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.
Ivanka’s eyes narrowed with a hint of cold mockery in her gaze. No matter what...What good would finding her do now?She suddenly lost interest in the movie.However, they were only halfway through. Rosie had probably caught wind that they had entered the cinema.Leaving now would only make Rosie suspicious.Ivanka frowned. She tried to control the irritation building inside her.The movie continued. The male lead finally found the female lead after much effort. However, she was now with another man. She appeared at the same event on the arm of this new suitor. That broke the male lead’s composure.He pulled her into a secluded room and forcefully pinned her against the wall. She struggled but could not break free. Her words grew harsher. Yet the male lead held her tightly and refused to let her go.He said, “I was too lenient with you before, which is why you thought you could just leave. From now on, you can only stay by my side.”Ivanka was taken aback. He had been despera
Evan’s expression gradually became more composed. He cleared his throat again and said softly, “About the movie you recently released, Mr. Barkworth booked a private screening. I assume you’ve heard about that, right?”Chad was taken aback. “I wasn’t aware. I’ve been out all day. I had a dinner meeting. So, you’re saying Mr. Barkworth watched the film?”“Yes.” Evan continued to ease into the conversation. He did not want to drop the bombshell too quickly as he feared Chad might have a heart attack from the shock.Chad was not a small-time figure. In fact, he was globally renowned, known for his sharp eye and every film he directed was a classic.His dedication was evident.However, Michael’s sudden order to change the ending of the movie could lead to widespread backlash and even affect the movie’s reception. Yet, Michael’s command could not be ignored.After all, no one dared to cross Michael.Of course, Michael’s demand to change the ending would not come without compensation.
At that point, Chad did not want to say another word. Everything had been perfectly set up, and now he had to gather all the actors and crew to reshoot the ending, then re-promote the movie. The current buzz was at its peak, but Michael wanted the ending to change.Who could accept such a demand?The director felt his blood pressure soaring.Taking a deep breath, he finally said, “Mr. Evan...”Knowing Chad might plead his case, Evan interrupted. “Mr. Kirby, I think I’ve made my point clear. What you should think about is if you readily agree to Mr. Barkworth’s request, don’t you think he’ll look out for you in the future?”Chad fell silent.He knew that cooperating with Michael this time would likely earn him Michael’s favor and ensure that his career would be well-supported in the future.However, he had poured his heart and soul into that movie. He had invested an enormous amount of effort into the preparation. Even the ending was carefully deliberated.When he discussed it w
After all, many actors had wealthy and powerful sponsors. Their acting was substandard, but the production team had to give them roles because of their sponsors. This would likely affect the reception and reputation of the film.Chad, the director, gave a sigh of resignation. “You’re right. If I give in this time, I’ll gain immense benefits in return. I should accept the offer.”Evan smiled. “You’re right to compromise for greater benefits.”“The way you put it makes me even more upset.” Chad rubbed his chest as he said this. He had some heart issues to begin with. At that moment, he genuinely felt a slight ache in his chest.After all, the film was the product of his blood, sweat, and tears.Evan smiled again. “In that case, when will you be free? Let’s meet up to sign the agreement. I’ll still need our lawyers to draft one before that.”“I’m free anytime. You can contact me whenever you’re available. I’m going to call in my actors and staff for a meeting.”“Okay. Thanks for yo
“What is it?” Ivanka knew that he would only put away his pride and talk to Ivanka for Rosie’s sake.She also cared about Rosie, so she would certainly help if it was within her capacity.She would not waste time humming and hawing when it came to such matters.Michael said nothing. Before Ivanka even picked up the call, he had already turned off the car engine.Therefore, it was completely silent on their end of the line. Samuel did not know that Ivanka had put him on speaker.Soon enough, Samuel sighed and said with resignation, “I know you won’t be amused when you hear what I’m about to say later, but I genuinely regret it. I hope you’ll believe that I am sincere.”He was too embarrassed to be straightforward. All he could do was divulge his intention in a roundabout manner.Ivanka could guess that he wanted to talk about how he had mistreated her back then. She merely responded calmly.“It’s all in the past. Please don’t worry about it.”Throughout their conversation, Ivan
“I was quite embarrassed to say anything when I came to you. But at this point, Rosie’s condition is too worrying. I don’t want it to worsen whenever she gets upset. The previous incident really scared me.”“It’s alright. Tell me what you need.” Ivanka believed him. She had seen how concerned Samuel was that day. Besides, she also witnessed how close he and Rosie were all these years.Samuel gave a long sigh and said slowly, “I just hope that you and Michael will get back together.”Ivanka froze all of a sudden. Her eyes widened.Even Michael, who sat in the driver seat, reacted to this. His expression changed slightly.But he said nothing as his gaze fell on Ivanka’s phone.Before Ivanka said anything, Samuel’s voice rang out again.“Back then, I disapproved of your marriage. I was a fool for that. I even tried to get Chiara married into my family. Such foolish things I’d done! Please don’t resent an old fool like me. Iv, the first marriage is always the best one.”Ivanka slow
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
However, reality proved she had worried for nothing.Candice had called her over merely to ask if she had the most basic professional knowledge and whether she could handle the afternoon’s interview.Coco let out a deep sigh of relief before patting her chest confidently and assuring Candice she was more than capable.Knowing Coco came from the mountains, Candice was naturally skeptical, so she asked again, “Are you sure?”Coco thought to herself that it was just an interview. All she needed to do was just ask the candidates some questions. They could just choose someone who wrote the resume well.Not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Michael’s cousin, Coco pretended to be confident and accepted the task.Candice was half-doubtful, yet she still gave her instructions and let her go.However, Coco’s firm assurance eventually led to trouble....“Your company must be a joke to hire someone like you for HR. You’re offended? You’re not even a real professional. What? You ca
Word quickly spread within the HR department. After learning about Coco’s connection to Ivanka, some colleagues were vying to curry favor with her.Although some observant individuals noticed that the relationship between Coco and Ivanka was not as harmonious as it seemed, it did not deter the opportunists. Relentless flattery and attention poured in.One moment, a male coworker would offer to grab her food while placing his own lunch order. Next, a female coworker would ask if she wanted to order some coffee too.At first, Coco was caught off guard and politely declined. However, as she realized their intentions were purely self-serving, she began to accept their gestures without hesitation.By midday, Coco had become the department’s little queen. Ironically, as an intern, she should have been the one fetching coffee, running errands and collecting mail. Instead, she had colleagues practically lining up to do those tasks for her.Coco quickly assembled her own little e