However, Gerald did not expect that he would have to carry out the mission before his body had fully recovered.What Gerald also never imagined was that his mission would be successful. He was in excruciating pain that caused him to tremble uncontrollably in bed. The men outside found him too noisy and gagged him. Yet, he was overwhelmed with excitement right now. It was an excitement he could not contain! He had succeeded, and moreover, he had survived.He did not know that killing someone could be so simple! Before carrying out the mission, Gerald was afraid, and he was worried about what might happen to him. He was also afraid that Amul might kill him while they were halfway there before getting rid of Jacob and Harold himself.Furthermore, he had always thought that murdering a person was a difficult task. Now, all Gerald could think about was how killing someone could feel like this. What he had thought was so difficult turned out to be so simple!This was what it fe
"Gordan, when are you going to start shooting? I feel frustrated being trapped in the car!" said Gale. The gunfire was intense, and he could feel bullets whizzing past the car.It was the sound of gunfire. Gale could tell the mercenaries had the upper hand. He was not scared, just frustrated. He felt he should be out there making a difference instead of being sidelined by Gordan.He could don a mask and help the police take down the mercenaries."Haha, are you scared already?" Gordan's teasing voice came through the earpiece. Before Gale could respond, he added, "I'm coming to rescue you."Then, Gale heard a gunshot from the mercenaries' side. This time, it was not their weapons firing but Gordan's.Gale rolled his eyes. Did he really need Gordan to save him? If not for the plan to ram the car into the mercenaries to create an opportunity for the police to escape, he would not be hiding here now.Gordan's aim was impeccable. He took down two mercenaries as soon as he got out
When Gale smoothly stepped on the ground, two gun barrels were immediately aimed at his head.With two gun muzzles pointed at him, he had no choice but to stand straight. He raised his hands in surrender.The mercenaries noticed he was still wearing earphones. One of them rudely snatched them, putting them into his own ears to eavesdrop on any ongoing conversations. However, there was nothing to hear.Gale said with a helpless tone, “Guys, these are just my headphones for listening to music.”"Listening to music while you’re driving?! Tell us, are you a cop or are you one of them?" One of the mercenaries subdued Gale while another aimed his gun at him.The police officers saw the scene and dared not to make any sudden moves."I'm not, I'm not. I'm just passing through, man. Seriously, I'm just passing through." Gale felt helpless as his earphones had been taken off. Now, he had no idea about what plans Gordan and Rain might have. Still, whatever their plans were, he n
The moment he started yelling at the police, a bullet had already pierced through his head. The mercenary's eyes were widened. Before he could even take his last breath, Gale had already kicked the other two out of the car. Then, a gunshot rang out, and one of the mercenaries was taken down.The other one rolled over, but by the time he realized what was happening, Gale had already kicked the gun out of his hand and picked it up.Gale did not shoot. He only aimed the gun at the mercenary. He could not fire due to his current identity. He had no choice but to let the police handle it. Plus, they needed someone alive.Gale pointed at the mercenary with the gun, who dared not to move. Not only was Gale aiming at him, but the police officers, noticing that Gale had broken free from their control, were also pointing their guns at him. The mercenary could only surrender.Gunshots continued to echo. Gordan was engaged in a shootout with the remaining two mercenaries. One of them
The wheels of the car driven by Gale had been removed by Rain. He had no choice but to leave on foot.As the police officer watched him leave from behind, he could not help but shake his head. “What a waste. With skills like that, he'd be a perfect fit at our precinct.”However, considering Gale was under Luke, he did not push further. The officer just shook his head and then directed the operations at the scene.Since there had been a gunfight, they needed to secure the area, find the bullets, and then write a report.It was quite a serious incident.Fortunately, there were no casualties on their side, and they did not let the suspect escape either.A few police officers were busy cordoning off the area to prevent vehicles from entering. Meanwhile, the escort team successfully brought Matysh to the courthouse's back entrance.A court officer came forward. He checked Matysh's identity and then escorted him inside. They had heard about the gunfight and were surprised Matysh was s
The assistant apologized sincerely. He knew he had made a mistake. If he had taken a moment to think things through, he would not have made such an error.He was frustrated as well. Even if the suspect was a foreign noble, using such despicable tactics to frame Walter was simply too much!There was a knock on the lounge door, and a voice came from outside, "Mr. Long, it's time for the court session.""Okay." Walter picked up the document bag, put his phone on silent, and walked out of the lounge. He entered the first criminal courtroom, took his seat at the plaintiff's lawyer's position, and waited for the session to begin.Before long, the defense lawyer and all court staff were in place, ready to start the proceedings.Matysh sat at the defendant's table with a grim expression on his face. He noticed that Marcos was also present. His expression grew even darker. Did he come here just to watch how these A City citizens were targeting him?Matysh was really annoyed. Ethan had
If he had been able to shoot at that moment, he would have taken out those mercenaries in the first place. He was also in a good position for an attack at that time. Ultimately, Gordan's injury was partly his responsibility. If it were not for protecting him, Gordan would not have been exposed to the mercenaries.Gale sat there, replaying the scene over and over in his mind, still regretting not having fired. All the police officers were focused on his situation back then. If Gale had shot, it would have been difficult for Luke to explain things to the police.“It's all my fault!” muttered Gale, taking all the blame on himself.Rain knew he felt guilty and heaved a sigh. Luke watched the two of them, who were affected by Gordan's situation. He remained silent, knowing that Gordan's condition was still uncertain and all they could do was wait.Two hours later, the operating room door opened, and Johann came out. “The surgery was successful. Here's the bullet.” Johann held up
Luke: [Alright, I'll send you the location.] Luke knew what Luca was thinking. If he really stopped her from coming, she might feel guilty, which could lead to serious consequences.When Luca received the location from Luke, she turned around and said to Rhett, who was busy working behind her, "Mr. Link, could you help me take the afternoon off? Something came up."“Sure, Dr. Craw,” Rhett agreed.None of the other researchers said anything either. After all, Luca handed tasks to them every day. Thus, Luca taking a leave would not affect the progress of their projects. In fact, their research group was known for not being affected by the lead researcher's absence.It was not that Luca was dispensable but her research plans were well-structured, and the team just needed to follow them. Moreover, their current research, like the previous one, was progressing smoothly without any major issues.Luca waited at the company until noon. She headed straight to the hospital without ge
“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