In the alley, many tourists were carrying various kinds of lanterns with happy smiles on their faces. It was the first time that Luke had taken the time to enjoy the festivities. Thousands of lanterns were strung under the eaves. They represented 'reunion.' Seeing that other tourists were carrying lanterns in their hands, Luke bought one for Bianca. The oval-shaped lantern was unique and had bright red roses wrapped around it. When the candle in the lantern was lit, it was as though the roses were brought to life. Outside the lantern, there were two mighty and domineering golden dragons wrapped around it. Under the candlelight, the golden dragons seemed to move. Bianca loved it! Luke smiled when he saw how happy Bianca was walking around with the lantern. "I never knew that the Light Festival is so lively." In the past, he had always spent the Light Festival working in the office. At most, he would go to the clubhouse with a few friends to h
Bianca and Luke were still immersed in the sweetness of love.On the other hand, Leia spent the day miserably.In a hotel.Leia was naked as she looked at the man next to her on the big bed, also naked and fast asleep. Her eyes slowly blazed with hatred!Wayne Blatt!The man's sudden appearance disrupted all her plans, and he used her nude photos to blackmail her, forcing her to suffer all kinds of unmentionable pleasure.She dared not and could not refuse.Once Wayne published those unflattering nude photos, she would become the laughing stock of A City's socialite circle, and her career in the entertainment industry would come to an abrupt end.Even though her adoptive father was the Provincial Committee Secretary, Leia dared not risk her future.Leia silently slipped out of bed and instantly felt a searing pain in a certain part of her body.She muttered a curse under her breath, hating Wayne a little more. The man was a lunatic who knew nothing of tenderness or restraint
Leia stared intently at the unkempt homeless man. Even though he was dirty and looked very haggard, there was something strangely familiar about his face.She felt as if she knew him...Leia's hands trembled as she met his clouded and sordid eyes.She suddenly remembered her long-buried past!The man, who drank all day long, gambled and beat her and her mother when he lost — her biological father!Dexter Shaw!Her mother lost an eye and broke an arm under Dexter's prolonged domestic abuse, and Leia's tender back was horribly scarred by the beating.It all started because of the brutal Dexter.The man was worse than scum. He forced his wife to sell her body so he could gamble. He even wanted to sell his daughter for ten or twenty thousand dollars.She would have been sold if she had not been clever enough to escape.As scenes of her dark past emerged, Leia felt cold all over, and every cell in her body raised a defensive bramble against the homeless man.Despite recognizing w
The night was as dark as ink and was enchanting.The next room became silent after a long torment.Luke was aroused by those sounds. He gently washed Bianca's body. His hands were at first well-behaved when he started washing, but gradually, his urges got out of control.Bianca's body had a light fragrance. It was like blooming violets—fragrant and clean, affecting his senses all the time.He felt the temperature of his body rising with the water in the bathtub...Luke's restless hands began to wander around Bianca's body.Bianca was exhausted, but she retained some rationality."No, the doctor said it's forbidden for the first three months of pregnancy. Otherwise, it can easily lead to miscarriage..."Luke had not touched Bianca for days since he learned she was pregnant.Even though he could control his impulses very well, he was nonetheless a straight man.However, his rationality seemed to become zero every time it came to her."Don't worry. I won't hurt you, let alone o
'Luke bribed someone?'It was hard for Leia to imagine how the gentle, proud man had bribed someone, but it was pretty shocking news to her.Holding her breath, she continued to eavesdrop on her adoptive father's conversation with his secretary."Last month, Municipal Party Committee Secretary Mr. Schmidt was detained in connection with a large corruption case. In mitigation of his crime, he gave a clear account of who was involved and the inside story of how he had taken bribes in previous years. Surprisingly, one of the men involved was Luke Crawford... He's the biggest rising star in A City who contributed greatly to A City's economic development...“Mr. Norman, this is evidence of Luke's bribery. Mr. Schmidt was a cautious and defensive man by nature, and he secretly videotaped and preserved evidence of almost everyone who had bribed him. Mr. Norman, what do you suggest we do?"If the bribe was paid by an ordinary company executive or senior official, they could simply follow
Phoenix Town.A little past seven o’clock, Luke and Bianca walked out of their room to prepare to return to A City.When Bianca passed by the next room, she saw that the door was ajar. She casually glanced inside.She saw a long-haired girl in a white bathrobe leaning back on a pink cushion in a daze.A bunch of purple wind chimes tinkled above her head.The girl's pretty little face was streaked with tears, and she seemed to be in a daze as if she could not hear...Bianca was stunned when she saw that face. It looked like Scarlett Quincy, the waitress she knew from Blue Honors.Bianca wanted to take a closer look but heard the vintage carved door shut with an abrupt bang, immediately cutting off her curious gaze.She could not help but tug at Luke's arm. "The girl in the next room looks like Scarlett..."Luke looked at her in confusion. "Scarlett? Who?"Luke was so indifferent to other women that he could not remember their faces or names.Bianca reminded, "Don't you rememb
The meeting ended at half-past three. The employees of the design department returned to their office and continued their work. Bianca opened her work mailbox and noticed an email from Old Mr. Norman. In the email, he wrote about his feedback on Bianca's design. He said that it was not easy to meet a talented architectural designer, and he wanted Bianca to visit him at his house. He even included several embarrassed emojis, as though he were a child. Bianca grinned. She thought that the picky and unreasonable Old Mr. Norman had an adorable side to him. After reviewing her mailbox, she received a notification in her messenger app. Someone wanted to add her as a friend. Bianca tapped on the notification curiously. The account name was "ElegantQueen." She was surprised, but soon she remembered that Mrs. Norman had asked for her contact. She thought that Mrs. Norman asked for her contact in the heat of the moment, but she did not expect that Mrs. Norman would add her as a f
After Bianca sat down, Yanis swept her penetrating gaze around the office and said sternly, "Now that the urban reconstruction project has already begun, I hope that all of you can complete your tasks to the best of your abilities! Not only that, everyone here has to cooperate with each other. No one can attempt to sabotage another. If I discover it, your name will be instantly removed from the list!" "Yes." Everyone nodded, though a hint of disdain flashed past Bella's face. When it was almost time to go off work, Yanis told everyone that there would be a joint meeting between T Corporation and Vivi Group the next day. The main agenda would be about everyone's progress in the urban reconstruction project. She emphasized that higher management from both companies, including the CEO of T Corporation and chairman of Vivi Group, would be present at the meeting of unprecedented scale. Bianca felt immense pressure after hearing Yanis's announcement. Would she be able to maintain her
“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