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
Evan averted his gaze in silence with a conflicted look on his face.Although he did not get the full picture, he could guess what happened. Ms. Lane, who used to be Mrs. Barkworth, was truly impressive!She was so impressive that it shocked Evan greatly. He did not even dare imagine what really happened back there.After all, Xander had to listen to Ivanka’s instructions. What did it say about her medical expertise? In other words, did she have yet another secret identity?Evan was incredibly curious.Soon, they took off. But they were not going to someone’s home this time. Instead, they all gathered all the patients in one place.They performed medical checkups on ten people consecutively.Apart from one patient, the other nine people showed the same result as Xander’s grandaunt!Seeing the reports, Xander leaped with joy!He acted like a young reckless fool and was no longer as composed as he usually was.Holding the report in his hand, he walked over to Michael. At that p
A hint of worry flashed in Xander’s eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Michael beat him to it and said indifferently, “Let’s get this started.”Without a word, Ivanka disinfected her hands again and took out a bunch of medical equipment.Michael calmly walked up to Ivanka. He had witnessed the entire procedure earlier on, and he knew what she was up to. After a series of check-ups, it was finally time to start the treatment.Ivanka quietly waited for him to get ready.Michael took off his suit jacket and unbuttoned his sleeve cuff, then he rolled up his sleeve inch by inch. Soon enough, his sculpted, muscular forearm appeared before her eyes.Without a word or any reservations, Ivanka gave him the injection. Xander could tell how decisive she was. She did it so much quicker than when she treated the other patients. She did not even hesitate,Xander forced an awkward smile. Ivanka and Michael were like enemies. Regardless, Xander knew that Ivanka dared test the tr
Xander did not reply right away. Ivan stared right at him, but he immediately noticed the odd atmosphere. When he turned his head, he spotted Ivanka, who sat in a chair a short distance away.Ivanka greeted him with a nod.A hint of confusion flashed in Ivan’s eyes. Why was she here?But in the next moment, he turned his eyes on Xander again. He was at a loss and sensed that something was off, but he could not tell why he felt that way.Ivan assumed that Ivanka did not know about Michael’s condition. But when he entered the room earlier on, he had divulged this piece of information.He was genuinely anxious!At that point, Ivan could not care less about keeping the secret. He immediately shot Xander a look.He meant to signal Xander to leave the room with him so they could talk. But Xander did not move even after Ivan signaled him twice. Instead, Xander said calmly, “We still don’t know the exact condition, so we need to run another test later.”Ivan immediately gawked at Xande
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