Yuliana’s expression darkened. Ivanka glanced at her and calmly said, “This has happened many times. You can observe him from here. He won’t discover us for the time being.” Peter and his secretary continued to kiss each other. Yuliana’s expression turned red with rage, and she walked outside. Ivanka quickly followed her. Soon, they were outside the casino and on the empty land. Yuliana took another deep breath. Before she could get a word out, Ivanka said, “It’s inconvenient to talk here. Follow me.” They quickly left the area and got in the car. Only then did Ivanka speak again. “You’ve seen it yourself. What do you plan on doing next?” Yuliana closed her eyes and appeared to be composing herself. Then, she turned to Ivanka and sneered, “I believe you’ve snooped around and learned that I’m a jealous, vengeful person, am I right? If not, you wouldn’t have come to me.” Ivanka chuckled. “You’re very straightforward. In that case, let me get straight to the point. If you wa
Chiara was filled with joy and anticipation. This was her first time preparing breakfast for Michael, and she thought to herself, “He’ll like it.” With that in mind, her mood lifted. When the receptionist saw Chiara, she was puzzled. The issue between her and Ivanka had caused such a stir that everyone knew who Chiara was. The receptionist quickly asked, “Ms. Lane, are you here for Mr. Barkworth?” “Yes, I’ve informed him. You can leave me be.” Chiara acted as if she was the future Mrs. Barkworth, and it intimidated the receptionist so much that she was stunned. She dared not offend Chiara and immediately replied, “Okay. This way, please.” Chiara nodded politely. She looked elegant, and it made the receptionist envious of her. After all, Chiara was pretty, and she had a beautiful figure. She came from a prestigious family, and she was Mr. Barkworth’s savior. She deserved to become the future Mrs. Barkworth. “Sigh, I’m a nobody and should just accept my fate,” the reception
When Evan saw Michael, he quickly said, “Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane is here. She’s waiting for you. “Ms. Lane?” Michael wondered.He subconsciously looked at Evan, and Evan immediately understood what he meant. “It’s Ms. Chiara Lane,” he said. There was a tinge of displeasure in Michael’s dark and bright eyes. “Tell her I’m not around.” At that moment, he was already at the office entrance. Evan’s expression changed slightly. When Chiara heard the sounds of their conversation, she stood up in excitement, but she did not expect to hear Michael’s cold reply. Her smile froze, and she thought, “I must have misheard him. Mic is probably rejecting his business partners who are here to meet him.” Chiara comforted herself. Suddenly, she heard Evan’s voice again. “Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane is waiting for you inside the office.” Chiara’s heart sank as if her hopes had been dashed. She even felt a chilly air fill the room, which made her shiver. Chiara panicked and thought, “Am I t
“Get in here!” Chiara froze. It was obvious that Michael was angry based on his tone. She wondered, “Is he on the phone with someone?” She hesitated for a while and decided to observe from a corner. It did not take long before Evan showed up in front of Michael’s office and knocked on the door. “Come in.” Chiara saw Evan walk into the office nervously. She took a deep breath and somehow felt frustrated as she crept toward Michael’s office. She was clever enough not to get too close. “Mr. Barkworth, I’m sorry.” Before Michael said anything, Evan already realized his error. Michael stared at him sternly. “Evan, do this again, and I’ll fire you.” Evan drew in a deep breath. “Noted. I won’t let anyone enter your office again in the future.” Chiara was taken aback! True enough, she was the cause of his anger! Her expression turned sour. She took a deep breath and clutched her bag as her fingers turned pale. She wondered, “Why is Mic treating me this way?!” Pr
Chiara’s expression darkened even further. Even so, she composed herself and made sure that her mind was still clear before she gloomily said, “Mom, things could be different from what I thought.” “What’s the matter?” Lyla frowned. She looked worried. In her resignation, Chiara pulled Lyla to her room and told her everything. Lyla frowned. “That can’t be. Even if Barkworth’s Group has its own confidential documents, you’re both bound to be together. He can’t possibly be unhappy about your visit.” Chiara took a deep breath. “At first, I thought he was angry with me because I entered his office, but it seems like he has begun to hate me.” “Why do you say so?!” Lyla looked surprised. After all, Lyla was never around when the two of them went on dates. It was only normal for her to not know the real situation. Chiara pursed her lips. “There have been too many coincidences recently. I wonder if Ivanka’s been deliberately showing up every time I have my meals with Michael. On t
“What is it?” Chiara looked at Lyla in bewilderment. “I’ve already gotten someone to spread the word that Ivanka isn’t Iris. I’m sure that some people are already checking her out, and they’ll uncover certain things. I believe that Michael will investigate her too.” Chiara’s eyes lit up with excitement, but she frowned at the next moment. “Is your idea going to work?” “It will definitely work. No one’s going to see the flaws in my plan. Even if people figure out that someone’s been spreading rumors about Ivanka, they won’t figure out that it’s us.” Chiara continued frowning. Lyla raised her hand and smoothed her eyebrows. “Think about it. If Michael learns that Ivanka’s just pretending to be Iris, he’ll assume that Ivanka is doing this just to grab his attention. He’ll only find her even more despicable as a result.” Chiara heaved a sigh. “I hope so.” Lyla patted her on the shoulder. “Don’t overthink it. Michael’s mood might have been soured by the meeting today, so he used
