A strange emotion flickered in Ivanka’s eyes. She remained silent.She did not plan to kick Ivan out and waited.Naturally, Ivan would gladly continue. He wanted to explain everything to her, so he said, “After Michael learned that he has cancer, he got even more depressed. Xander kept finding a way to treat him and stall for time. Since it was an early diagnosis, only the few of us knew. He refused to let us tell anyone else. At that time, he was even more inclined to get a divorce. But you know… sometimes people are complicated. Even though he wanted to divorce you, he was rather reluctant. So he kept stalling.”Ivanka frowned wordlessly. She did not know whether she should believe what Ivan had told her. Frankly, she likely did not trust him at all.Ivan could tell what she was thinking. He sighed wearily. “I know… You might not believe me. You might even suspect that it was Michael who asked me to come over and talk to you. But I just want to tell you the truth.”Ivanka snorte
Ivanka looked at Ivan coldly in silence.“You two only met by chance! He wasn’t stalking you. That bar was huge. He often goes there for business,” Ivan explained.When Ivanka remained silent, he took a deep breath and continued, “Michael thinks Jonah and Elio are bad news. He’s worried they’ll hurt you. That’s why he stepped up and suggested getting back together. Also... he did it because he likes you! He’s always been looking out for you, though his way of doing it can be pretty infuriating.”He wanted to say that Michael was being too overbearing, but he could not bring himself to say it.Ivanka remained calm as Ivan scrutinized her. His mouth twitched, and he could not help but ask, “You still don’t believe any of this, do you?”Ivanka smirked. “To me, he’s worse than Jonah. Are we done here? If you are, you can leave now.”Ivan was speechless.Ivanka did not bother trying to make him leave earlier because she knew he would stubbornly stay. So, she only asked him to leave a
Rosie saw Xander and Ivan as her own grandsons even though they were not biologically related to her. She was very fond of them and had watched them grow up together with Michael.As for Ivanka, that went without saying—she had always treated her as if she were her real granddaughter!Ivanka just smiled and said, “Rest is important. We’ll visit you often.”Rosie shook her head. “I wish you all could be with me every day, but I know work comes first. It’s just so rare for you all to stay tonight. Besides, I got plenty of sleep.”Everyone laughed. Rosie might be tired because she had been accompanying them all morning, which was understandably tiring. Therefore, they did not plan to let her stay with them for too long in the afternoon.However, Rosie was in an exceptionally good mood and in high spirits on this particular day. She enthusiastically chatted with them until dinnertime.Samuel was surprised to see so many people in the mansion when he returned. His expression darkened
If he were younger, Samuel would have been very shrewd. But with age, he behaved more like a child.When Michael did not explain why Ivanka had come over, he frowned. “You know what I meant.”Michael looked at him silently.Samuel could not help but say, “When will Ivanka learn some shame?!”Michael frowned. “Do you think she enjoys seeing a grumpy old man like you? She wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Grandma.”Samuel snorted coldly. “I’d be more than happy if she didn’t come at all. She always uses Grandma as an excuse to visit. It’s like she’s trying to win you back. Can’t you see what she’s trying to do?”Michael turned away. Clearly, he was unwilling to engage further with Samuel’s comment. Samuel gritted his teeth. “You mustn’t fall for that woman! Don’t get caught up with her. She’s not a good match for you.”Michael’s gaze turned cold as he shot Samuel a sharp glance. “If it weren’t for your matchmaking back then, I wouldn’t have gotten involved with her, would I?!”
Michael chuckled coldly and ignored Samuel.Samuel frowned and glared angrily at Michael. “Why are you laughing?”Michael pursed his lips but remained silent.If Ivanka had a strategy, she would have used the period around their marriage to showcase her strengths and demonstrate to him and the Barkworth family how capable she was. She would have shown that she was far superior to Tanya in her potential contributions to Barkworth’s Group.Instead of seizing this opportunity, Ivanka chose to do nothing significant. She remained quiet and unnoticed, which caused Samuel to increasingly dislike her.With Fernando’s passing and the actions taken by Theodore’s family, they gradually pushed her toward a dead end.Michael’s gaze turned cold as he thought about that.“You figure out how to tell Ivanka to stop coming here yourself. This is the last time she sets foot here. She’s not allowed back in here again!” Samuel commanded sharply.He genuinely feared that Michael would fall head ove
Samuel’s body jerked violently as he looked at Michael in disbelief.Michael might be disobedient, but he knew Michael would never lie about something like this. He immediately asked him in alarm, “What illness?”Michael mentioned that Rosie was seriously ill. What was going on?Samuel’s heart rate quickened even more than before as he looked at Michael worriedly.He had completely forgotten about Ivanka. All he could think about was Rosie.He understood that anyone could fall ill. Especially now that both he and Rosie were older, illness was inevitable.He was trying hard to guess what illness Rosie had contracted.He looked at Michael’s cold expression, growing increasingly anxious. What serious illness was Michael talking about? Could it be terminal?The more he thought about it, the more panicked he became!Rosie was a kind-hearted woman. There was no way she would have a terminal illness!“Say something!” Samuel anxiously urged Michael again.Michael looked at Samuel
Samuel felt both shocked and hesitant because of the miracles performed by Violet Cress.If anyone else had told him this, he would not have believed a word.He would not have believed Xander if he claimed he could cure cancer. But with Violet Cress...Could she really cure this disease?He was contemplating the possibility that Violet Cress might indeed be capable of it.Samuel could not help but stare directly at Michael.“Yes,” Michael replied, sounding very certain.Yet, even Michael himself was not completely sure.Ivanka had never given him a definite answer; she had only said she would try her best without guaranteeing a hundred percent success rate.However, Xander had assured him that if Violet Cress said she could do it, it was as good as done.Moreover, Michael wanted to appear confident in front of Samuel so that Samuel would not worry too much. Michael was concerned that too much stress might worsen Samuel’s health.Therefore, regardless of whether Ivanka could
Michael raised an eyebrow as he maintained a calm expression.Samuel was completely dumbfounded. “Say that again?! How old is he?!”“She’s in her twenties,” Michael replied nonchalantly.Samuel could not believe it. Seeing Michael’s calm and indifferent demeanor, he staggered forward and sat beside him. He stared directly at him and asked, “Are you kidding me?! How can he be in his twenties?! Is the Violet Cress you met an imposter?”Despite Michael stating that Violet Cress was a woman in her twenties, Samuel still instinctively believed the person could be a man. He had subconsciously dismissed Michael’s clarification.Michael remained indifferent even after Samuel’s outburst.Samuel suddenly felt disheartened. “So... she’s really in her twenties, huh? Are you certain about this?”“Yes,” Michael responded impassively.Samuel shook his head in disbelief. “Well... that changes things. We need to contact the hospital quickly for Rosie to start treatment as soon as possible. The