'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
Anand looked at the gentle and quiet Bianca. The more he looked at her, the more he liked her. He might be half-Indian, but he was not interested in women of his race. Instead, he was drawn to Caucasian features like his father. He loved Bianca's petite and delicate features. Anand was not worried when he saw that Bianca was uninterested in him. He knew that it would not be that easy to win a woman's heart. He did not want a one-night stand; he was in for the long game. When he saw that the women were purposely ignoring him, he diverted the conversation topic and said courteously, "I've only arrived in the country not too long ago, Bianca, and I'm not too familiar with the local customs… Do you think that I'll blend in better if I have an English name? I can't think of a suitable one." Sue and Nina were eating peanuts while looking interestedly at Anand trying to hook up with Bianca. 'Haha! Our boss has a love rival now! 'Looks like Bianca's charm knows no bounds!'
Late in the night. Sue was in the critical stage of her pregnancy, and she could not move about that easily. That was why she left the venue first. Bianca and Nina also felt tired and said goodbye. Other than Michelle, the ones who remained in the private room were all men. After saying their superficial goodbyes, they continued having fun. Armand wanted to see Bianca off instead of staying in the boring room. He pretended to stumble and said that he was drunk and needed to go home and rest. The other male colleagues did not persuade him to stay. After all, those who remained had their own agendas. After most of the female colleagues were gone, the male colleagues that usually looked serious called for the manager of the karaoke bar, selected several escorts that had decent figures, and continued their merriment… The situation inside the room was warm and lively. Once they stepped out of Blue Honors, the biting cold wind froze their necks. Fortunately, Bianca, Sue, and
As Luke turned his head over, his face was illuminated by the street light and moonlight. That was the first time Anand saw his face clearly. The curves of the man's lips were elegant and graceful. He was noble and otherworldly. For a brief moment, Anand thought that the man was Prince Charming who had walked out of a book. His lofty demeanor was breathtaking, but he emitted an aura as serene and tranquil as the bright moonlight. Anand had to admit that he was impressed. The man whom he had recently classified as a "love rival" was noble and aloof, while Bianca in his arms was graceful and beautiful. As the couple hugged each other, it was extremely pleasing to the eye. Whoever looked at the man or the woman could have easily been charmed. His crush was as docile as a kitten in the man's arms. Anand felt uneasy. He wanted to say hi to Bianca, but the man escorted her to the car and opened the door like a gentleman. Bianca was smiling like a blooming flower. Anand stoo
As Bianca walked onto the podium, her gaze subconsciously turned to Luke. She saw that the man was looking at her encouragingly, and that had made her slightly at ease. She handed copies of the documents to the bosses of the two companies as well as the higher management… Then, she inserted the flash drive into the laptop, adjusted the microphone, and prepared to give her presentation. Quinton flipped through Bianca's document, and his expression instantly sank. "Ms. Rayne, are you mistaken about this meeting's agenda?" Bianca looked curiously at a copy of the document in her hand and was instantly shocked. 'How… how is this possible? This isn't the document that I prepared the day before, but the weekly report of our design department…' Slam! The chairman of Vivi Group slammed the document on the table. Quinton's authoritative expression became even gloomier because of his anger. "How could you possibly make this kind of mistake as a designer? Even a rookie employee wo
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
The two women froze in surprise at the sound of the commanding voice. Allison realized Luke had returned, and from his tone, he was clearly angry. Panic gripped her, and just as she was not paying attention, Susan scratched her again. The pain on her face was searing, and she let out a loud, pained scream, stumbling back and covering her face.Luca, who stood beside Luke, was equally stunned. They were actually fighting! What on earth was going on?!Allison staggered back a few steps and saw Luke's dark expression. Even though she was afraid, she felt reassured that her support had arrived. She cried out, “Luke, you're finally back! Your mom's getting beaten by an outsider!”Luke looked at the two women, whose ages added up to over a hundred years, in complete disbelief. He exchanged a glance with Luca before speaking again, “Are you two going to keep fighting?”Susan let out a cold sneer. She had been scratched by Allison several times, and her face now burned with pain.
