“I beg you. Let go of me! Please!” The girl’s voice sounded a little clearer than the other two voices. “Are you begging us to let you go? Do you think begging will help you now?” When he said this, the man suddenly laughed obscenely. “If you want, you can ask us for other things later. We might go gentle on you.” After that, the man laughed obscenely again. He sounded extremely sickening over the phone. Xander’s expression was colder as he growled, “Turn on hands-free.” The girl panicked. Only Xander could save her. She had no choice but to do what Xander asked her to. She quickly turned on the hands-free speaker function. “I’ve turned it on.” She only said these few words softly and nothing else. Just as the two men were about to come over, she raised her phone in fright and exclaimed, “The person on the phone wants to talk to you!” The men’s expressions instantly sank. “How dare you call for help, you b*tch?!” After the men said that, they rushed up and wanted to
Drake was already in a state of panic. The person next to him did not even finish his sentence and purposely left him hanging. Drake grew even more panicked. He immediately looked at the person next to him and asked urgently, “Who is he?” The girl’s face was still pale, but her heart relaxed the tiniest bit at the sudden realization that both men were afraid. She was gripping tightly onto her phone, as she was terrified that she would accidentally drop it. If she were to hang up accidentally, these two would do as they pleased with her. What would she do then? She was so absolutely nervous at that moment. The thug next to Drake took a deep breath and said in a panic, “It sounds like Mr. Quinn…” “Mr. Quinn!” Drake called out extremely loudly in panic. When the girl realized that they addressed Xander properly, she was overjoyed! Calling Xander for help had worked after all! Drake took a deep breath amid his panic to try and control his emotions as much as possible. Th
“Run?” The thug’s mind was filled with a single thought. He was entirely in a state of panic. “If we stay and Mr. Quinn sees us both here when he comes over, won’t we be an eyesore to him and make him even angrier?” Drake instantly felt that he had a point and immediately whispered, “Go talk to him!” The thug was Drake’s lackey. Even if he was not happy about this, he did not dare to say it out loud. He could only suck in a breath and take a step toward the girl. It was as if this would show how sincere he was. However, the girl screamed in fright, “Don’t come over!” As she said that, she took three steps backward. It just added two feet to the distance between them. The thug was terrified. He quickly stretched his hands out and waved them about. “No, no, no. I don’t mean to harm you. I just want to say a few things to Mr. Quinn…” “You can say what you want from where you stand!” The girl looked at the two men in front of her warily. They were both terrified. The thug
The girl’s eyes were bright, and the tear tracks on her face had dried up, but Xander could still see her red, swollen eyes.“You’re finally here…” she said pitifully.Xander’s eyes narrowed slightly as he glanced at her. Then, he looked at Drake and the thug.With an indifferent yet intimidating gaze, he made the two people kneel from fear at the same time. Even the aggrieved girl was a little surprised at this moment. How did these two people change their attitudes so fast?She remained silent. Although Xander was looking in the thugs’ direction, his words were directed at the girl.“Did they touch you?”Drake and the thug immediately shook their heads in panic. The thug’s reaction was pretty quick. He immediately said, “We didn’t! It was just a joke. She called just in time. So, we didn’t do anything!”“They grabbed my hair and pulled my sleeve.”Xander glanced at her and realized that her hair was indeed disheveled. There were also some black stains on her white sleeves.
The girl looked at him as if he were an angel descending from heaven. Her eyes were filled with adoration. With him there, she felt truly at ease.Xander did not look at her. Instead, he coldly stared at the two men in front of him. “You know Salsa’s rules. Start turning yourselves in today. Don’t make me use force.”The faces of the two men instantly turned pale. Although Xander had forgiven them for their previous mistakes, they had exhausted his grace. What were they going to do?“Mr. Quinn, we...”Xander glanced at the girl. “Let’s go.”Color had returned to the girl’s pale face. She did not say a word and immediately followed Xander. The two men, who were still kneeling on the ground, continued to plead. However, it was futile.In their minds, Xander and their boss were as close as brothers. They even thought their boss took orders from Xander. Xander’s command had left them completely out of options.They had no power to resist and no other options! They could only choose
Ivanka looked at him, puzzled. “What does that mean?”Michael did not stop the car but kept driving. He did not respond to Ivanka’s question the entire drive. Ivanka frowned and asked, “What are you trying to do?”Just as she finished speaking, Michael parked in front of a movie theater.Ivanka turned her head and saw a large vertical sign that read “Cinema City” in big letters.Ivanka’s frown deepened. “You’re really taking me to the movies?”Had he lost his mind?Just telling Rosie they went would have sufficed. There was no need to actually follow through.However, Michael looked at her and said, “If we don’t make it convincing, do you think Grandma will believe us? She’s so happy today. If she finds out we didn’t actually go to the movies and there’s no buzz about it online, don’t you think she’ll be disappointed?”Ivanka was momentarily speechless.Michael had thought it all through.“Get out,” Michael said as he opened the driver’s door. Someone was already waiting to t
