After making the arrangement, Jean returned to the office.He was in no mood to work. He lifted his head from time to time to look at Bianca.When it was time for lunch, Jean grabbed Bianca's hand on their way to the staff cafeteria. There was a pleading look in his eyes. "Let's talk. I just need five minutes of your time.""There’s nothing else to say between us."When a relationship ended, there were some men who were simply capable of turning themselves into the worst enemies with no chance of ever becoming friends again."Don't drive me into a corner..." Jean's pleading eyes instantly turned fierce.Bianca ignored him, pulled out her hand, and walked toward the cafeteria.Sue was the last to leave the office. Whilst checking her email on her phone, she went to the staff cafeteria and headed straight for Bianca."If we can complete this project and create a sensation, then our worth will be doubled.""Doubled? Even for someone like me?" Bianca considered herself a rookie. U
Blanche only said that he ‘stole a peek and saw him vomiting blood’ before hanging up very quickly. Bianca was burning with anxiety, hence she dialed the number again in the cab."What should I do?" Just as Blanche was about to return the phone to Uncle Louis, he panicked when the phone started ringing again.Uncle Louis had saved the number under the name ‘Sister-in-law Bianca.’Blanche knew that this was Aunt Bea."Pick it up." Old Master Crawford urged his little great-grandson."Oh, okay!" Blanche looked like he was caught by the teacher for doing bad things as he stood up and picked up the call. "Hello, Aunt Bea… Are… Are you here yet?""I'm on my way. Tell me, Lanie, how’s my grandpa doing now? Does he need to go to the hospital? Why don’t you put an adult on the phone?" Bianca was thinking about whether to call an ambulance.Vomiting blood was no trivial matter.Blanche put the phone on loudspeaker. Under the guidance of the two old men, he said, "We’ve called the family
"Sorry, I... I didn’t know that you’re inside..."As soon as Bianca closed her eyes, it dawned on her that she should turn around and walk out.After closing the bathroom door behind her in a haste, Bianca blamed both grandpas for not telling her that Luke was inside, though at the same time, her face was also flushed with embarrassment…The two elderly men knew that their grandson was taking a shower in there. They, who had decades-long experience with relationships, knew very well that ‘intimate contact’ was necessary to improve a relationship between a man and a woman.This form of intimate contact could be in the form of physical intimacy or visual stimulus.Without stimulation, there would be no room for wild and fanciful thoughts.Without wild and fanciful thoughts, there would be no further development.Old Master Crawford acted as though he did not notice Bianca's embarrassment and moved a chair over to take a seat. He began peeling apples for Old Man Rayne.Bianca stoo
When things got to that point, Allison forced herself to straighten up and not be scared.She had gone through decades of misery and hardship. There was nothing she was afraid of.When she got upstairs and headed to her son's room, Allison saw an extra bed in the room right away. Old Master Crawford was sitting next to Bianca on the bed."What happened to your grandpa, Bea? I heard that he coughed up some blood." Allison looked nervous as she walked over and put down her luxury leather bag."It’s his high blood pressure. Stress and anxiety worsened it. He has to rest well and not get mad. If he gets angry, his life might be in danger,” the alarmist Old Master Crawford said.Although it seemed as if Old Master Crawford was talking to Allison, his words were directed at Bianca.Old Man Rayne was sleeping. He was getting older, and his body needed to rest more. He must not miss a nap."Shouldn’t he go to the hospital?" Allison asked incomprehensibly."The hospital’s environment is
Luke's words were not flirty at all but just pure mockery.Bianca blushed and leaned against the wall behind the door. She slowly closed her eyes and swallowed down her saliva as she forced herself to breathe.She lowered her head and scolded herself in her head, ‘Bianca, how can you be so sick? How can you think about doing those kinds of things with him?!‘Bianca, you really need help!‘Have you forgotten what’s your relation with him?‘Please open your eyes!’After she tried to repress her complicated feelings, Bianca entered the room with the food.Luke was already dressed in a dark gray shirt and black trousers. It made him look even more mysterious, distant, and cold.Since he just woke up, his eyes still looked tired and dazed. When he looked at the woman who just walked in, he asked coldly, "Did you bring me food?"Bianca put down the plate.She glanced at him and said, "Grandpa told me to bring you food. I can’t say no to him.”Luke buttoned the cuffs of his shirt w
When Allison heard her son mention that they had broken up, she was overjoyed.However, on the surface, Allison looked heartbroken as if she had lost her prospective daughter-in-law, Bianca. "Why did you two suddenly break up? What kind of a problem is so bad that can't be resolved?" Bianca turned to leave.Allison pretended to try and stop Bianca. "Bea, I beg you... Don't tell the two old men about this yet. Their bodies won’t be able to take it.”Luke raised his eyes and looked at the door where Bianca's figure disappeared.At the same time, the other deep set of eyes in the room also looked toward the door. After that, Xavier's gaze turned to his cousin, Luke.Allison had her back turned away from the three of them. She rubbed her fingers before turning to give Yvonne an encouraging look.Yvonne got the hint. She went to pour a glass of water and put it next to Luke's left hand. "Here Luke, drink some water."Luke stopped his work, closed his eyes, and raised his hand to p
When Luke walked in, Bianca looked up and saw him.When he saw that she was making the bed, the man's eyes contracted. He threw the ointment on her bed without saying a word.Bianca stopped making the bed as her eyes inadvertently shifted to the ointment stick on the blanket. The ointment package read ‘For treating mosquito bites on infants and young children’.Old Master Crawford held up his reading glasses and saw him. He raised his head and asked his grandson, "How did you know Bea was bitten by mosquitoes?"Luke said nothing."Apply the ointment quickly in case they’re poisonous…” When Old Man Rayne said that, he started telling everyone in the room. "When my poor granddaughter was a child, no one cared for her. She was bitten by a forest mosquito on her eyelid once. It swelled up horribly and got infected and inflamed. If her father hadn’t come back home to bring her to the city for injections to reduce inflammation, I’m afraid she would be blind now.""It wasn’t that seriou
"Sit down," Luke ordered with a sullen face.Bianca shook her head and did not follow as he ordered.She thought that since they had broken up, they should not have such intimate contact with each other. When Grandpa’s body stabilized tomorrow, they would be able to move him out. There were only ten hours left until the time came tomorrow.It was not difficult for the ten hours to pass by at all. All they needed to do was sleep on each of their own beds. After they fell asleep and woke up, ten hours would have passed."Sit down!" Luke lowered his voice and pulled her down.It was as if he had expected that she would not scream or struggle since both grandfathers were outside. He held her down and forced her to sit on the covered toilet seat.In the next moment, she found that she could not get up because her ankle was firmly grasped by his big hand."We’re not in a relationship anymore. You’ve even personally admitted it yourself. Therefore, it’s inappropriate to do things like
“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