“Sorry, they are lost for good,” Ivanka replied to him out of courtesy. Then she turned to Jonah. “Do you have anything else to discuss? I have to head back.”Jonah smiled. “I’ll drive you home.”“It’s okay. I can go home on my own. You stay and have fun.” Since Jonah had come here to hang out with his buddies, Ivanka did not intend to make him follow her out of the bar.However, Jonah would not possibly let her go home alone. Besides, he would seize every chance to keep her company. He immediately stood up. “It’s fine. Let them hang out on their own. I’ll drive you.”With that, he walked ahead of her and opened the door for her.A strange emotion flashed in Ivanka’s eyes. Before she said anything, Heath, who seemed to have read her mind, immediately said, “Come on, Mrs. Sadler, let him drive you. Or else he’ll be absent-minded throughout our meeting. His soul would have left with you. What do we want his empty shell for?”Ivanka frowned and looked at Heath. She said calmly, “You
Jonah raised his brows and turned to Ivanka. Seeing how serious she was, he gave a faint sigh. “I know what you want to say. But sometimes, even if you say it, I might not listen.”Ivanka furrowed her brows slightly. She looked at him and did not say anything immediately. But deep down, she already felt irritated. If he kept acting this way, it would invite trouble for them both.However, given Jonah’s attitude, her ultimatum might not be effective at all.Just as she was troubled, Jonah sighed again. “Ivanka.”She looked up at him without a word.Jonah said calmly, “You never trust me and always assume that I approach you with ulterior motives. I just want you to know that it takes time to truly know somebody.”When her expression became conflicted, and she was about to retort, he added casually, “Since you haven’t managed to tell if I’m sincere, I can keep waiting.”They were alone in the car at the moment. Jonah was no longer in a hurry to start driving. If Ivanka wanted to t
The two of them fell silent.Ivanka stared calmly at Jonah. Jonah did not hurry to start the car. Instead, he sighed and looked at Ivanka. “Iv, I didn’t want to pressure you, but if I don’t take action, you’ll only drift further away from me.”Ivanka’s gaze flickered with caution as she observed him. She remained silent but was still on guard.Jonah found her reaction amusing and chuckled. “Relax, I’m not going to do anything to you.”Despite his reassurance, she maintained her caution and did not let her guard down.Jonah looked at her seriously. “Starting tomorrow, I’ll drive you to work.”Ivanka looked irritated. “You know this will completely end our collaboration, right?”Jonah continued to gaze at her without saying a word.He knew she disliked this.But what he said was true. If he did not take proactive steps to get closer to her, she would only drift further away. He might never get another chance to be with her.At that moment, despite his high emotional intellige
Why was Michael here?How did he get in?Ivanka stared at him coldly in silence. Though she did not speak, her displeasure was evident.Meanwhile, Michael, who had initially worn a stern expression, was momentarily surprised to see Ivanka emerge wrapped in only a towel.Neither of them spoke or moved closer. They maintained a distance of about three meters between them.Ivanka had only come out to check the situation, so she had not turned on the lights. The faint glow from the bedroom was the only source of light.As time passed, Ivanka’s expression grew darker. She then asked sarcastically, “How did you even get in? Did I forget to lock the door?”Her tone dripped with cold irony. She knew she had locked the door and would have been warned if it had not been properly locked.Instead of answering, Michael stepped closer to Ivanka until they were only a meter apart.“What have you been up to today?” he asked calmly. There was no accusatory tone in his voice.Yet Ivanka detect
Ivanka quickly stepped back in fear. However, if she continued backing away, she would end up in her bedroom. The situation could not have been worse.“Michael Barkworth!” she shouted his full name. She was afraid that he might not be sober and might do something foolish.Even after their divorce, he had hugged and kissed her. She was worried he would do something to her now.At that point, she did not dare to think any further. Despite reminding herself not to be self-absorbed, she found it hard to ignore the things Michael had done to her recently.If he really hated her, why did he kiss her?Her expression turned darker when she noticed Michael was trying to get closer to her again. She quickly ran into the bedroom, closed the door tightly, and locked it.However, she realized that after locking the door, there was still a key inserted from the outside. She had her back against the door as she frowned. Her expression was extremely grim.She frowned as her expression turned
Ivanka’s mocking remark instantly darkened Michael’s expression. His eyes reflected a mix of emotions as he looked at Ivanka with a sarcastic smile.He pursed his lips and remained silent.Then, Ivanka said to him seriously, “My issues are none of your concern, Mr. Barkworth. I’ll handle yours and Grandma’s illness to the best of my ability. Other than that, we have nothing to do with each other.Her final words sounded light and nonchalant as if she had truly detached herself from him.This attitude appeared either as a facade or the result of enduring so much hardship that she had reached a state of calm acceptance.“We have nothing to do with each other, huh?” Michael repeated coldly as he sneered.Ivanka frowned deeper as Michael confronted her coldly, saying, “Throughout it all, we’ve never truly been separate. So where does this ‘nothing to do with each other’ come from?”Ivanka’s frown deepened. “Michael, we’re already divorced.”At that moment, Ivanka was visibly angry.
