The next day. T Corporation. "This is the design you wanted, Madam. I've sent a digital copy to your mailbox," Bianca said as she handed the printed design to the department lead. The department lead looked at Bianca suspiciously. Her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when she saw the incredibly beautiful design. "You drew this yourself, Bianca?" She asked incredulously. Bianca nodded calmly, wearing a tranquil smile on her beautiful face. The department lead carefully looked at the design several times. The design in her hands was flawless. Even she could not come up with something like that. The usually arrogant department lead suddenly had a newfound understanding of the rookie design assistant. Did Bianca come up with the design herself? "Bianca, you should know that if we find out that someone else did the design, the consequences are dire," the department lead said sternly. Bianca looked at her calmly. "I stayed up very late to work on it, Madam. I can rem
The design meeting started. Luke was seated in the leading position. He wore a black business suit and sat straight and tall, a formidable presence in the crowd. His gaze was profound, and his lips were tightly pressed together, which gave him a dependable and authoritative air. He made a brief speech, after which he listened attentively to the reports by the leaders of various departments. The main topic of the meeting was "increasing design productivity." The designers discussed the latest trends in design and exchanged their experiences. Everyone might be from a different department, but there were still some things that they could learn from each other. They shared design resources and had a lively discussion about the Finishing Touch Workshop and the Divine Inspiration Showcase, two world-renowned design studios. The two studios had only started a few years ago, but they had gathered a wealth of design talent and started several worldwide trends. T Corporation was a
On the screen was a magnificent skyscraper under a starry sky. Its design was bold and exquisite, and it looked more like an alien construct in a sci-fi movie. Its outer walls had mysterious and mesmerizing carvings. More shockingly, each segment of the skyscraper could resolve independently. The exterior glass panels could reflect the entire city. It was an impeccable work of art. The designers were incredibly excited when they saw the design, and they started chattering, endless praising its originality. Luke knocked on the table, and the tumultuous conference room slowly quietened down. The man shone a laser pointer on the screen, and his seductive voice could be heard over the speakers. "I designed this fantasy-like skyscraper myself, based on future design trends. Can anyone give an opinion on the strengths and weaknesses of this design? Who'll be the first?" The designer admired their boss even more when they heard that he had designed the skyscraper himself. As
Luke nodded, satisfied. As expected, Bianca did not disappoint him. He had deliberately included several flaws into the skyscraper's design which could not be spotted by a cursory glance. Someone with advanced design skills could see that it was a flawed design. Bianca was right. The biggest flaw of the design was that it was too perfect. By exaggerating all realistic elements in the design, it had become something surreal. Human technology would not be able to realize that design in the next hundred years. The other flaws that Bianca had pointed out were also very accurate. Luke clapped his hands and said, "That's right. Ms. Rayne has pointed out the flaws of my design which I have deliberately included. All of you should learn from Bianca. Don't be afraid to point out my flaws, even if I'm the CEO of this company. Understand?" Bianca was shocked, but a smile soon appeared on her face. Luke was not only the CEO of T Corporation, but he was also a world-class designer. He
Jack was stunned when he saw the beautiful and exquisite design of the new house. When Jack saw the signature of the designer, a certain "B. Rayne," he said, "I'm glad that you like the design, Father. If you are satisfied by this designer, then we'll get them to furnish the rooms after the house is built." "Mm. I've never been so satisfied by a designer before. I like what this boy does!" Old Mr. Norman said happily. He seemed to be at the peak of his health because of his mood. Jack smiled at his mischievous father. "I believe B. Rayne is female." Old Mr. Norman glared at him. "No, I'm sure that he's a boy." Queenie smiled when she saw how the father and son were quibbling over a name. "Why don't we wait until the designer comes over to survey the place? By then, you'd know if they're male or female." Queenie felt that the designer was female. Only a woman would submit such a meticulous and romantic design. 'B. Rayne…' Queenie memorized that name. She suddenly felt
Monday, 10 am, in front of the Civil Registry Office. Bianca did not expect that Xavier gave her a call, telling her to wait at the entrance of the Civil Registry Office. He would proceed with the divorce. At first, she did not believe it. She thought that there would be a long and arduous legal battle before she could end that marriage. She did not expect that Xavier would change his mind that easily. Bianca knew that her workplace attendance was sporadic, and she knew that people would be talking behind her if she was absent from work again. However, she was anxious to be free from that marriage, and she braced herself before she requested another day of leave from the department lead. Then, she rushed to the Civil Registry Office. Standing at the crossroads, she anxiously glanced at the time on her phone. It was getting close to the appointed time. Was Xavier going to change his mind? Just when she was about to give Xavier a call, she saw him walking over toward the bu
The second couple in line looked young. They should be in their twenties. The man looked somewhat handsome, though his neon-green hair was extremely eye-catching. The thick gold chain that he wore around his neck was dazzlingly shiny, and his lanky legs were covered by a pair of hole-filled jeans. He stuck his hands into his jeans pockets, and he looked like a hooligan. The woman next to him had the face of an Internet celebrity. She wore a pair of cosmetic contact lenses that made her irises shockingly big. Her sharp chin had obviously undergone plastic surgery, and her face was slathered in thick make-up. She held a cigarette in between her fingers and casually took a drag from it, which seemed at odds with the rest of her personality. "Reason for divorce?" The female staff member frowned and said angrily to the woman, "Smoking is prohibited here. Please leave the building if you want to smoke!" "Why are you so nosy? Am I disturbing you by smoking? Enough nonsense and get t
Outside of the Civil Registry Office. Xavier looked intently at Bianca's pure and delicate face as though intending to imprint her face in his eyes. Her jet-black hair was tied up in a bun behind her, and her scarf was folded into a pretty shape by her dexterous hands. She did not wear any make-up on her face except for a thin coat of pink lipstick. She looked sweet and beautiful. Her eyes were sparkling with joy… What should he do? He did not want to let her go. "Bianca, I know that I've used unethical means to obtain our previous marriage. If I can change myself and try to pursue you again with a new personality, would you accept me then?" Xavier suddenly asked. "What?" Bianca was wholly immersed in her joy of being single again. She was not listening to what he was saying. Xavier's tall body cast a shadow on her face. "I said, would you consider it if we start over again?" He looked at her expectantly. He knew what Bianca was going to say, but his heart was never
“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