Seeing his pitiful appearance, Luca could not bear to let him starve. She nodded and said, "Okay, I'll take you to breakfast, but after eating, Iāll send you back to Mr. Crawford. Promise me that you wonāt make a fuss then."From past experience, Tommy would try his best to stay by her side every time they had to separate. She wanted to cover her ground to make sure that Tommy would not get in the way later because he did not want to leave. "Okay, Ms. Luca!" Tommy nodded and agreed.The two left the room together.Luca brought him to the restaurant downstairs. Rhett, Dr. Albus, and the others were already sitting there eating breakfast.The hotel that Jason booked for them had a breakfast buffet, so they were all here to fill their stomachs."Dr. Craw, good morning." Rhett greeted her because they were sitting near the door."Good morning." Luca nodded at them, then took Tommy to the self-service area.Dr. Albus looked at the scene and could not help but say, "That's Mr. Crawf
Luke's expression was neutral earlier, but it turned gloomy after Luca left. Jason lowered his head to eat his breakfast silently. Tommy was the only one who dared to ask questions.Luke glanced at his son, then turned to look at the entrance of the restaurant. Luca and the others had already left. He looked away, picked up the napkin, wiped his mouth, and stood up.Jason followed him, stood up, and asked, "Mr. Crawford, are you going to the office now?""Mm," Luke took Tommy's hand and walked out.Jason followed behind him as he took out his phone and gave the driver a call, asking him to wait for them downstairs.Tommy looked up at Luke and asked, "Daddy, are we going to where Ms. Luca is?""No," Luke stood in front of the elevator and answered his question with a stern expression."Ah, why not?" Tommy thought they were going to be at the same event together, which was why he agreed to Lucaās request obediently.After Jason spoke to the driver, he said to Tommy, "Tommy, Dr.
Dr. Albus, who was watching as things went down, gave Luca a thumbs up. He smiled and said, "Dr. Craw, impressive."In his heart, he secretly despised Luca and thought that she was something else. āNo one, not even university students, can escape her seduction. Itās no wonder she receives special treatment from Luke.āLuca kept quiet and followed the signs to the venue.William, who watched her walk away, was a little sad. He thought that the language barrier was a pity.His friend on the side noticed that he looked sad and lost. He patted him on the shoulder and asked, "William, why are you so upset?""Paul, I fell in love with her at first sight, but such a beautiful woman doesn't understand our language..." William was head over heels and stared at Luca's back.Paul sneered, snapped his fingers, and said, "Friend, you were deceived by her. Sheās walking to the universityās auditorium. Thereās a medical lecture in the auditorium today, and those with her donāt look like student
Luca opened his friend request but hesitated for a long time. She wanted to accept the request, but her rationality told her that she should not. The fewer interactions with her, the better it was for him and the children. She struggled internally for a long time before putting her phone back into her handbag. She did not accept his friend request. She knew Luke's character very well, and she knew that he would not ask her directly to accept the friend request. All she had to do was to wait three days for the request to expire, and she should be off the hook. Meanwhile, Tommy was sitting next to Luke. "Daddy!" He exclaimed when he saw Luke end the video call. "Don't disturb her," Luke said and handed the phone back to him. He knew that Tommy would be bored, so he asked Jason to buy several children's books. "I'm not disturbing Ms. Luca at all. Can't you see that she's so bored?" Tommy pouted and protested. Luke stood up as though he did hear what Tommy said. Seeing th
William noticed that Luca was looking at him, so he waved to her. "Hey, what a coincidence! We meet again. I'm William. Do you remember me?" Luca planned to use the same trick as in the morning. She pretended not to understand him, looked away, and continued to eat her food. William glanced at Paul when he did not get a reply from Luca. Paul said, "Why don't you try the translation app you downloaded earlier?" William nodded and opened the translation app on her phone. With the app, Luca could not use the excuse that she did not understand English. Dr. Albus watched the scene unfold and remembered how Luca had given him the cold shoulder earlier. A mischievous thought brewed in his mind. "Do you need something from Dr. Craw?" William paused and smiled. "Dr. Craw? Is Craw your name?" Luca frowned when she heard the student call out her name. Did Dr. Albus deliberately do that? She turned her head to look at her surroundings. Thanks to William's presence in the restaurant
