After they were done cooking, Anna and Hanson arrived.When Hanson and Anna saw a six-course meal with soup on the table, surprise filled their eyes.“It smells so good! This is my favorite smell!” Anna could not help but say.She changed into some house slippers, washed her hands, and sat at the table. She closed her eyes and took in the smell before she happily said, “I just had a fight with my family, and I haven’t had dinner yet. I didn’t expect to be pampered like this after that fight!”“Why did you argue with your family again?” Sandy sat next to her and asked in bewilderment.Ivanka took off her apron and walked over. She saw the two of them sitting together, so she could only sit across from Anna.Hanson then walked up to Ivanka and sat next to her.Anna took a fork and felt slightly annoyed as she said, “They want me to have an arranged marriage for the sake of their business. I’ve told them not to force me into marriage, so I definitely won’t go for an arranged marria
No one knew about it, hence Sandy decided to match Hanson with Ivanka. They just knew that Hanson had strong feelings for Ivanka.Sandy would not have done that if she had known about Anna’s feelings for Hanson. They were all friends after all.Sandy laughed. “That’s not necessary. If you let Ivanka join, you probably won’t need to worry about the race!”Hanson chuckled in resignation and said, “I know that there’s no chance of winning this time. I heard that Sadler’s Group and Barkworth’s Group are trying hard to invite Wisteria. No matter who she chooses, it has nothing to do with me.”The smile on his handsome face had a tinge of bitterness.Reluctance flashed in Anna’s eyes. “Don’t say that. Things will fall into place in the end.”“Come on, let’s have a toast first!” Sandy raised her can of beer, and they toasted together.After Ivanka took a bite of her food, she slowly said, “I can help you. I’m not sure if I’ll win, but I’ll do my best.”There would always be people bet
Hanson was still staring at Ivanka. He noticed her faint smile as she said, “I’m sorry.”“I won’t accept your apology. You have to make it up to us!” Sandy purposely said with pride.Anna collected herself and nodded cooperatively. “Yes, we won’t accept apologies without actions.”Ivanka pretended to helplessly say, “What should I do? I have nothing to give you as compensation.”“Who says? Is it that difficult? You just need to take care of our dinner every day!”Anna burst out laughing. “Stop going too far. Aren’t you ashamed of asking for dinner every day?”“Don’t you want to eat? Shouldn’t we be on the same side now?”Hanson smiled in silence.Anna hesitated for a while. As she picked up her fork and got some food, she grinned and said, “Sandy’s right. We can’t forgive you so soon. Let’s do this. You have to cook dinner for us next month! We’ll forgive you once you become poor.”Sandy sighed helplessly. “One month is really short. What if we’re busy and we can’t come?”“Ha
However, Anna sneered. “What’s the point of taking the initiative? My parents are so obsessed with this. They insist that I marry into the family. They know that I’m against it, but they’re going ahead with it.”Anna grabbed the paper from Sandy before she sat up and wiped her tears. She cried and said, “I’ve been out for so long, but they never even called to check on me. Instead, they posted on Twitter. Do you think they would even care if I died?”“Don’t say that.” Ivanka held her hand and sternly said, “Marrying into the Wood family will not be good. Your father has no hesitation in sacrificing you just to collaborate with the Wood family.”“Yes, what else can I do now? I keep resisting, but I’ll still have to obediently get married in the end, right?”Sandy was extremely angry too. “Your father has really gone too far! I heard that the Wood family just looks good on the surface! They secretly do all kinds of things. Everyone should stay away from them because they only spell t
Ivanka nodded and directly assigned tasks to each of them. This time, Anna was smiling brightly. “Okay, I’ll go home now and admit my mistakes to my parents!”“I’ll pay Young Master Wood a visit!” Sandy quickly said.Ivanka smiled and nodded. “Okay, I’ll go to the woman.”Anna put down the toast and got up to leave, but Sandy stopped her. “Do you need to be in a hurry? Eat your breakfast first!”Ivanka chuckled. “Skipping breakfast isn’t good for the body. Sit down and eat.”Anna sat back down and finished her breakfast in a hurry. Then she wiped her mouth, picked up her bag, and rushed off. “I’ll go back first! I’m afraid that my father will do something again if I don’t get back. I’m leaving, Sis!”She was reckless, but that was just her character.Sandy could not help but chuckle, and she also finished her breakfast. “I’m going to see Young Master Wood now.”Ivanka nodded, but she was still a bit worried. “Do you really know Young Master Wood? If not, we can get someone else
Ivanka smiled. Without a word, she passed Yuliana a stack of photos. Yuliana frowned as she took them, and she soon saw how indecent they were. Her expression immediately changed. She quickly flipped through the photos but could not bear to go any further after flipping through half of them. She then threw the photos on the table. “This doesn’t prove anything!” Ivanka nodded. “You can choose not to believe what you’ve seen. Follow me somewhere tonight, and I’ll prove it to you. How does that sound?” Yuliana’s expression was extremely sour, and she subconsciously rejected Ivanka’s idea. “You’ve seen what’s been trending on Twitter, haven’t you? The Wood family and the Baldwin family are going to join in marriage. Anna knew Peter was a playboy and refused to marry him, but her father forced her into the marriage,” Ivanka said with a drawl. Yuliana frowned. “Peter told me that he doesn’t want to marry Anna, but his parents ordered him to. He’ll still try to fight back, thoug
Back home, Chiara was in a good mood. She sat on the couch and hummed a tune as she fiddled with her phone. Lyla was surprised to see her in this state. She sat down beside Chiara and asked, “Why are you in such a good mood today?” “Mom, I bought a very nice gift for Michael’s grandmother.” Lyla felt resigned. “Gosh, you’re hopeless. How are you so happy just because you’ve bought a nice gift?” “Of course it’s not entirely because of that!” “Then, what is it?” Chiara showed Lyla a photo of her gift and spoke with a smile, “Have a look at the gift. What do you think?” “Not bad!” Lyla nodded with satisfaction. “It looks luxurious and high-class. I’ve also heard that Michael’s grandmother is fond of gemstones.” Chiara chuckled. “I don’t know her preferences. I bought this thanks to Ivanka.” “What do you mean?” Lyla asked in puzzlement. Ivanka put her phone aside and replied with a grin, “When I was in the shopping mall earlier, I ran into Ivanka. I heard that she was t
Time passed as Ivanka and her group worked on their stuff. The four of them communicated via WhatsApp group chat. Sandy: I found Peter and chatted with him for a while. I told him everything. He’s very happy and even thinking about going through me to date Ann! Anna: Thanks! I told my family about it too. My father was really happy when he found out that I was willing to marry Peter. He’s been telling Peter about my strengths and weaknesses. My mother is treating me better too. I hope they’re being nice to me from the bottom of their hearts… Sandy: Don’t be so sentimental! Oftentimes, there are many things in this world that we can’t control. Your parents have their own troubles too. Stop thinking about them. We have to think for ourselves. Besides, things are working positively now, aren’t they? Anna: Yeah, I know. Ivanka: I’ve met with Yuliana. I’ll wait for her to meet me again at night. Anna: I’m worried. Are you sure she’ll meet you? After all, she plays the most imp
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