Bianca pretended to look awkward. "But Grandpa, it's been a long time since I went out with Luke aloneโฆ" Old Master Crawford glanced at her. Before he could say anything, Lanie, who had been quiet all this while, said, "Tommy, let's not disturb Daddy and Mommy's date. Let's go and play some video games, alright?" Lanie knew that Luke must have something important to do, and that was why he wanted to bring Bianca and no one else. The reason most likely had to do with the fact that the woman was an impostor. Tommy turned to look at Lanie, then at Bianca. Bianca took the chance to say, "That's right, Tommy. Lanie has a big collection of video games. Don't you want to play with him?" Tommy hesitated. Rainie chimed in too. "Tommy, how about we go to Ms. Luca's house after playing video games?" She suggested that because she knew that Tommy adored Luca. As expected, Tommy chose Luca over Bianca. He nodded and said, "Really? Can we really go to Ms. Luca's house?" "Of cours
After they got out of the car, Bianca took the initiative to hold Luke's hand as they walked into the villa. She displayed her full affection and wanted nothing more but to be as close to Luke as possible.She was too engrossed that she did not notice the gloomy look on Luke's face.Bianca turned her head to look at his handsome face. Her heartbeat sped up inexplicably when she thought about how there were only two of them in the villa. She had to make the best out of this opportunity.Luke keyed in the code on the digital lock. With a click, the door opened.Luke stood aside and looked at Bianca, who had no doubts. He said, "Go in."Bianca thought of what was going to happen in a while and her face turned red. She nodded shyly and walked into the villa.The lamps lit up the place in an instant. When she saw a man and woman inside, she turned around and looked at Luke, confused.At that moment, he walked in and the door behind him was closed."Luke, this is..." Bianca looked
Luke left without looking back, leaving Bianca completely hopeless.Bianca was in tears. Rain looked at her pitiful and seemingly innocent face. It reminded her of the evil people from the Island of Despair. When she thought of them, all her pity for Bianca was no longer there.If the real Bianca were still alive, it was highly likely that she was forced to go through a lot of suffering. Gale looked at the fake Bianca cry and felt no pity for her. Instead, he said to Rain, "Iโll carry her into the room.""Go ahead." Rain nodded. She felt nothing but annoyed listening to Bianca's wails.Luke told her that he wanted the truth no matter what methods they used. He had a reason for keeping her in this villa. This was a private property of his located in the outskirts. The nearby villas belonged to the local tycoons of A City. They bought the villas for vacation, so there were not many people around on a normal day. No one would notice no matter how loud Bianca yelled.Gale carried
Tommy smiled, raised the almost ready dough in his hands, and said, "Look, Daddy. Ms. Luca is teaching us how to make croissants."There was flour everywhere on the table. The kids must have caused this mess. The kids never had to do any housework in Crawford Manor. Although the house was in a mess, Luke felt a strange feeling when he saw how the kids were helping Luca.โThis is how a home should feel like.โHe saw the childrenโs joyous appearance and felt like he was missing out on it. Luke touched Tommy's head and asked, "Why arenโt you using a bread machine to knead the dough?"Luca stood there and looked at him for a while. She then walked to the table, continued to knead the dough, and said, "Manual kneading makes better bread compared to using a bread machine."Rainie listened and had a sudden realization. "No wonder the croissant made by the chef at home is not as delicious as Mommy's."Luca paused. โShe said โMommyโโฆ Is she referring to me or the fake Bianca?โShe unco
The fake Bianca was not involved in any messy relationships, so Luke could manage the Crawford and Norman families with ease."Dad, Rainie and I will keep this a secret, don't worry," Lanie said. The three of them were not close to Bianca at all so it was not too much trouble to fool Tommy.After the two had a chat, they returned to the living room.Tommy waved to them happily and said, "Lanie, come! The show is about to begin."Lanie nodded and sat on the sofa.Luke walked to the kitchen and stood at the entrance. He did not enter and just stood there.The kitchen was indeed very small. If he walked in, it would become more crowded so he just stood there and watched from a distance.Luca's perception was sensitive. She turned her head and saw Luke standing there as expected."Mr. Crawford, are you alright?" She stopped cutting the chocolate in her hand."Iโm fine." Luke deliberately glanced around the kitchen and said, "Your kitchen is too small. I assume you like to cook? Do
