"Okay." Luca nodded. Earlier, she had been admiring the scenery. Later, her conversation with Evan diverted her attention. She had not been thinking about Abel's matters at all. However, when she saw the venue, she felt a bit nervous. They had arrived…When they entered later, she could bump into Abel at any moment. She wondered what he would say after seeing her... Abel knew that Luke would attend this industry networking event, but did he also know she would be here? He should know. After all, he had so many people watching her. It was impossible for him not to know. With these thoughts, Luca glanced at Luke while feeling reassured.Luke said to Warren, "Come in with us too.""Yes, Boss,” replied Warren as he followed Luke and the others into the venue.Before they even entered the main hall, there were many medicinal farmers and merchants on both sides setting up their stalls.These medicinal farmers and merchants did not have invitations because they did not win th
Knowing that Warren was not accustomed to such scenes, Luca smiled helplessly and said, "Mr. Crawford must have his reasons for asking you to sit here. Just relax and sit tight. You can always glance at your phone to shift your focus if you have nothing to do."Warren found her suggestion good. Therefore, he picked up his phone and started reading a novel. He was, after all, just a subordinate of Gale and Rain. He did not have much expertise. He excelled in tasks involving fighting or observation.However, when it came to attending such networking events, he felt out of place. Therefore, Warren decided to distract himself by reading the novel.Luca's gaze wandered around. She felt that she had it easy since no one was engaging her in conversation. No matter how expensive the professional suit she wore today, others would simply assume she was either Luke's or Evan's secretary with Luke in attendance.Whether they misunderstood or not did not concern Luca much. It did not ma
Warren watched as Luca and Jacob left. He had a feeling that something unpleasant might happen. However, he had to follow Luke's instructions, so he suppressed his worry and sat in the chair. Luke said, "Don't look." The people around were somewhat surprised. Why did he suddenly say such a thing? What should they not look at?Luke did not explain, but Warren understood what was going on. He could only pretend to be calm and withdraw his gaze.Evan glanced at Luke and then at Warren. He felt that Luca's departure was not simple. The atmosphere was solemn, as though something bad was about to happen. Evan dared not to ask further since this matter seemed unrelated to him. He continued entertaining those who wanted to chat with him. Evan was good at business. He could deal with the owners of pharmaceutical companies and drug dealers very easily, but his mind was not fully focused on these people. He was still thinking about Luca's situation.…Luca followed Jacob to a
In the beginning, Shanks agreed to help and even took practical actions. Therefore, the island still needed Shanks' assistance."Ivana, tell me, why didn't you report to my people when you came to X City for this networking event?" Abel had no choice but to follow Shanks’ intention. He questioned Luca.Luca replied, "The people from the Island of Despair are watching me. Isn't it all the same whether I report to you or not?"Abel's gaze deepened. He lifted his head and grasped Luca's chin, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Is that your reason for not reporting? Have you forgotten whose side you're on?" Abel sneered. "Do you think you're still Luke’s woman after returning to his side? Once I tell him everything you've done, do you think he'll still keep you by his side?"In Abel's perception, Luke was different from other men. He valued emotions more than others. Even though others thought he had abandoned his mistreated wife for a younger, prettier woman, they did not know it
In Shanks' words, the only person on the entire Island of Despair with this talent was Luca. Luca was the most helpful to Shanks.However, she had more important things to attend to, so she could not stay by Shanks' side to help. Luca had already recovered and was standing upright. Abel reminded her, "You, stop playing tricks behind my back. This time, you'll help Mr. Shanks find the herbs he needs. "Also, don't you like being with Luke? I'll make it happen for you. Don't say I'm not doing right by you." A hint of malice tugged at the corner of his mouth.He always had a feeling that Luca was slipping out of his control. If this continued, he would not be able to keep her in his control.He had to do something. Luca had a bad feeling, but she did not have the courage to ask him what he wanted to do at the moment. If Abel could not resist throwing another punch at her, she would be the one to suffer. Luke would be distressed if he knew about it.Now, they both needed to
However, no one had the courage to compete with Luke for talent, so he was only thinking about it. After all, the name Luke represented capital in any industry... Luca would not be so foolish as to not choose Luke and go for another company instead.After all, as long as Luke agreed, the other party would be able to obtain more research funds. Therefore, the man dared not to have the intention of poaching Luke’s talent.After a while, the host stepped onto the stage, picked up the microphone, and said to the audience below, "Ladies and gentlemen, esteemed guests, the seminar will begin soon."Please take a moment to locate your respective company's seating arrangements and settle in. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated." As soon as the host finished speaking, the people gathered around Luke still showed no sign of leaving.Warren stood up and said to the others, "Everyone, the seminar is about to begin. Please return to your seats. Mr. Crawford needs a break." No one
After Shanks’ reminder, Abel pondered for a moment and decided not to continue talking about Luca.Luca was now standing beside Luke, attracting as much attention as Luke did. If he continued discussing, those who were curious might overhear and use translation software to translate their conversation.The industry networking event was not a large-scale event to begin with. The venue’s space was limited, so the seating arrangements were dense. The seats around them were already filled with people now.Abel looked disdainfully at the people around him and complained to Shanks, "If it weren't for your need for medicinal herbs, I wouldn't have come."Shanks shot him a cold glance and reminded him, "Who do I need those herbs for?"Abel fell silent.Shanks needed those herbs for Kassy.Even though Kassy was currently imprisoned and suffering greatly because of Luke, Abel had never given up on the idea of saving her.However, Abel knew that saving Kassy would not be easy. When Kassy
"What are you staring at?" After Abel hung up the phone, he looked at the translator whose face was pale white. He then realized that she could understand what he was saying.He figured this woman must have been scared by what he had just said.However, Abel did not intend to explain anything to her. He hired her to be his translator, and he was the boss. Did it matter if she heard the threats? She did not have any evidence to prove anything about him."I’m sorry, Mr. Abel." The translator came back to her senses after thinking about how frightening he was. She apologized to Abel with a lowered head. Then, she asked, "Would you like to look around now?"Abel looked disdainfully at the bustling venue. Initially, there were not many people who came to the networking event. Now, it was crowded all because of Luke.Moreover, the venue was mostly open-air. Even though there were large fans blowing air around, as the afternoon approached, the weather became increasingly hot and humi
“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