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
Xander nodded. “Okay.”Xander’s uncle quickly arranged for a few chairs to be brought over.Everyone sat down.The room filled with a tense silence as they focused on the old lady, watching for any sign of reaction.Another hour passed. Xander finally could not wait any longer.Xander looked at Ivanka. He asked, “We should be able to test it now, right?”Ivanka glanced at the time on her phone. She gave a somber nod. “Yes, it’s time.”Not wanting to wait any longer, Xander stood up and began preparing to draw blood.Ivanka stood beside him in silence. Michael remained seated. His gaze fixed intently on Xander and the old lady.Soon, the blood was drawn from the old lady.Xander immediately began the testing process.They had brought some equipment with them, though it was not fully comprehensive. Only part of the necessary testing could be done on-site. The larger machines required for complete analysis were back at their facility. Besides, Xander and Ivanka intended to ha
As soon as Xander spoke, everyone turned their attention to Ivanka.Although only a few people were in the room, many more outside were anxiously waiting for news.Xander’s uncle’s family was standing outside. They had been afraid to walk in for fear of disturbing them.At that moment, everyone held their breath. None dared to make a sound for fear of missing Ivanka’s response.Even though they could only see her back, they did not want to miss anything.Ivanka gazed at the situation before her. She took a deep breath and looked at Xander. She nodded gravely and said, “We can proceed to the next step.”Xander’s eyes lit up. He quickly stepped forward. Seeing the positive results in front of Ivanka, he turned excitedly to his uncle. “Uncle, Grandaunt’s condition is suitable for the next round of tests. So far, it appears effective, and we can proceed to the next step. However...”He paused. He seemed hesitant to continue.Xander’s uncle, Tiernan Quinn, immediately responded. “Xa
Michael had been waiting on the sidelines the entire time. The wait felt almost torturous.Ivanka was completely focused. She paid no attention to Michael.When all the tests were finally completed, Xander’s eyes widened in shock.“This...”Tiernan looked at him with concern. “What is it?”Why did Xander pause after saying one word?Xander’s sudden exclamation and complex expression left everyone on edge.Tiernan held his breath. He did not want his mother to know the situation, so he had her taken to the resting area outside.Xander did not respond immediately. He glanced at the others, then fixed his gaze on Ivanka. “Does this mean...”Tiernan shifted his gaze to Ivanka.Michael gazed at Ivanka as well. Even though his emotions were calm, he could barely conceal the anxiety in his eyes.Ivanka’s expression was serious as she said, “From what we can see now, there is progress. To understand the full situation, we’ll need to continue monitoring.”Tiernan’s eyes lit up. He i
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