until a while later that Luke finally asked Gordan, "Any ideas?""This area’s buildings are complex, but luckily, I have the floor plan. I came up with a plan, and I made an animation. Here, take a look." Gordan shared his screen with them and showed them his rescue plan.The plan to rescue Pierre was simple and straightforward. They were only going there to rescue Pierre.However, it was a difficult task too, considering the heavy weapons they possessed and the fact that they had Pierre as a burden, which could hold them back.Gordan spent the whole afternoon brainstorming, figuring out how to rescue him.After they finished watching the animation, Gordan asked, "This is my idea. Going in from this point can save a lot of trouble. We can avoid alarming them too.""I think it's a good idea," said Jim. They had also seen the nearby floor plan. Even though the room was messy, it provided Gordan with some convenien
“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