Susan pretended to be aggrieved as she bit her lip. "Father, Luke’s affair has already started to affect the Crawford family. I can't just stand by and watch. Besides, he hasn't even divorced Bianca…"Bianca has a volatile personality. If this matter goes international, she might decide to return to the country. Our family hasn't had peace for even two days. We must handle this matter properly. And also, the Norman family..."Susan met the increasingly gloomy gaze of Old Master Crawford and paused for a moment. Then, she said, "I'm doing all of this for the sake of the Crawford family.""Mother, what do you think I should do?" As Luke watched Susan pretending to be anxious, he wore a cold and indifferent expression on his face."Well..." Susan hesitated, not expecting Luke to actually ask for her opinion. She pretended to ponder for a moment before continuing, "No matter what, there's still the Norman family supporting Bianca. You should apologize to the Norman family. "You must
The two reporters in the car could feel a shiver run down their spines as an eerie chill swept over them.The reporter in the passenger seat could not resist the pressure and blurted out, "We're from Green Apple Daily."Luke narrowed his eyes. Green Apple Daily? They had practically delivered themselves to him. There was no need for him to go looking for them now.That worked out nicely..."So, was the article about me first released by your company?" asked Luke straightforwardly, casually resting his hand on the car window. There was no way the reporters had the guts to roll up the window now."Yes..." admitted the reporter in the passenger seat, unable to withstand the pressure.The driver shot him a glare. The news was published by several news media companies simultaneously. How could he admit to it? Was he a fool? This was not the time to admit it. He should have pushed the blame onto their competitors, no?The reporter in the passenger seat met the driver's gaze an
Karen said that Luke’s wife had become a madwoman after suffering inhumane torture and being raped consecutively.Luke had never disclosed this to the public, so none of them knew.Thanks to Karen, they got to hear this shocking revelation.Margaret added: [Right. That woman is so stupid that she doesn’t even know she’s being cheated on.]Karen could not help but curl her lips upon reading their conversation. These two women were so easily manipulated. With just a little gossip, they would let their guard down so much that they would even take a bullet for her.On the other hand…Luca knew that Luke was having dinner with Old Master Crawford at the manor after he messaged her, so she and the children had dinner without him.After dinner, the children sat in the living room, watching cartoons.Luca was also in the living room watching cartoons with the kids, waiting for Luke to come back.Old Master Crawford must have found out about the reports. She wondered if he would lash o
After hearing what the children said, Luca knew that Susan must have come with ill intentions. She told the children, “Why don’t you watch cartoons in the second-floor living room?”Usually, they would not turn on the television on the second floor because Luke spent most of his time working in his room. Turning on the television on the second floor might disturb him.Thus, the children had developed the habit of watching television on the first floor regardless of whether Luke was home or not.That way, if the adults were out, it would also be easier for Aunt Neile to look after them on the first floor.“Okay!” said Tommy first.When Luca saw the kids go upstairs, she added, “Oh, ask your father to come downstairs and tell him that your grandma is here.”“Alright,” said Rainie before going upstairs to tell Luke.Luca stood at the entrance and took out a pair of disposable slippers as she waited for Susan to come in.The structure of both their homes was the same. Although the
Luca’s gaze slightly lowered, and suddenly she remembered the words Susan said to her while she was drunk at the time Luke brought her back to Crawford Manor. She thought they were heartfelt, but in reality, they were quite awkward. Now, here she was in yet another awkward situation. Even though Susan had changed her tone, Luca could not help but recall the past and found it as awkward as before.Susan noticed that Luca did not say anything. She thought her words had struck a chord. Therefore, she changed her approach, putting on the expression of a wise elder. She said with sincerity, "You're beautiful, talented, and young. What kind of man can't you find?"Luca blinked her eyes. Was she actually complimenting her? If Susan was truly complimenting her, it was as likely as seeing pigs fly.Luca lifted her head and put on a pitiful expression on her face. She did not understand why Luke had not come down yet. Since she let Susan in, it was up to her to resolve this issue now. "
"My choices have always been rational. As for the Norman family and other matters, I’m confident I can handle them well. Regarding the company and my personal matters, you don't need to worry about them," said Luke as he rose to his feet.He did not explicitly ask her to leave, but every sentence he uttered hinted at her departure."Hmph, you don't know what's good for you." Susan gave a cold snort and left."Madam Crawford, my maid has finished her shift. Could you please help close the door when you leave?" Luca could not help but say.When her mind was in turmoil, Susan showed up in front of her. By not completely shutting her down, it was already a kind gesture for the Crawford family's sake.Besides, considering her current personality, if the other person was not a member of Luke's family, she might have just walked away without wasting half a minute on their nonsense.Susan cast a malicious glance back. She watched both of them stand up, shoulder to shoulder. In terms
Luke saw the tears in her eyes. He knew she was worried about Queenie.He secretly let out a sigh. She was so worried about Queenie, but she still refused to reveal the truth. What did the Island of Despair have on her to make her guard this secret?"I'll do my best to minimize the harm from the outside world," Luke reassured her. He wanted to shout to the world that Luca was his beloved wife, but the threat of the Island of Despair loomed, preventing him from doing so."I believe you, but the most important thing is to comfort Mrs. Norman’s emotions. I don't want her to have any problems because of this," replied Luca, continuing showing her concern for Queenie in front of him."Okay." Luke leaned forward and looked into her teary eyes. He wanted to pull her into his arms.Before he could do so, a tender voice suddenly interrupted their moment."Daddy, Ms. Luca, I want some water," Tommy’s voice came from the kitchen door. Luke's hand froze in the air as he turned to look at h
Luca was puzzled. She had initially thought that Rainie was feeling down because of her involvement with Luke. Little did she know that the child was upset because of the reporters exposing her relationship with Luke."Rainie?" Luca still could not quite understand.Rainie looked at her with teary eyes and said, "Ms. Luca, I'm afraid you'll leave us because of this."“How could I…” Luca's heart softened, and her eyes welled up with tears. She realized that the child was worried about her leaving and being separated because of the news."Ms. Luca, you won't leave, right? No matter what those reporters say, you won't leave, will you?" Rainie wanted to seek an answer from Luca."Don't worry. I won't leave," Luca reassured her and held her in her arms. Girls' minds were often more delicate than boys’. She understood that Rainie was afraid of her leaving because of the news. However, they were all precious to her. How could she ever leave them?"Okay. As long as you stay, Ms. Luca
“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