At night, Bianca and Luke took the elevator to the VIP cabins on the top floor of the cruise ship. Bianca was shocked by the display of opulence. That was not a cabin. It was more like a palace! Inside the spacious hall were a minibar, a buffet line, and an entertainment center. The dim light shrouded the area in an aura of mystery. However, only Percy and Nina were in that vast space. Nina was holding a microphone and singing a song on the karaoke system. Next to her were several empty beer bottles. Percy reclined on the couch lazily while smoking a cigarette. His overly beautiful face seemed sinister under the dim light. Bianca was surprised. She felt that the atmosphere between the two people was quite peculiar. Nina was singing "My Heart Will Go On," the theme song of the movie "Titanic." Her graceful and resonant voice sounded like the original singer. If Bianca had not seen Nina singing, she would have thought that Celine Dion was in the cabin. Nina performe
Percy did not know why Bianca suddenly became angry. Looking at Nina's pale face, he complied with Bianca's wishes and asked for a hot drink. Soon, a servant came into the cabin with a hot drink. Percy pointed in Nina's direction with his chin and said to the servant, "Give her the drink." Bianca glanced at Nina and could not help but be worried. Percy was a domineering and merciless man. He was not kind at all. Bianca wondered if being by Percy's side gave Nina any pressure. It was almost midnight when Luke and Bianca got out of Percy's cabin and returned to theirs. They went to the bathroom to take another bath. While Luke washed Bianca's hair and sniffed the refreshing smell on her body, he could not help but smile. "Are you worn out? I'll go easy on you today. We'll return to A City tomorrow." Bianca gently touched Luke's handsome face as she enjoyed the "VIP-class treatment" from him. "I'm fine. I don't really feel tired whenever I'm with you. On the other hand
Bianca was startled by the caretaker's comment. After that, she found it funny. She pointed at the glass of milk and reminded the caretaker, "I'm having my period now. How can I be pregnant?" Her stomach would hurt immensely during her period. Moreover, she and Luke had always been careful. The chances of her becoming pregnant were negligible. The caretaker was not too sure and continued guessing, "Madam, what if it's not your period but an early sign of a miscarriage? You ought to take care of your health. This is no small matter. I've seen it happen to my daughter-in-law." Her daughter-in-law had suffered the same symptoms before. After an intense bout of stomach pain, the caretaker's daughter-in-law began to bleed. She treated it as though she was having a period until the blood did not stop flowing. When she went to the hospital for an examination, she realized that she had miscarried. That was how the caretaker lost her first grandchild, and she was afraid that Bianc
Shireen was the one who raised her hand. Bianca frowned. Virus infection was no small matter, especially one that made them lose all their design data. They had to redo everything, and someone might have stolen their ideas. "Was there anything out of the ordinary when you left?" She asked. "I'm not sure," Shireen answered timidly, "I received a file from a client last night. Before I could see it, the building security asked me to leave." The management was quite strict in enforcing the rules of the building. When Bianca rented the office, it was stated on the contract that no one was allowed to stay in the office past midnight. She did not think too much of it before signing. After all, it was only a small company. "Did you shut down your computer before you left?" Bianca asked. Shireen bit her lip. She realized that she might not have done so. Her face turned pale, and she shook her head. "How could you leave without shutting down your computer? Do you know that eve
When Bianca saw Jason coming into her office, she realized why Sue was yelling earlier. Sue hated Jason for how he handled his previous relationship. "Why are you here, Mr. Doyle?" Bianca was not fond of Jason for the same reason, but she appreciated his work ethic. Moreover, he was Luke's assistant, so she had to be courteous to him. Jason was quite flustered at the moment after being yelled at. "Mr. Crawford asked me to help you, Madam." "Do you know how to fix a computer?" Bianca chuckled. She knew that Luke would interfere, but she did not expect that Jason would be the one coming. "What can that idiot possibly know?" Sue was not done dressing down Jason yet. She saw Jason go into Bianca's office and, under the pretense of delivering a cup of coffee to Bianca, continued to mock him. Indeed, Jason did not possess much technical knowledge outside of his scope of work. He had told Sue that before. "Mr. Crawford asked me to investigate the incident," Jason explained. "W
Bianca massaged her tired eyes. "No. This client is quite picky." Luke sat down next to her and handed her the glass of milk. "You didn't eat dinner earlier. Have some milk." Bianca took a sip and reflexively licked the milk stains on her lips. It seemed quite seductive. Luke could feel his urges rising when he saw that. He bent over and kissed her. Bianca cried out in surprise and nearly dropped the glass of milk in her hand. Instinctively, she leaned toward the man. Luke's tongue carefully traced the shape of her lips. They tasted the sweetness of the milk between their mouths, which heightened the sensation of the kiss. Bianca could not resist Luke's passion. He only let go of her when the air in her lungs was almost depleted. "Bea…" Luke's voice was hoarse and seductive. Bianca gasped for air as she leaned on her. She would feel so spent every time after they kissed. "No." She could sense that Luke was planning something else, and she grabbed his hands. "I still n
When Bianca returned to the office, she noticed that everyone was listless. After a brief meeting, she went into her office and revised the proposal. Sue walked in and said with envy in her eyes, "Ms. Rayne, you’re pretty efficient, aren’t you?" "Luke helped me out." Bianca was not one to take Luke's credit. As she spoke, she texted a client to come over to the office to review the revised artwork in the afternoon. The dark circles under Sue’s eyes were obvious. She held her chin, then sighed and said leisurely, "It's a great thing to have someone help you, unlike me. The twins tortured me all night. When I finally had time to work on the designs, it was already dawn." Bianca put down her phone and smiled apologetically as she said, "You’ve been working hard, and taking care of children takes a lot of energy. How about this? Hand over one of your urgent projects and I’ll take care of it." "No worries! If Mr. Crawford finds out, he’ll kill me." Sue refused Bianc
Bianca noticed that Sue's eyes were flickering with jealousy. Sue suppressed the loss she felt in her heart and raised a glass to Bianca. "Ms. Rayne, our company has overcome a crisis, we should celebrate. Cheers!" Bianca smiled and took a sip of wine. With Sue starting it off, the other employees were itching to have a toast with Bianca as well. "You’re not allowed to get Ms. Rayne drunk. She has a family. If she goes back drunk, she’ll have a hard time explaining herself. If you want to drink, drink with me." Sue stood guard in front of Bianca. She wanted to remind Sue that she also had two kids to take care of, but then she thought that perhaps Sue wanted to get drunk to get some thoughts out of her head. Everyone who worked in T Corporation was like family. Even if Sue got drunk, she would be taken care of. As such, Bianca went along with it. The other side. After Bianca left home, Luke had driven to the airport. Maxine Douglas walked ou
“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