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 did not pay him any mind and got into the car. If Michael dared to chase after her again, she would most definitely kick him out of the car! She would do what she said she would!Michael did not catch up, but he blocked her with his arms wide open. His stance was clear: You can leave. But over my dead body! Ivanka could not possibly drive over Michael. But it was not a problem for Michael to keep blocking her way. Plus, she had just politely rejected his parents. So, it was even more impossible for her to turn back. Ivanka ran out of patience. She held her forehead and frowned. Michael had already drained her last bit of patience. She never imagined that Michael would actually cling to her to such an extent! How would she put it? All her positivity had been drained clean! “Michael, your parents are still at home. Aren’t you afraid they’ll see and laugh at you? I know Grandpa and Grandma are standing by our side now. It’s not like you and I haven’t been in
Ivanka would neither accept the carrot nor the stick approach. Michael had no choice but to persuade her with reason and win her over with affection. Ivanka snorted. “Have you ever given me a chance to have a meal with you before this? As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time for things to come to this state. Things might have passed for you but not for me!” Ivanka’s gaze was razor-sharp. Michael felt his heart clench up. At that moment, his throat was in so much pain that he did not know what else to say to her. Ivanka did not wait for his response. She pushed away his hand and headed out without hesitation. Michael did not stop her. Nonetheless, he went after her and followed behind her. Meanwhile, they heard the sound from the kitchen. Mindy prepared dinner in the kitchen, and Jay helped her out. They had heard their conversation. Out of courtesy, Ivanka went to the kitchen and greeted them. She said with a smile, “Uncle Jay, Aunt Mindy, I’m
Ivanka clenched her fists. Her gaze was filled with ferocity. She looked like she was really going to punch Michael. Michael noticed the anger in her eyes. But since the person was none other than Ivanka, he was willing to take the beating. He even took a step forward and held his head high. “Strike me if you want.” “You!” Ivanka glared at Michael. He truly annoyed her. She reminded herself to keep her composure. She sucked in a deep breath before saying, “Michael, I’ve treated you with respect. You’d better behave yourself.” Right after she finished the sentence, Ivanka left. Before she even took a step forward, Michael grabbed her. “My mom is preparing the dishes inside the kitchen. If you leave now, you’re not showing me any respect. Please stay around to have dinner. Even though we’re already divorced, and it’s impossible for us to get back together again, we’re still friends,” said Michael. Haha! He had been adamant. He was using the same approach to draw close
Mindy’s expression instantly darkened. “What’s with us being prejudiced against her? Had I ever targeted her when she married Michael from the beginning? “She knew how well Rosie had treated her. It’s her own fault for failing to bond with Mic. How could you blame us?” Mindy had always disliked Ivanka. She believed Samuel’s intervention had been the reason for their marriage. It was an arranged marriage. There was no need for the Barkworth’s family to have an arranged marriage. At the end of the day, it was all up to Samuel to choose the bride for Michael. Ever since Ivanka married Michael, aside from the deliberate arrangements, they had hardly shown up together as a couple in public. Mindy did not have any particularly hard feelings for Ivanka. She believed the two would live happily together after getting married. After they divorced, Mindy thought Michael could start all over again. But she did not expect to see their current relationship was no different from when they
It was Jay and Mindy. When Ivanka saw them, a thought came across her mind. She took out a syringe and inserted it into Michael’s arm to unmute him. Michael felt like he had been stung by a bee. It was as though he had been put in jail, only to be freed all of a sudden. Ivanka took away the syringe and gave him a glance with displeasure. “Get out of the car now. Your parents are here—” “Aren’t you entering the house?” Before Ivanka finished her sentence, Michael interrupted her. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with sincerity and seriousness. But Ivanka rejected him coldly. “Quick! Get out of the car! I’m not joking with you. Get out now!” “Let’s go in together. After all, you’re already here. Are you worried about seeing them?” Michael was undaunted by her emotions and tone. Instead, he stretched out his hand to try to grab Ivanka. Nonetheless, she avoided him with ease. Meanwhile, Jay and Mindy saw them. They walked over to them. Mindy glanced at th
It was no wonder Jonah asked for so many details. All these were facts.Ivanka did not avoid answering his questions. She gave a light smile. “The longest will be half a year.”If the treatment was ineffective after half a year, she would go to Silvania with Vincent.After all, it was not just about her.Upon learning of Ivanka’s decision, Jonah smiled wryly. “Iv, I don’t think it’s an easy feat to treat my legs. How about you go and deal with your stuff first? You can always treat my legs afterward.”Ivanka initially planned to do it that way. But George, Florence, and Margaret had interrupted her plan.Since she had returned to Bostone, why was there a need to travel back and forth again?She might as well treat Jonah’s legs.Besides, Vincent had informed her that it would be highly uncertain whether they could still return to their home country after arriving at Silvania.Ivanka said, “No. I don’t want to make so many trips. I’ll treat your legs for half a year and see if i
It was not an overstatement to say Michael was crossing the line. Nonetheless, Ivanka could not just sit there and watch the two men get into a conflict. Hence, Ivanka pulled Michael to the side and glanced at him. “If you don’t want to be kicked out, you’d better wait here.” But Michael was undaunted by Jonah. Although Jonah had the power to rebuke him in his own territory, Michael refused to allow Jonah to get the upper hand. Ivanka saw the determination in Michael’s eyes. She was very worried that the two might get into a fight. She quickly pulled him back. “Stop making me worry about you. Just wait here! If you dare to come after me, I’ll…” Although she did not finish her sentence, her intention was clear enough. If Michael disobeyed her, she would make him a statue! Understanding this, Michael did not follow Ivanka. But when Jonah turned around and left, the provocation in his eyes was evident. Still, Michael listened to Ivanka. He did not want to offend her. He
Jonah narrowed his eyes while questioning Michael. Still, Michael did not respond to him. Ivanka pursed her lips. She looked displeased when she answered Jonah, “Jonah, there’s no need to speak so harshly. Do you still want me to treat your legs?” She had temporarily made Michael mute. She did that to stop Michael from talking endlessly about those things. Nonetheless, he had still insisted on coming along with her, only to end up being targeted by Jonah. Ivanka had no intention of making Michael mute in front of Jonah. Upon hearing Ivanka’s words, Jonah looked at where she currently stood. She stood in front of Michael. It looked like she was trying to protect him more. As the saying went, true love was portrayed in hard times. This saying was true indeed. It was true that Ivanka cared about Michael. Jonah said gently to Ivanka, “I want you to treat my legs, and I only speak harshly to specific people. I already showed him much respect when he barged into my terri
Michael remained resolute.Ivanka rolled her eyes. “Then stay stubborn. I’ll only fix it when you stop pushing me away.”After she was done speaking, she turned to leave.Michael followed.He even opened the passenger door and got in her car. He was determined to follow her.But Ivanka would not go easy on him.Once inside, she warned him coldly, “Not being able to speak is harder than you think. Follow if you want. Michael, are you sure about this?”Even after her warning, he kept staring straight ahead.She said nothing more and started the engine.Within half an hour, she arrived at Jonah’s mansion.Jonah came out to greet her personally. The moment Ivanka parked the car, Jonah immediately spotted Michael in the passenger seat.The sight of him stirred up bitterness in Jonah. Yet there was nothing he could do.Before Ivanka exited the car, she said to Michael, “Wait here.”Without glancing at him, she walked straight toward Jonah.Her attitude made Michael decide t