The sun was setting. Luke drove a fishing boat on the surface of the sea. From afar, he could see a luxury cruise ship. The cruise ship was brilliantly lit. There was a party going on. He had been to such occasions before. He knew that people from the upper layers of society loved to host tacky events like those to flaunt their family's wealth. He narrowed his gaze and thought of an idea. Instantly, he abandoned the fishing boat, dove into the sea elegantly like a swordfish, and swam toward the cruise ship… In the VIP cabin of the cruise ship. A young and handsome man was dressed in the classic English style. His skin was more delicate than a female, and his deep blue eyes and sculpted mixed-blood features inspired romance. He stood tall and straight like a noble in front of the window, looking down at the hall while slightly frowning. He seemed like a gentleman, but his thin lips were slightly pressed together in disapproval. In front of him was Shanna, a sweet, ch
"Where do you think you're looking?" The man behind Anand spoke hoarsely, and his grip on Anand became tighter. Anand dared not look around, but he saw that the man had rolled up the sleeve of the arm that was pinning him. Terrifying scars crisscrossed the muscular arm. Anand suddenly remembered that Bianca's husband had been missing for two years. When he wanted to visit Bianca, she had rejected him, and he did not pursue the matter further. Where had Luke Crawford been in the past two years? What had he been through? No one would know. From what Anand could see, he could tell that Luke had been suffering. Otherwise, the wealthy and noble Luke would not have so many scars. Suddenly, a servant knocked on the cabin door. "Mr. Anand, were you quarreling with Ms. Shanna earlier? Madam wants you to meet her in the front hall…" Anand could feel something hard and tubular press into his waist. "Listen to me if you want to live. Tell her that you're occupied now." Luke's ton
When Bianca heard that voice, she felt an invisible hand grip her heart, and the pain caused her to tremble uncontrollably. Tears started to fall. "Luke… is that you? Is that really you, Luke?" The woman's stifled sobs were very soft. Like a wisp of smoke, it traveled through the phone and entered Luke's ear. It was as though he could see Bianca's crying face in front of him. Luke's heart wrenched, but he forced himself to stay calm. "Don't cry… It's me. I'm still alive. Listen to me. I'm in a risky situation now, and I can't contact you too often. Otherwise, you and the children will be in danger. I can't tell you too much now, but when I get home, I'll tell you what happened to me over the past two years…" Now, she was like a flower blooming under the sun, but he could only look at her from the shadows. He wanted to pluck that flower, but he could not risk exposing himself. Bianca wanted to stop crying, but she could not stop her tears. "Alright, we'll wait for your retur
Bianca dreamed of Luke that night. In the dream, they were lying on a meadow. The willow trees were sprouting, and the sun was gentle. Her face was buried in his chest. One hand was caressing his handsome face, immersed in the bliss of reunion, while the other hand was playfully punching him. She alternated between crying and laughing, asking him, "Where have you been for the past two years? Don't you know that I've almost lost my mind thinking about you?" He did not speak, but she could see her reflection in his clear eyes. His gaze was so gentle and profound that she could drown in it. He kissed her madly. "I miss you, Bianca, I miss you," he mumbled. Their limbs intertwined with each other. She could sense the warmth of his body. His soul belonged to her. Just when she was about to tear his clothes away, she felt her body suddenly sink, waking up from her dream. She opened her eyes and saw a pair of eyes as clear and profound as Luke's. Tommy sprawled mischievously
In the dining hall, the maid tore off a paper-thin mask from her face. Bianca had never seen the face below the mask before. She was shocked. "Who are you? What did you do to Mary?" Mary was the maid who personally attended to Bianca. "You can ask her that in hell!" The "maid" smiled sinisterly. With a wave of her hand, many strangers wielding machine guns rushed into the dining hall. Selena was shocked. She tried to hold off the intruders with her taekwondo skills while shouting to Bianca, "Run away with Tommy, Sis!" Naturally, bare fists were no match to guns. Soon, Selena was sprawled on the floor with a gun pointed at her head. "Selena!" Bianca cried out. She carried Tommy and tried to find a way out. "Mommy, Mommy…" Sensing danger, Tommy hugged Bianca's neck tightly and did not make a fuss. Bianca felt a muscular arm hold her by her beck, and the maid held a dagger to her face. The coldness of the blade made Bianca shudder. "You'd better listen to what I
The female assassin stuffed Bianca and Tommy into a car without a license plate. Bianca could feel that her heart was going to jump out of her chest when she felt the barrel of a gun press against her head. However, Tommy did not seem to be afraid at all. He opened his eyes wide and stared at the female assassin. He even pulled a funny face at her and reached out to touch the gun. "Do you have a death wish, you brat?" The female assassin said fiercely and pointed the gun at Tommy's head. Bianca hugged Tommy tightly and pressed his head onto her chest. "Don't harm my son. He's still young and doesn't know anything! Come at me if you're unhappy!" She did not know why Tommy was so bold. He was usually quite sensible and intelligent, but he seemed to have lost all sense of danger. The people around them were merciless assassins. What if they got angry? Tommy struggled and lifted his head. His handsome face flashed a cheeky grin at the female assassin. The little boy started
The snipers stationed at the higher ground were very accurate. They killed one person with every bullet they fired. Ray's men quickly dispatched the other assassins and began to clean up the scene. Ray walked up to Bianca. He frowned slightly when he saw the bloodstains on her delicate arm. "I'm sorry, Sis. I have been negligent. Fortunately, you're safe. Otherwise, I don't know what to tell Mr. Crawford." Bianca shook her head gently. "The blood belongs to someone else and not me. I'm fine. Tommy is also fine. Thank you, Ray." Ray could not help but be impressed when he saw the little boy in Bianca's arms smiling and waving. Any other child would have been reduced to tears after witnessing such a horrific scene. Tommy was not afraid at all. Ray believed that the boy would grow up to be an extraordinary man. "You were so cool when you got out of the car, Uncle Ray!" Tommy reached out with his meaty arms, wanting Ray to carry him. Ray took the little boy from Bianca's ar
Kassy lit another cigarette. Her expression was gloomy. Three separate forces were searching for Matthew. The first was the League of Shadows, the second was Ray's men, and the third was Percy Mallory, the leader of A City's criminal underworld. It was a race against time, and Kassy had to be faster than Ray and Percy. Otherwise, once he managed to escape from her clutches, it would be next to impossible to capture that crafty man again. "Ms. Kassy…" While Kassy was deep in thought, another subordinate rushed into the room excitedly. "We found Matthew's whereabouts." Kassy instantly stubbed out her cigarette and stood up. "Where is he?" "He is seen near a shopping mall in Arbat Street…" Before he could finish the sentence, Kassy was nowhere to be seen. … Late in the evening, in Moscow's famous pedestrian street. Luke walked among the crowd. He wore a pair of oversized sunglasses, and only his sculpted chin was seen. He glanced coldly at the black cars that surro
“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