Sophian realized she had made a mistake and quickly apologized, “I’m sorry, Madam Allison. I saw it was someone familiar, so I didn’t think too much about it.”Allison shot her a furious glare.Sophian knew full well that Allison and Susan did not get along, yet she still opened the door for her. Was she out of her mind?“Oh my, after all that time in Seoul, you didn’t pick up anything good? Still that same fiery temper.” Then came Susan’s mocking voice.Allison froze for a moment and shifted her gaze toward the doorway.“How did you get in here?” demanded Allison. Did she not just ring the bell outside? How did she get in so quickly and without anyone opening the door to the villa?!Susan gave Sophian a smirking glance. “Your helper let me in.”Allison frowned, still confused. Susan continued, “I’m living right next door now.”“Oh, so I heard you got kicked out by Old Master Crawford. Moved right next door, did you? Sticking around like a ghost that won’t go away, living jus
Sophian stood before her. Her face was a picture of hesitation and discomfort. “Madam Allison, how about you order using your phone?”“What? You can’t even handle this small task?” At this point, Allison had completely shifted her view of Sophian, now seeing her as just another maid. Her previous tone vanished, replaced by a much more domineering attitude.Sophian felt helpless and quickly explained, “It’s just that the food from this place is just too expensive. I don’t have that kind of money.”Once she finished speaking, a flush of embarrassment crossed her face.Sophian had come back with Allison to work off the debt she owed from her cosmetic surgery. Therefore, she had no money to spare.Allison paused for a moment, a thought crossing her mind. After a brief moment, she picked up her phone and said, “It's not like I'm having you pay for it. You can't even temporarily cover it?”Sophian smiled awkwardly. “I just transferred money to the hospital.”Allison let out a faint hu
“You don’t like eating outside food, do you?” Luca thought that preparing breakfast and dinner for him was not a big deal.Besides, the main point was that Luke did not like eating out. He always felt the taste was off and lacked nutrition.“Actually, it’s not that I don’t like eating out. It's just that all the food outside tastes the same to me.” Luke gently squeezed her hand.“Hey, focus on driving.” Luca chuckled.Luke withdrew his hand and returned it to the steering wheel. “With that woman around, it wouldn’t be convenient for you to cook. Are you really going to make breakfast for them too?”If that happened, it would defeat the purpose of his plan.Luca thought for a moment. She did not mind ignoring Sophian, but if she cooked for Luke and not for Allison, that might not sit well with her. Allison could easily make a fuss over even the smallest details. “So, should we just eat out for breakfast and dinner from now on?”“Yes.” Luke did not mind.It did not matter where t
“Something I like?” Luca laughed. “What could that be?”“You’ll find out when we get there.” Luke kept it mysterious.“Alright then, I’ll wait for your surprise, Mr. Crawford.” Luca was in good spirits without letting family issues dampen her mood. Therefore, she video-called the kids.Luca dialed Mr. Griffin’s number.After Mr. Griffin answered the call, he handed the phone to Lanie. “Young Master Lanie, Ms. Craw wants to talk to you.”“Thank you, Mr. Griffin.” Lanie took the phone and pressed ‘accept’.Luca positioned the camera to include both her and Luke. She waved at the screen. “Lanie, Rainie, Tommy, what are you all doing?”“Lanie! Lanie, I want to talk to Ms. Luca!” Tommy waved excitedly at the camera, eager to take the phone.Lanie handed it to him. “Go on, tell Daddy and Ms. Luca about your good news.”Luca smiled and asked with curiosity. “Good news?”“Daddy, Ms. Luca, I made it to the next level in the math competition! The finals are this Saturday!” Tommy said e
“Why are you being so slow?” Allison was irritated. She shoved the products into Sophian’s hands.“I told you to use them, so just use them.” Allison ran out of patience. After urging Sophian, she lay back down.Sophian had no choice but to follow her instructions and poured out some product. The texture of the product in her palm made her pause for a moment. It was incredibly moisturizing!She gently patted it onto Allison's face and noticed the area she touched felt just as smooth.Allison let out a content sigh. “This essence is really soothing.”Even though Sophian was still worried about potential side effects, she could not help but admire the instant hydrating effect. She asked in a low voice, “Madam Allison, is this really developed by that woman?”She could not believe that Luca had such skills and wondered if the essence had just been repackaged into another bottle and sold as her own creation.“That's what she says,” replied Allison. “But she's into pharmaceuticals, s
After agreeing to become the maid, Sophian’s excitement gradually turned into anxiety.The villa was so large. Could she really handle all the tasks a maid was supposed to do?As she thought about it, she accidentally left the bread in the toaster for too long. After serving it to Allison, she was scolded.“What’s this? It’s just a slice of toast. How could you burn it like this? How am I supposed to eat it?” Allison was clearly displeased.Sophian awkwardly explained, “Madam Allison, this is my first time using this toaster. I didn’t quite get the temperature right...”Allison was about to keep complaining but paused for a moment, remembering that Sophian was the one she had brought in to be the maid. Now, she was the only one who could make breakfast for her. She disdainfully tore off the burnt part and took a bite. “Where’s the soy milk?”“It’ll bring it out,” replied Sophian, heading back to the kitchen. She brought out two glasses of soy milk and another slice of toast tha
“Are you planning to tell me that Madam Allison brought someone back?” Luca had a feeling she knew what was going on. Luca had been wondering why Allison had taken such a big risk by going out during the day, but it all made sense now.“Yes, she brought someone back and said she'll be taking over my job,” Aunt Neile replied helplessly. She was worried she had lost her competitive edge, which made her feel anxious.“I got it, Aunt Neile.” As soon as Luca spoke, there was a cheer from inside the lab. She glanced back and saw that there seemed to be progress in the research. Rhett gave her a thumbs-up to signal success.She slightly smiled and nodded before hearing Aunt Neile's voice again on the phone. “Ms. Craw, there’s something I’d like to say, though I’m not sure if I should. I’ve thought about it, and I feel like I should. Even though Mr. Crawford isn’t the type to fool around, you have to be careful. He has no interest in that woman, but she’s clearly interested in him. You sh