Luke took her hand again, leaned in close, and brushed his chin against her. “If I didn’t have a rule against hitting women, I’d be tempted to punch someone myself.”“Huh?” Luca was surprised. “But she’s Mr. Mallory’s mother.”Luke said indifferently, “So what? Sometimes, it's not about their identity. I don't hit them just because I don’t want to hit a woman.”Luca could not help but laugh at his words.Just then, Aunt Neile walked in to report something.“Sir, Ms. Craw, Madam Mallory has left, but…” She paused for a moment. “When I closed the door, I overheard Madam Mallory talking to Madam Crawford.”After closing the door earlier, Aunt Neile noticed some fallen leaves and started sweeping. That was when she overheard their conversation.It was not a pleasant conversation, and by the end of it, the two women seemed to have teamed up.Aunt Neile remembered that Susan and Karen never had a close relationship before.“They're teaming up?” Luca raised an eyebrow, suspecting not
When Marcos personally called his name, Ethan snorted coldly, pretending as though he did not hear it.Marcos did not mind. This was A City, not Russia. Matysh would not be getting out easily.Luke suddenly burst into laughter when he saw how arrogant Ethan was.Ethan heard him and turned his head to look at him.Luca turned around and asked, “Is there something you need?”Ethan felt like the three of them were targeting him, so he irritably turned his head away.Luke continued, “No matter how many times Matysh appeals, the original verdict will likely be upheld. His case is extremely severe, and the public's reaction has been quite bad. "A City won’t care about his influence in Russia. Everything will be judged based on the severity of his crimes here in A City, according to the law.”Luca, worried that Ethan might not fully understand, clarified, “To put it simply, no matter how many appeals he makes, it won’t make a difference.”Ethan’s expression darkened.He would be
“Even if it were still around, I wouldn't want you to wear it after that woman has had it on.” Luke added, “I’ll have a big surprise for you on the day our family has reunited.”He meant his words.He had been surveying rings.“What about all those other pieces of jewelry?” asked Luca, referring to the many pieces Luke had given her. She had kept them all together, and if the impostor Bianca could get her wedding ring, the others must have been touched by her too.Just thinking about those things being handled by such a woman, Luca felt the same as Luke. She would not want to wear them again.Luke said, “They’re all yours. Do whatever you want with them.”“How about we hold a small auction for them and donate the proceeds to the welfare home?” suggested Luca. The welfare home she had in mind was the one that had taken in Luke before.“Sure, it’s up to you,” Luke agreed. He had no objections and thought it was a good deed.Once the issues with the Island of Despair were resolv
“Come to the base now,” instructed Abel.Luca wanted to test why he was calling her there at this time, so she deliberately made things difficult. “But I've got something to do now.”“I don't care what it is. Just get to the base now,” Abel cut her off and hung up.Luca ended the call helplessly. It seemed like this was urgent. Abel did not even bother with the usual small talk.Warren saved the recording and asked, “Are you heading there now?”“Yes, I have to. I'll grab a cab. You can head home,” replied Luca. Normally, she would call a cab, so there was no way she could drive there today.As Luca opened the car door and was about to step out of the car, Warren asked, “Do you need someone to follow you secretly?”“No.” Luca declined without hesitation. “I’ll be fine in A City.”If something were to happen, having someone follow would not make a difference anyway.Luke's subordinates could not follow her into the base. Once she got inside, whether she was safe or not was beyon
Abel was no longer sitting on the couch. Instead, he was off to the side, wearing boxing gloves and punching a heavy bag.Luca knew she could not just leave, so she stood there and waited until he was done. After a while, he took off the gloves and asked, “How’s the experiment going?”“No idea,” replied Luca.Abel looked at her with obvious displeasure. “You were in there all afternoon!”Luca shook her head. “I don’t know what Mr. Shanks’ experiment is about, so how could I know how it’s going? I was just there to assist.”Abel was at a loss for words for a moment, but he knew she was right.He let out a cold snort and dismissed her. “Hmph, whatever. Get out.”As Luca observed how much Abel cared about the experiment, it only confirmed her suspicions.This experiment Shanks was working on was for Abel’s benefit.However, what exactly was this experiment?Luca was puzzled, but she dared not to dig deeper while she was in the lab. She feared that if she seemed too curious, Shan
Luca had no idea that so many trivial things had happened after she left the base.After she left the base, she finally managed to get a cab.After getting in the car, she sent a message to Luke, letting him know she was on her way back.As soon as she sent the message, Luke called her.Luca answered.“Everything okay?” Even though it was just two simple words, Luca could hear the concern in Luke's voice.Luca replied, “I'm okay. Really, I'm fine. Everything's good. I’ll give you the details when I get back.”“Alright, I’ll be waiting for you.” Luke knew she had just left the base and did not offer to pick her up. If there were people tailing her, picking her up would risk exposing that.Therefore, after reminding Luca to stay safe, he ended the call.Even though she was exhausted, Luca stuck to her original plan, changing to another car and continuing her journey back. She wanted to cover her tracks. If she went straight back and there were any of Abel's men following her
After Luca finished washing up, she fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. Luke held her in his arms, but he was wide awake.Ever since he found out that Luca was summoned to the the Island of Despair base today, he was unable to rest easy, worried that something might happen to her. Fortunately, she was not hurt, and everything seemed normal.Now that Shanks was frequently conducting research here, Luke knew he would continue to worry if this issue was not resolved, He realized some things could not be delayed any longer.In the pitch-black bedroom, his phone suddenly lit up. Luke released Luca’s waist, picked up his phone, and quietly left the room. After closing the door, he glanced at the message, then stepped onto the balcony and dialed a number.“Boss, you saw the message?” Gale’s voice came through. He was the one who sent the message earlier.Luke’s voice was heavy as he directly asked, “Yeah. Are you sure the information is accurate?”“It’s accurate. I
“Gale's handling it. Don’t worry,” said Luke.Luca rubbed her eyes and replied, “I'm going to have to take another leave this morning. Good thing you're the boss. If it were someone else, I'd probably be fired by now.”Luke's gaze deepened. “I'll have Rain and the others keep an eye on things.”“That's fine, but try not to let them blow their cover. I might get hit once or twice today, but it's all part of proving my innocence. Don't worry, Abel won’t go too hard on me,” Luca assumed.Luke instantly regretted his decision when he heard this.Perhaps it would have been better to hold off a little longer. Regardless of the situation, he would still be worried. Now that things were set in motion, there was no turning back.“Take care of yourself.” He planted a kiss on her forehead.Luca smiled, trying to reassure him. “Don’t worry, I'll be fine.”She got out of bed, quickly washed up, and left without eating breakfast.Aunt Neile noticed her rushing out and could not help but a
“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