Ivanka smiled and said, “No. My colleague said she settled the work. So, I came back.” Rosie was pleasantly surprised by Ivanka’s unexpected and quick return. “Great! You can keep me company for a bit longer.” Ivanka walked over to her with a smile and held her arm gently. “Yes, I can stay with you all day.” Rosie became even happier and replied cheerfully, “Great!”As she spoke, she led Ivanka back to the sofa. But before they could sit down, Rosie suddenly said, “Come chat with me in the bedroom!”She wanted to speak to her privately without the risk of being overheard. Her main concern was to ask Ivanka about her plans moving forward. Ivanka glanced at the time. Thinking that Michael would not arrive so quickly, she nodded and accompanied Rosie upstairs.Despite her age, Rosie moved up and down the stairs with ease. That was why she and Samuel had not moved their bedroom to the first floor.The original plan was to change rooms when they found it difficult to navigate
Rosie frowned. She was clearly reluctant to go for the check-up. However, she could not bring herself to refuse Ivanka’s request because she could never say no to her.Ivanka’s smile softened when she saw this. “Grandma, be good. Otherwise, I won’t come to see you anymore.”“Okay, of course I will. But this check-up isn’t important. Look at me, I’m as fit as a fiddle.” Rosie tried to comply, but her words still showed reluctance.Ivanka smiled again and spoke gently, “Okay, let’s go together. I’ll be with you the whole time during the check-up, okay?”Michael remained silent as he watched Ivanka from the side. He had been worried about Rosie’s condition on his way here. He could not understand why Ivanka insisted Rosie do the check-up today. “Aww... I just don’t want to go...” She was less insistent on refusing Ivanka than she had been with Michael. Rosie even started to act a bit playful.Normally, Ivanka would have found this amusing, but she was too worried about Rosie at tha
If only they could reconcile!It would be great if they could remarry and appear in front of her together every day. In an instant, Rosie felt both angry and heartbroken!She felt sorry for Ivanka. Ivanka had given so much to Michael over the years, but her efforts were not reciprocated.She was angry at the useless Michael for not appreciating the efforts Ivanka had put on him. She knew that Michael had feelings for Ivanka. However, Ivanka no longer had feelings for him. Rosie felt that Michael deserved this punishment for not appreciating Ivanka. “Let’s go, Grandma,” said Ivanka in her usual gentle voice. Rosie sighed inwardly. She wished Ivanka could vent her anger by giving Michael a good beating and then forgiving him. The other option would be Michael enduring all kinds of punishment to win Ivanka back. That would be fine too...Rosie felt so irritated at that moment. She had so much to say, but she could not utter a word.“Sigh... Let’s go,” said Rosie reluctantly
Ivanka quickly turned away. Rosie was looking out the window by her side, so she did not notice Ivanka’s movement. However, Michael, who was driving, saw everything clearly. His expression darkened even more. It was unclear whether it was due to Ivanka’s reaction or whether it was because he was worried about Rosie.Ivanka quickly composed herself. When Rosie turned back to talk to her, she responded cheerfully. They chatted and laughed all the way to the hospital.Ivanka felt a myriad of emotions in her. Her heart began to race when it was time for Rosie’s check-up. Michael accompanied Rosie inside as well.Rosie could not help but ask, “When is Samuel arriving? He’s late.”Samuel and Rosie usually had their check-ups together.Rosie had not asked about it earlier because she thought he was on his way, but she found it strange that Samuel had not arrived when it was time for the check-up.Michael calmly said, “Grandpa has some things to take care of. He might only show u
Ivanka’s eyes flickered with some emotions. She paused for a moment before drawing close to Michael. Michael frowned. He stood in place motionlessly. The next moment, Ivanka whispered to him, “Wait for me to come back. You must wait for me.” Ivanka sounded extremely solemn. Her tone suggested she would not hear “no” for an answer. Michael frowned silently. Ivanka did not want Rosie to be even more suspicious, so she said with a smile, “Grandma, let’s go now.” “Okay.”At this, Ivanka helped Rosie head outside. Ivanka personally drove and sent her back. Ivanka drove faster than usual. Nonetheless, the car moved steadily. She did not violate traffic rules. Ivanka occasionally chatted with Rosie happily. But she was actually in anguish and sad. When they arrived at the Barkworth family’s mansion, Rosie was still in the mood to chat with Ivanka, and that made Ivanka feel a bit guilty. For Rosie’s sake, Ivanka could not put it off any longer. Hence, Ivanka had no choice
Ivanka did not take long to arrive at the destination. The doctors were still around. They gathered together to discuss Rosie’s disease. Meanwhile, Michael sat on the side of the office desk. He put his hands into his pockets. There was a trace of grimness in his icy-cold expression. When he saw Ivanka, he turned his head around and rested his gaze on her. Ivanka pursed her lips. Her eyes were more reddened than before she left. The doctors cast a glance at Ivanka before looking away. They knew she was very close to Rosie. Ivanka sucked in a deep breath and walked over to Michael. He remained silent. He had no idea what Ivanka’s arrangement was. She glanced at him and asked, “Have you told your father about it?” “Not yet.” There was a somber aura about Michael. He no longer treated her as coldly as before. Ivanka’s eyes flickered with some emotions. She knew she could not put it off any longer. She stared at Michael. “Do you trust me? If you do, let me be entirely in ch
Ivanka frowned deeply but said nothing else. Michael stared at Ivanka. “Tell me. Why should I trust you?” Xander’s eyes flickered with some emotions. For a moment, he did not understand what Michael was talking about. He subconsciously turned to Ivanka who was standing next to them. Ivanka’s expression turned dark. She looked grim not because of Michael’s questioning but because of Rosie’s disease. Ivanka hesitated momentarily before answering him, “That’s because I’m Violet Cress.” Ivanka enunciated her last sentence. Xander and Michael’s expressions changed drastically. They stared at her incredulously. Xander asked, “Are you really Violet Cress?” Ivanka kept quiet. She looked at Xander calmly. At that moment, Michael looked like he was at a loss for words. After Xander finished asking Ivanka, Michael fixed his gaze on her. He did not want to miss a single emotion on her face. Violet Cress was a type of flower that carried the meaning of humble, simple, and selfle
“Of course she can!” Xander looked serious. While he was driving he said, “I believe you’ve heard about Violet Cress. She’s a top-tier doctor in the medical profession. It’s extremely hard to meet up with her. She’s done a lot of good deeds and saved a lot of people. But she works alone. She can’t possibly save everyone in the world.” Michael said nothing. He seemed like he was listening to Xander quietly. Xander, on the other hand, gushed about Violet Cress. “Violet Cress is so skillful that she could bring a dead person back to life. She could bring a person who has stopped breathing back to life. As long as she’s willing to give treatment and wants that person to live, she could always save them from the grim reaper. She’s truly amazing. However, she has been keeping herself from the public’s eyes. Those who have seen her before have never seen her true looks. They don’t know if Violet Cress is a man or a lady. I never expected Ivanka to be Violet Cress! There’s hope for Rosie
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