Marbella Village. The chilly ocean breeze drifted through the window into a run-down fishing boat and woke the man who was in a deep sleep. Luke abruptly sat up, the sound of waves washing onto the shore echoing in his ears. He was startled, his eyes quickly scanned through the room. He realized that he was in a fishing boat. The room was old but it was neat and clean. He was lying on a queen-sized wooden bed with a thin quilt covering his body. Luke thought of getting out of bed but when he tried, he felt a sharp pain in his chest and left arm. Luke frowned and found that there were layers of bandages wrapped around his chest and arm. The bandages smelled like blood and medicine. He remembered that he was badly injured. The moment the plane exploded, he, Gale, and Rain had jumped out of the cabin and into the sea. ‘Where did the two of them go? Who on earth saved me and bandaged my wounds?’ Just as he was about to get out of bed and check h
It was Bianca’s first time in Moscow. The architectural designs here were different from those that Bianca had seen. The boutique shops, high-end hotels, and wealthy residences that were placed side by side were unique and eye-catching. If it were in the past, she would be snapping pictures of the buildings excitedly as a designer. However, at that moment, she felt nothing when she saw the buildings. All that was in her mind was to find Luke as quickly as possible.… Gordan took Bianca to a five-star luxury hotel, and Ray personally welcomed them. When Bianca met Ray for the first time, she was a little surprised. Ray was handsome and had a devilish charm. His blue, deep-set eyes hid his wildness. Although he was in casual clothes, his murderous aura was enough to make others retreat. She had only felt a strong presence like this once and it was with Percy Mallory. What surprised Bianca the most was that even though Vivian and Ray were twins, they did not
Lunch. Bianca, Selena, Tommy, and Vivian all ordered yogurt. Bianca was a considerate person who was great at taking care of others. It shocked Vivian. No one had ever treated her so kindly except for her brother. Vivian kept smiling shyly at Bianca as she was overwhelmed by her kindness. Vivian thought that Bianca was nice, beautiful, gentle, and considerate. Although she was several years older than Bianca, she felt like a younger sister who was being taken care of. Halfway through the meal, Vivian brought out two brocade boxes from her bag and handed them to Bianca and Selena. "Bianca, Selena, when we first met, I didn't know what you would like, but I bought something for both of you. I hope you like them." The brocade boxes contained beautiful and rare gem accessories. One was a bracelet and the other was a necklace. Bianca was unfamiliar with rare gems, but Selena could tell at a glance that the jewelry was worth at least one million e
In the never-ending blue ocean, two bloated bodies were floating nearby. The ferocious waves washed them near the deck. It was a man and a woman. However, their features were swollen after being soaked in seawater. They were barely recognizable. After screaming in horror, Nina shouted at the bodyguards to rescue the two floating bodies and see if they had any chance of surviving. However, the bodyguards would never take action without Percy's order. It did not help that the two bodies looked extremely bloated and obviously dead. The bodyguards did not follow through with Nina’s instructions, so Nina quarreled with them. When Percy arrived, he saw Nina screaming at his bodyguards to save the floating corpses. Nina saw Percy walking over and immediately ran to him. She took his arm and pulled him to the edge of the deck. "Percy, get your bodyguard to rescue the two people! They might still be alive. We have to save them!" Percy frowned. He was neve
Moscow. Bianca went to the site of Luke's incident. She went although she knew that two years had passed and it was unlikely that there would be any evidence left. Gordan took Bianca, Selena, Vivian, and a dozen bodyguards there. The site of the incident was deep in the mountain forests. The road was windy like a giant python, and they passed by rows of towering ancient trees that were full of vitality. However, because of how remote the site was, the surrounding environment looked secluded and gloomy. "Sister-in-law, we’re here." Gordan stopped the car somewhere with a wide view. After Bianca and Selena got out of the car, they looked around. Bianca's heart felt like it was filled with lead. She was so upset that she began to tremble uncontrollably. ‘This was where Luke was attacked…’ Just thinking about it overwhelmed her with sadness. The area was low-lying and surrounded by mountains. Compared to other places where the trees were lus
Inside the cabin. The door was kicked open and a group of men in black armed with heavy machine guns stormed in! It was clear that the fat red-haired and vicious-looking man was their leader. He patrolled around the cabin and did not find the man he was looking for. He only saw the two children who were trembling with fright. He stepped forward and grabbed Bobby's neck with one hand. He lifted him easily. Then, the leader asked Bobby in a vicious tone, "Boy, have you seen this man?" He winked at his subordinates and they immediately took out a scroll. The person in the painting was Luke. Bobby was choked till he was almost out of breath. His eyes were rolled back in horror as he tried to scream, "Help… Help me!" When Nova saw Bobby struggling, she cried out and said, "Let go of Bobby! Who are you? Let go of my brother… We don't know the person you’re looking for… We… We’ve never seen him..." Nova had never lied before. However, she knew
When he was in Marbella Village, Luke had not contacted anyone, including Bianca. Marbella Village was isolated from the world and was still using the barter system to trade. It was fairly backward when it came to information and communication. Moreover, the League of Shadows had eyes and ears everywhere. If he contacted Bianca, he was sure that the League of Shadows would be able to trace his whereabouts within half a day. The League of Shadows was known to be brutal and inhuman. If they learned that Luke was alive and reached out to his contacts, they would kill them. He could not bear to put the woman he loved so much and their children in harm’s way.…Moscow. Vivian took Bianca and Selena shopping. They went to Aviapark, a well-known shopping mall in Moscow. Aviapark was known as one of the world's top ten shopping malls, comparable to Champs Elysées in Paris. The main attraction of the shopping mall was the eye-catching arches and the be
Kassy had a dazed look of suspicion the moment she saw Bianca. ‘Why does she look so familiar?’ However, she was sure that she had never seen her before this. Just as Kassy was about to take a second look at Bianca, she received an urgent call. When she saw the caller ID, Kassy's brows wrinkled further. When she answered the phone, her face changed abruptly when she heard the news. "Yes, Godfather, I'll come back right away!" Kassy was no longer bothered with the dress nor Bianca. She rushed off in her ten-centimeter high heels. Bianca was impressed that Kassy could walk so smoothly and quickly even in high heels. Professional models would be ashamed if they could see her. Bianca, who was immersed in her thoughts, did not realize that she had a narrow miss with danger earlier. … Women's friendships were easy to form. Shopping made the three women, who were initially not close with each other, grow a sisterly bond. When Vivian was changi
“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