“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
“It belonged to my mom, so of course I’m getting it back! Why should I give it to an outsider?!” Xander frowned slightly. “Still, Sandy was the one who stayed with your mother till her final moments.” “I don’t care! It was my mom’s, so it can only be mine!” Ivan said angrily. Xander smiled. “I have a way to help you get it back.” Ivan’s eyes lit up with excitement. “Really? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!” The corners of Xander’s lips curled up slightly. “If you marry her, it’ll belong to both of you. Your mom might have even wanted to see that happen.” “What in the world?! Why should I marry that tomboy?! Are you kidding me?! You’re just going to make me suffer for the rest of my life!” Ivan felt goosebumps all over his body. Xander ignored him. He took out his phone and browsed through the entertainment news. However, when he saw one of the articles, he looked up and cast a glance at Michael. “Your ex-wife is seriously something.”That sentence carried an underlying
Soon, Michael saw Anna’s Twitter post and her caption.In the photo, Hanson was staring at Ivanka with concern and affection while holding her wrist. Meanwhile, Ivanka had a smile as she looked at him. They seemed really close together. Ivan was amused. “Are they together?”Xander turned to Michael, who looked like he was going to kill someone. “You’re probably really angry now, aren’t you?”Michael turned his head around and snorted. “Why should I be angry?”Ivan cackled. “Are you sure you’re not angry? You look pissed off. Anyway, you divorced her, so she can live her life. Do you have to be this angry? See how generous I am. I let my exes do whatever they want. I don’t mind even if they become a rich man’s mistress, get pregnant, or go for an abortion.”The corners of Xander’s lips twitched. “No one else can achieve your past glory.”“Tsk!” Ivan clicked his tongue. “Michael, I’m trying to say that since you’ve ended things with Ivanka, how she lives her life has nothing to d
“Quick, find a way to build a good relationship with Ivanka!” “We have to be around Ivanka more often!” ...... Right then, Chiara was at home. She waited the entire day, but Michael never invited her for lunch. When she saw Ivanka and Hanson’s pictures trending on Twitter, Chiara grew increasingly furious! In the past, she would have been happy to see Ivanka flirting around. However, after Chiara discovered that Michael got angry when Ivanka did so, she knew that Ivanka had successfully grabbed his attention! “Ivanka is doing this to win Michael’s heart!” Chiara thought to herself. She gnashed her teeth and wondered, “What should I do?” Chiara wondered if she should comfort him as she did in the past. However, if she called him and defended Ivanka, it would only make the situation worse. At this moment, Chiara realized that she had become one of Ivanka’s pawns. Chiara was the one who had fueled the fire and made Michael angrier! Chiara hated herself so much that she
“One more thing, these are my team members. They’ve seen firsthand how you’ve tried to suppress me all the time. A little payback from them isn’t exactly unjustified, don’t you think?”Before Mandy could say anything, Candice turned to the employee and instructed firmly, “Call security. Have them escort her out of the building. Make sure she doesn’t take anything that doesn’t belong to her. Thoroughly check her devices for any company files.”Mandy completely lost her composure and started yelling.“Who do you think you are to treat me like this? You’re just riding on Ivanka’s coattails! Everyone knows how someone so young became CEO. And you? Are you sticking by her? You’re no better than… Argh!”Before Mandy could finish her tirade, Candice delivered a resounding slap across her face.Not far away, Ivanka, who had come out after hearing the commotion to see if she needed to step in, slowed her steps. While leaning casually against a nearby column, she watched Candice handle the
“I understand what you mean now.” Candice’s cheeks flushed with excitement. The gloom that had previously clouded her was swept away.Her joy was genuine. She said, “In three months’ time, I’ll secure this position and prove to you and the board that your decision was the right one.”With that, Candice stood, gave Ivanka a respectful bow, and left the office.Ivanka watched her leave with a smile.All was good.While the two of them were in good spirits, someone else’s mood was far from pleasant.Mandy returned to her office, humiliated, to pack her belongings.If she could turn back time, she might have chosen not to come at all. The shame she endured was beyond anything she could have imagined.Somehow, word of what happened in the conference room had leaked. Perhaps Ivanka had orchestrated it.When she arrived at her office, she was not surprised to see all her belongings stuffed into a tattered, broken box.The box had been placed right outside her office door. It was a
“Mr. Clarke, if you don’t like my decision and want to change it, you’ll have to take my position first to do so. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”With those words, Ivanka coolly left the meeting room.Candice, though initially taken aback by the sudden turn of events, quickly adjusted to her new role. Turning to Mandy, she said, “Ms. Cruella, please ensure your office is cleared in three days, as I will be moving in.”With that, she too left the room.After they left, the meeting room erupted into chaos, with arguments flying back and forth. However, the outcome was already sealed. Ferris was powerless to change it.Though he still had cards to play, he was not about to waste them on Mandy.Sure enough, by the afternoon, employees spotted Mandy packing her belongings and leaving in disgrace.Candice, though initially satisfied, could not help but feel uneasy. After thinking it over, she decided to speak with Ivanka. And so, at that moment, she was standing in front of the door to t
