Karen was secretly wondering whether she should redirect her subordinates to investigate the expenses incurred when the patient was hospitalized. This way, she could trace the funds directly and find out more about the person who got into a conflict with the patient.There was a slight flutter in her thoughts.Susan remained composed, sipping her coffee and observing Karen's changing expressions. She was aware of Pierre's broken leg and knew that Karen's thoughts were now leaning toward him. As an heir destined to end up with a limp, Pierre held little significance. It explained why Karen was so anxious to find someone to treat him."Madam Mallory?" Susan softly reminded her when she noticed Karen was deep in thought. "What's on your mind?""Nothing. I was thinking about what you said earlier. Madam Crawford, thank you for reminding me," replied Karen. Even though Susan could not offer much help in this matter, she did play a certain role."Don’t mention it. Even if I hadn't men
Tommy saw the interaction between the adults and could not help but mutter, "Is Daddy jealous?"Rainie picked up his younger brother’s favorite meatball and said in a soft voice, "We kids should stay out of the adults' matters.""Oh, but Daddy really does look jealous," added Tommy.As Luke listened to the two kids’ conversation, he gently placed his hand on his forehead. He realized that what he had just done indeed seemed like jealousy. That was why the kids said something like that…It was embarrassing…He failed to suppress his sour mood in front of everyone.Old Master Crawford let out a chuckle and said nothing.Luke felt even more embarrassed when he heard the old master chuckling.After dinner, Old Master Crawford had no intention of leaving. He wanted to chat with the kids and watch TV for a while. Before he could call the driver, it suddenly started pouring rain outside.Luca pushed open the window and glanced outside. The rain pelted onto her face due to the stron
Old Master Crawford was quite tall when he was young. Hence, Luke was also quite tall.However, the old master’s stature had shrunk a little as he aged. Consequently, the pajamas prepared for Luke were a bit oversized for both Old Master Crawford and Mr. Griffin.Nina noticed Luca's hesitation and said, 'It's okay. It’s just for one night, and we won't be going out. Comfortable sleepwear is all that matters.”“Okay. Let's go with these two sets, then. There aren't any other clothes suitable for Old Master Crawford and Mr. Griffin.” Luca placed one set with a darker color by the bed after that.This way, Old Master Crawford could wash up and change his clothes when he came upstairs later.Luca took out another set of bedsheets, planning to change the bedding in the maid's room as well. After changing the bedding in the maid's room, the kids were done watching their cartoons.As the ending song played, Luca walked out of the maid’s room. The three kids stood up with satisfied loo
Old Master Crawford usually rested at 10:00 pm.When Old Master Crawford heard Mr. Griffin’s reminder, he picked up his phone, glanced at it, and exclaimed, "How time flies!""Old Master Crawford, you should rest early." Luca smiled. She had played several rounds of chess with Old Master Crawford, but she still could not defeat him."No, you haven't beaten me yet." Old Master Crawford shook his head, eager to set up the chessboard again. Luca felt helpless. "Old Master Crawford, you're a skilled chess player. There’s no way I can win the game."She was not much of a chess player to begin with, so for someone like Old Master Crawford, who played regularly, winning against him was simply out of the question for her.Mr. Griffin chuckled and reminded, "Old Master Crawford, you have a chess appointment tomorrow. You must rest well tonight to have the energy to play tomorrow."His words jogged Old Master Crawford's memory. He had scheduled to play chess with an elderly friend at t
It was just a simple greeting, but Luca’s face reddened. What Old Master Crawford said made her recall what happened last night.She wondered if Luke did it on purpose or if it was because she did not need to go to work today as it was a Sunday…When Old Master Crawford greeted her, she suddenly suspected whether he heard some strange noises last night."What's wrong?" Old Master Crawford noticed Luca's reddened face and asked without thinking too much, "Are you not feeling well?""It's nothing, Old Master Crawford. Did you have a good rest last night?" Luca asked carefully."I had a good night's sleep," replied Old Master Crawford cheerfully.Luca saw his smile and thought it was another ambiguous hint, so her cheeks burned deeper."I'll go help Aunt Neile prepare breakfast.” Luca walked toward the kitchen.Old Master Crawford felt that Luca was acting strange, so he asked Mr. Griffin, who was beside him, "What's going on?"Mr. Griffin smiled and replied, "I don't know, sir
"I want to help Daddy and Lanie.” Tommy nodded. He had no intention of managing the company. He just genuinely wanted to lend a hand. Whenever he saw Luke working day and night, he felt that he was working hard and wanted to help."Good, that's great! When brothers work together, the Crawford family will only get better and better." Old Master Crawford became even happier.Old Master Crawford used to observe Luke and Louis, the two brothers. He believed that Luke's temperament was more suitable for managing the company. When Luke returned to Crawford Manor, Old Master Crawford began training him to be the heir. Due to his old age and the absence of his son, training an heir became an urgent matter.Everyone in the Crawford family thought he was biased toward Luke, assuming that was why he was training him as the heir. However, in reality, he believed Luke's temperament was the right fit. Now, it was Lanie and Tommy, the two brothers. One's temperament was similar to Luke's,
Aunt Neile shook her head. "I didn't hear the old master talk about these with Master Luke."Frowning, Susan doubtfully looked at her eyes.Aunt Neile knew Susan did not believe her. Thus, she added, "If Old Master Crawford wanted to discuss these things with Mr. Crawford, he wouldn't let me in on it."Susan gave a cold snort, turned around, and walked back home.She initially planned to go out for a run for exercise, but she could only go back home since she was not in the mood.Aunt Neile saw her walking back to the villa and quickly closed the door. It was as though there was a rather unsettling presence lurking outside. The door shut with a swift and precise motion.With a bang, the door closed, followed by a click. It was the sound of the door locking automatically.Susan turned around and glanced at the door. Her brows furrowed even deeper.She would definitely fire Aunt Neile if she had the chance to do so.What was the use of keeping a maid with no regard for her statu
Old Man Rayne admitted that it felt really nice to know that Luca kept him in her mind and was worried about him. As he grew older, his biggest wish was to have his precious granddaughter by his side. She did not need to do much. All he wanted was for her to keep him company and have a chat with him whenever she had the time.Luca and Bianca were of similar ages. That was why he had a misconception that Luca was Bianca. However, Old Man Rayne also knew that Bianca was Bianca, and Luca was Luca. No matter how strong the misconception was, Luca could never be Bianca.If Luca continued to be kind to him, he would have to repay the favor in the future.What else could he do with his age? Repaying it with Bianca's happy marriage was something the old master could not bring himself to do."Old Man Rayne, don't think too much. Everything will be fine," Luca felt heartbroken as she listened to the old man. She gently squeezed his hand and asked, "Has the doctor mentioned when you'll be
“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