After an hour, the smell of croissants overflowed the kitchen.Tommy was sitting on the sofa, holding a fruit bowl in his hand. When he smelled the croissants, he greedily sniffed it all in and said, "The croissants smell so good. Can we have lunch soon?"Rainie turned around and said with a smile, "Ms. Luca is still in the kitchen. Iโm guessing itโll take some time."Luke glanced at the kitchen, and Tommy immediately said, "Daddy, Ms. Luca is so busy. Why don't you go over and help?""The kitchen is too small, she won't let me in." Luke did not have any intentions to move.Tommy muttered, "Daddy, you're just lazy."Luke raised his eyebrows and did not speak. The kitchen was indeed small, but it was also true that Luca did not want to have too much contact with him.Luca was deliberately staying in the kitchen just to avoid interacting with him too much.After the croissants were baked, she placed the croissants on the plate one by one and then took the plate out.Tommy kept l
Luca ate alone and would not use so many dishes. Amur counted the plates and knew what had happened.He walked out with his tray and asked, "We had some visitors?"Luca paused what she was doing and did not intend to hide anything from him. "Mm, yes.""Is it Luke and the kids?" Amur continued to ask.Luca nodded. After wiping the table, she folded the rag and explained, "No one was free to take care of the kids so they came over, and then two hours later, he came too."Amur put the tray on the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Crawford Manor is so big. How could it be that the kids were left unattended?"Luca knew that the kids wanted to be closer to her but she could not turn them down."Amur, theyโre my children. I canโt say no to them. Everything I do now is for Nyla. I do all this without complaint because sheโs my little daughter, but at the same time, I canโt only love my little daughter," she said.Amur finished the oats and looked at her, saying, "I know, but I
After Bianca turned her face sideways, Rain did not bother trying to interrogate her any further as she knew that Bianca would not talk. She left with Gale.Gale reported the incident to Luke and notified the others to get them the necessary materials.When Luke saw Gale's text, his expression turned gloomy. โThe Island of Despair againโฆโWhen Bianca was kidnapped, he had thought that things may not be as simple as they seemed. The island was in ruins and had nothing on it. Even though he had doubts, he could not prove anything no matter how many methods he tried.Tommy was fishing with a small fishing rod that was specially prepared for him by Luke.He yawned, looked at him with his chin on his hands, and asked, "Daddy, why did your mood change all of a sudden?โ"Nothing to worry about," Luke replied Gale, then put the phone back in his pocket. His fishing rod moved a bit and he slowly raised it.Tommy saw him catch a big grass carp and said enviously, "Daddy, youโre so amazing
โAs long as he stays out of your sight, I wonโt make a move,โ said Ray.If Gordan were not one of Lukeโs 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.โAlright, Ray. Just let it go. Iโve moved on and started a new life. Plus, Iโm studying at Capital University. We have mutual friends, so running into him is inevitable. If that happens, weโll just be strangers. Thereโs no need to step in for me or act impulsively.โ Just as Vivian finished speaking, the doorbell rang.โIs it the clothes delivery?โ asked Ray.โNo, 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,โ Vivian said, grabbing a mask and hat before heading to the door.โMiss, is the boss alright?โ asked one of Rayโs subordinates.โHeโs fine. Did you ge
When Ray heard that there was a 90% chance of success, he could not help but ask, โCan you walk me through your plan?โโThe prison where Kassy is being held actually has an underground passage. Iโve 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 facilityโs underground pipes donโt 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.โThis whole operation can be done without anyone noticing, which is why Iโm confident itโll work.โ As Luke explained, he pulled out a detailed map of the sewer system. โHereโs 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 Abelโs people.โAbelโs 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 Gordanโs current behavior quite intriguing.โLuke, whatโs with that look?โ Gordan felt uneasy under his gaze.โYou seem pretty concerned about Vivian,โ Luke leaned back on the couch and said thoughtfully.Gordan froze for a moment before laughing it off. โWhat? No way! Why would I care about her? Come on, Luke, donโt say stuff like that. If she hears it, she might start getting ideas.