Back at the hospital.Bianca stared at the shopping bags for a long time before she went to brush her teeth.The father and son did not stay for long after that.Once she was cleaned up, Bianca changed into her pajamas and lay on the pure-white single hospital bed. She squeezed the covers between her fingers for a long time, unable to sleep.She tossed and turned, but she just could not go to sleep.Her eyes were wide. Bianca was thinking that this was the first time in her twenty-four years of life that someone gave her a coat without hesitation when she was feeling cold.She would be lying if she said that she was not touched in the slightest.Luke led his son out of the hospital and prepared to drive back to the mansion.The drive had barely started when they reached a red light.Luke then opened the car window and lit up a cigarette. Holding it between his fingers, he took the occasional dreg, his deep eyes staring directly ahead of him and gradually narrowing.“Dad, you
Just then, Jean walked over and tried to turn the bedroom doorknob.He turned it a few times, but it did not budge.At some point, Luke had locked the door from inside. However, this was just a regular doorknob, and it was not very sturdy.Bianca’s heart leaped into her throat and stayed there, all the blood draining from her face...Her lips were sealed by the man’s scalding kiss. She could only look at the man with sorrow deep in her eyes, shaking her head desperately.Luke kissed her for a long time, venturing deep into her mouth every time. After a pause, he pulled his tongue out of her mouth, his gaze bright with an unending blaze of lust.The man’s well-defined side profile stuck to one of her cheeks. The warmth of their bodies melded together, and his large hand did not ease up its grip on her wrists at all. Instead, his other hand, placed between his legs, applied even more pressure there.“No…”Bianca could not help another shudder.Her knees were weak, and she needed
“He’s asking you a question. Are you crying?” Luke’s hoarse voice was pressed against her back. He kissed her, again and again, moving up her spine and reaching her earlobe. “Tell me, are you crying?”Just then, there was a loud clap of thunder outside, followed by a flash of lightning.Bianca took that chance to bark at him, saying, “You’re such a thug!”“That’s right. In public, I am a gentleman to everyone. But in private, I am your personal thug.” Luke bit her ear from behind and licked her back and forth.One of his hands reached around her slender waist at the same time, reaching to touch her round belly button.The man’s rough and cracked thumb rubbed her belly button back and forth…Bianca could not stand the way she was caressing her, and she instinctively fought against his finger on her belly button. That was why she arched her body back and raised her head.That way, though, she made it much easier for Luke to press his body against hers…Jean was still pouring his
Bianca’s levels of humiliation reached an unprecedented high.She never thought that Jean would one day call her an “adulterous pig”!Luke grabbed onto her snow-white ankle and refused to let go. She shrank away backward, resisting the bitter taste in the mouth. At the same time, she was utterly terrified by those blood-red eyes threatening to eat her up.After a brief struggle, he had abrased her ankle and turned it red.“Ow…” she cried out.Bam!Bam!Jean kicked the door two more times.The door was on the verge of shattering. Bianca was beside herself with anxiety, the last traces of blood draining from her already-pale face.While Bianca was stuck between a rock and a hard place, her lips were suddenly taken by the man whose face was magnified infinitely before her.That was followed by another sound from outside. Bianca’s ears were filled with the man’s burning breath and his sexy panting.Outside the bedroom.Jean turned around when he heard the sound and saw four m
After Luke left, Bianca stood at the door and stared for a long time.He was right, and the doctor’s diagnosis was right too. However, she did not know if she was right. Her body and senses had completely betrayed her.There would probably be very few women who would not feel anything for such an accomplished and capable man.However, when faced with a man as superior as Luke Crawford, many women would appraise themselves. They would consider if they had any right to feel anything for him, and what the consequences would be.Aside from someone like Charlotte Shaw, which normal woman would be able to match up to him?Bianca knew herself well, so she had managed to keep her defenses up all this while. Today, though, when he forced her so overbearingly, her body had thrown in the towel and betrayed. It almost felt as though this body was not hers…“Your body will speak the truth your mouth does not.” That sentence was actually extremely discriminatory, but today, Bianca had to tragi
It did not matter if they were the same person or not. Bianca was still going to this gathering.Not for her classmates, nor for the senior she could barely remember, but solely for the teacher who once gave her so much love and care, Miss Clinton.It was one thing if she had not heard about Miss Clinton, but now that she had, there was no way she could not go.…That noon, at Crawford Manor.From the moment Luke walked through the door, the old man had been following behind his oldest grandson, asking, “You’re not getting any younger. Maybe you should think about finding a life partner. Tell me, what kind of a woman do you like?”Luke went upstairs without saying a thing.The old man followed him upstairs despite his walking stick, but he inwardly cursed his ungrateful grandson as he climbed the stairs. The boy had no love for the young or the elderly.“Do you like them plump? On the fair side?” the old man pressed. He thought that was his older grandson’s type.Luke walked i
Anna was being wholly unreasonable. She yanked Bianca back and forth, messing up the latter’s hair and even scratching her on the neck several times. Bianca’s face was still smarting from before, too.Anna grabbed Bianca’s hair and refused to let go, cursing, “A woman like you should wear a scarlet letter! Are you that desperate for money? Will you give up your dignity for money? If you like having a sugar daddy, no one would care, but don’t pull my son into this! How are you gonna pay my son back for the past five years of his youth?!”Bianca could not stand it anymore. Wincing from the pain, she pulled her hair out of Anna’s grip and then shoved the woman away forcefully. “That’s enough!”Anna was shoved more than a meter away, her face and neck scarlet with anger. Her finger trembled as she pointed at Bianca, “You’re a despicable, shameless hussy! How dare you act like you’re in the right!”More people started crowding around them, watching the spectacle.One of the older ladie
Before they headed off to the lunch meeting, Bianca and Sue made a trip back to the design department.Bianca walked to her workstation and put down the laptop she had brought upstairs earlier. After that, the phone she had left on the table rang once.It was an unknown number.The number began with 138 and ended with 6688. The contents of the message was, “Miss Bea, I’m almost on my summer break. Will you be free ten days from now?”Bianca guessed that the number was Blanche’s.She quickly replied, “I’m really busy with work, and I just got assigned with an important project. I have to earn money so I can eat and live, so I can’t take you out to play. Sorry.”She clearly expressed her reluctance to have too much to do with Luke Crawford’s son.She hated the way Luke misunderstood her. She had never approached his son because she wanted to seduce him.In this society, any man as wealthy and powerful as Luke Crawford was probably used to having his guard up against women with ul
“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