Luke could tell that Bianca was feeling anxious. He hugged her tightly in his arms, almost hoping that they would fuse into one. "Don't worry about it. It’ll be over soon." Bianca smiled gently. She stood on tiptoe and kissed his lips. "We'll wait for you to come back." Luke lowered his head and pecked Bianca's delicate and graceful neck. Then, Luke drove off. From the second floor of the villa, Bianca looked at the Bentley until it disappeared from view. She felt helpless. Of course, she was uncomfortable thinking about Luke's "date" with Leia Norman. She knew that Luke was only acting, but Bianca felt uneasy about it. However, at that stage, there is no way to solve the CD incident completely except for being patient. … Leia wore sunglasses and was in a superb mood that night. She drove her luxury car to the parking lot near Restaurant Nine. Leia parked the car and was about to get out of the driver's seat when she saw a dark figure in
Leia had worn a white dress because she thought that she looked pure and innocent in white. Someone once told her that she looked like a beautiful flower when she wore white. On the way to the restaurant, Dexter had dirtied Leia's dress. It might not be an obvious stain, but Leia, perfectionist that she was, went to the boutique next door and bought a new set of clothes. After Leia changed her clothes and arrived at Restaurant Nine, Luke was not there yet. In the luxurious restaurant, Leia sat by the windows. She was looking at the city lights with an unwilling expression on her beautiful face.On a normal date, the man would be the one waiting for the woman at the restaurant. However, she went as far as making a booking in advance and waited for Luke. She felt wronged... Leia was dressed in an elegant yellow cocktail dress. Paired with her alluring makeup, she looked classic and dreamy under the restaurant lights. Her expression carried a trace of p
At the dining table, Leia looked at Luke, completely fascinated. She did not notice the coldness in his eyes. She said while acting shy, "That's not hard to believe. No woman can escape your charm. You're a smart man, and you should know how I feel about you. It was deep and sincere love at first sight." Luke concealed the sarcasm in his eyes, and he said in a neutral tone, "Thank you, Ms. Norman. I’m not worthy of your love." He looked at his watch and found that it was close to 8 p.m. He knew that Bianca would be anxiously waiting for him. Luke said, "Ms. Norman, are you done with your dinner? I have something else that I need to attend to. See you next time."Leia was unwilling, but she nodded when she noticed Luke's coldness. "Well, if you have something to attend to, please feel free to head back. I’ll see you soon." She knew that she had to be patient in her quest to claim Luke’s heart. She should not rush him. Otherwise, all her previous efforts would h
Bianca's phone slid from her hand to the ground and made a loud sound. In the chat group, Nina kept texting Bianca. [Are you okay, Bea? What's going on? Are you fighting with the boss again?] The chat notifications were getting to Luke, and so he turned off Bianca’s phone. "Let go of me." Bianca was pressed against the wall by Luke. Bianca tried her best to wriggle her way out while being mindful of the baby in her womb. Luke felt a little frustrated seeing her wriggling like a disobedient rabbit in his arms. He pressed down on her shoulders and lifted her chin. "Throwing a tantrum again, hm?" Bianca kicked him and glanced at him. "You’re late. How was your romantic date with Leia?" Luke choked when he heard Bianca's words. He carried her and strode towards the bedroom. Luke's arms held not only his wife but also their third child. He jokingly said, "If it feels good to date other women, I won't be rushing home to be with you now. Stop thro
Bianca looked at Luke's "hungry" expression and felt scared. She wanted to say “no” but she noticed that Luke looked pitiful. That was the uniquely pitiful look of a man. "We haven't made love for three months, Bea. The doctor said that we can do it after three months. I promise I’ll be careful." To others, he was a forbidding Cold-Faced Devil. To her, he was like a hungry little puppy. Bianca was amused by the stark contrast. Bianca thought about how Luke had been taking cold showers for the past few months, and she finally agreed. She slowly hugged his neck and said in a low voice, "Okay..." Luke nibbled her earlobes and mumbled, "Don't worry, I won't hurt you and our child..." Luke was a complete gentleman. Bianca felt his eagerness and tenderness, along with his compassion toward her. She felt like she was swimming in the clouds. Late at night. The moonlight outside the window gently shone into the bathroom. Those intimate times did
When Allison looked at Leia's look of disbelief, she realized that Leia had no idea about Bianca's pregnancy.Allison wanted to slap herself! 'Why do I have such a big mouth?'What if the unborn child causes a rift between Leia and Luke?'Allison leaned on the couch, took Leia's little hand, and coaxed her by saying, "The baby's existence is purely unexpected. None of us thought that Bianca could be so brazen to get herself pregnant before her marriage. But don't you worry, the Crawford family's rich and powerful. We can raise a few more children, not to mention just one more. The caretakers and I will take care of them at home so they won't bother you two."Allison devalued Bianca so much that she completely forgot the fact that she got pregnant before marriage too and forced herself into the position using her child.Old Master Crawford coughed heavily at the words coming out of Allison's mouth.Allison immediately hushed up, while Leia, still in shock, did not notice the small
It was the weekend. When Bianca was heading out, the two little ones were pestering her to go together.Worried about her grandfather, she did not have the extra time and patience to coax them, so she could only bring the kids with her.When the car drove to the shopping mall near Centercourt Mall in A City, sitting in a child car seat at the back, Rainie suddenly said to Bianca, "Mommy, my tummy feels a little upset. I want to go to the bathroom..."Last night, she did not listen to her mother's advice and ate a few more pieces of cantaloupe, resulting in a minor stomach ache.Seeing her daughter's cute face crumpled up in discomfort, Bianca asked Zander, the driver, to park in a nearby parking lot and let him and Lanie wait in the car while she accompanied Rainie to the restroom in the shopping mall.Ten minutes later, Rainie emerged from the restroom.Bianca held Rainie's hand and waited for the green light at the crosswalk, unaware that danger was just around the corner!Lei
At the hospital.They were racing against time, and Bianca's life was slipping away.The smell of disinfectant filled their noses, adding more unease to the cold air.Suddenly, the door of the operating room opened.Zander and the twins rushed to the doctor in a white coat and anxiously asked about Bianca's condition.Lanie even tensed his little body, almost holding his breath as he waited for the doctor's answer.The middle-aged doctor removed his mask and said solemnly, "Who's the family member of the patient? The patient's in a critical condition and needs immediate surgery. We also need her family's signature before that!""Doctor, the patient is my employer. I'm sorry, but I don't have the right to sign for her. Lanie and Rainie are too young to take charge, and Mr. Crawford is on his way over right now. Could you please operate on Mrs. Crawford first and have it signed when Mr. Crawford arrives?" Zander was worried, but he was not Bianca's direct family member and could n
“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