Paul smiled and shook his head. "I'm not interested in Russians, bro. No matter what you want to do later, I'll be there to support and help you. Don't worry, I've heard that Russians aren't as cold as they make themselves out to be. Once you claim her body, I'm sure that she'll fall for you as well." William puffed out his chest confidently. He knew that no woman who had slept with him could resist his charms. "Of course." "I'm helping you because I don't want to see you looking like a walking corpse after she rejected you," Paul said as he continued driving. "Thanks. Let me know if you need my help next time." William thought that Paul was a good friend. Paul smiled but did not say anything. He had to focus on the signal because his tracker was not a very good one, and the signal would be lost if the tracker went too far away. The signal eventually stopped at the hotel. Paul glanced at the six-star hotel in front of them and frowned. "Bro, I think the woman stays here." "
William shot his friend a glance, angry at his mocking tone. "Shut up!" He said. "I told you that I'd help you." Paul walked toward them with a sinister expression on his face. "No!" William refused because he knew that Luca was on her period. "Why not? This is the only chance you're going to get, William. Are you sure that you won't regret it?" Paul said as he stood in Luca's way. "The conference is a one-day event, and that woman won't show up in the university tomorrow. Also, I guess that she isn't from New York either. Don't tell me you want to go into a long-distance relationship, do you? How foolish. Aren't you satisfied if you could claim her for just one night?" Luca slowly clenched her hands into fists when she listened to his words. She did not want to get physical just now because she did not want to cause trouble. Moreover, William was only a university student. However, the two boys seemed to have other plans in mind⦠"What do you want?" Luca said. Paul loo
Luke waited next to the car door. When Luca stepped closer, he opened the car door but did not get in. Instead, he gestured to invite her in. They were quite close to each other. For a split second, she could catch Luke's scent in her nostrils. Tommy was sitting in the car. He was very excited when he saw Luca. "Come in quick, Ms. Luca!" Luca could not stop looking at Luke's arm. The light was too dim, and she could not see the extent of his injuries. She bent over and stepped into the car. Luke closed the car door, then stepped into the car through the other door. "Hotel," he ordered the driver without using too many words. The driver responded, then started the car. Tommy looked at Luke with eyes full of concern. "Daddy, does it hurt?" "It doesn't hurt," Luke said. He glanced at his arm coldly, seemingly unperturbed by the slash wound. Tommy stopped worrying when he heard his father say that. He gestured a thumbs-up at him and said, "You were so cool just now, D
āAs long as he stays out of your sight, I wonāt make a move,ā said Ray.If Gordan were not one of Lukeās 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.āAlright, Ray. Just let it go. Iāve moved on and started a new life. Plus, Iām studying at Capital University. We have mutual friends, so running into him is inevitable. If that happens, weāll just be strangers. Thereās no need to step in for me or act impulsively.ā Just as Vivian finished speaking, the doorbell rang.āIs it the clothes delivery?ā asked Ray.āNo, 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,ā Vivian said, grabbing a mask and hat before heading to the door.āMiss, is the boss alright?ā asked one of Rayās subordinates.āHeās fine. Did you ge
When Ray heard that there was a 90% chance of success, he could not help but ask, āCan you walk me through your plan?āāThe prison where Kassy is being held actually has an underground passage. Iāve 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 facilityās underground pipes donāt 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.āThis whole operation can be done without anyone noticing, which is why Iām confident itāll work.ā As Luke explained, he pulled out a detailed map of the sewer system. āHereās 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 Abelās people.āAbelās 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 Gordanās current behavior quite intriguing.āLuke, whatās with that look?ā Gordan felt uneasy under his gaze.āYou seem pretty concerned about Vivian,ā Luke leaned back on the couch and said thoughtfully.Gordan froze for a moment before laughing it off. āWhat? No way! Why would I care about her? Come on, Luke, donāt say stuff like that. If she hears it, she might start getting ideas.