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
Ivan was amused. “I think Xander has a point! Since you don’t want to pursue Ivanka, you should let go and stay away from her for good.”Michael’s grip on his glass tightened.Xander continued to twist the knife. “Back when you were engaged, even I could see how devoted she was to you. But after three years of torment, neglect, and even seeing you care for other women, Ivanka, with her proud nature, managed to tolerate you for three years. That’s quite incredible.”Michael’s expression grew colder, but Xander remained fearless. “In the end, she left completely shattered. You’ve given her three years of painful memories. Now, you’re treating her coldly again. Do you think anyone in their right mind would still want to be with you? It’s already amazing that she hasn’t sought revenge on you.”Ivan scoffed. “Exactly. You even talked to her so arrogantly when you called her, and then hung up abruptly. No gentleman would do that. You even did it right in front of Jonah. Now that he knows
Ivan was clearly caught off guard by Michael’s sudden question. His body momentarily stiffened.However, the next moment, he frowned and said, “I’m not like you, okay? You and Ivanka are meant for each other. You just didn’t realize it before and lost her. You still have a chance to win her back!”Xander was silent.Michael, seemingly uninterested in continuing the conversation, fell silent as well....Time passed, but Chiara still could not get in touch with the person behind the scenes. She had tried contacting them repeatedly, but the other party had run out of patience and was not answering her calls anymore. This made Chiara lose her temper several times, but there was nothing she could do.Lyla and Theodore also looked grim. They had disagreed with Chiara’s decision to tell that person about this from the beginning, but since Chiara was their only daughter, they could not bring themselves to get angry with her despite their frustration. They just could not bear it.Moreov
“Chiara, you should go to bed early tonight. You don’t have to come with us tomorrow. Your dad and I will handle this.”Theodore immediately glanced at Lyla. His eyes were filled with sympathy and conflicted emotions, but he could not say a thing in front of their daughter.At that moment, Chiara had a bad feeling and quickly looked at Lyla. Seeing her reddened eyes, Chiara said right away, “What are you up to? What are both of you planning to do?”Whatever they were doing, it might just be their last stand! At that moment, Chiara was genuinely panicking, but she did not know what to do.Theodore did not answer Chiara’s question directly. He merely said, “Alright, go to bed now. Stop throwing a tantrum. Just take this as a lesson learned. We’ll find a way to turn the tables in the future.”With that, he did not want to say more to Chiara. Even though Lyla was upset and still wanted to spend time with her daughter, she was afraid that she could not control her emotions. Hence, she