Ferris was panicking at the moment. He shot Mandy a disappointing and furious glare.It was one thing for her to embezzle funds, it was another for her to get caught.How foolish!Feeling the weight of Ferris’s gaze, Mandy instinctively lowered her head.That only made Ferris more enraged.She had caused all this trouble, and he had to clean up the mess.Ivanka ignored them and turned to the other shareholders. She sharply said, “Tell me, how can someone like her hold the position of project director in our company, yet Candice can’t even be promoted to team leader?”Mandy had been personally hired by Ferris, so Ivanka criticizing her in front of everyone was effectively a direct slap to his face.That naturally made Ferris extremely uncomfortable.His expression turned even darker.“In my opinion, it’s true Mandy shouldn’t have done that, but she’s been in this position for so long. While she doesn’t have achievements, she’s at least put in the effort. How about this, let’s
However, her smile did not reach her eyes.Mandy stood frozen. She was too scared to drink the water or take a seat. Just like that, she was ignored. The atmosphere was awkward. She could only cast a pleading glance toward Ferris for support.Ferris, who was standing near her, cleared his throat and said, “That’s right. Ms. Ivanka, Ms. Cruella is right. This isn’t in line with proper procedures.”Ivanka maintained her enigmatic smile. Her index finger tapped lightly on the table. It was impossible to guess what was going through her mind.She glanced around the room. “What do the rest of you think?”She sounded like she was seeking opinions, but the weight of her presence was intimidating. No one dared to answer.Just as Ferris was about to say something, Ivanka picked up Mandy’s report and tossed it onto the floor.It happened too fast. Everyone was stunned by her action. Even Ferris was caught off guard.Mandy’s face turned pale.“Rules are made by people. Besides, Cand
“Please start.” Ivanka nodded. Mandy glanced at Ferris and then at Ivanka. She did not dare to speak.It was obvious that she did not want to offend either side.But she had received a lot of favors being under Ferris over the years, so naturally she did not dare to disobey him.Ferris felt like he was getting the upper hand again, and he was a lot more cheerful. His expression seemed to say, “Look, this is my staff. Look at how they listen to me and not you. You’re nothing much as the chairman. Who are you here, Ivanka?”The anger from before had completely disappeared. He said calmly, “You really don’t get the hint. If Ms. Lane lets you speak, you should just speak.”Although he sounded like he was scolding her, anyone could hear from Ferris’s tone that he was not complaining. He was gloating.Some shareholders did not want to be caught up in the mess and lowered their heads.Others wanted to see where things went.In a way, he was asserting dominance over Ivanka. Everyone wa
Ivanka suggested to Candice to go home and rest.But Candice still refused.She said, “The contract will be done soon. I’ll be able to rest properly and have peace of mind sooner when it’s finalized.”Ivanka relented. She only said that if she felt discomfort in any way, she must tell her immediately.Candice nodded her head and took note.Ivanka gripped the steering wheel tightly. She felt guilty.Candice was already in such a state, but she still insisted on working. Her reason there was not only to repay Ivanka but also to realize her own self-worth.But Ferris kept getting in the way of that report.It was really upsetting.Ivanka also secretly made it a point to get the report passed on that day.The car reached the company. Ivanka went upstairs with Candice together. Ivanka also personally helped Candice to her workstation.Despite Candice’s repeated refusals, Ivanka was very insistent.She wanted to demonstrate to everyone that she had Candice’s back. If anyone wante
Ivanka noticed that the distance between the both of them were a little too close. She moved a little to the side as a form of silent resistance to Micheal’s behavior.Michael only felt lonely for a moment. But he then quickly returned to normal as if nothing had happened.“Candice hasn’t finished giving her statement yet. I know you have to keep her company today, but I don’t agree that you should just sleep here. I’ve booked a hotel in the neighborhood. In a moment, I’ll explain to the people from the police station and send the two of you there.” Ivanka seemed to be a little hesitant.Michael said, “It’s just nearby. It’s about a kilometre away. I’ve reserved two rooms. So, if we need to rush over at night, we can just come over together again. Besides, if you sleep in the lounge for the night, both of you will catch a cold.”Ivanka hesitated and finally nodded.She thanked him and turned to go into the lounge to wake Candice up.Michael’s voice called out from behind her.
The two looked at each other and spoke a name. “Ferris Clark.”“Ferris Clark.” Michael laughed first. Ivanka followed suit. “Speaking of which, it actually has something to do with me. When Candice came, everyone knew I brought her in. When she first came in because she did not have any experience, she was only offered a position as an intern team leader. She thought that she would be transferred to a permanent position after she did a good job. But her report never passed after that. It was stuck in Ferris’s hands. “I will go to the board of directors tomorrow and continue to submit the report. This time it will have to be passed no matter what. I will also take the opportunity to find an excuse to test Ferris. If it’s really him…” Ivanka did not finish speaking, but the ferocity in her eyes made Michael silently pray for Ferris in his heart.Ivanka changed her tone. “But if it’s not someone from Bostone, then we have to consider someone else.”The tacit understanding betwe