Ivanka froze up for a brief second. “Okay! Ask him over. Iv, I’ll treat you guys to dinner tonight. Let’s have fun! The theme for tonight is ‘drinking my love-related sorrows away,’” Anna said with a chuckle. Ivanka was speechless, while Sandy broke into laughter. “Great idea! The Wood family’s the one that caused the mess. They deserve to deal with the consequences!” Anna laughed. “I’m going to call my parents and cry to them about it. Wait for me!” “You’re putting on a show again?” Sandy laughed. “Putting on a show? No, no, I’m just being a troll!” Anna pouted and called her parents. As Anna cried like a banshee, her father, Brendon, acquiesced to her wishes. “Enough. Stop giving me a headache. With such a scandal coming from the Wood family, I can’t possibly allow you to marry Peter. You can stop trying to test the waters with me!” Right after Brendon said this, he hung up. Anna was not pissed off. Instead, she felt very happy! She knew that her father was busy han
“If you want to upload the photos, let me handle it,” Hanson said in disagreement. Ivanka pulled her hand out of his grasp and replied with a smile, “Can’t you see that I only do things when I feel confident?” Anna’s expression turned gloomy. Even though Hanson had shown some concern for Anna, he had only done so because it was required of him as a friend. Meanwhile, he decided to take the risk after realizing that Ivanka was going to upload the photos. He did not want the Wood family to target her. Anna sighed to herself. “It’s only normal for him to do so. After all, he likes Iv…” The atmosphere turned awkward, and Hanson added, “Marrying ‘him’ was the thing you were least confident with.” Ivanka’s calmness cracked a little, but she soon replied with a self-deprecating statement, “That won’t happen again. You don’t have to worry about me this time.” Anna frowned slightly. “Iv, don’t upload the photos. After all, we’ve turned the tide. It doesn’t matter even if we don’t
Egbert stormed off in fury, but Sandy’s rage had not cooled in the slightest. She even lashed out at Ivan. “You shouldn’t have stopped me just now! If I’d given him a good scolding, or even a beating, maybe it would’ve finally knocked some sense into him. Otherwise, he’ll keep coming back. He’s always trying to use me for his own purposes!”She was so angry she was practically grinding her teeth. Ivan pressed his lips together and let out a long sigh. “With the way you looked like you were ready to kill someone, what did you expect me to do? Just stand there and watch you commit murder?”He was really worried when he saw how Sandy was losing control. “What’s the point of that old b*stard still being alive anyway?” Sandy said coldly. If she could really get rid of that old man, she would do it so she could avenge her mother and let go of that grudge she had been holding on.Ivan shook his head and said in a low voice, “Then think about it, how hard did you work to get to where yo
Sandy exploded. “Eighty million? Why don’t you go rob a bank? Or better yet, see if that wrinkled old face of yours is worth anything as collateral!”Sandy was fuming.Egbert had not expected Sandy to be so vulgar. He turned back, enraged.His black eyes shot daggers like he could rip her apart on the spot. Sandy did not flinch. Instead, she lifted her chin and gave him a cold, mocking smile. “What? Are you so mad that you’re thinking about hitting me? Do you want me to remind you of the law? We have no legal ties anymore. If you so much as touch me, that’s assault. And let’s not forget, you barged into my workplace to cause a scene.”“Sandy, I don’t know what kind of twisted morals your birth mother and adoptive mother taught you, but just look at yourself now! Do you even resemble a proper human being?”Egbert was extremely disappointed in Sandy. The one thing Sandy hated most was when people brought up her birth mother and adoptive mother. Those two women were the most import
Egbert snapped at Sandy coldly. His gaze was pressing.However, that had no effect on Sandy. Her lips even curled into a mocking smile as she said, “I’m not one of your McNeil pets. That look, your words, they cannot intimidate me at all.”At the mention of “pets,” Egbert was so furious that he slammed his cane against the floor with a loud crack. “Listen to yourself! Is that any way for a lawyer to speak? Do you even understand the meaning of respect, decency, and manners? Is that how your mother raised you?”Sandy had been mean and harsh on purpose to kill whatever sliver of hope he held onto.Just as she wished, he was angered.Watching him lose his composure, Sandy even felt a flicker of satisfaction rise within her. Her mother and herself were thrown out and lived a tough life while her father stood by uselessly. Who else was to blame, if not this old man standing before her?“My mother raised me to be a decent person. She taught me never to push away what’s rightfully mine,