Ivanka: I’m not.Sandy: You’re not? Then what’s going on? Why are you two hanging out again? You even reserved the entire cinema for yourselves! I saw everything on Twitter! It’s just the two of you in that big cinema! Spill it, what are you guys up to?Ivanka: There’s a reason. I’ll explain everything when we meet in person.Being a hacker, Ivanka was well aware of the risks of discussing sensitive topics over text. While her phone was secure, she could not vouch for Sandy’s.Sandy was suspicious but understood the importance of discretion. Ivanka must have her reason for doing this. She replied to her message.Sandy: Okay, I’ll wait until you can explain. I won’t interrupt your date!Ivanka: …Sandy sent a playful emoji. Ivanka did not respond further.Ivanka refocused on the big screen just in time to see the male lead grabbing the hand of the angry female lead who was trying to leave.“Don’t go.”The female lead could not break free. At the next second, she snorted, “Don’
Time went on as the movie continued. The male and female leads were now attending a party together. At the party, they seemed particularly intimate. Michael and Ivanka could not help but think back to their own past.Ivanka found herself deeply resonating with the movie. She found it all too real.This was the reality of high society. For the sake of profit, people had to put on a show. Two people who detested each other had to act like they were deeply in love for the sake of “supreme” interests. At this moment, Ivanka’s eyes were filled with a sense of irony.The female lead’s smile had become rigid from overuse. She could no longer keep up the facade. She smiled at the man beside her and his business partners. “I need to use the restroom.”The male lead immediately released his grip on her waist and said gently, “Go ahead.”The female lead smiled and nodded. She turned around and walked toward the restroom.Once she closed the door behind her, the smile vanished from her face.
Margaret had always wanted a daughter-in-law. Besides, the girl had to come from a wealthy family. Jonah had done so according to her will and took Chiara home, but Margaret refused to accept her. “I want a genuine couple relationship. What are you guys doing now?” Margaret’s expression was dark and cool. She took a step toward Jonah and did not even glance at Chiara. Chiara knew it was better to fall silent at that moment. Jonah said calmly, “We’re in a genuine relationship. She needs a husband. I need a wife. Would our union cast any doubt?” Melanie had just reunited with her family. Her family did not favor her, and she had to be hidden behind the scenes all the time. As for Jonah, he was a cripple who was bound to a wheelchair. He believed no one would object to the two of them getting together. On top of that, he was just using Chiara. “Indeed, no one will doubt your relationship. But I know what you’re thinking. I don’t mind the fact that you’re using her to stop
Sandy pushed Ivan away. But she still held his flowers in her arms. It was a bouquet of pink roses. Pink was her favorite color. The bag he gave to her contained her favorite food. Ivan had put in extra effort. “Think about it carefully. I’ll come again tomorrow.” Right after Ivan finished his sentence, he turned around. Looking at his gifts, Sandy felt a surge of indescribable bitterness in her heart. She did not throw his gifts away. After all, Ivan gave them to her out of his kind gesture. Sandy carried the gifts back to the office. Anna instantly spotted her. Anna raised one of her eyebrows and chuckled. “Did Young Master Ivan give them to you?” Sandy only had Ivan as her male friend. She did not deny it. Nonetheless, Anna noticed Sandy’s dull expression. Anna hesitated first before asking, “Is there any problem between you and Ivan? You don’t look happy. Is your family objecting to your relationship with him?” Sandy and Ivan had always been a quarrelsome but lo
Sandy fell silent. She looked resigned and replied to Ivan honestly, “I can’t possibly allow you to pester me for the rest of my life. My family is urging me to get married soon. With you pestering me, I think I should marry somebody else to end all this once and for all.” “Do you think I would allow that to happen?” While saying this, Ivan took a step forward. His expression darkened. He exuded an intense sense of hostility like the most horrifying creature emerging from hell. Ivan’s murderous look seemed to state that he would go to the extent of stealing the bride at Sandy’s wedding ceremony if he was not the bridegroom that day. On top of that, he gave an impression as though Sandy would either be his bride or a ghost bride. Seeing Ivan in his current demeanor, Sandy did not know if she should laugh or cry. Prior to that, she was worried that Ivan was just using her. At that moment, she finally realized the disparity of status between them. Ivanka had always believed that m
