After cashing in the check, Anna was on cloud nine. She had expected the check to be a dud, but she did not expect that the bank staff took it respectfully and transferred the amount to her account without a hitch. Anna withdrew 100,000 dollars in cash and kept the rest in her account. On the way back, she took the cab for the first time. Sitting in the cab, Anna thought that she was in a dream. She realized that she was awake after pinching herself several times. The cab driver stole several glances at Anna when she was pinching herself while holding a bulging black handbag. Anna hugged her snakeskin handbag close. "What are you looking at? Focus on your driving!" When she opened her mouth, her shrewish and miserly temperament was laid bare. She was afraid that the cab driver might snatch her handbag. Anna did not know where her daughter had gotten that much money, but that was none of her business. She did not care if her daughter was sleeping with other men for mone
Bianca was not able to meet Nina. She was not relieved. However, she was helpless against Anna. Anna bore a deep-seated grudge against Bianca, and there was no way she was reasonable enough to listen to Bianca. However, Anna was nevertheless Nina's mother, and she could not do anything to her. Bianca thought of Sue. If Sue went to visit Nina, Anna would have no excuse to drive her daughter's colleague away, as unreasonable as she might be. Bianca gave a call to Sue, tactfully saying that Nina had fallen sick. Bianca also explained that Nina's mother bore a grudge against her, and it was not convenient for her to go and visit, which was why she asked Sue to visit Nina on her behalf. She did not tell Sue about what actually happened to Nina. After all, no woman would want other people to know that they were abducted and violated. Sue agreed to it immediately and promised that she would visit Nina after work. She also asked Bianca to send her Nina's address. Bianca was phy
Old Master Crawford was furious when he heard Luke say that he would not marry anyone except Bianca. He knocked his walking stick on his grandson's body. "You ingrate! Do you really intend to marry that disreputable woman? Have you ever considered what that would do to the reputation of the Crawford family? Do you want us to be the joke of A City?" Luke stood straight. The words that came from his mouth made Old Master Crawford angrier than ever. "What reputation do we currently have, Grandfather?" He glanced at his mother and Susan sitting on the couch, and his implications were clear. The atmosphere became tense. Was there any other man in modern society that married two concurrent wives? Old Master Crawford struggled to catch his breath when he heard what Luke said. Louis, sitting beside him, gently patted his grandfather's back. "Grandpa, the doctor says that you shouldn't get angry. You'll have to control your temper. Otherwise, you'll have to stay in the hospital for a
CEO's office, T Corporation. "Mr. Crawford, I cannot be Ms. Rayne's defense lawyer in her divorce case. I'm sorry." Walter stood in front of Luke's desk. His face was scrunched up. He was wracked with guilt for having declined Luke's request. After all, he enjoyed his current fame because of Luke. Walter carefully glanced at Luke. Luke was sitting casually on his chair. The sunlight that shone into the office from the floor-to-ceiling window highlighted his sculpted features. He took a puff from a cigarette. Amid the swirling clouds of smoke, his slightly furrowed brows indicated his displeasure. "Reason?" Luke flicked his cigarette. His harsh face showed no emotion. "Shandra is back." Walter's expression was unreadable. "I've owed her too much. She even… removed her womb because of me. I didn't know that I'd caused her so much damage. I've always wanted to repay the debt, but she never lets me. She's too prideful to ask for anything from me, except this time…" "Shandra
Leia was disguised in a thick woolen cap, a wide scarf, a mask, and a pair of sunglasses. No one could tell that the woman dressed up in bulky clothes was the slender and beautiful female celebrity on television. She went into a private room. A man in his thirties with high cheekbones was already waiting for her inside. He had a full beard on his face, and though he might seem hostile, one could tell that he was not a bad guy from the sparkle in his eyes. Leia sat down on a chair and asked, "Did you find anything? Are there any updates?" She had been extremely worried over the past few days. What if her adopted mother's birth daughter appeared out of nowhere and took over her position in the Norman family? The bearded man pushed a stack of documents in front of her. "We've found something. There are records from the hospital when your mother was giving birth, as well as the name lists and current statuses of the doctors and nurses that were working during the delivery. Your m
"…" Luke did not know how to answer those questions. Since when was there a pair of lace panties in his car? Luke wracked his mind, but he could not think of anything. Had was a clean freak, so no stray article of clothing should have appeared in his car. Moreover, not many women traveled in his car. He could only think of his mother, Bianca, and Rainie. Rainie was still a child, and she would not be wearing lace panties. Bianca could see that he was confused. "I found it under a car seat in the black Bentley when I was looking for Rainie's English textbook… it was a pair of black lace panties." Bianca stood up, went to the room, and retrieved the evidence. The existence of the black lace panties had always been a thorn on Bianca's side. If she did not ask him, she would always be suspicious of him. Luke remained confused. "Aren't those panties yours? Did you buy them and leave them in the car?" "Would I have asked you the question if the panties are mine?" Bianca a
Lanie got excited when he thought about that possibility. He might be a boy, but like Rainie, he loved sweet stuff. Mommy's lips looked really sweet, and Daddy seemed to be enjoying them. He wanted to taste if the candy in Mommy's mouth was delicious. Lanie was a smart boy, but he was too young to know what kissing was. The only explanation he could come up with was that Daddy was eating candy from Mommy's mouth. "I want to eat the candy in your mouth too, Mommy. What flavor is it?" Rainie also skipped next to Bianca and stared at her lips. "N… No, we're not eating candy." Bianca was embarrassed. She did not know how to explain it to her children. She glared at Luke, who responded with a helpless expression. When they were in the mood, they would not notice that their children were there! It was not the first time that the children had interrupted their intimate moments. It was a drag having to make sure that the children were not looking before they made out. That made
Hilton Hotel. He knew from his sister Allison that his nephew Luke was in a business meeting at the hotel and rushed there instantly. He waited patiently until the meeting was over and instantly saw Luke in his business suit walking out of the hotel escorted by a group of elites. Every one of those people was outstanding, but Luke's dominating presence and impeccable face made him stand out from the crowd. "Luke," Daniel called out to him. Luke noticed his uncle and waved at the elites. The other people knew that it was their time to disperse. Only Luke and Daniel were left in the lobby. "Is there something, Uncle Daniel?" Luke asked, even though he knew why his uncle was there. "Can you tell me where I have offended you, Luke? Are you planning to ruin my company? What can I do to make you spare Tanner Corporation?" Daniel spoke humbly to Luke so that he could save his life's work. In only a few days, Daniel's elderly countenance became more haggard than ever. His c
“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