Luke shot a glance at Bianca. She was impeccably dressed in a fitting set of women's clothes. Her slender and fair legs were exposed beneath the skirt. Her hair fell on her shoulders and back like a waterfall. Her face was delicate and clean, her eyes were like stars, and her lips were adorned by a faint coat of lipstick. The silk scarf gave her a unique charm, though he knew that she wore it to hide the marks on her neck. Her elegance was like a cherry tree in full bloom. Luke felt his lower abdomen pulsating enthusiastically when he was reminded of Bianca's exquisite performance the night before. However, his gaze turned cold, and he pressed his lips when he thought of the woman's silly actions. Bianca was fearful when she looked at him. She dared not breathe too loudly, in case she somehow angered him and he refused to save Nina. Bianca cleared her throat and placed the document on his table. "These are the documents you requested, Mr. Crawford." She felt bitterness in
When Jason stepped into the office, he saw that his boss was leaning against his chair. The man's tie was slightly undone. Jason was surprised to see that he seemed dejected, as though the world had abandoned him. Jason thought that his boss had overworked himself. After handling the incident in Western Europe, the boss immediately took a flight back to A City. Back at the company, he attended several meetings in which he had to make important decisions. Perhaps he had not slept well for a few days in a row; after all, he was a workaholic. However, Jason could not remember that his boss was ever so dejected. "Mr. Crawford…" Jason took out his notebook and prepared to report business updates to Luke. He instantly shut his mouth when he noticed that Luke's eyes were closed, perhaps resting. Jason looked at Luke's face carefully. His gaze was filled with admiration and respect. As CEO of T Corporation, Luke Crawford had always been resolute and assertive. Not only did he
Lacey wailed even louder after she heard her husband reprimand her. Eventually, she lifted her head and looked at Daniel. "Now you blame me for pampering the kid, but what have you done? All you know is make money. Sometimes you don't come home at night, and sometimes you fly out for business trips for extended periods. Don't you know your son's personality? Do you think that I alone can discipline him?" "I have to support the family. You don't have a job, so how am I supposed to pay the bills if I don't work hard?" Daniel said. He had toiled hard for the family over so many years, and now his wife was blaming her for not taking care of their son. That made him angry. As Daniel and Lacey argued, Xavier eventually came to. His head that was already throbbing hurt even more when he saw his parents almost getting physical with each other. "Alright, that's enough. Can't you just let me rest?" Xavier said with an annoyed expression. Ever since he was a child, his parents had n
Regal Capital. At night, Bianca sat in front of the floor-to-ceiling window after she took a bath. She tilted her head and looked outside. The street lights in the neighborhood were dim, and she could only see several faint shadows. She did not turn on the heater in the house. Bianca was dressed in thin cotton pajamas. It was slightly cold, but that was how she could keep herself conscious… None of the furnishings of the room had changed, but she felt that it was barren and desolate. It was lacking the warmth of her two babies. She was alone, and even the air in the room tasted bitter. She thought of Nina, whose fate was currently unknown, her two children, and Luke, whose temperament had suddenly changed. She buried her head in her knees. … Outside of Bianca's neighborhood, Luke tried to reach her over the phone but to no avail. He knew that Bianca was at home; he had gone to Kevin's former house and found Wanda staying there by herself. She was not at the new ho
Luke's arm muscles tensed. He confirmed that the house was indeed Bianca's, then knocked on the window and said softly. "It's me, Bianca. Can you open the door? Or the window?" Luke called out several times, but there was no response. He wondered if Bianca could hear him. That made Luke nervous. Did something happen to Bianca? He instantly lost his composure when he thought of that. Moving along the balcony, he arrived at the window of her bedroom. Fortunately, the window was not locked, and he quickly climbed into the room. Instead of feeling the warm air from the heater, the temperature in the room was the same as outside. He shivered uncontrollably. The room was dark and quiet, as though no one lived in the house. That made him feel more uneasy than ever. He quickly opened the bedroom door and went out to the living room! Instantly, he saw Bianca curled up on the couch, only dressed in thin pajamas. She seemed to be lost in her own world, not realizing Luke's intrusion
Bianca hated the smell of disinfectant in the hospital. In her fevered delusions, memories from many years ago came back. She gently pulled the sleeve of Luke's coat. "I don't want to see a doctor." Luke was already worried and impatient when he saw how serious Bianca's fever was. He became furious when Bianca acted like a child. He hugged her tighter and started reprimanding her. "Behave. You have such a high fever. What happens if you get sicker?" Bianca looked at him weakly. Luke thought that she was only throwing a tantrum. He leaned close and kissed her lips; his movements were gentle as though he was comforting a child. Many people were waiting in the outpatient department on the first floor. They were unhappy when they saw Luke trying to cut in line. A hot-tempered man even yelled at him. A doctor in his white coat noticed the commotion in the outpatient department. He pushed up his glasses and told the nurse to get the patients to line up. The nurse noticed Luke
Luke turned around. He wanted to step outside to smoke so that he could calm down. He was about to step out of the exit when a small but pale hand gently grabbed onto the hem of his shirt. He turned around and saw Bianca's tear-streaked face. "Please, Luke, don't go," she begged. She was crouching like an abandoned kitten, which softened Luke's heart at once. The smell of disinfectant almost made Bianca throw up, and the syringe in the nurse's hand made her extremely afraid. She carried too many painful memories in her mind, and they had caused her to be fearful even years later. Bianca's trembling fingers tightly held onto Luke's finger. She was afraid that he would abandon her in this nightmarish place. She fell into his arms. Luke had never seen her so fragile before. It was not uncommon for a child to be so afraid of needles. However, Bianca was an adult, and there must be something that he did not know that caused her phobia. 'I'll have to investigate this when I
Crawford Manor. Lanie and Rainie sat on the soft couch in the living room, though they were not playing cheerfully as before. They were wearing frowns on their long faces. The children's childish faces looked like adults, which seemed quite comedic. Rainie looked at her brother unhappily and said, "Big Bro, our house is much bigger than Miss Bea's house, but I don't feel happy at all. I want to live together with Miss Bea…" Luke and Bianca had a peculiar relationship. Bianca had told the two children that they could call her "Mommy" in private. However, when they were not at her house, they had to call her "Miss Bea." The two children did not understand why they could not call their mother "Mommy" in front of other people, but they were obedient children and listened to their mother. Lanie sat on the couch. He took in a deep breath, then spread out his arms helplessly like a little adult. "I want to live with her too, but the main point is, Daddy is too silly. He still ha
“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