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
The sad, empty look in Chiara’s eyes was immediately filled with rage!Michael?How could it be?What was he doing here?Ivanka had already become such a wicked woman. Why did he still like her?Why?!Chiara was screaming internally.In the meantime, Ivanka and her company stood in front of Michael. To be precise, he was the one who suddenly showed up and blocked their path.His expression was cold, with a hint of anger in his eyes.But he still controlled his emotions when he looked at Ivanka and said coldly, “A word, please.”Ivanka furrowed her brows. Out of instinct, she intended to ask what was there for them to talk about.But there were bystanders around, and her friends were still there. She did not want them to worry.If she refused to talk to Michael, he would be pissed, and Hanson would defend her to stop her from interacting with Michael.By then, the situation would get out of hand. She worried that conflicts would arise between Michael’s and Hanson’s companie
“Alright, let’s go. I’m still hungry! You have to pay for the meal today!”With that, she dragged Hanson away despite his protest.Hanson frowned. He was still worried about Ivanka, but Sandy had given him an ultimatum. Besides, Ivanka had chosen to leave with Michael. There was nothing Hanson could do about it, apart from letting Sandy drag him away.Seeing that, Anna finally gave a sigh of relief.…Meanwhile, Ivanka had already followed Michael into the car.Michael said nothing and started the engine right away.Ivanka silently waited for him to speak first.After all, he had come to the court for her, which was surprising.However, after driving for twenty minutes, Michael still did not say anything. Ivanka frowned. It seemed that she was getting uneasy. She turned to look at the man next to her.From her angle, all she could see was his handsome side profile. Staring ahead, he appeared to be focusing on driving.Ivanka eventually said, “What do you want to say to me? Y
Ivanka was shocked.For a moment, she did not know what to say.True. Ever since she and Michael got a divorce, things might have changed.Rosie defended her, but Samuel had always looked down on her. This prompted the couple to argue more frequently as time passed.Ivanka pursed her lips silently.But she felt the need to explain herself in front of Rosie. She did not want Rosie to spend time worrying about her at an old age.When they almost reached their destination, Michael no longer planned to stay silent as he did before. Before turning at the next junction, he suddenly stopped the car.Ivanka froze and looked at him.Michael placed a hand on the steering wheel and turned to face Ivanka. There was a hint of rage in his cold stare. Ivanka frowned slightly. She said nothing and waited for him to speak.Michael stared at her and said icily, “Are you Papaver?”It was a brief sentence. It sounded like a question, but there seemed to be unquenchable anger in his voice.“Wh
Instead, she remained standing in front of Jimothy and studied the group of men with a smile.“He works at our company. Since I’ve run into him, I’m obligated to come over and check on him. Pray tell, what has happened between you and why do you feel the need to resolve it with violence?”Jimothy stared at Candice while she stood with her back facing him. The look in his eyes was conflicted.The men exchanged glances with each other and saw a hint of astonishment in one another’s eyes.The man at the front of the group, who was likely their leader, said, “We just get paid to do this, lady. You should stay out of it.”When Candice heard his advice which also sounded like a threat, she did not intend to back down at all. Instead, she asked him, “Oh? How much did you get for this? I’ll pay you double. I just told you that this guy works for us, so I have to intervene.”The leader started laughing, and so did the men behind him. They did not even bother to hide the mockery in their t
Candice ordered some food she liked, and the dishes arrived soon after.Sandy suggested that they all took a picture together.The others did not object.Sandy gave her phone to the waiter.Then the five of them moved their chairs to sit in a row.Michael and Ivan each took the outermost seats.Naturally, Ivanka was seated next to Michael while Sandy, who paid for the dinner, was right beside her.Next to Sandy was Candice, who sat awkwardly in her chair. Ivan was beside Candice.The second the waiter took the picture, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances inadvertently. Meanwhile, Ivan stared past Candice, and his eyes fell on Sandy.Sandy and Candice were the only people who looked into the camera.But each and every one of them had a genuine smile on their face.Once they had taken a picture, they started eating together.It was a nice, relaxing dinner. They did not talk about work or how annoying Coco had been.They mostly chatted about the fun anecdotes they had he
The call was soon answered, but the person who picked up was not Rosie. It was Mrs. Ruth.“Ms. Lane, you finally called! Mdm. Barkworth will be over the moon when she wakes up!” Mrs. Ruth sounded quite excited as she spoke.Ivanka smiled and asked, “Is Grandma resting now?”“Yeah, she hasn’t had a good rest after learning that you’d be kidnapped. Once you were safe, she finally allowed herself to rest.”Ivanka nodded and told Mrs. Ruth to take good care of Rosie. She later said that she and Micheal would visit Rosie soon.With that, she hung up the phone.Meanwhile, she also reflected upon herself.Rosie had gotten old, yet Ivanka always made her worry. From that moment on, Ivanka would consider the consequences before making any decision. It was not only for the sake of herself, but the important people in her life, who also cared about her.As she contemplated this, Ivanka inevitably thought of the gathering. It would be quite fun.Before they were about to get off work, San
Coco practically ran out crying.Candice glanced at Ivanka worriedly and asked, “Will something bad happen to her?”Ivanka was not concerned at all. “What could possibly happen? She is an adult. Even if something bad happens, she has to bear the consequences of her own action.”Hearing that, Candice no longer fretted over the matter.She was not really worried about Coco. She was just afraid that something would happen to Coco, and Ivanka would be blamed for it.But Ivanka had made a good point. Candice did not want to trouble herself with Coco’s matters. It would only be an unnecessary emotional burden to her.Everyone in the office began discussing the progress of their project.Perhaps it was because Ivanka had made an example of Coco, the other employees became especially energized and diligent during their discussion.They were even more focused than before, since they were all afraid that Ivanka would treat them harshly as well.Hence, they were particularly efficient.
