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
Leia's gaze discomfited Bianca, but she did not think too much of it. After all, Leia had never seen eye to eye with her, especially after she had reunited with her birth mother. She had taught Leia a lesson several times, which kept her attitude in check. However, she wondered if she was seeing things. She thought that Leia had lost a lot of weight recently, and her beautiful hair that used to be her pride had become a lot thinner. Her animated gaze was sunken, hollow, and unfocused, as though she was a migratory bird that had lost her way. Leia flashed an unnerving grin when she saw Bianca. Bianca shuddered and turned her head away. She looked at the black jar next to Queenie. She could catch a whiff of something fragrant emanating from the jar. "Are you pickling something, Mom? It smells quite good." "Your dad loves pickles, and so I'm pickling some radishes and gherkins for him. I'll give you and Luke some when it's ready. Do you like pickles too, Tommy?" Queenie said
Leia's sharp nails dug into her palm. She tried her best to remain calm and not let everyone see that she was panicking. However, her slightly trembling shoulders betrayed her composure. Queenie grabbed Leia's shoulder and asked her agonizingly, "Tell me, Leia. You didn't take illegal drugs, right?" Leia's fragile visage was instantly shrouded by a thin layer of tears when she heard her mother's question. "Don't you know my character, Mom? I've always been so timid, and I wouldn't even dare to kill an ant. Do you think that I would take illegal drugs? Everyone else can accuse me of wrongdoing, but you're my mother!" Her sickly demeanor and unrelenting questions made Queenie feel bad that she had even suspected her daughter the slightest. Bianca smirked when she saw Leia's act. 'Not bad. No wonder she can be an actress,' she thought. 'If she had employed her talents in her career, she might have become a famous movie star by now. 'Too bad, her talents are used at all the w
Inside the interrogation room.The lighting was not too bright, but it was a little glaring.There was only one table and three chairs in the interrogation room.Leia sat at the far end and in front of her were two seated police officers who looked particularly serious.No matter how they questioned Leia, she would not give them any answer other than she did not know.The incandescent light made Leia's already pale face look even paler, like a ghoul.Even though the two police officers had questioned her till their mouths were dry, she just remained silent the whole time.They looked at each other and felt that there was no need to ask her any further, so they said to her, "Ms. Norman, follow us to do a urine test. The test results will tell us whether you took the drugs.”Leia sneered, and her tone sounded strange when she said, "If the test results show that I didn’t take any drugs, it means that you guys have arrested an innocent person. If that’s the case, how are you going
Bianca was on the road, driving. When she was waiting at the red light, she was thinking about what Bridget had said.Bridget had asked, "Bianca, you’ve always been talented in design and you’re extremely intelligent. Why would you ever settle to be an ordinary housewife?"Didn't you use to dream of being the best architect in the world? You know how humans are. Once they get into a comfortable environment for a long time, it’s easy to fall into complacency. They’d still be okay if they had strong self-control and restraint. Otherwise, they would just be content with their lives and not do anything to better themselves."Bianca, I think that with the talent you have, whether it’s your natural talent or what you’ve refined throughout the years, it’s more than enough for you to start your own company. You should give it a try because we should use our time while we're still young to work hard. Otherwise, we’d only regret it if we wait until we’re too old.”The truth was, Bianca had n
Bianca returned to Norman residence and picked up Tommy. After that, she was just about to go back home when she suddenly received a call from Rainie's class teacher.The class teacher sounded very anxious. "Mrs. Crawford, the art teacher took the class to a flower field to do live sketching today, but Rainie suddenly disappeared. We couldn't reach her on the phone, so did she go home?""You couldn’t reach Rainie?" After Bianca learned about this, her phone almost slipped out of her hand. She panicked and immediately called home as well as Crawford Manor.However, after calling both sides, she was told that Rainie was not there.Bianca became really anxious and imagined the millions of possibilities such as Rainie being caught by human traffickers. Trafficked children would get sold and get their limbs chopped off. Worse, she might even have her organs gouged out to be sold.When she thought of this, Bianca felt the blood all over her body freeze and solidify.She was terribly an
When they heard Rainie's sweet and soft voice, Bianca, Luke, and the entire group of people followed her voice to find her."Mommy..." Rainie's small, thin body was almost drowning inside the dense flower field.Even so, she still answered loudly, "Mommy, I'm here..."Rainie had thought that the place where their art teacher brought them to for live sketching was not beautiful enough. Although the little girl was young, she had a good sense of aesthetics, so she chose another spot to do her live sketching according to what she liked.That was why Rainie initially picked a place somewhere near where her teacher and her classmates were doing their live sketching. Without knowing it, however, she walked into the endless flower field and soon became fascinated by this beautiful spot. She then decided to stay there to draw.She did not expect that the place would be so big and everything would look the same. When she tried to leave, she realized that she could not remember the way out.
“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