Allison was so thrown off by his commanding presence that she took two steps back.When Luke mentioned Susan, her eyes widened, and she shook with anger. “I'm your real mother! Who does that woman think she is?! You call her 'Mother'? No! Susan’s not your mother. I'm your only mother!”Consumed with jealousy, Allison's eyes turned red. She could not stand Luke calling Susan 'Mother'.Furious, she smashed several items in the living room.“Madam Allison, please calm down.” Sophian was startled by Allison's sudden outburst.Allison shattered another item, casting a hateful, challenging glare at Luke. She was like a child causing trouble. When he still showed no reaction, she picked up a vase and smashed it, creating a louder racket.Luke watched the whole scene with an icy calm.These were genuine art pieces from reputable brands. Even though they were not as costly as his grandfather’s antiques, they were still valuable. One piece could cost a white-collar worker half of thei
Sophian was also shaken by the events of the day. If Luke had not returned just in time, she did not know how long the fight between the two would have lasted. As Sophian thought about Luke, admiration showed in her eyes. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him, making her lose focus and become careless with what she was doing.“Ouch! Are you trying to kill me?” Allison winced as she clutched her face. Her hand instinctively shot up.Sophian came back to her senses and quickly moved away. “Sorry, Madam Allison, I’m so sorry!”Allison’s slap did not land, but her anger was evident. “What are you doing? Are you trying to hurt me?”“No, Madam Allison, I was just lost in thought and didn’t pay attention…” Sophian stammered, terrified of Allison’s strength.Allison's strength was immense! If Sophian took a slap from her, it would probably hurt for days. What worried her most was that Luke would see it, and it would ruin the impression he had of her.Allison noticed the lingering
At the same time, a wave of frustration rose in Luca's heart.She thought about how Sophian might be eavesdropping on them during their rest time, standing by the door anytime, anywhere. The thought made her feel uneasy, as though she were being watched by Abel. No matter how she thought about it, something just did not sit right.Luca asked in a soft voice, “Do you think it’s possible that Sophian is working for Abel?”Luke paused for a moment. He had no reason to doubt Sophian’s background as Old Master Crawford had investigated her, and everything checked out. However, people like Abel could easily fabricate a perfect cover story if they wanted to.Luke opened the bedroom door. By now, Sophian was no longer standing outside. He closed the door again and locked it. “I’m not sure, but if we have doubts, we need to be cautious.”Luca frowned, her expression showing clear concern. “If she were just an ordinary person, that’d be fine. But if she’s with Abel, that’d be terrifying.”
Abel’s pharmaceutical company was across town. Watson was out in the suburbs. The drive would take over half an hour, and with Nyla involved, Luca dared not to waste a second. She rushed out of the building without even putting in a request for leave. She flagged down a cab and jumped in.As soon as she was in the cab, she called Rhett to go over the day’s tasks and asked him to put in a leave request on her behalf.After helping her out, Rhett asked, “Dr. Craw, are you okay?”“I’m fine. Just tell them I wasn’t feeling well and went to the hospital.” Luca hung up the call as soon as she finished speaking.After the cab driver heard her, he asked with concern, “Miss, are you feeling sick? Would you like me to take you to the hospital instead?”“No, just take me to my destination please.” Luca knew her face looked tense and strained because she was worried about Nyla's situation.That was why the driver, overhearing her conversation with Rhett, ended up misunderstanding the situa
Abel’s eyes glinted with amusement. “What do you think?”Luca bit her lip, feeling powerless against the threat.Abel rose to his feet, took a puff of his cigar, and blew a smoke ring toward her face. “I know what you're thinking. If you don’t go, don’t blame me for being hard on your child. She’s so frail. How long do you think she can hold up against those other kids?”He said it in such a chilling tone that Luca seemed to envision her child being bullied. Her heart could not help but tremble. “I’ll go.”Abel showed no sign of satisfaction despite her answer. Instead, his gaze grew darker.Truth be told, he despised everything related to Luke. If it were not for the leverage the child gave him over Luca, he might have already acted against the child.“Luca, behave yourself. Don’t play any tricks. If something goes wrong this time, even if there’s no proof it was you, I won’t let you off the hook.” Abel patted Luca’s face with both hands.The pat was not hard. Her face did not
Luca tried to keep talking, but she could not hold it in any longer and broke down crying. Just thinking about her child still being in Abel’s hands made her heart ache, and she cried even harder. The thought of all the things Luke had done for her in secret pained her even more. Luke had not done anything wrong, but it hurt that he had done so much and never told her. Luca knew he meant well. He wanted to shield her from worry. However, when it came to something like this, she was involved too and could have helped. Yet Luke did everything on his own, keeping her in the dark for her own good, and that hurt her deeply. Luca felt helpless. It seemed he still saw her as someone fragile. It pained her that she could not do anything to help and that Luke had to shoulder everything alone. When he saw her tears, Luke knew he had made a mistake by hiding the truth. She wanted to stand by his side through it all, but he had only thought of protecting her. When it came to the issu
When Luca felt like she was about to suffocate, Luke finally released her lips.His gaze burned intensely, his deep eyes locked onto her red lips. Luca could clearly sense what he was thinking. The desire in Luke's eyes was so overwhelming it felt as though it would completely consume her. She trembled slightly, her own body betraying her, longing to be devoured by him.“Luca,” Luke murmured huskily, his voice thick with desire.Luca softly responded with a faint hum. Just then, Luke’s phone rang. It was his alarm. Luke helplessly silenced it.Clarity returned to Luca’s gaze. “Do you have a meeting to attend?” She knew full well that it was usually for something important whenever Luke set an alarm. An important meeting meant it could not be postponed.Luca let out a chuckle.No wonder Luke had not carried her straight to the lounge. He had something pressing to attend to.Luke heard her laughter and replied helplessly, “I really don’t want to.”Luca shook her head and told
Luca was not one to tolerate nonsense. Without hesitation, she grabbed the man’s arm and shoulder.Before the man could react, he was slammed to the ground with a swift over-the-shoulder throw.The man let out a grunt, stunned by the sheer force of her move. He could not believe a woman managed to flip him like that.He was a man nearly six-foot-three and weighed close to 200 pounds!Dressed in tailored pants instead of a skirt, Luca did not have to worry about modesty. She stepped forward, pressing her pointed shoe firmly onto his chest. “Now, do you believe I’m one of you?”“You! Argh, that hurts—” His attempt to curse got cut off as she applied more pressure with her foot.Strangely enough, he had been beaten to a pulp during training before, but it had never hurt this much.“Still don’t believe me?” Luca’s shoe pressed directly onto one of his weak points.Her sharp-toed shoes made it easy to pinpoint the spot, and the pain was excruciating.“Damn it!” The man clenched his
“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