Before Louis and his wife could respond, Old Master Crawford said, “The child used to be frail, so it’s normal for her to get sick sometimes. Look at her now. She’s full of energy and much more cheerful than before. Was she ever like this when she was living with you?”Louis nodded in agreement with the old master. When Thea lived with Susan, she was timid and had poor mental health. However, ever since they moved out, Louis noticed that Thea was getting happier by the day.Originally, Louis thought it was because he and his wife were too busy and had neglected their child, which caused her emotional issues. Now, he finally realized it was Susan who had been pressuring her all along. Without that pressure, Thea was thriving. Even her psychologist was amazed by the rapid progress she had made and praised them as good parents. However, Louis knew the truth.The reason Thea was doing so well was that he had firmly insisted on taking her out of that environment.Even Susan
Susan glared at her. “You’re always using the child as an excuse. Now that the Crawford family and the Mallory family are on good terms, why don’t you go chat with Mrs. Mallory? The others might think you don’t like her!”Yuri was getting frustrated. She had no desire to talk to Nina, and she was afraid it would look like she was trying to suck up to her. She nudged Louis with her elbow.Louis had been chatting with Luke and Percy, but after his wife nudged him, he turned to look at her. Yuri shot him a look, signaling for him to deal with Susan.Louis understood, but there was nothing he could do. If only he could actually deal with Susan…Susan’s stubbornness was something no one could handle.“You both are a bunch of good-for-nothings!” Susan noticed their glances at each other and got really upset.She was doing this for their own good! Louis was so insistent on running his own company, was he not? If they could form a good relationship with the Mallory family, it wou
“I know where Nina is,” said Jean.As soon as Anna heard this, she stopped worrying about the gift and immediately asked, “Where did that brat go?”“She's with the Crawford family,” answered Jean.Anna thought she had misheard. “What?”“Crawford Manor, as in Luke’s place,” repeated Jean.“That's impossible!” Anna snapped angrily. “I heard that when the Mallory family didn’t approve of Nina and Percy’s marriage, Old Master Crawford stepped in and took Nina as his god-granddaughter, leaving the Mallory family with nothing to say," explained Jean.“Are you kidding me? Even so, she shouldn’t have gone back! They just feel guilty and did her a small favor, and your sister actually bought into it?” Anna stomped her foot in anger. Was the Crawford family determined to take away their family member from them?“Visiting the Crawford family of all places! If it weren’t for them, you'd be at the top of your game right now, and she’s over there? I raised a traitor!”Jean replied, “We’re
Nina looked at Luca with a serious expression. Sometimes, she felt like Luca had known her forever.How did Luca know her so well? “Luca, have you been secretly investigating me?”“No, I haven't.” Luca was surprised. “What makes you say that?”“You know me so well. It's shocking!” replied Nina. “Sometimes I really wonder if you can read my mind. How else could you know me so well?”“Is that so? Do I know you well?” Luca smiled. “Even if I did investigate you, I wouldn’t be able to do it so thoroughly. I just feel like you’re that kind of person.”Nina nodded. “Yeah, things have definitely changed after getting married.”Luca listened to her without saying anything.“To be precise, after the wedding, I've been feeling like I need to work harder to stand by Percy’s side and not be a burden to him. The old, go-with-the-flow me is gone.”“Working hard isn’t necessarily a bad thing,” replied Luca. It was not that Nina’s old way of life was bad. Everyone would choose different ways
With a soft click, the manor’s door swung open. Jean wiped the smile off his face, staring seriously at the people stepping out.There came Luke, Luca, Percy, Nina, and Louis. There were five of them. That seemed like a lot, but Jean had brought ten thugs with him, which clearly outnumbered them.His lecherous gaze lingered on Luca for a while before shifting to Nina. He picked the weakest target to start with. “Nina, look at you. Instead of visiting your real family, you come here to people who have nothing to do with you. Have you lost your mind? Or are you just hoping for me and Mom to drop dead so that you can forget your own family?”Nina rolled her eyes and let out a cold snort. “This is my god-grandfather's house. Where else would I go? Jean, I suggest you don’t stir up trouble, or you’ll regret it!”Jean erupted with rage. “So what? You’re treating me and Mom like we’re dead, is that it? Do you even have a conscience? Mom raised you through thick and thin, and now you
“Jean!” Percy shouted angrily. “If you dare try anything reckless, you’ll be spending the rest of your life in prison.”Fear and panic flashed in Jean's eyes when he heard the word prison. He had endured unbearable torment during his years behind bars, all because of Luke and Bianca!“My boys are here today to make sure I get justice. What's the matter? You think you can scare me with prison threats? If you really want to go that route, I'll hold a press conference and tell everyone how Luke stole my fiancée, then expose how he cheated after stealing her!”Jean spoke confidently, thinking this would pressure Luke. What an idiot!Percy secretly cursed Jean as he listened to him. He had considered stepping in to help, knowing that Jean was Nina's brother. After all, there would be no mercy once Luke made a move. Unfortunately, Jean was a hopeless fool, and there was no way to save him.Percy decided to stay quiet.Luke calmly pulled out his phone, which made Jean alert. He th
“Get lost.” Luke's gaze was cold and sinister. If today were not about Percy and Nina, there was no way he would have let Jean off so easily. How dare a useless piece of trash like him come here to cause trouble? Such thoughts crossed Luke’s mind as he glanced at Luca. She gave him a faint smile, indicating she was fine.Jean left with Anna with a gloomy expression on his face.The few bodyguards spoke up once they saw that the matter was resolved, “Mr. Crawford, Mr. Mallory, if there's nothing else, we'll head out. If you need anything in the future, just reach out to us.”“Alright, thanks,” replied Percy.The person most upset by today’s events was not him or Nina. It was probably Luke.After all, he and Bianca truly loved each other, yet Jean had spoken so disgracefully. Knowing how protective Luke was of his wife, it was unlikely he would let Jean’s apology be the end of it.After Jean left, Percy and Nina did not linger either. They said their goodbyes to Luke and left.
“Now that you've signed that agreement, we can't ask Percy for money anymore!” Jean laid out the harsh truth neither of them wanted to accept.Marie heard this and started thinking about ditching the whole mess. However, she kept a straight face, deciding to play it cool for now and see how the mother and son were going to handle things.“I didn’t know! What do we do now?” Anna was panicking now. “Come on, tell me! What’s the plan?”Marie chimed in, “Why don’t we try getting some legal aid? I mean, they set us up first, right? We can’t just let them get away with this!”Jean thought to himself that Percy definitely covered all bases. There was no way Percy would waste his time on something pointless, so he definitely had a lawyer look over that agreement. Otherwise, Percy would not have let Anna sign it in the first place.Therefore, if they wanted more cash without paying back what they already got, legal aid was probably the only shot they had.“Alright, let’s do it. Legal
“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