Luke wiped away Bianca's tears while everyone was looking. "What's wrong? You're about to get married, but you're shedding tears. Aren't you ashamed, Mrs. Crawford?" He said with a joking tone. Even though he was teasing Bianca, he felt sorry for her as he gazed at her pale face. Bianca's eyes were red. She gripped his shirt sleeve tightly, trying hard to keep those melancholy feelings down. She shook her head. "I'm fine. It's just that I'm overcome by bliss when I think that I'll be married to you soon. I can't help but think that it's all a dream…" Luke's hand patted Bianca's head. He gently touched her hair as though he was protecting a piece of rare treasure. Then, he said indulgently, "Silly girl, we're already here to get your wedding dress. Do you still think that it's a dream?" The manager and staff of the boutique were dumbfounded when they saw that loving scene! Reports said that Luke Crawford, the CEO of T Corporation, was a serious and merciless person. His
Mavis could not bear to see her crush for ten years becoming someone else's husband. She tried to calm herself down, though her tightly-clenched fists were slightly shaking. "Are you sure you want to marry an unremarkable employee, Mr. Crawford? You deserve a better woman. I think Ms. Rayne isn't experienced enough, no matter how you look at it…" "Oh? In your opinion, what type of woman should I deserve?" Luke's gaze turned cold. Mavis, who was usually observant, did not notice Luke's displeasure because she was overly emotional. She continued speaking, "Mr. Crawford, I think you should look for a woman who can be capable at work as well as being gentle in her personal life. If you can find an equally capable wife, then she could share your workload. You won't have to tire yourself like that." Luke placed his pen down and looked at Mavis with his profound gaze. "You're wrong, Ms. Laviere. I want a wife who can be my spiritual partner and not my work partner. I feel comfortabl
As the phone continued to ring incessantly, Bianca had the urge to smash it into pieces! She dared not do so. The other party possessed incriminating evidence about Luke. Finally, Bianca braced herself and tapped on the answer button. Instantly, she heard someone screaming angrily from the other side. "Did you ignore what I told you, Bianca Rayne? If you want it that way, fine! I'm standing at the entrance of the Public Integrity Committee now. I'll hand in the CD, and that'll be the end of Luke Crawford!" In case Bianca did not believe it, the woman sent a message shortly after saying that. Bianca opened the message. It was a selfie. The woman in the shades was holding a CD in her hand. She was indeed standing in front of the Public Integrity Committee building. On her lips was a smug grin. Bianca's heart beat faster when she saw that, but her blood was thick like glue. Luke would be ruined once the CD fell into the hands of the Public Integrity Committee. Not even L
Luke paused. The man had been through all sorts of hardships, but at that moment, he felt as though his heart was immersed in boiling water. He did not reply to Bianca's question. Instead, he pressed on her lips overbearingly with a kiss and took away Bianca's breath and the rest of the conversation. No one knew for how long he had waited for the marriage. Ever since he was young, he was sure that he wanted Bianca to be his wife. After conquering many obstacles, she was finally in his arms. He could not wait to tell the world that the woman was his. However, she remained uncertain whether she wanted to be Luke's bride. Luke could not accept that! Bianca was struggling to catch her breath after the kiss. Luke hugged her and looked straight into her eyes. "Bianca, if you want to postpone the wedding, I can consider changing it to a later date. However, if you ever think of canceling the wedding, I'd tie you up and bring you to the church if I have to." Bianca's eyes wer
Bianca's body went limp after the kiss. She felt that her headache was becoming more intense. Her eyes and ears took in the bustle of people moving about the hall, the swaying of flowers, the dancing fountains, and the melodic music. The merriment in the hall was a stark contrast to her sorrow. Bianca looked into the crowd. She saw the stern Old Master Crawford smiling and talking to some guests. Louis was overjoyed. Susan was present. She did not smile, but she carried herself like a noblewoman. Even Allison, who objected to their marriage the most, forced a smile on her face as she received the congratulatory greetings for her son's marriage. On another table, Old Master Rayne and Wanda were smiling, happy that Bianca had finally found bliss. Bianca wanted to cry when she looked at them, but she could not allow herself to shed a tear! She forced her tears back and inadvertently saw Luke's friends among the guests: Eugene Hawking, Jim Holston, Percy Mallory, and mo
Bianca's chest nearly jumped out of her chest at that moment. Every cell in her body was burning in agony. Seeing that Jack was about to take the CD from the woman's hand, Bianca suddenly yelled at Luke, "No! I don't want to marry you! I don't want to be engaged with you!" The hall instantly fell silent. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop. Luke was caught in a daze as he kneeled there on one knee. He had always known that Bianca looked forward to the wedding more than he did. He had not expected such an outcome. Old Master Crawford's face turned ashen. His hand that was holding his walking stick was trembling. Jason immediately stepped forward and supported Old Master Crawford. Susan was impassive. She had learned the hard way that marrying into a wealthy family was a trap. She even felt that the young woman had made the right choice. Allison was fuming. If she did not care so much for her reputation, she would have rushed up the stage and ripped Bianc
In the mansion. Luke stood on the spacious balcony. He smoked cigarette after cigarette, and his gaze fell on the blooming cherry blossoms downstairs. The cherry tree was filled with flowers. The petals fell as the wind blew past, and the ground seemed to be covered in a pink carpet. Bianca loved plants, and that was why that mansion had a lush garden. It was Luke's present for her. He wanted to give her a surprise, but unexpectedly… Luke narrowed his eyes as he looked at the falling cherry blossom petals. He stubbed out the cigarette and flicked it into a nearby ashtray. Then, he walked toward the master bedroom. The door opened. In the room were two caretakers that were currently nursing Bianca. They stood up when they saw Luke enter. "Mr. Crawford," they greeted him respectfully. A hint of dearness flashed in Luke's eyes as he looked at Bianca's pale face. "How is the missus?" One of the caretakers replied, "Dr. Sykes had given her an injection an hour ago, and
Charmaine picked out many clothes of the latest designs that still had their tags on, as well as trying on several pairs of shoes that caught her eye. Leia's height, body size, and foot size were almost similar to Charmaine's. Charmaine was overjoyed that those clothes and accessories seemed to be designed for her! As she continued to pick out items, she asked, "What do you want me to do? Just let me know. I'll promise to do my best!" "Bianca might have rejected Luke's proposal, but Luke had warned the media not to spread any negative news about her. Of course, I'm not happy about that. Do this for me, Charmaine, go and buy up the topics and keywords from all the media websites, including Twitter, Yahoo, TMZ, Instagram, and so on. Utterly ruin Bianca's reputation. Make sure that she can't stay in A City anymore! I'll foot the bill. You'll only have to go and talk to the people in charge. "Oh, you should contact those verified influencers with at least a million followers too. T
“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