"Luke Crawford, I’m coming for you!”After Karen said that, she turned around and left the living room. The Crawford family’s butler hurried to see her off. After Old Master Crawford waited for the others to leave, he asked Luke, "What did you send to Old Master Mallory?”"I just told Old Master Mallory who leaked the rumors about me and Luca to the reporters," replied Luke nonchalantly. Was Karen not the type to cause trouble for others?Perhaps she was just as good at getting into trouble herself as she was at causing it.Luke knew that Old Master Mallory was aware of everything, but he simply did not stop Karen back then.After all, any trouble on the Crawford family's side would not affect the Mallory family.However, once he unraveled this, Old Master Mallory would have no choice but to face the matter head-on.Old Master Crawford let out a brief laugh and said, "Haha, Old Master Mallory probably didn't expect you to do this. Keep him occupied. It wards off the potential
However, she could not hold back and slapped Silas yesterday, which caused this matter to be postponed...Karen felt annoyed again, knowing that her frustration would not go away easily. Today was bound to be a bad day for her. Hence, she said to the man, "Head to Master Percy’s house.""Master Percy?" The man was puzzled. Even if she wanted to see Percy, he should be at the office now, not at home. He did not know that Percy was on a business trip. Thus, he reminded, "Madam Mallory, Master Percy should be at the office now.""Who said I’m looking for him? Besides, he's away on a business trip. Just take me there." Karen felt dissatisfied because of the man's self-proclaimed cleverness.The man quickly replied, "Yes, Madam. I'll take you there now."Then, he made a left turn at the traffic light and headed toward Percy's place.Outside the villa, Karen pressed the doorbell several times before someone came to open the door. Karen came face-to-face with a woman dressed in a maid's
Karen had waited in the living room for half an hour, but Nina had not shown up. She urged the cleaner impatiently, "Call her again and see when she's coming back!"The house cleaner felt helpless. She lifted the cup of tea that Karen had rejected and replied, "Mrs. Mallory said she'd be back right after her meeting. The meeting might not even be over yet. Please be patient."Karen heard her repeatedly addressing Nina as 'Mrs. Mallory' and felt annoyed.Nina had not even gained recognition from the Mallory family, so why should she be called Mrs. Mallory?While she was still fuming with anger and contemplating, a voice came from the doorway. "Sorry, I was in a meeting."It was Nina's voice.Karen straightened her posture, putting on an air of sophistication. She gave Nina a sidelong glance and said, "Hmph, a meeting? With that lousy job of yours, how much money can you really make? In the end, it's all Percy's money you're spending, right?"Nina furrowed her brows. Before Percy
When the man was waiting by the car for Karen to come out earlier, he saw Nina hastily enter the house. Later, the cleaning lady came out, leaving only Karen and Nina in the villa. Karen looked like she was out to get Nina.However, no matter how he looked at it, Nina was Percy's wife. Making a move against Percy's wife was beyond the man's courage. Even though Karen was the one paying his salary, if Percy decided to take revenge, he could not possibly target Karen. Percy's retaliation would undoubtedly fall on him.With these thoughts in mind, he dragged his feet even more, clearly reluctant. Sensing his slow footsteps, Karen turned around and glared at him. "Why are you walking so slowly?""It's nothing.” The man quickened his pace, intending to assess the situation.Karen led the man to the bedroom door where Nina had just entered. The door was closed. She instructed the man beside her, "You, kick the door open."The man had strong legs, and a few kicks could easily bre
”Stop with the nonsense. Please leave this mansion immediately.” The head of security could not help but wonder why any mother-in-law would want her daughter-in-law to cheat on her son.He was just doing things within his scope of work, yet she said that he was having an affair with Nina.There were so many people here, and if they believed her words, Nina was not the one who would be done for. It was him.“Hmph, she should be the one to get out of the house. This house belongs to my son. Let’s see who will be able to drive me out of here today!” Karen said rudely with her hands on her hips.Nina felt helpless seeing her like that.If this were a different house, she would leave right away so that Karen could stay as long as she wanted.Besides, Percy had many properties, so it would not hurt even if one of them got wrecked by Karen.However, this house was different. She and Percy had decorated every single corner of the house together, and they put so much effort into it that
”Okay, I’ll have a look first.” Nina sat across from her as she read the documents Sue gave her.After flipping through just a couple of pages, Sue asked her, “Why are you keeping your mask on? Isn’t it stuffy?”“It’s fine.” Nina did not want others to know that Karen had hit her. Besides, it was not worth making the issue known.Sue frowned as she recalled that Nina had gone home because of Karen showed up there.She had a bad feeling about it, so she looked at Nina’s face carefully.“What is it?” Sue was scrutinizing her, so Nina could not help but look away.“Did Karen slap you?” Sue asked once she understood what had happened.Nina was shocked. If Sue had not been at the company the entire time, Nina would have suspected that she had followed her back and seen what went down. “How did you know?”“I guessed it. Seeing as you refused to take off your mask, something must have happened. The tone of your voice was off too, like you were hiding something. Plus, if you’re only co
Nina was deeply moved. Luca even prepared new slippers for her. It was a welcoming gesture. It meant she welcomed her for an extended stay here. Nina could not resist Luca's kindness, so she changed into the new slippers without taking off her mask and asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"“No, it's alright.” Luca shook her head. With Nina's arrival, she had no intention of pretending anymore. She planned to let Nina spend the night here.The moment Nina finished her sentence, she saw Aunt Niele with a surprised look on her face. Did Aunt Neile not take the day off today? Her questioning gaze then landed on Luca."Alright, I lied to you. There's no barbecue today. I found out about your situation. Since Mr. Mallory is away on a business trip, you might as well crash here for a bit,” said Luca.Nina was about to ask how Luca found out about it, but then she thought of Sue and figured that she must have told Luca.Hence, she changed her statement. "No, staying here would
Nina could not help but shoot her a grateful look. It was a silent expression of thanks.Staying in Luke’s villa meant Karen would not come over, and she could spend the next few days in peace.Luca held the ice pack and walked into the bathroom. After she placed it in the trash can, she said, "Let's go. Mr. Crawford will be working late tonight and won't be back for dinner. Let's have dinner first.""Isn't it still early?" Nina had been living here for a while. She knew the usual dinner time for them was later than this."The kids are unusually hungry today, so we're eating a bit earlier," explained Luca as she led her downstairs.It was not really that the kids were hungry. Luca considered that Nina might not have had lunch, especially after being slapped by Karen. She probably had no appetite."Aunt Neile made some soup today. Have a bit more later," added Luca as they made their way down the stairs."Okay." Even though Nina could not smile, she felt grateful. She knew that L
“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