Bianca's vision was becoming blurry. She tried to curl up as much as possible, but her lower abdomen still hurt. The pain was becoming more and more intense. Her tears were threatening to fall. Bianca felt that she was becoming more and more affectatious. She used to grit her teeth and bear with it even when she was at her lowest point. Ever since Luke returned, her tears fell a lot more easily. She would find herself crying every few days. Her womb used to be a lot healthier. She had never experienced period pains. She attributed the decline in her health to her depression in response to Luke's disappearance while she was pregnant with Tommy. She could not snap out of her despair, and she lost a lot of blood when she delivered the baby. Ever since then, her health declined, and her period pains would cause her much agony. Even so, Bianca did not regret giving birth to that precocious child. The child brought hope to her life. He was the proof that Luke and Bianca had o
Luke reached behind him and felt his back. Those scratch marks were rapidly swelling up. 'How vicious!' He gasped softly and looked at Bianca in his arms with a cold and profound gaze. 'Does she have cat claws for hands? They’re so sharp, and she doesn't hold back!' He decided that he would cut her fingernails soon. He would not give her any "tools of punishment" because he would be the only one to suffer! Luke gazed into Bianca's eyes, and his voice was as gentle as spring water. "Does it make you feel any better? If you're still angry, you can scratch, claw, and pinch me however you want. I'll do anything for you if it makes you happy…" He laid sideways and bared his chest at her. Then, he placed her little claws on his flat stomach. Of course, Bianca saw her "handiwork" when the man showed her those bloody gashes on his back… She turned away guiltily. She did not mean to use so much strength. After all, the man deserved it for deceiving her! "What should I do s
Seeing that Bianca was about to cry, Luke reached behind her and gently massaged her back. "It's already in the past. I didn't want you to see my scars because I don't want you to worry. It's fine, the scars don't hurt anymore… I would give up everything just to see you again." Hearing those words, Bianca suddenly hugged his neck tightly, and tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have given you the silent treatment, and I shouldn't have suspected you. You've treated me so well, and maybe it's because of that that I can't bear any imperfections in our relationship. I'm at fault too. Sorry." Luke smiled gently and tousled her hair. "You don't have to apologize to me, silly girl. I…" He did not finish his sentence because he felt a pair of soft and supple lips on his bare back. "Bea…" 'Does she know what she's doing?' "What are you doing?" Luke growled softly, "You're playing with fire." Bianca gently held his shoulders and kissed every hideous scar on his bac
Jason did not understand why the boss did not want that young woman named Maxine to pass the interview. According to the preliminary assessment, Maxine's results were considered one of the best among the candidates. Jason knew that his boss did not like other people questioning his decisions. He nodded and said, "I know what to do, Mr. Crawford." It was all too easy to sabotage an undesirable candidate. "Mm," Luke replied. He noticed that Jason's arm was bandaged and asked him, "What happened? How did you hurt yourself?" Jason smiled awkwardly and made up an excuse. "It's nothing. I got into a minor car accident while I was driving. I'll be fine in a few days." He did not tell his boss that he was hurt when his ex-wife brought a bunch of hooligans to the bridal boutique to beat him up. It would have been hard to explain. Luke did not ask too many questions either. "If you're injured, then you should rest at home and come back when you're feeling better. Don't worry, I won
Bianca instantly hung up. She seemed angry as she did so. Luke gently held her cheeks and kissed her. "Why are you so angry? You should control your emotions, my wife. It's not worth it to lose your temper over someone else's business." Bianca nodded and tried to calm herself down, though she could not help but say, "I thought that Mr. Doyle is an assertive man looking at how he is at work, but I didn't expect him to be so unreliable. He's been dragging his feet when it comes to the problem with his ex-wife, and Sue is the one who has to suffer. Sigh… Sue is unlucky to marry him." "It's up to them to sort it out, and there's only so much that we can do for them. If Jason can't remove the biggest obstacle between him and Sue, then he won't get anything in the end." "Mm. I'll try to contact Sue," Bianca replied, then went through her call records. She received a call from an unknown number earlier in the afternoon, and she guessed that Sue must have changed her number. There
Sue was not a naïve young girl. She was familiar with the sounds of love-making. That was the sound of a woman gradually sinking into the bed. The woman sounded like she was trying to hold back from screaming in pain. Obviously, the voice belonged to Nina. What about the man? Was the man Percy Mallory, her supposed boyfriend? Did Sue happen to walk into them while they were making out? Sue frowned awkwardly. She was about to put her hand down. Just when she was about to tiptoe away, she heard Nina begging weakly from inside the bedroom. "Please… no… please…" Sue blushed. She wanted to get away quickly. Just when she turned around, she heard a deep and hoarse masculine voice. The man seemed to be enjoying his presence inside the woman, and his voice carried a hint of mockery. "Heh, are you begging me? How many times have you begged me over the past two years for that broken family of yours and your materialistic mother? You've sold your soul for money!" The grunts
In the morning, the scattered sun rays shone through the floor-to-ceiling window, through the white lace curtains, and landed softly on the rose-gold carpet. Bianca woke up from her dreams. She habitually reached out, but there was no one lying next to her. She was all alone in the spacious bedroom. She stretched and yawned lazily before glancing at the clock on the wall. It was half-past eight. Bianca felt a little frustrated. She used to wake up at six o'clock, but ever since Luke returned, she stopped going to work, and she might have become lazy after staying at home for so long. She got out of bed and drew the curtains. She was putting on her clothes when she heard a soft rustle. A small piece of notepaper fell from the bedside table to the carpet. It was very eye-catching under the morning sunlight. She picked up the note and read it. "I'm off to work, baby. Sleep a little while more. The caretaker has already prepared breakfast, and I've placed it in the warmer.
Mavis narrowed her eyes and glared at Nina. Her well-manicured hands rapped her desk. "What did you see?" Mavis's tone was unlike her usual coldness. It was stern and close to savage, which made Nina shudder uncontrollably. She tried to maintain her composure and tried her best to speak calmly. "I didn't see anything, Ms. Laviere. Right, I'm here to ask you about my transfer. I'd like to remain in A City and not transfer to Snowdon District because my father has ill health, and it'll be easier for me to take care of him if I remain here. Can you reconsider your decision?" Mavis leaned back on her chair elegantly, rested her chin on her hand, and chuckled coldly. "The company has arranged the transfer, and it's not good if you want to change it. Also, Ms. Langdon, if every employee starts giving excuses like you, would the company prosper? It's natural that every employee wants to stay in the big city. Who would be the ones to explore the company's frontiers then? I respect my e
“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