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
If it were not for the fact that Xander was his nephew, Tiernan would have gotten on his knees to thank him and everyone else! After all, his mother could live for two more months because of them!“You don’t have to thank us. It’s what we do.”Besides, Xander knew that he should not take the credit. But Ivanka had not revealed that she was Violet Cress until earlier on. It showed that she intended to keep a low profile and hide her identity. Therefore, Xander could not say anything else.“No… If it weren’t for you, my mother wouldn’t have survived today. I’ll remember what you’ve done for us. If you ever need my help in the future, let me know!” Tiernan almost put his hand on his heart when he made that promise. After a pause, Tiernan looked over at Xander again and asked tentatively, “So, what do we do next?”Xander said nothing and looked at Ivanka instead. Ivanka pondered momentarily and said softly, “You still need to observe your mother for the next few days. If possibl
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