In the past, Ivan did not understand the conflicts between his parents. He thought his mother had been so cruel that she cheated on his father and abandoned him. Later, Ivan learned his mother had not been the one at fault. So, a heartless sc*m like his father was not in the position to rebuke him. If not for his parents, Ivan would not have let himself go wild and had so many girlfriends. Reuben York sounded indifferent. He made himself clear by saying, “You should, at least, marry someone with a clean background and whose parents are still around so that they could assist you—” “Does that mean I need to accept an arranged marriage by you? I’m not your only child, you can instill your way of thinking on your other children!” Right after Ivan finished his sentence, he hung up. His expression turned dark. The next moment, he accelerated the speed of his car. He carried a bouquet of flowers and Sandy’s favorite food when he showed up in front of her. For a moment, Sandy was
Ivan had not lived with his mother for a long time. Meanwhile, Sandy was her adopted daughter and the direct heir to her estate. Legally, the necklace could be considered part of that inheritance.Following that logic, Ivan had no right to speak on the matter.But to him, Sandy was just an adopted daughter. He was the biological son. Their separation had been caused by a misunderstanding. Since the truth was out, it was only natural for him to take back his mother’s belongings.If things went to court, it would be a battle between them. Both had an equal claim.By blood, Ivan had an undeniable advantage.From the way he spoke, Sandy could hear his confidence and condescension. She knew exactly what he was implying. He was prepared to fight her for the inheritance. But things had not escalated to that point yet.Even if they did, she had no fear of going to court with him. In fact, she was ready to fight.“Ivan, Mom left it to me. She never said it was for you. Whatever happened
Sandy heard the same automated response as the one on Ivanka’s phone.Did that mean they had all left together?Realizing this, she did not press Candice further. Instead, she smiled casually. “It’s nothing. Get back to work. I’ll head out now.”As she turned to leave, she pulled out her phone and sent Ivanka a message.Sandy: Call me when you turn your phone back on. Just as she was about to get in her car, her uncle, Thomas, walked up to her.The moment he saw her, he frowned. “Still upset?”“Uncle, I don’t want to think or talk about it. If you’d been through what I have, you wouldn’t be trying to change my mind.”Addressing him as “Uncle” was Sandy’s way of maintaining politeness while creating emotional distance. She hoped Thomas would get the hint and back off.Thomas was caught off guard. He fell silent and was unsure how to respond.Before he could, Sandy got in her car.On her way out of the law firm, her phone rang. It was Ivan. “My baby, Sandy, where are you?”
Chiara’s tone was sharp. Her eyes darkened with determination.James noticed. So did Jonah.Jonah snapped out of his thoughts. Chiara was trying too hard to prove herself. It was clear she wanted to use him to elevate her own status.Fine. He would let her think she was winning only to watch her fall even harder.“They’re just regular people. They aren’t worth your energy,” Jonah said. “Let’s go home and see my mom first. Tomorrow, I’ll visit yours.” He had already made all the arrangements.Chiara had no objections.Even so, she sent Katiana a message.Katiana replied right away.Katiana: Since he’s coming, I’ll gather the whole family. You’ve finally brought some honor to us. Just do your part, and I’ll handle everything else.Chiara was not surprised that Katiana would invite the entire Levine family. As the second daughter of the Levine family, she had always been under scrutiny. Katiana had pinned all her hopes on her. Katiana wanted her to make a name for herself and sec
Eleanor narrowed her eyes coldly. Her patience was wearing thin. She never kept useless pawns. Until a job was done, no one slipped from her control.Chiara sensed the threat in her tone. Panic surged through her as she rushed to explain. “No, Boss. That’s not what I meant. I was just updating you on my progress. With Jonah, I can carry out your orders more efficiently. I would never betray you, I swear.”Her voice trembled. She was genuinely terrified.Her rewritten identity as the second daughter of the Levine family, along with her top-tier disguise skills, voice changer, and first-hand access to Ivanka’s plans, proved that the person backing her had serious influence.Crossing Eleanor meant sealing her fate.She had worked too hard to secure her new life. Even though she knew Jonah was using her, being connected to him still had value. If she died, everything she had done to secure her position would be for nothing.She refused to die.“Good. Get me results. Fast. I don’t ke
Michael’s piercing gaze stayed locked on Ivanka. He was determined to get an answer.Ivanka scoffed. “What’s on my mind? From the moment you divorced me for Chiara, I saw our relationship for what it really was. You never loved me. I had to force myself to let go. Why waste time holding on to something that was never mine? I refuse to wallow in bitterness and self-pity.”Michael looked like he wanted to speak, but Ivanka cut him off. “I told you, I don’t want to talk about this anymore. Stop asking the same thing over and over. It’s pointless.”Without waiting for his response, she turned and called out, “Evan, is the food ready?”“Yes, it’s coming!”Evan had been listening the whole time. Even if Ivanka had not called for him, he had already planned to bring the food out to break the tension.Once the dishes were set on the table, Michael fell silent.Ivanka immediately noticed the meal had been tailored exactly to her tastes. From the private jet to the food, Michael had put t