“Where are you?” Xander was driving. Ivan’s lively voice could be heard next to him. “Want to come out and have fun tonight?” Xander laughed and told him off. “Can’t you live without women?” Michael pursed his lips and said blandly, “At home.” “Okay. Reaching in fifteen minutes.” Michael did not say anything and hung up. Just as Xander said, he arrived at the place in fifteen minutes. Xander was a very punctual person. If he said he was going to arrive in fifteen minutes, then he was going to arrive in exactly fifteen minutes. Likewise, he had zero tolerance for anyone else’s lack of punctuality, save for his own buddies. The two walked in and happened to see Michael sitting on the sofa. His expression was slightly sullen, which prompted Ivan to walk over to tease him gleefully. “Is this because you have too much pressure in life lately, or is this because suddenly you don’t have a woman to vent your frustrations to?” The corners of Xander’s mouth twitched. “Do you thi
Xander changed the topic. “Come on. Let me check your condition.” As he said this, he had already put his stethoscope against Michael’s chest. Xander was young and accomplished. Even if he had a vast family fortune as his inheritance, he only liked medicine. He opened a private hospital of his own. It was always full. Michael did not move. Ivan was just fooling around earlier, but his expression suddenly turned serious. He looked straight at Xander like he was a little worried. Xander’s eyes, which were still at ease at that moment, became grimmer. In the end, he pulled the stethoscope away. Michael pursed his lips and did not say anything. Meanwhile, Ivan could not help but say, “You’re always so solemn and sullen every time. Can’t you be happy for once and make me feel relieved?!” Xander’s face grew even more solemn. He frowned hard and said, “I can at most extend your life by another year. If you still refuse treatment, you will definitely relapse.” Ivan’s expressi
There was absolutely no trace at all. It was not as if Ivan did not track Violet Cress down, but there was absolutely no trail leading to her! The small spark of hope was put out in a flash. Ivan punched the sofa’s armrest desolately. Xander said calmly, “Since you have a lot of things to do, cherish your time. If you don’t rest well and get agitated easily, it will only make your condition worse, Your time will run out faster.” This was not just to scare them. Michael said calmly, “I understand.” “You understand?! I’ll be damned if you really understand!” Ivan immediately stood up. Then, he started negotiating with Michael in a stern tone, “Michael Barkworth, stop everything you have on hand. Attend Xander’s treatments properly! I’ll definitely find some way to contact Violet Cress. Violet Cress will cure you for sure!” Xander took out a bottle of medicine and handed it to Michael. “Take this medicine for now. You are absolutely not allowed to stay up late, and you
Even though Evan was still puzzled, he still remained professional. He made a sound and watched as Michael went back in. Then, he withdrew his gaze and went back into the car. Time was still ticking by. Michael was standing guard at the side while Ivanka and Xander carried on with their experiments. Obviously, he could not intervene in this matter, but he did not dare to look away from Ivanka and Xander’s faces. He was terrified that he might see dejection on their faces, yet he had no choice but to watch. It was just that… He noticed that after finishing a task, Xander would let out a breath of relief. Then, he would look at Ivanka. Even if she was expressionless the whole time, Michael could tell what was on her mind. He never said anything, in case he interrupted their thoughts. After about another three hours, the samples that Evan brought over were done. At this point, Evan and those men were waiting at their respective stations and were ready to take orders. Ho
At that moment, Ivanka was truly dumbfounded. Michael glanced at Ivanka and pursed his lips, but before he could say anything, Xander looked at Michael again and said, “No matter what, I’m not going to let you take the risk. We have already come so far. If it fails, it’ll only make things worse. Even if your grandmother doesn’t know what’s going on, she will be sad and…” He did not say the last bit out loud, but it was already very obvious. If Michael died, and even if Rosie did not know the truth, it would still aggravate her condition. She would definitely die. Ivanka frowned harder. Even though she did not say a single word, the coldness in her eyes seemed to have grown. She had obviously guessed what was going on. Then, her gaze fell on Michael. “You…” That was the only thing she said; Ivanka actually did not know what to say. On the other hand, Michael looked at Xander and said grimly but blandly, “There’s no need to find someone else to experiment on for something
This was Xander’s uncle, and he was not very old. So, his uncle’s mother’s age was just a little over fifty this year.“Really? Xander, you have a solution?!”Xander sighed slightly. “The series of tests done so far have been successful. But I’m not sure if it’s really possible.”“It’s okay! It’s okay! You have to try if it works or not. Who knows, there might be hope for us! After all, your grandaunt’s situation…” When they spoke of this, his uncle could not help but sigh. Xander hurriedly said, “We’ll make a trip over there now.” “I’m sorry you have to go through such trouble for it, but thank you so much for the help, Xander!” Xander instantly looked a little conflicted. “You mustn’t say that. We’re really just using Grandaunt as a test subject. We’re also very thankful that you’re willing to give us this opportunity.”“What’re you talking about?! Not everyone even has this chance! What if we’re successful? If it works out, your Grandaunt will live. If it doesn’t… Well, sh