Michael’s expression darkened instantly.Seeing Ivanka point at the door, he raised his hand and grabbed her wrist. He looked at her and spoke angrily, “Ivanka, do you even have a heart?”Ivanka could not help but laugh at his words.She had lost count of how many times Michael had asked her that!And she had responded twice already. Did he not know she was in love with him back then?How could he question if she had a heart? What about him? He should ask that of himself.The thought enraged her even more. She glared at him furiously and retorted, “I wish I didn’t have a heart. Then I wouldn’t have wasted three years of my life loving you and being toyed with!”Michael’s expression grew even colder. Before he could say anything, she continued speaking coldly, “I wish I were heartless. Then I wouldn’t have endured those three miserable years! I wish I could be cold-blooded. I wouldn’t have yearned for you and tolerated you getting close to other women for three long years! I must
When Michael heard Ivanka say that he was no longer worthy of her, his expression abruptly darkened. He had not expected her to say such things to him. As he looked at her, he saw the seriousness in her eyes.His visible fury intensified. Yet another emotion seemed to overshadow it. It was almost as if he had forgotten the reason for his anger.His expression grew increasingly unpleasant as he stared into Ivanka’s eyes, which were growing colder by the moment.At that point, Ivanka felt utterly worn out. She no longer wanted to look at Michael, so she turned away and calmly said, “Just leave.”She did not want to waste any more energy on him. She felt that such extensive conversation with him would be pointless. It was as if she could not move on from him.She saw no point in sharing all the resentment she had accumulated over the years if he did not believe a word she said. It would only make him detest her more. He would see her as a joke and ultimately cast her as a fool.Her
The next day, Candice saw Jimothy working at the company.He wore a suit. It sharply contrasted how flustered he had looked when the gangsters were after him. He seemed immaculate with not a hair out of place.Compared to how he used to look, he appeared more like a working man rather than a fresh graduate.“Morning,” Candice greeted him as she passed by. Jimothy responded in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.Candice smiled and left.Jimothy kept staring at her retreating back for no apparent reason.…Ivanka was at home. Perhaps it had been a while since she drank freely and relaxed. She ended up sleeping in. By the time she woke up, it was already 9 a.m..Michael was preparing breakfast.After washing up, Ivanka went downstairs and saw Michael cooking with an apron on. She could not describe how she felt at the sight of him.It was odd, but she did not hate it.“Morning.”Michael looked at Ivanka. His eyes crinkled as he smiled.Ivanka could not help re
As it turned out, they had been holding hands the entire time.Candice came to her senses belatedly and immediately let go of Jimothy.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab your hand,” Candice explained sincerely. Earlier, she had been in a rush and did not think it through.Jimothy shook his head and shrugged it off, but his face was still flushed.Candice suddenly suspected that it might be the first time Jimothy held a woman’s hand.But she did not pry, because it was not an urgent matter.“What happened between you and those thugs?” Candice asked out of curiosity. Jimothy did not seem like a troublemaker.How did he get in trouble with them?Jimothy forced a smile. “It’s a long story. It’s because of my family… I don’t want to talk about it now. Is that alright?”Perhaps it was because Candice had just saved him. Jimothy no longer sounded as brusque as he used to. He was polite and looked like a fresh-faced student.Naturally, Candice did not push for an answer.“It’s alrigh
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