“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
The voice paused for a bit and eventually said, “If you’re unaware, then you’ll find out tomorrow. I’ll help you out. After all, you’re very useful to me.”The mystery person sounded a little impatient, but she did not hang up immediately like she used to.Chiara noticed that too. She quickly said, “Do you need me to do anything? Please tell me what’s really going on!”At this point, she seriously suspected that her parents’ unusual behavior and this mystery person’s strange message were prompted by the same reason.But Chiara knew nothing!The voice said calmly, “If I fail this time, I’ll need to get you a new identity. It’ll give you an even higher status, which allows you to wield your power with ease. Are you ready for it?”Chiara’s face paled. No, she did not want to be somebody else. She was Chiara, and she only wanted to be Chiara!But she did not dare say no to the mystery individual. She was afraid that if she turned down the offer, this person would give up on her comp
Speaking of that, Lyla could not help but sigh. “We never thought this would happen. We must endure the hardship. Things will get better!”Theodore sighed as well. But he could not say a word, nor did he know what to say. He was completely helpless.Lyla inhaled slightly. “Now that it has come to this, we are unprepared. All we can do is face it. Alright, Theo, you must live your life the way you used to, even though I can’t stay with you anymore. Hire a housekeeper so that they can look after you.”Theodore nodded with tears in his eyes. “Don’t worry about us. You, on the other hand… It’s all my fault! I’m useless!”He was still lamenting, while Lyla already started weeping in his arms.“I’m sorry, Lyla. I’m sorry… Don’t you worry. I’ll find a way to get you out. I won’t let you suffer in there. I won’t let you die!”Lyla nodded. “I know, I know… But you must take care of our daughter. Don’t let anyone bully her. Keep her calm. She is in a really bad place right now. After I’m g
Elio smiled faintly. He intended to prevent Ivanka from pursuing this matter. But at that point, she would not possibly back down. He could only help her unconditionally.He said nothing, while Ivanka stared at him and said, “I hope you won’t intervene in this matter again. I can take care of the rest myself. Thank you, and let’s avoid contacting each other for the time being.”A while ago, she reached out to learn some secrets from him. But as her enemies increased in number, she did not want to drag an innocent man into this mess.Elio glanced at her expressionlessly. “I’m not interested in your affairs to begin with. You may leave now.”That was all he said. He did not bother to speak to her again.Ivanka gazed at the man before her. Even though he did not say anything else, she knew what he was thinking.After a long moment, she thanked him again and got up to leave.Elio stared after her. As she closed the door, he took out a cigarette and lit it.He took a puff and let ou
The judge’s verdict was like a bolt from the blue. Chiara’s face turned pale instantly.“How could this be?” She thought.How could it be a death sentence?It could have been life imprisonment or even ten years of imprisonment. Why would the judge sentence her mother to death? Chiara refused to accept it!But before she said anything, Lyla said, “Objection, your honor.”The law was fair. If someone had an objection, they must present their case so that it could be solved. Even defendants could appeal against the court’s decision.Therefore, no one snapped at Lyla for what she said. Everyone turned their eyes on her as she slowly rose from her seat.“You may speak,” said the judge.Lyla simply said, “This matter has nothing to do with my husband. I planned and executed it myself.”Everyone was flabbergasted.Were she and her husband fighting over the chance to take the blame?They all were rather astonished but thought that it was normal. Lyla and Theodore must have loved eac
At that moment, Chiara slowed down her breathing. She even held her breath for a while. She did not want to miss any of her mother’s words.Lyla had a microphone with her. So, everyone could hear what she was about to say.“Firstly, Fernando was already in poor health. You can check his medical records at the hospital. I’ve brought a copy for you to see, Your Honor.” As she said this, she opened her bag and took out a stack of medical reports.The judge’s assistant walked over, took the records, and handed them to the judge.As the judge reviewed the medical records, Lyla continued, “His health was deteriorating day by day. He didn’t have much time left and was suffering immensely every day. He begged us to help him end his life sooner, which was why I tampered with his food. Fernando was aware of this.”Ivanka’s expression darkened, but she knew this was not the time to interrupt.Everyone was surprised when they heard this. Lyla then added, “I used a slow-acting drug because
Ivanka was not the only one feeling upset; Suki and Sandy were also furious!Sandy, especially, could not hold back her anger and exclaimed, “Nonsense! That’s absolute cr*p! Did Lyla even consider her conscience before saying that?! They’ve been targeting Iv and her position for years! The recording is biased! Using that as evidence is ridiculous!”Suki quickly grabbed Sandy’s hand as Sandy grew louder and said, “Calm down.”Sandy realized her outburst, took a deep breath, and tried to control her emotions. However, on the inside, she could not help but curse at them!D*mn Theodore! D*mn Lyla! D*mn Chiara!The recording ended there.Lyla looked sorrowful as she said, “I never expected things to come to this. I understand if Ivanka misunderstood me. But I’m speaking the truth. I admit, I’m the one who killed Fernando. I know I’ve wronged him and Ivanka. I’m willing to accept legal consequences.”Her expression turned sadder as she continued, “I know I deserve to die. But I have
Sandy did not finish her sentence, but Suki understood what she was trying to say.Theodore recently spent two billion dollars to hire Ivanka to breach Barkworth Group’s secrets. They never donated anything, not even a cent!Where did that come from?!Sandy had no idea where the list of charities Lyla presented came from.Meanwhile, Lyla took a deep breath and said, “I’ve said all I needed to say, Your Honor.”After she finished, the entire courtroom fell silent.Everyone waited for the judge’s final verdict as the judge reviewed the documents.The judge spoke in a low voice, “Ms. Lyla, further investigation is needed regarding your statement. Regarding the shares, the court has ruled that all shares owned by Mr. Lane are to be returned to Ms. Iris, along with the profits from the past few years, totaling $175 million and 47% of the shares.”The amount of shares and income Theodore had was actually disproportionate. He had only recently acquired all the shares.Theodore, seate
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