Luke stared at Bianca's face with a doubtful expression. He could not help but chuckle when he saw how serious she was. He tucked her hair behind her ear and said gently, "You should accept Mrs. Norman's hospitality to you. She's your birth mother after all. It's better than giving you the cold shoulder, isn't it?" He thought that his woman was intelligent, but she could be confused sometimes. Bianca buried her face in his chest and said, "I know that Mrs. Norman is my birth mother, but she doesn't know that I'm her daughter. I'm afraid that I can't control myself if I interact too much with her…" Luke scraped the bridge of her nose with a fingernail and smiled. "Why are you so unconfident about yourself, hmm? You don't have to worry about anything. After all, she…" Before he could finish his sentence, his phone started to ring abruptly. It was an unknown foreign number. Luke answered the call. Someone was panting heavily on the other end of the call as though trying to c
Bianca stood in a daze in front of the window. The scene of Luke's car speeding away replayed in her mind. She felt both sad and angry. She was also aggrieved that the man did not care about her feelings at all. Bianca knew that Gordan had risked a lot when he saved Luke. Not only did Gordan perform plastic surgery on his face, but he had also taken the fall for a crime he did not commit. She knew that Luke was duty-bound to save Gordan, but did he ever spare a thought for him and the children? Gordan might have gone to prison because of Luke, but Luke eventually found a way to free him as well as get the Italian mafia to stop hunting him down. Was that not enough? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She hugged her knees and buried her red face between her legs. Even though she was angry, she could not help but feel worried. What if something really happened to him? The caretaker saw that Bianca was in a bad mood. She put the vacuum cleaner in her ha
Security was tight in the double-storied mansion. Men in black were stationed every few feet apart. Ray was waiting for Luke in the first-floor foyer of the mansion. Luke had expected that the cruel and merciless Ray was a stern old man or a violent middle-aged man, but he was surprised to find out that Ray was quite young. Ray was tall and well-built like most Russian men, but he had a warm and gentle smile on his face. Luke found it hard to associate a gentleman like that with the feared Mafia boss in the rumors. While Luke sized up Ray, Ray was also silently observing Luke. The man who had expanded his business across the continents had outstanding looks. He might be a mere businessman, but he carried the bearing of a noble. It was impressive that he remained calm despite the perilous surroundings. The two men sat down opposite each other in the foyer. The atmosphere was stifling. Ray took out a cigar and handed it to Luke. "You've come a long way, Mr. Crawford, so I
At the shopping mall. Nina tried on one outfit after another but did not find one that she liked. It was rare that Nina was so excited over shopping, and so she did not disturb her. She sat on the couch, feeling rather bored. Half an hour later, the sales clerk was still recommending clothes for Nina. Bianca strolled over to the men's section nearby. She saw an elegant black windbreaker on display and reached out to touch it. An observant sales clerk noticed her. She quickly walked up to Bianca and asked eagerly, "Madam, are you planning to buy it for your husband? This is the latest limited edition design, and it looks very well on tall men. How tall is your husband?" "He is six-foot-four and weighs 160 pounds," Bianca answered without thinking. The sales clerk opened her mouth wide. "Wow, your husband is probably a model! You're beautiful, Madam, and I believe your husband must be handsome too. The windbreaker must look good on him." Bianca smiled. The string of zer
Bianca did not want to talk to Xavier. She felt that the atmosphere was too awkward. She had tactfully declined Xavier's attempts at striking up a conversation, but Xavier continued to talk as though he did not understand Bianca's words. Nina was exasperated. She wanted to shoo him away, but she did not want to embarrass Bianca. Just when the atmosphere could not have gotten any more awkward, they heard a shrill and coy voice. " I say, Cousin Xavier, I tried to look for you, but it turns out that you're having an intimate rendezvous with this seductress! How could you? You promised me that you won't ever look for her, so what's going on now?" Bianca's expression changed slightly. She turned to look in the direction of the voice and saw Melissa, whom she had not met for a long time. Melissa was dressed in a glittering gown, and she wore delicate make-up on her face. She was walking toward the table while twisting her waist. Xavier's expression changed drastically the moment he
Melissa covered her cheek that was throbbing in pain, and she looked at Xavier in utter disbelief. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shrieked. "How dare you hit me! This is the second time that you hit me because of that b*tch!" Xavier's expression was ice-cold. "That's enough. You caused a pregnant woman to fall. Don't you know that your action might result in the loss of two lives?" Melissa cackled loudly, not feeling any remorse for what she had done. She grunted coldly and said, "She deserves to die anyway. That's for…" Bianca took a deep breath to calm herself down so that her emotions would not affect the baby in her womb. However, her eyes brimmed with killing intent when her gaze shot toward Melissa. Melissa instinctively took a step backward because of fright. However, she was not going to back away. Instead, her hatred toward Bianca became even stronger when she saw Xavier being protective of Bianca. Melissa raised her hand and prepared to slap Bianca, but a sl
Even though his hand was saved, Luke thought that he had failed. Gordan should not have agreed to the marriage. If only Gordan could hold on for a few more minutes, Luke believed that they would not have failed in the last step. Luke could guess what Ray was thinking. Ray, as a man standing on the pinnacle of power, should be smart enough to weigh the pros and cons of offending Luke. Luke was sure that Ray would not burn bridges with him, no matter how much he loved his sister. After all, T Corporation was under the Russian government's protection. As the leader of the Russian mafia, Ray would not brazenly challenge the government. That was why Luke gambled that Ray would not want him to cripple himself. Gordan had been too impulsive. Luke shook his head and looked accusingly at Gordan. Gordan did not show any regret. "I won't change my decision." If marrying an ugly woman was all it took to save his good friend's hand, he would not hesitate to do so. Ray was very sat
A long time later, Queenie coughed gently and composed herself. Bianca handed her a paper towel while gently wiped away her tears with her other hand. "Don't be sad, Aunt Queenie. I believe that things will be better." Queenie was reluctant to turn her gaze away from Bianca's face. Suddenly, she grabbed Bianca's hand as though afraid that Bianca might disappear suddenly. "I've never met my birth daughter before, but she's the same age as you. I believe that she'll be as pretty, sensible, and talented as you…" Bianca felt bad that Queenie was crying. However, she was embarrassed by Queenie's praise. She lowered her head and tucked her hair before saying, "I'm not as good as you think, Aunt Queenie. I have many bad points." Queenie massaged her temples and said caringly, "I like you, no matter how many bad points you might have." Bianca stared at Queenie. She was at a loss. She could not understand Queenie's sudden change in attitude. Other than feeling surprised, she was
“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