“Let’s keep going!” Tommy said. “I’m determined to stick a strip of paper on Lanie's face today!"Then, they started another round of chess. Once again, Lanie won, and this time, Rainie came in last. She took the initiative to stick a paper strip on her own face.“Lanie is just too good. Even if we play until tonight, we’re never going to beat him…” said Tommy, feeling a little defeated.“Yeah, Lanie’s way too good,” Rainie agreed, puffing out her cheeks and blowing upward. However, she was not that competitive, so she still looked cheerful even after losing.Luke came downstairs and saw Luca and the two kids with paper strips stuck on their faces. He paused for a moment before looking at Lanie, whose face was clean. He quickly understood what was going on.“Daddy! Come help me. You’ve got to help me beat Lanie!” Tommy spotted his father and immediately saw him as his savior. He bounced over and tried to pull him to sit down. “Daddy, Lanie is too good. I can’t beat him at all.
Luca glanced at her eldest son. She did not know why, but as long as her other kids were with him, she felt at ease.Lanie was like a mini version of Luke. When something happened, he could calmly analyze the situation. He was smart. Even when it came to adult matters, he could explain things with great clarity.Luca nodded in agreement, and Luke remained silent.When they arrived at Crawford Manor, Luke went straight into Old Master Crawford’s study.Luca sat in the living room with the kids. Mr. Griffin served them tea and snacks.Tommy said, “Lanie, Rainie, let's go read some books.”“Sure, let's go read,” Lanie agreed, leading his younger siblings upstairs. The grown-ups’ business was not something they needed to worry about. As long as they took care of themselves and did not make the adults worry, that was all that mattered.Luca watched the kids go upstairs, feeling a bit lost. What should she do now?Mr. Griffin noticed her boredom and smiled. “Ms. Craw, Old Master Craw
Luke had always admired his grandfather's past as a child. Old Master Crawford would speak of everything regarding Crawford Manor and mention taking him to do various things, but in the end, it all came to nothing because he was too busy. After repeated delays in their plans, Luke had stopped expecting much from those promises.However, when Old Master Crawford suddenly set up a greenhouse at home and began growing medicinal herbs, Luke found himself intrigued. He pushed open the greenhouse door and stepped inside with his grandfather. Immediately, the fragrant scent of the herbs filled the air, and Luke could not help but feel refreshed.Luca heard the noises and turned around to look at them. Then, she smiled and asked, “Old Master Crawford, Luke, what brings you two here?”“I heard you were here, so I came over. Luca, let me show you my treasures!” Old Master Crawford replied cheerfully. He relied on a cane to walk, but he was excited when it came to this greenhouse. He had c
After the kids washed their hands, they followed Luca into the dining room.Everyone else was already seated. Luca sat next to Luke, and after the three kids took their seats, Mr. Griffin and the maids brought out the food.By the time dinner was over, it was getting late. Just as Luke was thinking about taking the kids home, Susan spoke up, “Luke, I didn’t want to ask you during dinner, but now that we’ve eaten, there’s something I need to ask.”“Yes?” Luke sat back down on the couch, his gaze fixed on her.The air around him was so intense that Susan almost wanted to flee. However, as his elder, she could not back down now. Since she had something to say, she forced herself to withstand the pressure and spoke up, “I’ve been hearing rumors that your mother hurt someone in Seoul and now plans to return to A City. Is that true?”Luke raised an eyebrow and glanced around the room. He had only just learned about this, yet Susan already knew? It seemed like she had people keepin
Susan, undeterred by the warning, shot back, “Isn't all his money from T Corporation? Father, what you said was pointless.”Old Master Crawford glared at her fiercely. “If you were given a chance to work at the company, do you think you could earn that much money?”Susan’s family background was quite wealthy. She was raised as a pampered young lady, so she never learned how to make money. Once she realized this, she chose to become a housewife in the Crawford family and stopped considering working at the company. She focused on raising Louis, planning for him to work at the company once he grew up. Little did she expect that after Louis worked at T Corporation for a few years, he would start his own business, leading to a conflict between them. It felt like a slap in the face!Susan’s face turned slightly pale as she muttered, “I...”“Enough! You can’t make money yourself, so why are you even talking? Luke's the one bringing in the cash, and in the end, aren’t you the one benef
Luca glanced at Luke, silently asking for his input. He gave a slight nod, signaling his approval.Luca replied, “Alright, we’ll be there. What time is it in the evening? Where’s the venue?”“I’ll send you the exact time and location later. Don’t worry, Dr. Craw. It won’t run too late,” Gale reassured her, knowing they had kids to take care of. Since Luca was out, Aunt Neile would probably have to stay late at home to help.“Great, we’ll definitely be there.” Luca smiled as she hung up the phone.“What’s he planning?” asked Luke. From what he overheard, it almost sounded like Gale was about to confess his feelings to Luca. However, Gale was not that type of person, so Luke was curious about who had caught Gale’s interest.“You don't know?” Luca was surprised. Luke always seemed to know everything, like when Percy started liking Nina, but he missed Gale’s feelings for Rain?Luke shook his head, indicating he had no idea. He had spoken to Gale earlier today, but he seemed bus
Luke was startled for a moment, feeling as though history was repeating itself.Luca covered her mouth, laughing so hard she could barely catch her breath. Everything felt too coincidental. Suddenly, Luca recalled that there was this saying, a son could be a father’s nemesis.Tommy had interrupted them twice today.Luke’s expression turned dark as he turned around to look at his son. “Why aren’t you in bed? What are you doing out here?”“Daddy, I just finished washing up. I really want a glass of water.” Tommy then added, “The food at Crawford Manor was a bit salty this time, and I’m really thirsty.”“I’ll get you some water,” said Luca as she headed downstairs.Luke approached Tommy, looking down at him from above.Realizing he had spoiled his parents’ moment, Tommy gave a sheepish smile. “Daddy, I didn’t mean to.”“From now on, make sure to get yourself a glass of water before bed and keep it in the bedroom. No more running out for water all the time,” Luke said to his son wi
“Amazing, this scene is beautiful! Can you do some more intimate poses?” asked the photographer.“Of course.” Percy and Nina struck a few close poses together.They had been together for several years, which meant they had forged a deep bond that made them perfectly in sync. Whenever Nina struck a pose, Percy instinctively knew how to complement it.After the shoot, the photographer asked for their email address, promising to send the photos as a thank-you once they were ready.Once the photographer left, Percy and Nina returned to their hotel. As soon as they stepped in, Nina’s phone automatically powered on after plugging it in. In an instant, several notifications popped up.“Sue has called me multiple times.” Nina glanced at Percy. “Is it something urgent? Did she contact you?”She had forgotten to charge her phone before going to bed last night, so it remained off while she was out.Percy shook his head. “She didn’t call me. You should call her back and see what’s up.”“
“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