“I’ve made dinner, we can...”Michael did not even look at her. He cut her off coldly, “I’m not in the mood to eat with you.”With that, he headed straight upstairs.Ivanka stood up when she heard his words. The smile on her lips froze instantly.Michael did not spare her a single glance.…As the memory ended, Michael’s eyes flickered with contemplation. Looking back, he realized that Ivanka had deliberately put away whatever she was working on when he returned. It was as if she did not want him to see it.It seemed like it was a design sketch that she hastily hid.“Michael?”His thoughts were interrupted by Mindy’s voice.Mindy had been observing her son and noticed something was off. Seeing him look her way, she asked, “What are you thinking about?” “Nothing,” Michael replied calmly.Samuel instinctively looked at Michael again. “What are you going to do about this situation?” Michael snorted. “The collaboration has been finalized. Papaver has never agreed to work wit
“I only supported it back then because the Lane family had a good standing! But later on, Ivanka failed to prove herself. The company wasn’t even hers anymore. Why should I let her be the Barkworth family’s granddaughter-in-law if she doesn’t have outstanding abilities?” Samuel continued to speak self-righteously.Rosie was furious. She raised a finger to point at Samuel, but before she could say anything, Michael suddenly spoke in a deep voice, “Enough.”Rosie looked at him, displeased.Michael directed his gaze at Samuel. “Don’t bring up Ivanka again. She never owed us anything.”Samuel was taken aback and instinctively responded. “What do you mean by that? Are you no longer angry with her?”Rosie was a bit surprised, but remembering what Michael had said to her before, she felt a slight sense of relief. It seemed that he really had feelings for Ivanka. Otherwise, he would not have said that.Michael then spoke in a firm voice. “I owe her a lot.”“What nonsense are you talking
As she spoke, Mindy found herself unable to continue.Her voice was even choked with emotion.Previously, Mindy had always looked down on Ivanka. She believed she was not good enough for her son, but now...Ever since her decisions had driven her husband and son away, she no longer wanted to be so domineering. Especially after hearing Jay’s words, which felt like needles piercing her heart, she felt deeply hurt.Since Michael had ended his relationship with Chiara, she had been neglected for a long time. Her son’s growing distance from her made her feel even more pained.Therefore, all she wanted was to mend the bond between her, her husband and her son.That was why she had refrained from saying too much during the conversation and even started to side with her son and mother-in-law.Samuel clearly did not expect to hear such words from Mindy. He looked up at her in confusion. “Mindy, you...”However, that was all he managed to say. He was at a loss of words. His mind was a wh
The judge paused for a moment.Everyone stared intently at the judge. They were eager to hear what he would say next.Lyla was now the defendant. She was sitting in the defendant’s seat.Theodore and Chiara were also present. They were seated close to Sandy and Suki.Their expressions were grim, especially Chiara, whose eyes were filled with worry.She thought. “What are we going to do?”Chiara had not been able to stay by her mother’s side these past few days. It made her feel incredibly anxious.Not being able to see her mother was causing her indescribable pain.Seeing her today only intensified that pain.In just a few days, her mother had become gaunt. Chiara had tried everything to visit her mother but had failed each time. She felt utterly helpless!Yet her father had no solutions either.Chiara watched her mother sitting in the defendant’s seat. It broke her heart. She turned to her father. “What do you think the verdict will be today?” She had been worried for day
Hanson remained silent. He understood Sandy’s fury. He felt the same indignation. The verdict was unfair for Ivanka.Sandy took a deep breath and closed her eyes to control her emotions.Knowing they were in a public place, she refrained from saying anything further.Everyone shifted their attention to Ivanka, who remained unusually calm. She showed no inclination to say anything.“Ms. Iris, are you satisfied with this outcome?”“It’s acceptable,” Ivanka responded smoothly without the slightest hesitation.This left Theodore and the others puzzled. Lyla’s heart skipped a beat as she scrutinized Ivanka, but she could not read anything from her expression. An uneasy feeling crept in.Was Ivanka holding back for a big move later?How could she be content with just a three-year sentence?Even Chiara sensed something amiss. She watched Ivanka warily but could not confront her directly, as they were seated far apart.Chiara glared at Ivanka. Her eyes filled with an almost malevolen
She was too heartbroken to speak. She could not form any words.Theodore could not help but sigh. “You need to take care of yourself too.”Lyla nodded. She wiped away her tears. “I know. And you have to keep an eye on Chiara, make sure her temper doesn’t get the best…”She trailed off as she could not continue.Theodore quickly nodded. “I got it, I got it.”Chiara clutched Lyla’s hand. Her voice trembled as she said, “Mom...”She could only manage that one word as her sobs had become uncontrollable.“Honey, I’m still here. You don’t need to worry. Everything will be alright, okay?”Chiara nodded, but her tears kept rolling down her face.Lyla could not say much more. She could only let out a sigh.The staff member approached with a hint of resignation. “Can we go now?”Lyla took a deep breath and nodded, then turned to Theodore and Chiara again.“You both take care of yourselves. Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”She had said all that could be said and left the rest uns
No, Chiara must exercise restraint!She could not lose it in this place. She wanted to be as dignified as she used to be.She also needed to maintain the image she had presented earlier on.Besides, Lyla had given her reason behind Fernando’s murder. It was to fulfill his wish. Therefore, Chiara needed to keep up the lie!She would play along with her mother!With that in mind, Chiara hid all her negative emotions. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Ivanka was tinted with resignation and remorse.“Iv, I know you’re upset. But sometimes, we can’t do anything about our elders’ wishes. Your father was very sick. You can’t possibly tell me that you wanted him to die in pain.”Sandy immediately furrowed her eyebrows tightly. She was already holding back her anger the entire time. When she heard what Chiara said, she was so pissed that she instantly scoffed. “What a joke! Was it up to you to decide what to do with someone’s life? Did you and your family discuss this matter with Ivan
Ivanka did not care about the gazes from the bystanders all around. She merely stared at the person before her and said with a faint smile, “If you’re really grateful, why didn’t you return my shares sooner until I brought you to court? You still held onto the shares despite the embarrassment?”Chiara’s expression changed. In the next moment, a hint of helplessness flashed in her eyes, and she sighed in feigned resignation. “Iv, I know… I know you’re still upset with me. But this is the situation we end up in, and my mother… has gotten her punishment. Iv, back then we owed you an apology. Now, I think you’ve settled the score.”That was all she said. Chiara no longer wanted to keep up her act. She was genuinely angry!Ivanka’s lips curled slightly into a faint smile. Ignoring the bystanders’ reaction, she said, “Any pretense will slowly fall apart sooner or later. I hope you and your family really tell the truth, or else you’ll be exposed, and everyone will see your true colors.”C