Luke saw the tears in her eyes. He knew she was worried about Queenie.He secretly let out a sigh. She was so worried about Queenie, but she still refused to reveal the truth. What did the Island of Despair have on her to make her guard this secret?"I'll do my best to minimize the harm from the outside world," Luke reassured her. He wanted to shout to the world that Luca was his beloved wife, but the threat of the Island of Despair loomed, preventing him from doing so."I believe you, but the most important thing is to comfort Mrs. Norman’s emotions. I don't want her to have any problems because of this," replied Luca, continuing showing her concern for Queenie in front of him."Okay." Luke leaned forward and looked into her teary eyes. He wanted to pull her into his arms.Before he could do so, a tender voice suddenly interrupted their moment."Daddy, Ms. Luca, I want some water," Tommy’s voice came from the kitchen door. Luke's hand froze in the air as he turned to look at h
Luca was puzzled. She had initially thought that Rainie was feeling down because of her involvement with Luke. Little did she know that the child was upset because of the reporters exposing her relationship with Luke."Rainie?" Luca still could not quite understand.Rainie looked at her with teary eyes and said, "Ms. Luca, I'm afraid you'll leave us because of this."“How could I…” Luca's heart softened, and her eyes welled up with tears. She realized that the child was worried about her leaving and being separated because of the news."Ms. Luca, you won't leave, right? No matter what those reporters say, you won't leave, will you?" Rainie wanted to seek an answer from Luca."Don't worry. I won't leave," Luca reassured her and held her in her arms. Girls' minds were often more delicate than boys’. She understood that Rainie was afraid of her leaving because of the news. However, they were all precious to her. How could she ever leave them?"Okay. As long as you stay, Ms. Luca
"What news is it?" Luca, curious once again, pulled a chair and sat beside Luke.Luke picked up his tablet, opened today's forum homepage, and handed it to her.Luca looked at the article pinned on the top of the forum with surprise. The rumors about her and Luke had been removed, replaced by a new report. The new headline featured Karen Ruiz."Madam Mallory?" Luca did not click on it immediately but instead glanced at the man beside her.Luke nodded. "It was her who leaked our story to the reporters. She thought she could clean up the mess and have someone else do the dirty work, but little did she know..."Luke’s eyes darkened. He picked up a lighter beside him and toyed with it. Was Karen trying to scheme against him? She seemed a bit inexperienced.If he could not continue to deal with Pierre, then dealing with Karen would be the same. After all, the things he had the media report on were just the shady deeds Karen had done in the past. It would not have a significant imp
As a good friend of both Luke and Luca, Vivian knew them quite well.After seeing the reports and statements released, she was worried Luca would take it too hard.Vivian knew that they were actually together.However, Luke did still have a wife, and she had seen how much he loved his wife. So, she was worried that he would do something that would hurt Luca to minimize his losses.Thus, she anxiously called Luca out of concern.She had always despised associating with homewreckers, but for some reason, Luca was an exception.Vivian did not despise Luca.She had mentioned this to Ray before too, but all he did was give her a slight smile and say that Luca was worth befriending. He told her to follow her gut and be friends with whomever she liked. He also said that the truth would come to light one day.Therefore, Vivian followed her gut and became friends with Luca.Luca smiled as she flipped through the data in her hands. “I’m fine.”“I saw online that…” Vivian hesitated. She
Karen had buried her miserable past.After she got married, she moved out with Daryl Mallory, so Old Master Mallory did not know about their quarrels.Old Master Mallory had no clue about what happened afterward either. He thought that Daryl cheated and abandoned his family because he failed to raise him properly.Thus, Old Master Mallory had always treated his son coldly.His anger toward Karen calmed down after she gave birth to two children, and that was also when Daryl met his so-called true love. Although he was chased overseas by Old Master Mallory, he never said a word to him. That was how this became Karen’s deepest secret.She had also been using Daryl’s infidelity to win the sympathy of Old Master Mallory and get whatever she wanted from the Mallory family.Plus, blood relation was important to Old Master Mallory, so the foreign woman never had the chance to come here and demand anything.Karen never thought that everything would be exposed one day.Not to mention, th
"Father, that's all in the past. Before marrying Daryl Mallory, I had completely cut ties with that man!" Karen knew that denying her past was useless now, especially since the other party had brought out the photos.Even though that man's appearance had changed significantly over the years, Karen had taken good care of herself. Her appearance was not much different from her younger days. Hence, anyone could easily tell it was her in those photos.Old Master Mallory took a drag of his cigar, exhaling slowly with a hint of disgust in his weathered, sharp eyes. He did not easily get deceived by Karen."When your family and the Mallory family arranged the marriage, you assured me that you were a good woman with no messy relationships. You said you'd pass the background check and that you were worthy of Daryl. I still remember those words. "I believed the Ruiz family's nonsense and arranged the wedding without investigation. This led to misunderstandings between Daryl and me over th
Old Master Mallory knew that she wanted to do these things. Not only did he not stop her, but he also let her do as she pleased. Did that not mean he wanted to get rid of Luke Crawford as well? Now that she was facing retaliation, he blamed her instead.Despite feeling resentful, Karen could not show her emotions. She could only mutter, "I understand, Father.""I'll give you a week. If you can't handle this matter well, get out of the Mallory family. We can't afford to lose our reputation because of you," said Old Master Mallory. Then, he rose to his feet and walked toward the study.Old Master Mallory had not even eaten breakfast early in the morning because he did not want to see her gloomy face. As Karen watched Old Master Mallory leave from behind, she clenched her fists in silence.How could she resolve this matter? She had to find the man who was spreading rumors everywhere and rip his mouth apart!Karen stormed upstairs angrily. She could not handle this matter person
"Alright, Dr. Craw. I'll go grab a meal first.” After Rhett left, Luca was the only one left in the laboratory.[Dr. Park, if I go, Mrs. Norman's situation might worsen.] Luca had no choice but to confess when Johann was persistently trying to persuade her.She figured Johann probably had not paid much attention to these kinds of gossip news. Therefore, he did not know that Queenie ended up in the hospital due to her rumored relationship with Luke, which was also what triggered her high blood pressure.After a while, Johann pretended that he had only realized it and replied to her: [So it's about that…]Luca let out a sigh, not because it dawned on Johann later but because of her own helplessness. She wanted to personally treat Queenie, but could she?She did not even have the courage to show herself in front of Queenie now.[If we let Dr. Wood or the head of the naturopathy department perform dry needling on Mrs. Norman, the results might be limited. After all, their knowled
“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