โLuke could not be bothered to expose his act and got straight to the point. โWhy are you here?โโSpeaking of that, I almost got sidetracked by that woman.โ Gordan quickly pulled out his phone, grimacing. โMan, Ray really didnโt hold back. I need to get some treatment for these bruises later.โLuke took the phone and tried to unlock it. It needed a passcode. He handed it back. โUnlock it.โโAll set, boss.โ 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.Gordanโs furious curses rang out. โDamn it! You're really going all out, huh? Do you think I'm scared of you?โAnother 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.โEnough!โ shouted Vivian.The two men locked in the fight froze for a moment.โVivian, stay out of this. Iโm beating him to a pulp today,โ growled Ray, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He was not in great shape, but neither was Gordan.โRay, I donโt want to see him,โ 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.โFine. If you donโt want to see him, Iโll 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.โRay, this apple is really good. Want to try one?โ asked Vivian.Ray shook his head. โYou go ahead. By the way, can I take a look at the luggage you brought from Russia?โVivian nodded. โI only hung up my clothes. Everything else is still in the suitcase. You can just take the things out.โRay walked into the bedroom, pulled out her suitcase, and opened it. Inside were just books and a few other small items, nothing unusual.โYou didn't bring any food with you?โ asked Ray.โI havenโt 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.โ Vivianโs tone was lighthearted now that she was in a better mood.โThat's true.โ Ray agreed, then asked
Ray's tone turned serious. โAlright, I'll make the arrangements immediately. Dr. Craw, once the toxicology report is out, weโll still need your help.โโFor toxicology cases like this, I recommend combining both modern medicine and traditional herbal medicine. Donโt worry, if I can help, I definitely will,โ Luca assured him.โAlright, thank you.โ Ray expressed his gratitude and ended the call before updating Luke on the situation.Luke reassured him, saying, โIf Vivian was really poisoned, donโt 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 didnโt take long for all the toxins to be expelled, and her health fully recovered. So, rest assured. If itโs something she can fix, sheโll do everything she can.โBesides, once we identify the exact problem, the doctors will be able to step in and help, right?โโYes. Thank you both in advance
Gerald walked over. โMs. Sanchez, what's wrong?โHe 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. โI thought it was some expensive brand. But it's just this? And youโre acting all deferential to her over this?โGerald was rendered speechless. โI knew Ms. Craw was going out, so I asked her to bring these back for me. This is the brand Iโm used to. Maybe itโs not expensive to you, but for me, itโs what I can afford.โRealizing she had misspoken, Hera felt a bit awkward. She quickly changed the topic. โStill, is a pack of cigarettes really worth you being so grateful to Luca? How much could it have cost?โโItโs not about the money,โ replied Gerald. โIt'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.โHe was ba
Lucaโs lips were already swollen and flushed from Luke's kisses.That deep shade of red, reflected in Lukeโs 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.โฆThe two of them stepped out of the bedroom.Vivian quickly turned her back and greeted Luke when he saw him coming out, โHello, Mr. Crawford.โโVivian, donโt worry. Everything will get better,โ replied Luke.Vivian simply hummed in response.Ray gave them a grateful nod as Luke took Lucaโs 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, โVivian, theyโre your friends. You donโt have to act this way around them. They wonโt judge you.โโI know they wonโtโฆโ Vivian let out a soft sigh. โI just feel like I look terrifying right now. I didnโt want to scare them, so I avoided facing them directly. But itโ
โI once treated someone who had been slowly poisoned over a long period of time. Their pulse was similar to Vivianโs. 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.โCould it be that someone in your family has been poisoning Vivian? That would explain why her skin ended up like this.โโIf she really has been poisoned, then would staying away from that environment or identifying the person responsible help her get better?โ asked Ray.Luca shook her head.โThe poison Iโve encountered before was a slow-acting toxin that kept the victimโs skin dark. I donโt 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 canโt be sure whatโs really causing Vivianโs condition.โIs her skin deteriorating so quickly because she was poisoned once more a