Yvette nodded and asked, "Ms. Cullen, are we driving over there?""We'll walk. The driver can follow us." Shandra decided. She had been paying attention to the roadside conditions while she was on the way here.There was a milk tea shop by the roadside, and she noticed it too."Alright." Yvette ran over to Shandra's car and talked to the driver.She also translated Shandra's words and informed Ethan of the plan."Okay. Let's go." Ethan saw Shandra leading Yvette toward the intersection. Even though he was annoyed as to why they refused to get in the car, he still followed behind them.The group arrived at the milk tea shop at the intersection in a grand and imposing manner.There were several people sitting inside the milk tea shop. Shandra could tell at a glance who they were looking for.The rest of the customers sitting there were young, except for the customers at that one particular table.The person they were looking for was the man sitting across from the middle-aged wo
Walter's eyes revealed a hint of innocence. Lisa had gone through a nightmare. No matter how many years had passed, there was no way the pain in her heart could be soothed.Shandra knew that.Yvette had faced clients with such intense emotions before. She attempted to comfort Lisa, saying, "Ms. Clayton, we understand how you feel..."Before she could finish her sentence, Lisa launched into a barrage of verbal abuse. "What do you know? Do you even understand the agony of seeing your loved ones pass away? Or the pain of being cursed and mocked after losing a husband and child? Do you understand the sudden disasters that have befallen my life and how difficult these past few years have been for me? Can you understand that?” Yvette stood there, stunned."My husband used to have a decent job. My family wasn’t wealthy, but we were comfortable. Now, look at the kind of life I’ve been living. That foreigner harmed my daughter. Not only did that heartless boss of my husband slander him, b
Walter’s eyes sank when he heard that. He took out a hundred dollars and placed it on the table. "Ms. Clayton, I've understood the situation for now. If there's anything else I need to know, I'll contact you. I’ll settle the bill."After that, he rose to his feet and walked out of the milk tea shop with a dark and gloomy expression on his face."Wait, your change." The owner of the milk tea shop immediately called out to him when he saw the hundred dollars on the table.Walter did not reply and left without looking back.The owner turned to look at Lisa. Their small milk tea shop did not usually face this kind of situation. He suggested, "How about you keep it?”Lisa shook her head. She was going through tough times, but she did not want to take advantage of anyone. "Keep the tip given by Mr. Long," replied Lisa.The milk tea shop owner looked at the hundred dollars. It was not like he was short of money, but a tip... His shop was not a high-end restaurant. Therefore, he said,
Ethan put on a stern expression, attempting to make Shandra pay more attention to Matysh's case. "Ms. Cullen, this is something that others wouldn't be able to handle, but I believe in your abilities. I hope you won't let Mr. Matysh down after he puts his trust in you."After that, Ethan glanced at his room key. Without waiting for Shandra's response, he headed toward his room on his own.Ethan swiped the card and pushed the door open. He immediately frowned in disgust. This hotel was far below his expectations. It was nowhere near the standard of the hotel that Luke had booked for them before. Ethan even believed that the hotel Luke had booked for them could not match his status, let alone the one Yvette had arranged for them now.He looked toward Shandra but refrained from expressing his disappointment. Shandra's expression was cold, and her brows were slightly furrowed, expressing her dissatisfaction with what he said earlier.Ethan walked straight into his room and closed
In the face of the skepticism from the other officers on duty, a shadow of unease clouded Francis' countenance. He was aware that they had misunderstood. He picked up the memory card and said, "Let’s see what's inside this to find out the answer. It’s all written in the letter. So, put away your filthy thoughts and read the letter before you say anything."The other police officers gathered around when they heard what he said.One of them, who wore gloves, held the letter, and the others stood around him, briefly going through the words on the paper before turning around to look at the woman.The police officers were all on the same page, their thoughts aligned.If what the letter said was true, they might have another person to interrogate this time.Soon, the officers on duty started to take action.Mandy, who was still unconscious, was immediately taken by an ambulance to the hospital and sent to the detention ward for examination. Two officers on duty accompanied her and stoo
After a while, Leia’s voice could be heard from the bedroom.“Surabaya, you b*tch. Are you still there?”Surabaya could hear the tiredness in Leia’s voice.She heard from the Norman family’s maid that Leia would previously only get up at noon if she did not have any important plans.Locking her up like this actually helped with her sleep schedule.Surabaya rubbed her chin in thought. Leia’s new habit of going to bed early and getting up early was probably to prepare her for the future.Jack had a copy of the audio clips too.With the tangible evidence, Jack managed to persuade Queenie to let go of this matter and leave it to the police and the judge.Jack even told Queenie that it was for Leia’s own good.Leia’s circumstances were not that bad, so she would be able to turn over a new leaf in there.After Queenie found out what Leia had done, she agreed. She knew that Leia had become who she was today because of her coddling. Now, she no longer had the strength or the ability
”When the police come, all you have to do is hand her over to the police, and they’ll decide whether Leia has committed a crime.” Jack sounded stern. He did not allow any change of plans even when he was not at home.Leia should be punished.The public opinion of Leia all over the internet could not affect him or Queenie, so Leia’s imprisonment would not affect his career either.Even if it did, it would still be honorable for him to retire at this age.Jack's only regret from retiring would be not being able to serve the people anymore.Queenie took a deep breath, and her eyes darkened at the thought of what would happen if she sent Leia to the hospital.She could not let Jack fall into such a situation.“Okay, I’ll stay home,” Queenie promised.After hanging up, Queenie continued sitting on the sofa without asking about what was going on upstairs.As long as she did not go upstairs, Leia would not constantly be on her mind. That was what she planned to do now. Leia would not
Queenie sat on the couch. The moment the doorbell rang, she could not help but jump in shock.The calming doorbell sound sent shivers down her spine.Queenie looked at the maid who was going to answer the door.The maid glanced at the people outside the door who were dressed in uniform. She knew they were the police without needing to ask. She did not immediately open the door. Instead, she looked at Queenie and said, "Madam, the police are here."Queenie's heart sank. Her throat went dry, and her voice trembled. "Let them in."The maid nodded and confirmed the identity of the visitors through the video doorbell camera before opening the door for the police.In a span of a mere minute, the police officers walked in. Francis was leading the way. He should have finished his night shift and gone off duty, but this case was significant, and the chief instructed him to handle it before getting off work.“Good morning, Mrs. Norman. I'm Officer Francis Brown. We need Ms. Leia's coopera
“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