“I’m so mad! I’m so freaking mad! This is unbelievable!”Sandy threw her phone aside. Her eyes blazed with fury. She looked like she wanted to find Chiara and rip her apart.Anna, who was sitting next to her, had anger in her eyes as well. “Chiara is really something.”“Listen to her,” Sandy said through her gritted teeth. “She’s insinuating that Iv was horrible to her and has driven her to suicide. She’s trying to make Iv look like the villain here who pushed her to the edge!”Anna’s brows furrowed tightly. “What is she trying to do this time? Is she really going to commit suicide?”“She’d never actually kill herself! She loves herself too much. She’d rather see someone else dead than herself!” Sandy could not help but snap.Anna nodded, but there was a hint of uncertainty in her eyes as she looked at Sandy. “I know that. What I mean is, is she planning to stage a suicide attempt in front of everyone? Or is she just saying this for someone to ‘rescue’ her at the last moment and
“What?” Sandy was baffled. She stared at Anna with puzzlement. “What does that mean?”“Her actual goal is to take on a new identity. This so-called suicide is just a way to make everyone believe Chiara is gone for good. It will also cause Iv trouble by making people think Iv had driven her to this.”“What identity is she planning to take on?” Sandy was even more confused now. Her focus shifted from Chiara’s insinuations to wanting to know Chiara’s true intentions.Anna’s eyes flickered with thought as she looked at the phone in Sandy’s hand. The call timer was increasing. She asked again, “Iv, what’s your plan?”“We need to see what she does next,” Ivanka replied calmly.Anna pressed on. “Are you talking about her new identity?”“Yes.”“Look! She’s going to jump!” Sandy’s words had everyone quickly turning their attention back to Chiara’s livestream.“Goodbye, everyone. If I wait any longer, the police might come to save me. This is my final farewell. Goodbye.”As Chiara said
Comments kept rolling in, but Ivanka had lost interest. It was already over.She said, “I’ll keep an eye on things from here. You don’t need to worry about me.”“Yes, you have to be careful. Don’t let that b*tch get her way!” Sandy emphasized. She was genuinely concerned about her.Ivanka smiled. “I will.”With that, they ended the call.Ivanka gathered her things and left the office. She had planned to meet Jonah today.As she stepped out of the building and prepared to get into her car, she noticed Jonah’s vehicle nearby. The passenger window rolled down and revealed his handsome face.Her eyes flickered with recognition, but she said nothing and walked over.Jonah’s lips curved into a smile as he gazed at her beautiful face. “Long time no see,” he said softly.Ivanka raised an eyebrow. “That’s very funny, Mr. Sadler.”It had not been that long since their last meeting, but Jonah always had a way of making the moment feel special. Others found it quite remarkable.Jonah ra
“Ms. Lane has truly changed. Look at her, she’s so outstanding. She’s not only young and beautiful but also incredibly talented. I never imagined there could be such a perfect woman!”“Exactly! I used to think a perfect woman was someone with a wealthy family, who has a pretty face and a great figure like a princess, and a couple of skills probably bought with money. But Ms. Lane…”She trailed off, as she did not need to finish her sentence. The others were already nodding in agreement, because it was the truth.“Oh, I really envy Ms. Lane. She’s so young and successful to be running such an impressive company. She’s got so many talents hidden under different identities. Also, don’t you think this latest jewelry design might be connected to Ms. Lane somehow?”“Huh? Why do you say that?”“In the past, so many people tried to hire Papaver. Even Barkworth’s Group and Sadler’s Group were eager to collaborate with her, but they never succeeded no matter what they tried. But this time,
“Let’s go in.”Ivanka nodded in agreement. Together, they entered the restaurant. Jonah had reserved the entire place for themselves. The waitstaff were dedicated solely to their service.Ivanka did not comment. Jonah did not want anyone to overhear their business discussions, or he simply had the means to afford such luxury.Soon, they were seated in a private room. Once Jonah ordered a selection of dishes he knew Ivanka liked, the waiter left and closed the door for them.Ivanka turned to Jonah calmly and asked, “Do you have a particular issue with our collaboration that you want to discuss?”They had chatted during the car ride but had not touched on business matters. Now that they were in a different setting, Ivanka brought it up directly.Jonah’s lips curved into a smile. “The collaboration is fine. I just wanted to see you.”Ivanka did not respond.Ivanka studied him in silence. She knew he did not really mean that.Jonah took out his phone and sent a document to Ivanka.
Ivanka did not speak the entire time. It was uncertain whether she was actually considering it. The silence stretched on until the server knocked on the door.A few servers brought the food in. Each of them had a respectful smile on their face. Once they placed the food on the table, they asked Ivanka and Jonah if they needed anything else. Then, they all left.Jonah looked at Ivanka with a smile. “Dig in.”“Okay.”Ivanka responded and picked up her cutlery. When it came to delicacies, she would never say no.Neither of them said anything. Ivanka was eating attentively, while Jonah seemed to be used to her silence.Once she was done, Ivanka put down her cutlery for good. Jonah finally looked at her and said, “So, what’s your decision?”Ivanka wiped her mouth with a napkin and said slowly, “I’m fine with it, but I don’t have the energy to handle this sort of thing right now. Why don’t you take care of it?Jonah smiled. “Piece of cake.”Ivanka nodded and did not say anything els
The best timing was over. Those people could only sigh with resignation.After all, they were not as impressive as Ivanka.They could not fight her over the spotlight. None of them could hold a candle to her!Soon enough, Ivanka and Jonah left and got into the car. Jonah drove off right away.Whenever he was with Ivanka, he would never let someone else drive and got behind the wheel himself. It was because he did not want a third wheel in the car. Throughout their half-hour drive, Jonah did not bring up any topic about work. Instead, he picked relatively casual subjects to chat with Ivanka. Although she was not interested in them, she felt quite comfortable during their conversation. When they arrived at their destination, they finally stopped talking. It was nighttime. The sun had long set.But nightfall did not quench the people’s enthusiasm for nightlife. The chain of traffic was long and winding. Cars moved after one another in unending queues.The streetlights were alrea
Curiosity flickered in Ivanka’s eyes. Four men were in the private room. They were all in suits. Each of them sat in a different posture. Some were sitting with their backs straight while others were lounging casually. Some were swirling red wine in their glasses and tasting it.Because of their presence—or rather, Ivanka’s arrival—everyone froze still. They all stared fixedly at her and Jonah.Alfred Brooks narrowed his eyes and nudged the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose. He said with a faint smile, “Things seem a little different today.”He was saying this to Jonah.Next to him, a gentle-looking man named Matthew Khing also gave a faint smile. “A little? No, it’s drastically different.”When has Jonah ever brought a woman to this place?Technically, they should ask: When had Jonah hung out with any woman ever?Although there were lots of rumors about him, he was never a ladies’ man. All these years, he never dated any women. He never cared about those photoshopped pictures of
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