“Why don’t we leave now so that you can deal with this matter, Ms. Ivanka?”The director of the project department, who was perceptive and shrewd, planned to leave right then. Ivanka shook her head and signaled everyone to sit down.They were all uneasy, and they kept giving Coco weird looks.Two people had dared speak to Ivanka like that in the past—Ferris and Mandy.But those two were no longer with the company.At the thought of those people, the project department staff began looking at Coco with pity.However, Coco could not care less. All she wanted was to make a fuss.She wanted to see how shameless Ivanka could be.Unruffled, Ivanka stared at her. She did not get angry and seemed rather affable as she asked, “Tell me what upset you. Have we falsely accused you of something you didn’t do?”Before Coco said anything, Ivanka added cruelly, “Oh, I forgot that you aren’t familiar with the protocol here, so you have no idea what you did wrong, right?”Coco paled. Undoubte
Candice was momentarily stunned by his answer. She was a little offended.“Then why did you come to my office for this conversation?” Jimothy’s grin was mischievous. “To prove your company’s HR is blind, and you just lost a great talent. That’s all.”With that, Jimothy stood up, dusted off his sleeves dramatically, and turned to leave.“Your resume!” Candice called after him.Jimothy waved dismissively without looking back. “Keep it. Enjoy reading it. And don’t let an incompetent HR handle your interviews again.”Candice stood there for a moment and processed the scene before an involuntary chuckle escaped her lips. This one had personality.Regardless, the incident served as a wake-up call for Candice.It became glaringly clear that Coco was not only incompetent but also prone to overestimating her abilities.Before the task was assigned, she had the chance to decline. Candice had given her the opportunity and explicitly asked if she could handle it. Yet, Coco confidentl
The college student finally believed her and walked toward Candice.On the other hand, Coco seemed guilty and was desperate to prevent it. “He has no respect for our company! Are you really going to hire someone like him who won’t follow orders?” Coco’s tone was sharp. Her finger trembled as she pointed at the young man.She scanned the room for backup in hopes that the people who had been flattering her earlier would speak up in her defense.Unfortunately, no one stepped forward.Those who flattered Coco only did so out of respect for Ivanka. Yet Candice had a close relationship with Ivanka and was the company’s vice president.The gap between a vice president versus an intern was as vast as night and day.Anyone with common sense knew where to align themselves.Coco felt a mix of despair and resentment.Candice ignored her entirely. Why Ivanka was so wary of someone as clueless as this was beyond her comprehension.Coco was simply dumb.Without wasting another thought o
However, reality proved she had worried for nothing.Candice had called her over merely to ask if she had the most basic professional knowledge and whether she could handle the afternoon’s interview.Coco let out a deep sigh of relief before patting her chest confidently and assuring Candice she was more than capable.Knowing Coco came from the mountains, Candice was naturally skeptical, so she asked again, “Are you sure?”Coco thought to herself that it was just an interview. All she needed to do was just ask the candidates some questions. They could just choose someone who wrote the resume well.Not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Michael’s cousin, Coco pretended to be confident and accepted the task.Candice was half-doubtful, yet she still gave her instructions and let her go.However, Coco’s firm assurance eventually led to trouble....“Your company must be a joke to hire someone like you for HR. You’re offended? You’re not even a real professional. What? You ca
Word quickly spread within the HR department. After learning about Coco’s connection to Ivanka, some colleagues were vying to curry favor with her.Although some observant individuals noticed that the relationship between Coco and Ivanka was not as harmonious as it seemed, it did not deter the opportunists. Relentless flattery and attention poured in.One moment, a male coworker would offer to grab her food while placing his own lunch order. Next, a female coworker would ask if she wanted to order some coffee too.At first, Coco was caught off guard and politely declined. However, as she realized their intentions were purely self-serving, she began to accept their gestures without hesitation.By midday, Coco had become the department’s little queen. Ironically, as an intern, she should have been the one fetching coffee, running errands and collecting mail. Instead, she had colleagues practically lining up to do those tasks for her.Coco quickly assembled her own little e