Self-defense? Bianca was well aware of how weak she was. Sometimes when something happened, even the bodyguards that Luke hired could not protect her. In the end, he had to put himself in harm's way to save her. Bianca raised her gaze and agreed with him, "Tomorrow is Saturday. I’ll sign up for a class and do my best." She was going to learn self-defense not only to make herself stronger and not hold him back anymore but also for the sake of her health. Bianca intended to spend the rest of her life with Luke, but after giving birth to Tommy, her health deteriorated. She was afraid that her dream would not come true because of that. Therefore, her intention of learning self-defense was to protect herself and strengthen her body. "You don't need to sign up for classes. I'll get someone to teach you." Luke freed his right hand and held Bianca's hand. She smiled slightly and nodded in agreement.They soon arrived at the Tanner family’s villa. T
Luke's cold gaze lingered on Riley's face for one second before turning away to look at Bianca once more while placing the back of her hand in his cheek. "To me, Bianca is a unique presence. No one in the world is like her, and no other woman is worthy of being her substitute." It was rare that Luke spoke so much about her, which warmed Bianca's heart as she listened to it. She did in fact think that Riley looked somewhat similar to her, and she was quite appalled that Xavier could do such a thing. However, Luke's words had made Bianca think that Xavier was doing all that in vain. She was irreplaceable after all. The love that they gave Xavier could not be compared to the love that she gave Luke. Riley seemed surprised. She had suspected Bianca's identity when she met her at the mall, but she did not expect that Bianca would be Luke Crawford's wife! Her face turned red with embarrassment. Xavier seemed to have set her up for humiliation, while Luke had expressed his revulsi
Xavier entered the study without knocking at the door. Daniel was furious. He threw the objects on the table at his son. "You wretch! Must you do this to your father?" Xavier's expression sank, though he was not going to lose his temper at his father. He glanced disdainfully at the things that had fallen on the floor. "Why are you acting all crazy? Your guests are waiting for you outside!" He said unhappily. Daniel's chest was heaving from anger. He pointed at the document on the floor and said, "Pick it up." Xavier bent over and picked up the few pieces of paper. He glanced at it and wondered why his father would be so angry. "Where did you get this?" His expression darkened, and the hands that were holding the document began to tremble. "That's the present from Luke Crawford!" Daniel stood up abruptly and, in a fit of rage, threw the burning cigarette at Xavier's face. Xavier managed to dodge it in time. He would be hurt if he did not. "How dare he!" Xavier's expressi
Lacey was beginning to waver. Melissa was not done yet. She shook Lacey's arm and said, "Aunt Lacey, if you like children, I'll give you one once Xavier comes to his senses and marries me. You don't need Riley's baby. Who knows if you're only raising a child for someone else?" Lacey became wholly convinced. "Alright, but that b*tch is already a few months into her pregnancy. We can't afford to wait if we want to get rid of it." Melissa hurriedly added, "I've asked the doctor that examined her. He said that the baby isn't firmly embedded in the placenta, and she'll have to be careful. Otherwise…" She pretended to hesitate. "Go on, Melissa! Otherwise what?" Lacey was anxious when she considered that the child in Riley's womb might not be Xavier's. "Otherwise, if she bumps into something, she might easily lose it." Melissa let go of her hand. Now that she had gotten Lacey on her side, it was time that the little b*tch left Xavier. 'Do you think that you're special just becau
Luke's objective was for Xavier to stay away from Bianca. If Xavier did not want to leave the country, Luke had other options for him. "Would you like him to spend some time inside then, Uncle Daniel?" His voice was cold, clearly not in the mood for negotiation. "Please, no!" Daniel cried out in shock. Xavier was indignant when he saw his father begging and groveling. He did not believe that Luke did not have any dirt. Luke got lucky in the corruption case; someone had taken the fall for him. Perhaps he could find another one… Luke folded his arms together. His diamond wedding ring shone brilliantly under the lamplight, which stung Xavier's eyes. Daniel tugged Xavier's shirt sleeve in case his son acted rashly. "Xavier is almost going to be a father, Luke. After that girl gives birth to his child, he'll have to marry a daughter of the Lerches. Why would he harass your wife then?" "He can marry outside of the country." Luke stood up and headed toward the door. If Xavier
The servant did not move. She was caught between Lacey and Luke and did not know what to do. The ambulance arrived shortly. Before Xavier carried Riley downstairs, he said, "Bianca isn't like that, Mom. The truth will be revealed once Riley wakes up." Lacey was disappointed in her son. Why would he still be speaking up for Bianca when he was about to lose his child? Her chest heaved with anger. Seeing that the servant did not act, she took out her phone. "If you're not going to call the police, I will!" Luke grasped her hand tightly and said sinisterly, "Think twice before you act, Mrs. Tanner." Lacey was at the height of her anger. She wanted to pull her hand away, but she realized that she could not move her hand at all. The pain from her wrist caused her to tremble. "What are you doing? Are you threatening me?" Bianca put her hands on Luke. "The truth will prevail. If you'd like to call the police, Mrs. Tanner, then please go ahead. However, if Ms. Riley wakes up and
Bianca saw the bruises on Lacey's face. She indeed looks quite pathetic; Daniel did not hold back at all. She stood there and faced Lacey and the Crawford family. Even without Luke, she did not feel afraid. "If you want to know what happened, Ms. Riley should know the best." "Riley lost too much blood, and she's still in a coma! You're the one who harmed her! You'll be the murderer if anything happens to her!" Lacey huffed. Then, she turned to the police officers. "The culprit is over there. Quick, arrest her!" The police officers looked at each other. It was up to the patriarch of Crawford Manor if they were able to take Bianca away. Old Master Crawford glanced at the two police officers with a profound gaze and spoke authoritatively. "Lacey, are you sure that you want my granddaughter-in-law arrested?" Bianca was moved. The old man might not be fond of her, but he was willing to stand up for her. Lacey was cowed by Old Master Crawford's tone of voice. She stood up and con
That mistake allowed Lacey to frame her. "I'm sorry, Luke." She apologized for her mistake. If she had remembered what Luke told her, she would not have gone upstairs to the lounge, and none of this would have happened. Luke sighed and hugged her tightly. "I don't blame you, Bea. Let's go home. The children are worried about you." The couple left the police station. Several reporters were standing outside of the police station. News that Bianca was brought to the police station for questioning had spread throughout A City. The reporters swarmed up to Luke and Bianca when they saw them come out of the exit. "Mrs. Crawford, is it true that you have deliberately harmed a pregnant woman?" "Mrs. Crawford, it is said that the pregnant woman is your ex-husband's lover. Did you harm her out of revenge or spite?" "Mr. Crawford, how do you view what your wife did? Are you planning to divorce her to cut all ties with her?" The reporters' questions got more and more ridiculous.
“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