“We haven’t found out who it is yet. They have already hit us hard. Mr. Sadler… This is…” In fact, he sounded rather troubled. He had no choice but to call Jonah. Jonah’s expression sank slightly. Immediately, he spoke in a deep voice, “I’m going to the company now.” He hung up right after saying that. When he saw that Ivanka was still cleaning up, Jonah sank into a pensive silence before he said softly, “Ivanka, could you help me out?” Ivanka looked at him. “What is it?” Jonah did help her with a lot of things. If she could help, she definitely would. Jonah spoke immediately. “My company’s security is under attack. We can’t find out where it’s coming from. Help me with it?” “Okay. I’ll be quick.” Ivanka hurriedly changed her clothes and walked outside with Jonah. Jonah drove very fast. His racing skills were no lesser than Ivanka’s, Michael’s, and Ivan’s. Soon, they arrived at the company. As soon as the IT Department’s staff saw Jonah and Ivanka show up toget
Soon after, the duo started tapping on the keyboards again. This time, they were not programming codes. Instead, they were looking for the person behind the attacks. Ivanka’s expression was calm the whole time. When Jonah asked for her help, she saw no reason for her not to help. However, she did not feel any sense of deja vu in this scene. Although she broke through an attack at Michael’s place before, this time, it was here at Jonah’s place. However, she did not feel any similarities between them. It was just that after they both searched for half an hour, Ivanka’s expression grew increasingly sullen. In fact, her gaze was absolutely icy. At one point, both of them stopped working. Everyone was looking in their direction. Each of their gazes held puzzlement. It was because this case might not be as simple as they thought. They could also see that there was no trace of the other party. This time, they had successfully defended the program. The other party could
Ivanka thought for a bit. In the end, she said softly, “Something like this happened at Michael’s company the last time too.” Jonah narrowed his eyes and glanced toward her. He knew she still had something to say. Ivanka mulled over this for a bit before she said, “I’m not sure about the specifics myself either, because we didn’t find out who was behind the attack. But based on what I’ve analyzed from these two incidents, I suspect it’s done by the same person.” After a moment’s pause, she spoke again. “Their working style, hacking style, and the way they interacted with us is the same as the party who hacked into Barkworth’s Group.” Jonah smirked instead. “Looks like they want to take it all.” Ivanka did not say anything. She seemed deep in thought. Jonah started the engine and did not say anything. It was quiet in the car. Then, Ivanka said calmly, “If the person behind this is still targeting you after this, feel free to call me.” Actually, there was something
As Michael’s expression turned gloomier, Ivan immediately said, “Get down from the car already!”When he said that, he had already alighted the car. When he saw that Jonah and Ivanka had yet to enter the house, he said, “Hi! What a coincidence. Fancy meeting you here, Mr. Sadler.”Jonah paused mid-step. Then, he turned to look at the newcomer. He cocked his eyebrow in amusement. “You’re here too, Ivan?”Too, huh?He had an odd choice of words. Clearly, he admitted that he had seen Michael, but he did not plan on greeting him. In fact, he even entered together with Ivanka and ignored them entirely. Ivanka did too. Ivan had not closed the door properly, so Michael could hear their conversation. He whipped his gaze over. The next moment, he got out of the car. He said nothing and just strode toward Ivanka’s mansion’s yard. Ivan laughed out loud. “Yes. Michael and I just came over to see Ivanka.”He was worried that Michael would continue to act dumb. So, he said it outright.
Ivan frowned slightly. Even if Ivanka and Michael were not on the best terms, she should still have some integrity. How could she just tell Jonah something as private as that? Michael and Jonah had always been rivals. Getting along with each other was just impossible. But she told him outright! Ivan’s expression was quite dark at this moment. There were even a few hints of displeasure mixed in his eyes. However, the next moment, he felt that something was not quite right. Ivanka was not someone like that. Could Jonah be the one stirring up trouble? As he thought about this, he glanced at Michael through the corner of his eye, though his eyes were still trained on Jonah. Jonah instead stared at Michael. When he saw that he was back to his usual self and had no intention of continuing to look at Ivanka again, he smiled and continued to speak, “Iv meant that, judging from the method used to crack our security, it should be the same perpetrator.” Ivan’s eyes instantly turned c
Jonah and Michael both turned to Ivanka.She did not intend to say much.Ivan frowned slightly. He paused momentarily before speaking softly, “At a time like this, we’re all on the same side. If you have anything to say, just say it.”Ivanka seemed like she wanted to ignore Ivan, but she still responded indifferently out of courtesy. “Right now, nothing is certain, and I don’t want my speculation to disrupt your plans. Once I confirm it, I’ll let you know.”Michael and Jonah still remained silent. Ivan also frowned and refrained from saying anything more.There was little to say in the current situation.When everyone remained silent, Ivanka looked at them and asked, “Aren’t you all going to leave?”The dismissal was quite apparent, yet the three of them looked up at her simultaneously, each with a slightly different expression in their eyes.Ivan was the first to smile. Jonah was still here; how could they possibly leave? Absolutely not!Ivan thought. “Michael isn’t in his ri