Xander did not respond. Ivanka turned to him and said, “It might not be a perfect solution, but it can alleviate the patient’s pain and prolong their lifespan. Who knows if we can make further improvements or closely monitor the patient’s condition? It might even work.”Her voice trailed off toward the end as her confidence faded.After all, something like that was something she could not guarantee, but she wanted to give Michael some hope so that she could stop him from worrying so much.Xander glanced at Michael. “Don’t worry, it’ll work this time. We’ve done numerous experiments with no issues. Each trial has been successful. The next one will be too.” Evan, who was driving, instinctively glanced at the rearview mirror.He saw Michael and Ivanka sitting in the back. They both looked very serious.Their discussion baffled Evan.What did this have to do with Ivanka?Why was she involved in this?And Michael’s questions were related to the medical field. How did Ivanka end up
The old lady’s eyelashes fluttered again. She wanted to tell them to stop wasting their energy and that they should just let her go. Given her current state, she was neither fully alive nor dead. She had had enough of it. She did not want to burden others any longer.Just let her go.Xander’s uncle seemed to read her mind. He did not try to advise her further, knowing that words would not make much difference. He sighed and said, “You can start.”He then looked at Xander. However, when he saw Ivanka stepping forward to administer the injection, his eyes flickered with surprise. Why was this young woman the one performing the injection?He glanced at Xander, only to find that he was only handling the disinfection process. For a moment, he was confused. It looked as if Xander was merely assisting her.He was confused at the moment, but his good manners prevented him from asking questions.After all, Xander would not assist just anyone. If he was willing to take a back seat, it mean
Ivanka understood everything just by looking at Stella’s expression.The drinks and pastries had to be the problem. The weakness and fatigue people were experiencing must have come from consuming them. She tested them with a test strip right away.As expected, they had been poisoned.She had not eaten anything, so she was fine. But she was unsure about Vincenzo, so she checked on him immediately. Thankfully, he was unharmed.Stella let out a deep breath.Before she could say anything, Vincenzo scolded her. “You ran back here and left Njord alone? Hurry up and get back there!”“Yes, Boss!”Stella responded quickly and ran off.Ivanka was about to speak when Michael and Evan rushed in.Michael looked anxious and was breathing heavily.Just like Stella, he was panicking.“Come here. Let me check.” Ivanka nodded at him. She knew how stubborn he was.Michael pursed his lips together and hesitated.But Ivanka had already stepped forward and checked on him. His pulse was weakenin
Vincenzo immediately noticed Michael putting some distance between them.It was not out of fear but respect for Vincenzo’s status. After all, he was Ivanka’s only family.Ivanka walked straight to Vincenzo without sparing Michael a glance.Michael could only stand there and watch her leave.Back at their spot, Vincenzo remained silent. Ivanka, however, felt uneasy.She had only gone to the restroom and had not expected to run into Michael.After some thought, she decided to explain.“Uncle, I didn’t go looking for him.”“You don’t need to explain. Even if you did, that’s your choice. I’ve said what I needed to. The decision is yours.”His tone was calm, but to Ivanka, it sounded like he was upset.She wanted to say more, but Vincenzo spoke first. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m not angry. Once the banquet is over, take a few days to rest. Then we’ll head out.”“Alright.”Since he had already said that, there was nothing more to say.Caeser had hosted the banquet to trigger inte
Ivanka saw the grin on Michael’s face and immediately let go of his arm. Her expression darkened with displeasure.Michael looked like he was enjoying her frustration.“I’m not,” he denied at once, quickly adding, “I’m happy because you pulled me away. It shows you care.”Ivanka was speechless.She looked at his smiling face and shook her head. “I just didn’t want you getting into a fight with Mr. George right now. If something happened to you while I was there, I couldn’t just leave. And if I didn’t, that would make me responsible for you.”Michael frowned. “Do you really think I’m that useless?”He had fought Mr. George before and never even saw him as a threat. There was no way someone like that could take him down.“That’s not the point. Mr. George isn’t alone, but you are. This isn’t your territory, Michael. And don’t forget, the drug in your system hasn’t fully cleared, and your gunshot wound—”He cut her off before she could finish.“That injury was a long time ago. I’m