Thomas stated his purpose.Sandy’s reaction, however, was full of repulsion. She frowned. Even her tone was curt. “Uncle, I made it very clear about seeing him the last time we spoke. He never once considered me part of the McNeil family. If it weren’t for my mother taking me in, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Now that I’ve grown up and suddenly seem useful, he wants to claim me back? I was abandoned by the McNeil family the moment I was born. I’m not stupid enough to become a pawn for your family!”Sandy was furious.She had always treated Thomas with a certain courtesy, but at the moment, that line had clearly been crossed.Thomas, though only the messenger, could feel the weight of her resentment. “It may not be as bad as you think. If you won’t go, Dad will come find you himself.”That was the truth. Yet Sandy did not spare the old man a shred of respect. She scoffed. “He might be your dad, your head of the family, but he’s nothing to me. From the moment I was abandoned, th
Sandy was really surprised to see Ivanka. “When did you get back?”“Today,” Ivanka answered honestly.“You have quite a packed schedule for just one day.” Sandy teased her.When they had planned to take down Coco last time, Ivanka was not around. Then Michael returned. From what Sandy could tell, they were always either together or closely following each other.Ivanka did not respond to her teasing. “I’ll only be here for a day or two, then I would have to leave again.”Sandy was speechless. She rolled her eyes at Ivanka. “Are you going to become a full-time jet setter?”“She can’t help it,” Anna answered for Ivanka. Just as she finished saying that, Anna’s phone rang. It was another case to follow up on. She had to step away to take the call.Only Ivanka and Sandy remained in the office. “You look exhausted. If you keep going like this, I’m worried you’ll wear yourself out!” Sandy shook her head and expressed her concern for Ivanka. Ivanka chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that fa
When she heard what Anna said, Ivanka immediately teased. “Why, can’t I even come to the firm?”“Well, of course, you can come. You are an important partner; why can’t you come?” Anna laughed and looked at Ivanka, annoyed. Immediately after, she made a cup of tea for Ivanka.The tea was also of fine quality. She had bought it.Ivanka also remembered how she, Anna, and Sandy, the three of them, used to work hard together in the firm after she divorced Michael. Originally, she wanted to live on her own. However, one thing happened after another, and her plans got delayed. “I don’t see Sandy. Has she gone to handle cases?” Ivanka sipped a mouthful of tea, and immediately after, she asked Anna about Sandy’s whereabouts.Anna told Ivanka truthfully. “Sandy recently took over a very tricky case. She wants to make a not-guilty defense for that person. But the father of the deceased is the Groethe family, a rather prestigious family in Bostone. How could a commoner fight with a rich ki
But as time went on, things happened one after another. While they were in contact with each other, she also slowly understood Jonah’s personality.The most important thing was that Jonah was also honest with her later on.When Jonah mentioned this again, Ivanka could not help but scrutinize Jonah again.He was starting to become unhinged!“Jonah, you need to stabilize your emotions. Sometimes, when you feel impatient, you should just close your eyes and take a good rest. You should not have such emotions.”Ivanka spoke solemnly toward Jonah and advised him. When he saw Ivanka’s serious expression, Jonah instantly also realized that he had lost himself.Ivanka was not like Chiara, who could accept him losing control. If he lost control in front of Ivanka, it would affect Ivanka’s mood. That would make him courting death too! This would put a halt to all his opportunities!Jonah also realized this problem. He was very distressed. He could not even explain why his emotions had
When Ivanka said this, she pressed her hand on Jonah’s shoulder. There was no other meaning, she wanted Jonah to calm down.But this instead gave Jonah an opportunity. He grabbed Ivanka’s wrist. Then he tugged forward forcefully… Ivanka was caught off guard, and her whole body fell on top of him.He then took advantage of the situation and held Ivanka in his arms.The faint scent entered his nose, Jonah was intoxicated for a moment.But at that moment, he felt like he was waking up from a dream.Ivanka could not be so intimate with him. The sensations of touch and warmth in front of him were so real again. It was not an illusion, it was his compulsion!After realizing this, Jonah hurriedly pushed Ivanka away. He even more quickly apologized to Ivanka. “Iv, I’m sorry. I lost control. I didn’t mean to…”“I know.”Ivanka uttered softly, but her tone was cold.She knew. Neither did she blame him. But why was she using that tone, with that look on her face?“No, Iv. you’re blami
“Jonah, I don’t like you. I told you, I only see you as a friend. When I’m unwilling to do something, no amount of moral coercion would work on me.”Ivanka spoke up bluntly. She did not want Jonah to cling to something impossible.Jonah was silent.This was where Jonah and Michael were different.“Look, you still have so many things to do. By the time you remember me, we have already missed the best time. This time when you leave, did Michael go with you?” Jonah raised his eyes to meet Ivanka’s. He wanted to hear Ivanka’s answer from her mouth.Ivanka did not reply. But the look in her eyes already said it all.Her silence confirmed it all.Jonah felt that his heart grow incredibly heavy at the moment. He had a crazy thought: Was it true that if Michael died, Ivanka would be able to focus all her attention on him?However, he was an invalid and did not even have a chance to get close!“The way you treat Michael and the way you treat me has always been so different. I know. A