Melody hated Bianca to the bone! Bianca's appearance had caused her academic ranking to fall from number one to number two! Not only was Bianca a better student academically, but she had also snatched the title of homecoming queen from Melody! Even those boys who had courted Melody had shifted their affections to Bianca! Back then, when she saw Bianca in the nightclub, she wanted to call her out on the spot. She left the country soon after that and only returned a few days ago. Ever since then, she had been thinking of how to get back at Bianca! She was caught off-guard by Bianca's response! How could that woman be so unperturbed when being humiliated in public? Melody was losing her composure! To prevent herself from being embarrassed, she made up an excuse and went to the washroom. On the other hand, Saul became more interested in Bianca after she had proudly admitted to her "special job." After Melody left, Saul's eyes were transfixed on Bianca's beautiful face.
"It's not like that, Mr. Crawford! Bianca was the shameless one to seduce my brother-in-law, and that's why he dared to make a move on her. That kind of woman is pretentious and fake. Don't be fooled by her innocent looks!" Melissa was distorting the truth to help Saul. The Lerche family was trying to get on the Blatt family's good side. If her elder sister successfully married Saul, Lerche Corporation would grow to greater heights! Naturally, her social status as a daughter of the Lerche family would be elevated too! "Ms. Lerche, do you think that I'm blind or deaf?" Luke shot Melissa a side-eye. The icy gaze filled with killing intent caused Mellisa to shudder uncontrollably. Bianca laughed out of anger. She also glared coldly at Melissa. "You really know how to lie through your teeth, Ms. Lerche. The father of the baby in my womb is tall and handsome. He's the pinnacle of masculinity. If he loves me, why would I be interested in a shallow pig?" Jason laughed up his sleeve.
Before Bianca left, she reminded Jason once again to send Nina back. Nina had drunk a lot of juice, and she had also drunk a lot of beer with some of her good friends. She was not a heavy drinker, and she was getting dizzy. The red wine she drank was sweet and easy to drink, but she did not expect the alcohol to kick in later. Once she stepped out of the room, she had the urge to go to the washroom. She apologized to Jason and went to a public washroom next to the private room. At the entrance, Nina suddenly felt very dizzy, and her eyes could not see the signs on the door clearly. She pushed open a door and stumbled inside. It was quiet in the washroom. No one else was inside. Nina quickly relieved herself. She breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, that's a relief. My bladder is going to burst…" Suddenly, she heard the washroom door open. A set of firm and heavy footsteps walked in. Then, the flowing sounds of a thin stream of water echoed in the enclosed space.
The document read: When Queenie Ziegler, Jack Norman's wife, was in the small-town clinic, the person who accompanied her there was Allison Tanner, Luke's mother. Luke's hands stiffened when he saw that line. He turned to the next page and continued to read. The account was very detailed for a twenty-something-year-old incident. According to the informer, Queenie had overstressed herself during that crisis. Moreover, her health was not that great, and those factors had caused her to deliver her baby prematurely. The small town was too far away from the city, and she could not get to the hospital in time. That was why she had to go to an unremarkable clinic. The name of the doctor who delivered Queenie's baby was named Vyen Lane. Queenie lost a lot of blood during the delivery, and she was on the brink of death. She did not know that she had given birth to a healthy baby girl. At that time, Allison had performed an illicit transaction with Doctor Lane. She bribed the doc
Luke helped Bianca change into slippers. He hugged Bianca's waist and walked in front of Allison. "Bianca and I are back home, Mother. She brought you a present." Allison shuddered when she saw her son's icy gaze. Then, she turned her head away unhappily. Bianca was the woman who had caused discord between her and her son! Allison's hatred toward Bianca only grew by the day. "Madam," Bianca greeted Allison and handed her a bag of skincare products. "I heard that you like this brand, and so I bought it when I was out shopping the other day." Allison turned her head and shot a glance at Bianca. Her face had been scrunched up ever since Bianca entered the door of Crawford Manor. Allison's well-manicured fingers caressed her teacup while talking to Luke, "Luke, didn't I tell you not to bring that woman home? Why don't you ever listen to me? That woman had humiliated the Crawford family at the engagement ceremony. Must you disobey me at every chance you get?" Luke sat down
Queenie was shocked when she heard what Shakira said. When she finally processed Shakira's words, she was instantly overcome with joy! She even forgot that her adoptive daughter was next to her. The hand that was holding her phone was shaking. "Shakira, is… is what you say true? You really found my birth daughter? Where is she now? Is she fine? Is…" "Mm, Queenie, are you free? You can come over and take a look now. Mr. Tyson has run a background check on her, and he thinks that all her characteristics check out. I think there's a very big possibility that she is your birth daughter." "I'm free now. I'll head over!" From the phone's speakers, Leia could hear the contents of the conversation between Shakira and her mother. Those words sent chills down her spine. Leia sat on the couch in silence. There was not a hint of a smile on her beautiful face. Her right hand that was holding a flower stalk clenched tightly. Instantly, she lost all vitality. After Queenie ended the cal
Queenie was so sure that her birth daughter was Julie because she had gone to look for Allison more than once! She wanted from Allison the truth of the incident back then! Allison, irritated by Queenie's incessant pestering, said mockingly, "Queenie, when you delivered your daughter back then, she was lacking oxygen and was blue and purple all over. She didn't even cry or make a sound, and we thought that she was dead. That was why we tossed her out into the dumpster near the clinic. It was so cold, and even if the baby were alive, she would have been killed by the weather…" At that moment, Queenie had the urge to kill Allison! Why did they not wait for Queenie to regain consciousness, so that she could see her baby at least once? Why were they so cruel to toss her baby into a dumpster, even though she had almost died giving birth to it? Seeing Queenie discreetly wiping away her tears, Shakira knew that she was not in a stable emotional state. She turned to speak to the mid
Meanwhile, at Crawford Manor. The scene at the dining table was relatively harmonious. Bianca was surprised that Allison did not pick on her or insult her while they had their meal. However, she noticed that Allison would occasionally look at her with a deep-seated hatred, though Allison dared not say a hateful word. Bianca was curious about what was going on. After lunch, Luke and Bianca sent the twins to their tutor. They dropped the children off at the destination. Then, Luke turned the car around and drove along Orchid Road, which Bianca was quite familiar with. The road led into the commercial center of A City. It was wide, but traffic was usually heavy. Moreover, it was the weekend, and the traffic was worse than usual. Bianca sat in the side passenger seat and waited patiently for the traffic light to turn green. She thought that Luke was going to bring her home. However, she began to have doubts when she saw that they were on the jammed road. "Why aren't w
“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