Ivanka had never revealed her identity as Violet Cress. How did Mr. George figure it out just from her treating Caeser?“Mr. Ali, I only gave Mr. Hicks a few herbal prescriptions. It was nothing special.”“Caeser has plenty of skilled doctors, yet none of them could fix his condition. You did so effortlessly. That says a lot. Anyone who can earn his trust must be exceptionally capable. Ms. Ivanka, the Ganoderma Nebula is not something just anyone can use properly, nor does everyone have your level of confidence.”At first, Mr. George had not suspected anything. But after learning about the legendary medical expert, Violet Cress, he started making connections. She was well known by reputation, yet no one had ever seen her face. He had looked into her background and found that she was probably not elderly.There was also the Ganoderma Nebula.So, he made an educated guess.Looking at Ivanka’s calm reaction, he was even more convinced. When he first mentioned it, there had been a fl
A teasing voice broke the moment, interrupting Ivanka and Michael.They turned to look.Standing before them was none other than Mr. George. It had been a while since they last saw him.Michael narrowed his eyes. He had not expected him to show up at Caeser’s banquet.“What? Didn’t learn your lesson last time?” His tone was cold and sharp.As he spoke, he stepped forward. He simultaneously shielded Ivanka behind him.They knew they were in Mirvania, and Vincenzo was nearby. No matter what Mr. George was planning, he would not dare make a move under Vincenzo’s watch.Still, Michael’s reaction was instinctive.“No hard feelings, right? Isn’t this how friendships start?” Mr. George replied indifferently. He stepped to the side and looked at Ivanka.“Friends?” Ivanka let out a sharp laugh. “Be honest, Mr. George. Do you really think we could ever be friends?”She had taken the Ganoderma Nebula. He had tried to steal it by sending his men. She had turned five of them against him a
Ivanka tried to step aside, but Michael blocked her path.The acrid smell of smoke hit her.She instinctively covered her nose and mouth.Michael saw her reaction and put out his cigarette.“If I talk through a third party and they can’t get my point across to my subordinates, wouldn’t it be better to handle it myself?”Ivanka frowned. “Is this really the time to talk about this?”She thought about pushing him away, but she decided against it.“I know it’s not. I also know you did all that to make me give up. But I won’t. It will just hurt.”His voice was hoarse and tinged with sorrow.He looked heartbroken.If this had been before, she might have felt bad for him. But at that moment, she felt nothing. She said calmly, “That’s your problem, not mine. If you want to keep getting knocked out and run around like this, be my guest.”She stepped forward and pulled out her phone.Michael knew exactly what she meant. If he kept blocking her way, she would call Njord, Stella, and t
“Alright, go back to the casino and wait for my order.”The fight between Tanya and Blake had revealed how fragile their relationship was. If Tanya thought the stranger she met at the party was reliable, she would try to leave Blake.She would have thought that she had gotten her freedom. But in fact, it was just another circle of hell awaiting her.By then, Tanya would suffer a worse fate than death.That was what Ivanka wanted to see.After all, Tanya had disguised herself as Ivanka and put a stain on her reputation for a time. Moreover, Tanya was still planning to come after her and Michael.Ivanka would not intervene in the feud between Tanya and Michael, but since she had run into Tanya at the party, she would like to settle the score between her and Tanya.“That’s your plan?”As Ivanka hung up, Vincent could not help frowning.He knew what she was up to when she had asked Njord to assign the job to a man.But the progress was too slow!Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Yeah
Tanya was not a fool.Seeing Tanya’s reaction, the man smiled calmly and said, “Seriously? He’s just your boyfriend. He can’t possibly stop you from making friends, right?”Tanya ignored him and kept walking.She reached a junction and took out her phone to book a ride. But the Hicks family’s mansion was on the hillside. Moreover, Caeser had contacted the Ministry of Transport to impose traffic control in the area. Apart from those who attended the party, no one else’s vehicle was allowed to enter.Seeing that there was not a single car around, Tanya had no choice but to walk down the hill.Blake had told her to get lost, so she would not go back to the mansion to ask for his help.She walked for about five minutes. High heels were not made for long-distance walks, and she was in a long evening gown. She held a little purse that contained her phone, lipstick, a small packet of tissues, and nothing else. Worse still, she could not tear off the long hem of her gown.Tanya had no c
What Blake said struck a chord with Tanya.Her expression was cold, and the look in her eyes was vicious.She did not even love Blake, so everything he did had nothing to do with her. She did not care if he was involved with other women.“Do you have anything else to say? I don’t think I need to be at this party for long.” Tanya averted her gaze so that she did not have to look Blake in the eye.She had made her point clear. If he did not need her around, she would take her leave for the night.Naturally, Blake knew what she meant to say.“Get lost then!”He yelled at Tanya right away. She did not even spare him a look before lifting the hem of her dress, turning around, and walking away.Blake’s voice was filled with disgust, hatred, and rage. But Tanya could not care less about how he felt.She had come to the party with Blake, who arranged their ride. The Hicks, who organized this party, had prepared a parking lot for the guests. There were cars arranged neatly across the p