āLuke could not be bothered to expose his act and got straight to the point. āWhy are you here?āāSpeaking of that, I almost got sidetracked by that woman.ā Gordan quickly pulled out his phone, grimacing. āMan, Ray really didnāt hold back. I need to get some treatment for these bruises later.āLuke took the phone and tried to unlock it. It needed a passcode. He handed it back. āUnlock it.āāAll set, boss.ā 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.Gordanās furious curses rang out. āDamn it! You're really going all out, huh? Do you think I'm scared of you?āAnother 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.āEnough!ā shouted Vivian.The two men locked in the fight froze for a moment.āVivian, stay out of this. Iām beating him to a pulp today,ā growled Ray, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was not in great shape, but neither was Gordan.āRay, I donāt want to see him,ā 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.āFine. If you donāt want to see him, Iāll 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.āRay, this apple is really good. Want to try one?ā asked Vivian.Ray shook his head. āYou go ahead. By the way, can I take a look at the luggage you brought from Russia?āVivian nodded. āI only hung up my clothes. Everything else is still in the suitcase. You can just take the things out.āRay walked into the bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it. Inside were just books and a few other small items, nothing unusual.āYou didn't bring any food with you?ā asked Ray.āI havenāt 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.ā Vivianās tone was lighthearted now that she was in a better mood.āThat's true.ā Ray agreed, then asked
Ray's tone turned serious. āAlright, I'll make the arrangements immediately. Dr. Craw, once the toxicology report is out, weāll still need your help.āāFor toxicology cases like this, I recommend combining both modern medicine and traditional herbal medicine. Donāt worry, if I can help, I definitely will,ā Luca assured him.āAlright, thank you.ā Ray expressed his gratitude and ended the call before updating Luke on the situation.Luke reassured him, saying, āIf Vivian was really poisoned, donāt 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 didnāt take long for all the toxins to be expelled, and her health fully recovered. So, rest assured. If itās something she can fix, sheāll do everything she can.āBesides, once we identify the exact problem, the doctors will be able to step in and help, right?āāYes. Thank you both in advance
Gerald walked over. āMs. Sanchez, what's wrong?āHe 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. āI thought it was some expensive brand. But it's just this? And youāre acting all deferential to her over this?āGerald was rendered speechless. āI knew Ms. Craw was going out, so I asked her to bring these back for me. This is the brand Iām used to. Maybe itās not expensive to you, but for me, itās what I can afford.āRealizing she had misspoken, Hera felt a bit awkward. She quickly changed the topic. āStill, is a pack of cigarettes really worth you being so grateful to Luca? How much could it have cost?āāItās not about the money,ā replied Gerald. āIt'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.āHe was ba
Lucaās lips were already swollen and flushed from Luke's kisses.That deep shade of red, reflected in Lukeās 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.ā¦The two of them stepped out of the bedroom.Vivian quickly turned her back and greeted Luke when he saw him coming out, āHello, Mr. Crawford.āāVivian, donāt worry. Everything will get better,ā replied Luke.Vivian simply hummed in response.Ray gave them a grateful nod as Luke took Lucaās 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, āVivian, theyāre your friends. You donāt have to act this way around them. They wonāt judge you.āāI know they wonātā¦ā Vivian let out a soft sigh. āI just feel like I look terrifying right now. I didnāt want to scare them, so I avoided facing them directly. But itā
āI once treated someone who had been slowly poisoned over a long period of time. Their pulse was similar to Vivianās. 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.āCould it be that someone in your family has been poisoning Vivian? That would explain why her skin ended up like this.āāIf she really has been poisoned, then would staying away from that environment or identifying the person responsible help her get better?ā asked Ray.Luca shook her head.āThe poison Iāve encountered before was a slow-acting toxin that kept the victimās skin dark. I donāt 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 canāt be sure whatās really causing Vivianās condition.āIs her skin deteriorating so quickly because she was poisoned once more a