Old Master Rayne regained consciousness on the third day. Bianca was overjoyed. She stayed by him and attended to him. The VIP hospital ward was spacious and brightly lit. The cozy sunlight shone through the windows and brightened the gloomy atmosphere. Bianca sat next to the bed and peeled some grapes. She removed the seeds and fed the sweet grape flesh in her grandfather's mouth. "Are you feeling any better, Grandpa? Do you feel any discomfort?" The corner of Old Master Rayne's mouth was slanted because his facial nerves were affected. He was in good spirits, though his speech was slightly slurred. "Nggh… I'm… I'm fine…" Bianca was more than happy that her grandfather managed to survive the ordeal. She had Johann to thank. Johann said that Old Master Rayne would have to exercise frequently. The old man might not completely recover, but he could at least live normally. Bianca stood up and poured a glass of warm water for her grandfather. She looked into his eyes and sa
Wayne's muscular body stood in front of the bed. His well-built body formed a stark contrast with Leia's frail body, who seemed more like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. Leia had always known that Wayne had certain interests in bed. She had suffered quite a lot, but today was shaping up to be the worst torture ever. Leia retreated out of shock. When her back hit the corner of the room, she realized that she could not escape. "W… Wayne… I'm not feeling very well today. Can we do this some other day?" She sounded like she was almost crying. Wayne grabbed Leia's hair and pulled her away from the corner without showing her any tenderness. "You'll do what I tell you! I'll kill you if you don't!" He delivered a mighty slap on Leia's face, which caused her to tumble off the bed and onto the floor. Leia's cheek instantly swelled up. She felt that her teeth were coming loose too. She spat out a mouthful of blood, though more blood continued to flow from the corner of her lip
Bianca's gaze fell onto a rose garden in full bloom in the garden outside of the window. The flowers were white, pink, red, and orange. Thanks to her meticulous care, the plants were especially healthy. The bloom brought love and warmth to the house. However, Luke would be gone for a few days. Without Luke at home, there would be less love and warmth. Bianca lowered her gaze. When she looked at Luke again, she seemed visibly unhappy. Luke kissed her lips helplessly and promised Bianca once more, "I'll come home safely, and I can promise you that. If I can't do that, you can punish me however you want." "Alright." Bianca agreed to it, though her left ear was ringing once again, which made her uneasy. She hugged Luke tightly to try to make herself feel better. "You will come home safe. Otherwise, I won't forgive you!" … Luke sat in his seat on the flight to Country M. He closed his eyes to rest. He had developed a keen intuition in his stint on the Island of Despair
Bianca struggled to breathe when she looked at Tommy, whose face resembled Luke. Pain spread throughout her chest. Every breath felt painful. What followed the pain was sorrow and grief… Luke had promised her that he would return safely, but it seemed that he would be going back on his word again. Tommy could see from Bianca's face that she was not in a good mood. He was not as naughty as before. Instead, he handed Bianca a napkin and said, "You're crying, Mommy. Wipey…" The little boy tiptoed and tried to reach his mother's face so that he could wipe off the tears for her. However, he was too short. Dejectedly, he tugged the hem of his mother's sleeve and asked her, "What happened, Mommy? Don't ignore me. Did I do something wrong? I won't ever make you angry again, Mommy. Can you please forgive me?" The little cutie that was half his mother's height thought that he had gotten into trouble. He was apologizing to Bianca, even though he did not know what he did wrong.
Bianca felt relieved when she found that Luke was alive. Around noon, Tommy said that he was hungry, while Old Master Rayne said that he was craving cornbread buns with collard greens. He was already quite old, and he missed comfort food from his younger days. Furthermore, he was sickly, and it was natural that he had specific cravings. Bianca almost missed the taste of cornbread too. She had lived with her grandfather since young. They were poor, and they ate cornbread for most meals. Grandpa used to make his own cornbread in the kitchen, and Bianca had learned how to do so by watching him. Cornbread was quite tasteless and rough, but it was delicious to her because she was hungry and poor. Now that her living conditions had improved and the food at every meal was of much higher quality, it was nonetheless healthy to eat grains sometimes. It might help Old Master Rayne in his recovery too. Bianca got the driver to go to the grocery store and bought a bagful of cornmeal a
Bianca hastily put on her slippers and rushed out of the door. She did not even realize that she knocked over a vase. Tommy ran across the yard with his short legs and stretched his arms toward the man that just came out of the parked car. "Daddy, gimme a hug!" Luke picked up the little boy in his arms and straddled him across his shoulders. "You're finally calling me Daddy. Tell me, what do you want me to buy for you this time?" The man's expression was cold, but his gaze was brimming with care and indulgence. "I don't want anything, Daddy. I miss you!" The cute little boy planted a kiss on Luke's cheek and slobbered all over his face. Luke helplessly wiped his face. His son was getting better and better at flattery. The little boy was jealous of him when they first met in Russia. Now that they were back home, he seemed to be quite clingy toward his father. "Daddy, Lanie already has his own car. When can I have one of my own?" Tommy stared at his father with his puppy ey
Luke tried to coax Bianca with a gentle voice. His low and resonant voice had a hint of an indulgent smile in it. The setting sun gave his sculpted facial features a charming silhouette, which made Bianca's heart beat faster. She could feel her earlobes turn hot. "Don't make me worry about you again. Otherwise…" Luke lowered his voice and stared at her gentle face. "Alright, but will you forgive me this time?" Bianca grunted coyly. "What if I don't forgive you?" Luke smiled, and his gaze became gentler. "Then I'll do whatever I can to convince you to forgive me. You know that I love you. I'll even pluck the stars from the sky if you want me to." His words made Bianca bite her lip. Her emotions were undergoing a tremendous change. She pretended that she was still angry, though she could not help but smile. "I want the stars in the sky. Are you going to fulfill my wish?" Luke tousled her hair and said abruptly, "Close your eyes, Bea." Bianca was surprised but did what s
Wayne grunted nonchalantly. "Don't you have anything else to do lately, Vince? You rarely meddle in my business." He was not the pushover third son that he used to be. As lowly as he was in the past, he was now on top of the chain of command. The populous Blatt family had a massive family business with more than a century of history. Naturally, a family like that would place importance on the preservation of their main bloodline. They were a weak and unremarkable branch and had been bullied and oppressed by the main family. All three brothers were competitive and ambitious. They were not going to yield to others so easily. The three brothers joined forces and, in the short span of a few years, eliminated the other branches of the family one by one. Victor Blatt, the eldest brother, was successful in the military circles. Vincent, the second brother, was an influential figure in the business circles. Wayne, the youngest brother, wielded considerable influence in the underwor
“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