Ivanka knew they would not leave right away, so she did not really go to bed or go to the bathroom. When she saw Michael’s number, she hesitated but still answered.She remained silent. Michael’s cool voice came through. “We’re leaving now. Stay.”Ivanka’s eyelashes fluttered. She responded with a simple, “Okay.”She did not feel like saying anything more.Michael hung up right after.Witnessing this, Ivan sighed in disappointment. He thought. “Will this idiot ever become smarter when it comes to love? At a time like this, shouldn’t he say a few more words? Especially with Jonah present, couldn’t he at least pretend to care more? Didn’t he realize Jonah could easily take advantage of his cold demeanor?”Ivan was so exasperated that he wanted to call Michael a fool.However, with Jonah present, Ivan managed to keep his emotions in check. He turned to Jonah with a smile. “Mr. Sadler, after you?”Jonah merely curled his lips slightly. He said nothing as he turned to leave. However
Ivan was speechless.“I’m not getting out!” Ivan remained seated in the car. He showed no intention of unbuckling his seatbelt.Michael’s irritation flashed in his eyes as he said flatly, “Call Xander.”Ivan glanced at him silently. Xander answered almost immediately.“What’s up calling me at this late hour?”“Nothing. Let’s have a drink at our old haunt.”Ivan sounded casual, but Xander could sense the frustration in his tone and instinctively thought something might have happened between Ivan and Sandy again.Without probing further, Xander simply agreed. “Sure, I’ll head out now.”“Okay.”Ivan hung up. Michael drove toward their usual spot.Half an hour later, the group was seated in a private room. They started to drink.Xander, unaware of the situation, glanced at Ivan and Michael. Noticing their somber moods, he spoke up. “Are you having a problem with Sandy?”Ivan’s expression darkened. “What does Sandy have to do with this? It’s about Michael, okay?”Xander did not
Ivanka frowned deeply. Michael was in a horrible state. He had been poisoned and suffered gunshots. He had a strong tolerance to medicine and pain. But it was his mental condition that caused him to fall into this state. Not being fully recovered also added to the burden. Ivanka gave him a white pill which she had formulated by herself. After that, she had the security guard carry Michael into her car. Then, she sent him to the hospital. They arrived at the emergency department. Xavier had finished attending to his patients. When he walked out of his office, he saw Michael being carried into the hospital. He then saw Ivanka beside Michael. Xavier frowned. His expression became tense, and he asked solemnly, “What’s happened to him?” “He’s weak and had previously been poisoned. Since you’re around, you can look after him.” Ivanka summarized Michael’s condition. After hearing Ivanka’s brief explanation, Xavier gave Michael a checklist and put him on a drip. After that,
Since Jonah had come to this and Ivanka was not an ungrateful person, she nodded and gave her word. “Jonah, I’ll give this my all. Don’t worry. As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll help you.” Jonah had to be bound to the wheelchair at the moment. Since Ivanka had shared a similar experience when she took over Lane’s Group back then, she naturally figured out how wolfish and greedy his adversaries would be. Jonah was injured because of her. She swore to give her all to save him from whatever crisis he was facing. Jonah took advantage of this and asked, “What time are you coming tomorrow? I’ll have my assistant get ready.” Ivanka thought for a moment. “Tomorrow afternoon.” She needed to manage her company affairs during the first half of the day. Jonah was content upon hearing her answer. “Good. I’ll wait for you tomorrow.” “Okay.” Ivanka nodded before hanging up. When she returned to her office, she did not expect to see Michael sitting on the couch. She nearly jum
There was only one possibility. Ivanka was calling somebody else. Michael wondered who could strike up such a long conversation with her. Sandy and Ivan had returned to the country. Ivanka’s besties were around her. Even if Ivanka deliberately approached Chiara, she could not possibly have so much to chat with Chiara. If Ivanka’s phone call was business related, there was no need to chat this long. Michael eliminated the possible reasons one by one. In the end, he thought of Jonah. Michael’s expression instantly turned as dark as thunderclouds. His gaze was dull and cold. Evan noticed it. He also saw the call record on Michael’s phone. Evan quickly persuaded Michael, “Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane could be tied up with her work, so she couldn’t answer your call. We could go to her workplace now.” Michael said nothing. He gave a cold glance at Evan. Evan got a shock. The next second, Michael turned around and left his office. Looking at Michael’s fading silhouette, Evan wi
