"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
However, there were still many people who did not know about it.For instance, Old Man Rayne. Also, those gossip media…Still, they could not publicly disclose all this yet. They could only do so after Luke and Luca had resolved the problem. Only then would they make it public and let everyone know that Luca's true identity was Bianca."Don't worry, Aunt Wanda..." Luca smiled and then remembered something. "Oh, Aunt Wanda, there's something I must tell you.""What is it?" Wanda asked curiously."It's Marie," answered Luca. She told Wanda that Marie had previously stolen money from Jean and left. Now, she was back.Even though she knew Wanda despised Marie, she had to tell her about it.Otherwise, if Marie came knocking on their door, Wanda would be genuinely surprised."How could she do such a shameless thing?" Wanda frowned in astonishment."Yes, she really did those things. At first, Jean reported to the police about the money, but I'm not sure whether the police will purs
Marie noticed a hint of impatience flashing across Luca’s eyes. She let out a cold snort. "You're just a side piece. Why are you being so arrogant? And let's be real, no matter how much attention you're soaking up, you're never going to outshine the main wife. "The love and pampering you're enjoying now? It's just a matter of time before it goes back to my sister."As Luca listened to Marie incessantly talking about herself in an overly enthusiastic manner, she felt an increasing sense of annoyance. She had no idea what Marie was trying to say."If that's all you want to say, then I get it.” Luca’s true identity was Bianca, and she did not have much of a reaction to what Marie was saying.After that, she was about to leave. Marie realized Luca was about to leave. She quickly grabbed her arm and asked, "Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Are you feeling guilty?"Luca wanted to say no, but talking about this was already quite meaningless. She had no patience to deal with M
"Luca, just wait and see!" At this moment, Marie knew that threatening Luca would be futile no matter how she went about it. After she failed to threaten Luca, she stomped her foot and walked away from the hospital entrance.Luca shook his head and reminded her, "You still need to see a doctor."Marie recalled that she had to see a doctor for a check-up and get some medicine. Hence, she glared at Luca, turned around, and headed toward the hospital's pharmacy.Luca did not take Marie's threats seriously. Marie would not dare to provoke Luke now. Otherwise, she would only get herself in more trouble. At the thought of how Marie used to have a good life but suddenly ended up in such a situation, Luca sighed emotionally.After Luca arrived at Lanie's school, she found that he had already finished the competition and was standing at the security booth waiting for her.Luca quickly parked the car on the side, opened the door, and approached. She noticed that even though Lanie was sh
Luca smiled and shook her head. She was not denying what Nina said but just expressing her helplessness.Marie was a troublemaker among them. Everyone knew what she was up to, and everyone understood her very well…This was not a good sign at all.Understanding someone should mean knowing their quirks, but it seemed like people only saw Marie's negative side, leading to such assumptions."Oh, by the way, what did she want to talk to you about?" Nina curiously asked."Well, it wasn't anything important, but I saw her medical report," replied Luca.Nina raised an eyebrow. Her tone was purely curious without any malicious intent. "Is she sick?""Yes, she's sick, and it's an infection related to gynecological issues," answered Luca.Nina frowned and recalled the absurd things Marie did when she was with Jean. It seemed like she could understand what Luca meant by gynecological issues."She's really unlucky.""Yes, if not treated promptly, it can easily turn cancerous," added Luca
After Gale confirmed Abel's itinerary, Luke checked with Jason, and there was indeed such an invitation. Luke decided to bring Luca along.When Luca heard Luke’s plan, she felt even more uneasy. "Are you going to meet him right now?"Luca felt that meeting Abel at this moment was not a good opportunity. Moreover, Luke was bringing her along... What if Abel noticed? What should they do?Luca could not imagine it. Before they had a complete plan, she felt it was not appropriate to meet Abel. That vigilant and malicious man might harm their kids if he sensed anything. Luca knew that Luke had the ability to protect their kids. However, she did not want to take that risk. After all, her children were her life. Nyla grew up on the Island of Despair. Living in such an environment was bound to make her life challenging. That was why Luca felt a significant sense of indebtedness to Nyla."Luca, do you trust me?" Luke knew what Luca was worried about and held her hands. Her h
“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