"Ivan's probably here for you," Blake said, sipping his wine as he cast an assessing gaze on Yasmin as if to see how she would react. He still did not fully trust her.Yasmin caught his inquisitive gaze but pretended as if she didn't. She merely clasped her hands as she nodded in understanding."Once he brings you back, he'll likely ask you what we've been up to the last couple of days. How will you answer him?" Blake pinned her with a questioning stare.After a moment of thought, she answered, "I'll just tell him you didn't hurt me, and that you declared your intention to pursue me because you want us to get back together.""Is that so?" Blake smirked, his eyes flashing with mockery.He seemed to think she was lying through her teeth. After all, she had been the one taking the initiative over the last few days. He wouldn't have lost control and taken her if she hadn't seduced him, yet their roles were switched in the story she planned to tell Ivan.Yasmin ignored the contemptuou
Blake didn't exactly want to meet the police head-on, as a major incident in Merania could lead to him being expelled from the country.He suggested that Yasmin tell the police she had left with Blake voluntarily and that he had not abducted her. This would exonerate Blake from any kidnapping charges and prevent him from facing prosecution.Blake casually took Yasmin to the ground floor via the elevator.As they pushed through the glass doors, Ivan's fiery gaze landed on them. His men simultaneously raised their guns, aiming the barrels at Blake's head.Blake's men also raised their guns at the same time. This created a tense standoff, with both sides poised for a fatal confrontation.Blake moved to wrap his arm around Yasmin's waist. Despite the guns aimed at him, Blake fearlessly strode in Ivan's direction.Meanwhile, Ivan's gunmen stood steady, but no one dared to take the first shot. After all, Blake had a dozen or so armed bodyguards behind him.The tension was palpable.
Ivan's gaze showed his displeasure. However, he ultimately said nothing and decided to just drive Yasmin home.On the way back, Ivan asked again, "Did Blake really not say anything to you this time?"Yasmin knew some things couldn't be hidden, so she answered with half-truths. "Ivo, Blake told me that four years ago, I stole confidential project information from him that caused him a lot of trouble. Back then, you said it was just a minor issue that was easily resolved, didn't you?"She asked this intentionally, of course.Ivan's eyes flickered with guilt. After a moment of silence, he said, "Yasmin, I didn't tell you about this because I didn't want you to get involved in our conflict.""What is this conflict of yours about?"Ivan's dark eyes remained fixed on her as if searching for something beyond. After a long pause, he spoke, "There's something I haven't told you. My mother, Maeve Fowler, was driven to her death by Blake."Yasmin was taken aback by this new piece of inform
Ivan cooed, "Yasmin, you don't need to blame yourself. We didn't do anything wrong. The issues at Windmere Group were due to their internal conflicts. Later, Blake even had his uncle, Neil, killed. He's ruthless, to the point of turning against his own family."Hearing this, Yasmin really wanted to ask him, "What about you? Your own father willingly handed NAS Group over to you out of nowhere. Just what have you done to him?" But of course, these words went unspoken.Gavin had already gone insane, losing all sense of reason. He was now a shell of the man he once was, neither fully alive nor fully dead. Perhaps his madness was due to Ivan drugging him, just like how he had drugged Imogen.Yasmin felt increasingly alarmed as these thoughts raced through her mind.Yet still, Ivan continued, "Blake came to Merania to get revenge on me. You know we have a grudge against each other, and he certainly wouldn't just let it go. I sent someone to kill him out of desperation. I didn't want to
Ivan knew that this was likely Isaac's doing. Ever since he was sent to Rimmervale, he had been causing trouble in secret.Now that Blake had regained his strength, he and Isaac were constantly causing trouble for Ivan.One moment, there were problems at NAS Group; then they somehow lost a major client. Following that was the car explosion, and now someone was trying to abduct Gavin.Ivan grew increasingly frustrated. He turned to Yasmin and said, "Yasmin, I have something urgent to attend to. I'll come back tomorrow to see Grandma.""Alright," Yasmin replied. The sooner he left, the better.That said, Yasmin was curious about Wendy. She wondered what exactly her relationship with Ivan was.Yasmin watched as Ivan walked to the door, lost in thought. Suddenly, a pebble caught under his shoe, and he nearly stumbled forward.Wendy rushed over to support him before he could trip. Her voice was tense with concern as she called, "Mr. Burke."She held him close, her body emitting a fa
After Ivan left the house, Yasmin immediately called Blake. She was mostly worried about his brewing anger and how difficult it would be to calm him down later.The phone rang for a while before it was finally answered. However, there was silence on the other end, as if Blake was waiting for her to speak first.Yasmin stood at the top of the stairs, glancing around to make sure no one was around. Then, she whispered into the phone, "Darling, I'm home."When she called him "darling", it was actually just to flatter him, of course.Blake's cold demeanor softened a bit when he heard her voice. He asked, "When you went back with him earlier, you two didn't do anything, did you?"The suspicion in his voice was evident. Yasmin snorted. "What could possibly happen in just half an hour?""A lot can be done in half an hour."Yasmin was both speechless and irritated. "We were in the car the whole time, Blake. From the restaurant to my place, you can check for yourself—the journey takes ab
Yasmin suddenly remembered this detail. Before even coming to Merania, she had already undergone a DNA test with Imogen. Yet, Ivan had never mentioned this to her. He only offered to help her leave Blake.In hindsight, he must have known she was Imogen's granddaughter. However, he kept it a secret. He manipulated her into leaving Blake, just to keep them apart.If Blake had brought Yasmin to Merania to meet Imogen, Ivan wouldn't have had the chance to gain Imogen's favor.Yasmin's realization sent a shiver of fear down her spine. It was clear now that Ivan had been plotting this for a long time, possibly starting four years ago."Yes, that's right," Imogen confirmed. She also realized this herself recently. Everything had been orchestrated by Ivan.She asked, "Yasmin, did Ivan know you were from the Sander family long before?"Yasmin couldn't recall at first and was about to shake her head when a memory suddenly flashed in her mind.That time!It was when she went to the mounta
Yasmin was resolute. She couldn't leave alone with the secrets. It would put Imogen's safety at risk if Ivan found out. She couldn't bear to think about her grandmother suffering because of her actions.Hence, she shook her head. "No, Grandma, I can't leave without you. You and Dad are still in Ivan's clutches. I need to get all of us out of here!"Stuart was still in the ICU, and she feared that leaving could endanger both him and Imogen. Yasmin was determined to find a way to save her family.Imogen said, "It's alright, Yasmin. I'm old and my health is failing. A few years less doesn't matter."Yasmin shook her head vigorously. "No, I can't leave you behind. Grandma, I've thought about it. When Ivan and I have our wedding, he'll be convinced everything is going smoothly."That's when you'll give me the USB flash drive. He'll be off guard, and that's when we can all go to Rimmervale together."Yasmin had been going over this plan numerous times since she was confined by Blake. I