It was why Ivanka still came for Jonah in spite of her unpleasant experience with Margaret in the hospital last time. Jonah had been injured because of Ivanka. She came for him only. The other people did not matter to her. Jonah’s heart sank upon hearing her words. His expression tensed up. He could imagine the indifferent look on Ivanka’s face right at that moment. She had that expression on her face simply because he was never really important to her. Jonah was upset precisely because of her indifference to him. He wanted to say something to her but did not know how to begin. He was also not in the position to say that. It did not take long before Ivanka’s gentle but rather indifferent voice rang in his ears, “Jonah, don’t worry. I’ll treat your legs until they recover. Don’t run into any conflicts with your mom because of me.” Her words pulled Jonah’s wandering mind back into the present moment. He felt a heavy weight on his heart. “Iv, I trust you. You don’t need to
Margaret became frustrated and grabbed Ivanka. She could not understand why Ivanka was fine while Jonah ended up in such a bad situation after the accident.Then, Jonah defended Ivanka. There was also all the talk about Ivanka’s treatment. Margaret was curious to see what kind of miracle medicine Ivanka could develop.In the end, Ivanka’s treatment did not work. Moreover, her relationship with Jonah, which had finally started to improve, was once again ruined because of Ivanka.Jonah scoffed. “Mom, I’m not an eight-year-old anymore. You’re saying all this because you want me to go along with your plans for an arranged date, right?”Margaret had not expected Jonah to guess her thoughts. She was about to insist on her point when Jonah spoke first. With a mocking smile, he said sarcastically, “Do you think anyone would date someone like me?”He had a point. But Laura might be one such person.However, Margaret did not like her. She would do anything to keep Laura from becoming her d
“That’s because you want him to fall in love with you!” Margaret snapped.Ivanka chuckled softly. Her tone was edged with sarcasm. “Love? Does it really matter that much?”Margaret felt humiliated and furious. She pointed a finger at Ivanka’s face with a hostile expression. “If it doesn’t matter, why are you doing all this? Stop pretending, Ivanka!”Ivanka let out a bitter laugh. “Pretending? What am I pretending for? Is being divorced a crime? Margaret, you’re a woman too. How would you feel if someone accused you like this?”She hoped Margaret would take a moment to reflect. After all, she was Jonah’s mother, and Ivanka did not want their conflict to escalate.But Margaret was unmoved. Her glare turned colder, sharper, and filled with hatred.“You think I’ll just let this go?” Margaret said sharply. “If it weren’t for you, Jonah wouldn’t be in this mess! I meant every word I said, and nothing will change that.”To her, Ivanka was nothing more than someone scheming to use Jonah
“Ivanka,” Margaret took a deep breath while trying to compose herself. When she looked at Ivanka again, her expression was calm. She said, “I don’t know how deep Jonah’s feelings for you run. What I fear most is that once he becomes fixated on you, that’s it. When he falls for someone, his heart won’t make room for anyone else. In that way, he’s just like his father.”Ivanka’s gaze wavered. She bit her lip and was unsure of what to say.“I beg you, don’t hurt Jonah anymore!” Margaret’s voice carried a note of desperation.Ivanka’s expression turned extremely complicated.There was a time when Jonah came to her only to use her. Back then, they were both using each other. It made things simple.But later, Jonah unexpectedly started talking about marriage. Perhaps it was to provoke Michael, or perhaps he simply wanted to keep her close because she was useful to him.At some point, though, it seemed Jonah had become serious about her. She could not pinpoint when it happened. Perhaps
Jonah frowned in clear disagreement, but he stayed silent. Ivanka’s confident smile reassured him and made him trust her.Eventually, he let go of her wrist.Ivanka noticed Margaret putting on her shoes. She quickly followed, stepping outside just as Margaret was about to get into her car“Margaret,” she called out.Margaret frowned slightly and stood still.Since Jonah had not come out with Ivanka, she decided she could spare a moment to speak with her.She turned and looked at Ivanka coldly.Ivanka softened her tone. “Let’s take a walk.”Margaret did not respond, but her silence was enough of an agreement.They walked slowly around the edge of the mansion. The surrounding area was all part of the Sadler family estate.Margaret suppressed her anger and glanced at Ivanka before speaking in a composed tone, “Alright. What do you want to say?”Ivanka met her gaze briefly before looking ahead and said, “Do you know what will happen if Jonah’s coughing continues?”Margaret’s he
Margaret glared at Ivanka and scoffed, “If there’s an issue, I’ll get another doctor to handle it. It’ll be anyone but you, Ivanka. Haven’t I made myself clear enough? I’ve told you this before.”She hated how Ivanka ignored her warnings and kept coming back to visit Jonah time and again. What if Jonah got too close to her and ended up ruining his reputation? If Jonah had not been here, Margaret would have been even harsher.Ivanka frowned as she met Margaret’s sharp gaze. “I’ve never tried to get close to Jonah like that. We’re just friends. I know I’m not good enough for him, so I’ve never even thought about it.”“You might not have, but he has!” Margaret snapped, raising her voice.“Mom!” Jonah’s expression darkened.Jonah was usually calm and polite. This was the first time Ivanka saw him looking so upset and was about to lose his temper.Ivanka’s eyes flickered with hesitation. She was unsure of what to say.Explaining Jonah’s coughing would do no good. Margaret would not