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
Leia hid away her animosity, then walked up and leaned against Queenie. "I'm back, Mom. Do we have a guest?" "Aunt Queenie…" Charmaine called out weakly behind Leia. Even the usually wanton Charmaine had to behave in front of the noble Queenie. Queenie frowned when she saw Leia and the other young woman in heavy makeup. She was not fond of Leia making friends with women like Charmaine. She felt that Charmaine had passed on many bad habits to Leia. However, considering that Leia and Charmaine were good friends, Queenie nodded at Charmaine and said gently to Leia, "My company needs to hire a new batch of architects, and I love Bea's designs. That's why I invited her over to talk about work." Leia's gaze fell on Queenie's hand that was holding Bianca's hand. She was unhappy when she saw that. Bianca happened to notice Leia's gaze that was filled with hatred and resentment. Seeing that, Bianca smiled gently at Leia, though there was a hint of provocation in that smile.
Intense pain spread from Luke's head to every nerve ending in his body. The bright red blood was a shocking sight. Luke's eyes widened, seemingly in disbelief that he would be shot. The coldness that was spreading through his limbs also told him that the fall season in Moscow was a lot colder than A City. Luke did not know which of his enemies would assassinate him in a foreign country. As the owner of a multinational conglomerate, he was not a merciful person and had driven many to bankruptcy. He had experienced his fair share of threats, but those were only child's play. His head was so painful that it felt like it was going to explode. He was beginning to see hallucinations. Sean and Mallory One's panicked screams and angry howls were fading in his ears. The last image he saw was Bianca's fair and beautiful face. … On the top of a hill. Wayne, wearing black shades, was dressed in a black combat suit that accentuated his burly figure. His fierce and terrifying
Queenie could see how anxious Bianca was. She glared at Leia accusingly, then handed her phone to Bianca. "You can use my phone for now, Bea." "Thank you, Aunt Queenie." Bianca took the phone and dialed Luke's number. Luke's phone was turned off. Bianca was incredibly anxious. Her breathing was shallow and labored. She did not give up and kept on dialing Luke's number. However, the result disappointed her. She tried dialing Sean's number but could not get through either. That made Bianca even more anxious. Following that, she dialed Jason's number. Jason picked up after a few seconds. "Yes, Ms. Rayne?" Bianca spoke frantically, "Mr. Doyle, do you have any other way of contacting Luke? I can't reach him on his phone, and I don't know what's going on." "Don't worry, Ms. Rayne. I'll contact the staff in the Russian branch, and I'll give you a reply soon," Jason comforted her. "Mm, please hurry! I broke my phone, and you can call me back on this number." "Yes, Madam."
Bianca was knitting a sweater in the mansion. She had to keep busy to distract herself from worrying. After waiting on tenterhooks for two days, she did not receive good news about Luke. Instead, Jason came to visit her at the house. Behind him was an overly handsome man. The two men dragged themselves into the living room with solemn expressions on their faces. Bianca's already haggard eyes from not sleeping well became bloodshot when she saw Jason. She put the knitting needles down and rushed up to Jason. She looked behind the men but did not see Luke. Bianca grabbed Jason's elbow and asked him, "Where's Luke, Mr. Doyle? Why isn't Luke with you?" Jason's eyes were moist. He turned away and averted Bianca's gaze. Behind him, Gordan fell on his knees with a plop. "What are you doing?" Bianca was surprised by that man's sudden actions. Gordan explained to Bianca, "I'm Gordan Norton, Sis. Luke ordered me to change my face not long ago." "So it's you," Bianca said.
“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