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
Michael glanced at Samuel indifferently and said nothing else. Michael’s silence showed that the candidate Samuel already had in mind was indeed the person who could save his wife. Samuel’s eyes grew even wider. “Tell me, who exactly is she?! Who is this woman?” There was none other than Ivanka whom he hated the most. How was this possible? No way! Samuel believed he must be overthinking things. He refused to accept the fact. Michael kept quiet. There was a hint of mockery in his eyes. It was enough to tell that Samuel had no choice but to accept the fact. How could this be possible? It was impossible! Samuel could not accept it and shook his head. “Impossible. This is impossible!” He felt a whole slew of complicated emotions. He wanted to believe that he had made the wrong assumption. He did not expect the woman whom he had looked down upon could do so many things. On top of that, she was the amazing Violet Cress. What a joke! Samuel was about to convince him
While everyone was happily chatting, Michael and Samuel suddenly showed up before them. Ivanka looked a bit stunned, but she did not show much expression. She knew Samuel hated her a lot. She needed to be cautious with her words, or she could keep quiet. Nonetheless, Ivanka had no idea that Samuel was experiencing extremely complicated emotions at that moment.After he came out of the room, he first glanced at Rosie, and his heart clenched tightly. Never in his wildest dream did he expect his wife to be diagnosed with lung cancer. After all, they were already old, so he did not expect she would still be diagnosed with cancer. After feeling a whole slew of complicated emotions, Samuel was shocked to learn that Ivanka was able to treat Rosie. He wondered if Ivanka was truly the amazing Violet Cress. How could this be possible? The complicated emotions Samuel experienced could not be put into words even at that moment. He subconsciously turned to Ivanka. He parted his lips,
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