It looked as if the leaves were dancing with unrestrained grace, yet they were entirely at the mercy of the wind. They could not even stabilize themselves.Ivanka’s eyes flickered with that thought before she refocused on Michael.“I don’t know.” Ivanka lowered her head and took a deep breath before speaking again. “I don’t know if I can really cure Grandma. I don’t know what the outcome will be. But I can only guarantee that using this method will give her a longer life than her original treatment.”Her voice grew more resolute with the final words.Michael’s gaze softened as he said, “That’s all I needed to hear.”Ivanka looked at him with surprise. She had not expected to hear that from Michael.She had thought he would have higher expectations and hope for a better solution.However, perhaps things were not as surprising as they seemed.She paused and collected her thoughts. Then, she looked at him and said calmly, “But I will cure you.”Michael looked at her with surprise
Ivanka frowned and instinctively glanced at Michael. Seeing his cold eyes fixed on her, she opened her mouth to speak, but Michael’s stern voice cut in. “Don’t answer it.”Ivanka looked at him in surprise. “Don’t answer it?”What gave him the right to speak to her this way?Michael said nothing more. He was still holding her arm and refusing to let go. Ivanka remained calm as she responded. “I still have business dealings with him. Besides, there’s nothing between us.”She realized she had crossed a line by thinking she could question Michael.Whether he was sick or not, his disdain for her was undeniable.Ivanka took a deep breath to control her emotions, yet she was provoked once more by what Michael said next.“Nothing between us? Do you think that’s really the case?”Ivanka looked at him sharply. She felt both irritated and alarmed as her inner calm was disrupted. She replied, “There has never been anything between us. Never.”After saying that, Ivanka tried to wrench her
He abruptly stopped talking.Ivan’s eyes widened!Seeing Michael and Ivanka in an intimate embrace in the room, he was utterly stunned.He thought. “What... What’s going on...?”In that moment of bewilderment, Ivanka suddenly pushed Michael away, but Michael still held onto her hand.He did not look at Ivanka. Instead, he shot a cold, steely gaze on the doorway.Ivan snapped out of his daze. His face turned a little pale.His timing had been terrible. He had walked in on a private moment between the couple, which had disturbed them.Michael must have finally worked up the courage to act on his feelings toward Ivanka, and now...Taking a deep breath, Ivan spoke again, “Uh... I should just go. I saw nothing!”With that, he bolted out of the room, perhaps fearing he would get beaten up. In his haste, he slammed the door behind him with a loud bang, as if someone was storming out in anger.Michael’s expression darkened further.Ivanka’s face was flushed with a mix of embarrassm
Those few words left Ivanka completely stunned.She was numb with shock.She never expected Michael to say something like that, especially in such a gentle tone.“Are you crazy?”Ivanka finally managed to speak after a long pause.Michael looked at her intently. His expression was serious as he said in a firm tone, “I’m not joking.”Ivanka did not know how to respond to that.She turned her head away, not wanting to look at him, but she still responded. “Michael, we aren’t right for each other. Being together before was a mistake. There’s no need to let that mistake continue. The divorce is good for both of us.”After she finished, there was no response from Michael. His hand still held her wrist. She still could not break free. After a moment, Ivanka frowned at him. Her voice was tinged with impatience as she said, “In the past, I was affectionate toward you, but you never turned around to look at me. You treated me with such disdain and said things that left me heartbroken. M
Michael anticipated her move and dodged her foot, leaving Ivanka stepping on air.“Let go!” Ivanka was truly furious now. She glared coldly at him. If one looked closely, one could see the mockery in her gaze.Previously, Ivanka might have held back out of concern about his stomach cancer.However, knowing she could cure him, she did not care anymore.So what if she made him angry? Had he not treated her the same way? Had he not made her life miserable before?That thought alone drove Ivanka to the brink. It had taken her a long time and a great deal of effort to move on.Those were the darkest times in her life.She had a bright future ahead of her now. Why should she waste it being entangled with Michael?Was she out of her mind?Why put herself through more pain with him when she could be happy?“Ivanka, you still have feelings for me. You have to admit that,” Michael said calmly. When he was staring at her, it was as if he had seen through her.Ivanka snorted. “I would h
As Ivan wondered how to begin the conversation, Michael’s murderous voice suddenly rang out. “How would you like to die?”Ivan smiled awkwardly. “It’s a misunderstanding… It really is.”As he spoke, he turned around and closed the door. Then, he said awkwardly, “Just now… I was just worried that you couldn’t handle her yourself. I’m an experienced ladies’ man. If you made any mistakes, I could have pointed them out and given you advice. I just didn’t expect you to suddenly catch me looking. Also, why did you let go of her? If you hadn’t done that, you wouldn’t have seen me here, and we wouldn’t be in such an awkward situation right now.”Michael was so furious that he scoffed. “And you have the audacity to say this?”“Of course! Of course I do!” Ivan thought sarcastically.But he did not dare say this aloud. All he could do was fake a sheepish cough. “Anyway, you made your move today. Does it mean you really want to get back together with her?”“I have said this long ago.”“But
“From her perspective, you and Jonah are the same. You both want to use her, so she clearly knows what to do. If you don’t like her that way, then there’s no point sacrificing yourself to protect her.”The look in Michael’s eyes seemed to darken a little. His sharp gaze fell on Ivan. But Ivan appeared oblivious to his reaction. He simply patted his friend on the shoulder and said with a smile, “Buddy, I think you should mind your own business and take good care of yourself. She’ll be fine. Oh, and…”As he spoke, Ivan yawned and said with a shit-eating grin, “I haven’t slept for a while. Now I’m a bit sleepy. I shall head back to get some sleep. You should get some rest as well.”With that, Ivan left.He did not plan to stay at all. Having said what he needed to say in order to provoke Michael, Ivan had no reason to stick around. In fact, he felt quite satisfied when he lectured Michael.What a prick! Michael clearly fancied Ivanka. Earlier on, he even kissed her and held her in hi
“Are you free tonight?” Jonah asked instead of answering her directly.Ivanka frowned. “Not tonight.”“What about tomorrow?”Ivanka recalled Rosie’s treatment and said, “I don’t think tomorrow is possible. Must we meet up to discuss this matter? I have something really important to deal with for the time being, so I might not have time for other things.”After all, Rosie’s treatment was too important to her. She had even handed all the projects over to Thomas.“What are you doing at the moment?” Jonah still did not tell her what he needed her for specifically.Ivanka paused and did not reply for a moment. Then she said, “Do you want to discuss the jewelry project with me?”“Yes and no. I can’t explain it over the phone. I’ll wait till you’re free then. It’s nothing urgent. Reach out to me when you’re free, as long as it is within a week from now.”Ivanka pondered for a while and replied, “Sure.”“Good. If you have been working too much lately, remember to get some rest. Feel f
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