"You're overthinking it. There are so many people in the world who look like each other. Look at Leia. She has two stunt doubles at work that look like her… It's nothing out of the ordinary. If people who look alike are related to each other by blood, then there are so many pairs of long-lost parents and children in the world," Queenie said carelessly. Even when she said so, her gaze fell on the red wine in the glass. The bright red liquid seemed to reflect the defiant figure on the observation deck. The young woman named Bianca Rayne might look frail, but she was not easy to handle. Queenie's gaze returned to calmness. Bianca was an obstacle in her daughter's path to pursue happiness. Queenie would do anything so that her daughter was happy. She had owed too much to her birth daughter, who had left the world prematurely, and she would spend all her love and care on Leia. … After greeting several important guests, Leia sat next to the bar counter with her friend and ate
Leia saw her reflection in the glass panel. The pure white evening gown with an oblique shoulder had a plunging V neckline that revealed her fair cleavage. The pleats behind revealed a large portion of her back. The gown also had a high side slit that caused her long and slender legs to move in and out of sight as she walked. With her pure looks and seductive gown, Leia believed that she was beautiful and bewitching. She nodded at herself, satisfied. She might look down on Charmaine's sexual habits, but she had to admit that Charmaine had great fashion sense. After many years of friendship, her fashion sense was influenced by Charmaine. The guests offered praise to Leia as she walked by. Some men even asked her for her number, which greatly satisfied Leia's pride. However, she was feeling extremely nervous, even more so than her shooting her first movie. Her heart thumped wildly as she looked at Luke, who was talking to some other people… She frowned. She needed a
In the event hall. "Cheers!" Three equally outstanding men with different appearances clinked their wine glasses together. They attracted the attention of many women around them. It could be said that the three individuals amassed the wealth of the entire A City. The first was Luke Crawford, the CEO of T Corporation, the second was Percy Mallory, CEO of Mallory Corporation, and the third was Jim Holston, the chairman of Holston Corporation. Not many people knew that the three people with different personalities were good friends in college. The three of them have maintained a close relationship since then. Luke's facial features were impeccable, and his temperament was calm and mature. His profound gaze was dangerous and penetrating, which caused men to tremble and women to be flustered. Even though the man was famous in the business circles inside and outside of the country, he had kept a clean-living image and was the top target of admiration for female socialites in A City
It was the first time that Jim and Percy had met Bianca. Bianca was beautiful like a pearl, and her femininity was unique. She exuded a motherly charm when she was patiently comforting the naughty Simon. Luke's eyes had been eagerly transfixed on Bianca's pure face the moment she appeared. That made Leia extremely jealous. "Daddy!" Simon held Bianca's hand, walked up to his father, and hugged his leg. "Daddy, I found this beautiful lady at the observation deck. She's Lanie and Rainie's mommy, and she's very nice. Can you find me a mommy as nice as her?" He happily introduced Bianca to his father. Jim pulled his son's ear and pretended to be angry. "You brat, I've found so many mommies for you, but they've all ran away because you keep pranking them. What makes you think that I'll find another one?" Simon pouted, covered his eyes, and pretended to cry. "Daddy, those women are ugly and stinky. They don't smell as nice as this lady. And, and… they're all wicked witches. They
Wayne was very good at anti-reconnaissance. He pushed Leia's face toward his chest. No one could see the woman in his arms clearly. They would think that he was a playboy flirting with a woman. After all, it was a common occurrence in high-class hotels. That was how Wayne avoided detection by the hidden cameras. He went out of the hotel with the half-conscious Leia in his hands. After that, he flung her into a black luxury car and started to greedily tear her clothes. Leia's gown was already skimpy. It did not take him long to remove all her clothes. The man's brazen gaze devoured Leia, whose consciousness continued to slip away. 'Hmm, this woman has a fine face. I didn't expect that she also has an excellent figure that can bewitch any man!' His body flared with the fires of desire, and he pounced onto Leia like a moth drawn to a flame! 'Oh! 'My god! 'What a perfect woman!' Wayne loved that body dearly, but that made him want to ravage her more! Leia slowly r
In the middle of the field was a T-shaped stage. Perhaps there was an event in the school. It was already almost midnight. No one was on the field except for the couple. It was a snow-white world. Luke and Bianca walked hand-in-hand toward the stage, leaving behind two pairs of footsteps. He carried Bianca onto the stage and climbed up himself. From his jacket, he took out the fireworks they bought from the convenience store, crouched down, and lit them with his lighter. Bianca stood next to him, watching the spark travel down the fuse. Soon, the fireworks shot high into the air. Boom! A beautiful tree of fire appeared in the sky with a thousand expanding blooms. The dark sky was instantly illuminated with a brilliant display of colors. Bianca reflexively closed her eyes. Luke took her hand and stepped backward. The brilliant flames shone vividly, illuminating them as well as the sky. Bianca felt extremely happy. The cheap fireworks only worth several dollars co
Bianca did not want to anger Luke by telling him about her encounter with Queenie, but she would feel uneasy if she did not. It was not easy for her to be where she was now. She was afraid that she would lose this blissful scene. After all, she was too unremarkable. The other women who coveted the man came from powerful and influential families. "Luke, I'll strive to become a world-renowned designer so that I can stand shoulder to shoulder with you. That way, there won't be as many rumors and negative remarks even if we're together." Bianca whispered into his ear. Her warm breath had traces of melancholy. "I believe in your capabilities, and you should believe in yourself more. Success isn't achieved overnight, and there is much room for you to grow. You'll have to take it slow, but I believe that my Bianca will one day stand on the pinnacle of the world, living the life that you want… Perhaps even I might find it difficult to reach that height," Luke said as he carried Bianc
Later, Luke took Bianca back to Crawford Manor in his car. At first, Bianca did not agree to it. With so many negative news reports revolving around her, Old Master Crawford and Allison must not want to see her. However, Luke insisted on bringing her home. He wanted to announce to the rest of his family that Bianca was his woman and that she would soon become Mrs. Crawford. Bianca had no other choice but to follow him back. She gingerly followed behind Luke, afraid that Allison or Old Master Crawford would see her and humiliate her. Fortunately, it was already past midnight, and everyone was fast asleep. No one noticed her going into the house. Bianca first went to Lanie and Rainie's room. The two young children slept in the same room because Rainie was timid. Seeing that her two angelic children were sleeping soundly, she left kisses on their foreheads. Then, she went to take a hot water shower, which comforted her cold and tired body. When she stepped out of the b
“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