Tanya had no idea how she managed to survive the past few days.Even when she saw Michael at the banquet, he still planned to ignore her. Worse still, he only stared at Ivanka and even became upset at the sight of her chatting with other men!What could this be if it was not love?Tanya refused to keep fooling herself. Michael was certainly in love with Ivanka!Seeing that Michael was about to walk up to Ivanka, Tanya did not want to watch them being all lovey-dovey at the banquet. Therefore, she immediately went over to Ivanka.She believed that if she did, Michael would stop in his tracks.Tanya was right.It was just as she expected. Even though she was walking in Ivanka’s direction, she still watched Michael from the corner of her eye. When she saw that he turned around and spoke to someone who suddenly walked up to him, she gave a sigh of relief.Seeing that Ivanka was still surrounded by some men, Tanya strode up to them with a smile. “You all seem to be having a great ti
Even though Lane’s Group was not as powerful as the Cullen family, many people saw Ivanka and Tanya as equals. Some even believed Ivanka was far more impressive compared to Tanya.Tanya was still not fully in charge of Cullen’s Group. She still needed to follow the orders of Hermes even though he had delegated some responsibilities to her. Despite Tanya’s outstanding performance, people still tended to favor Ivanka when comparing the two.This was because each of Ivanka’s exposed secret identities had a global impact. They were so influential that they instilled fear and commanded respect worldwide.Given her formidable reputation and achievements, it was almost laughable to consider her inferior to Tanya.Moreover, her aliases had helped her earn immense profits. Combined with her earnings in Lane’s Group, she might be just as competent as Tanya, if not more so.Upon hearing Tanya’s words, Ivanka merely smiled and responded politely, “As I should.”Ivanka had no desire to conver
The red wines from the trays spilled everywhere.After being bumped into, Tanya instinctively grabbed Ivanka’s arm.When Ivanka tried to steady Tanya, someone nearby turned and blocked their path and left them no way to avoid the collision. Both of them ended up falling to the ground.The red wine from the waiters’ trays spilled all over Tanya and Ivanka. Since Ivanka was closer, she ended up getting more wine on her.Her light blue dress was mostly soaked in red wine. Fortunately, it did not become see-through despite being wet.On the other hand, Tanya was not in a good situation.She was wearing a thin light pink dress. Some parts of it became see-through when soaked with red wine and revealed her curvy figure more clearly.The situation caused quite a commotion.Tanya and Ivanka were prominent figures who were constantly in the public eye, so their sudden fall attracted everyone’s attention.People started rushing over to check on them. Someone even shouted, “Oh no, look!
Jonah had just reached the doorway when he saw Michael carrying Ivanka toward the changing room. His smile instantly faded.In the banquet room, many eyes turned to Jonah. After all, everyone knew about the ongoing situation between him and Michael.They had always been business rivals, but since Ivanka became involved, their rivalry had intensified.Everyone knew how passionately Jonah pursued Ivanka and how attentive he was toward her.Conversely, Michael’s pursuit and closeness to Ivanka were also apparent. They even went on romantic movie dates which clearly indicated Michael’s desire for reconciliation.In the past, Ivanka seemed torn between Jonah and Michael. However, she recently appeared to be leaning more toward Michael. This shift signaled that Jonah might be losing ground in their competition.People wondered if Jonah would remain passive and tolerate the situation or if he would take action upon seeing Michael and Ivanka together.Many people watched with anticipati
Tanya frowned when she realized it was another spam call.After some thought, she decided to answer.She remained silent. If it was another scam call, she would just hang up. If it was Chiara, Chiara would speak first.The moment she answered, she heard the voice of a man using a voice changer. “Since it’s your grandfather’s birthday today, send my regards to him.”Tanya frowned. “What are you trying to say?”She was not interested in these formalities. They were unnecessary.The person on the other end chuckled. “You must be feeling pretty upset about what happened at the banquet earlier, right, Ms. Tanya?”Tanya’s expression immediately darkened. She subconsciously tightened her grip on her phone.Chiara did not attend the banquet today. How did she find out about it? She must have sent someone to attend on her behalf.Perhaps she had some leverage or connections with some businessmen who attended. Or maybe she bribed the waitstaff there.“What exactly are you trying to say
Tanya frowned. She knew Samuel had previously supported her relationship with Michael.However, Chiara’s reminder made her realize something was off. Samuel had always been the one in charge. Although Michael often made decisions, Samuel’s authority was unquestionable. Many people still followed his lead.The Barkworth Group’s stock could fluctuate at any time due to Michael and Ivanka’s frequent appearances and their trends on social media. Despite the potential impact on the company’s stock, Samuel remained indifferent. It was as if he had not noticed it. He had not taken any action to address or capitalize on the situation. What exactly was Samuel thinking now?Tanya would be at a total loss if Samuel stopped supporting her relationship with Michael.This realization made her heart race and her temples throb. Chiara’s words had truly hit her hard.Chiara smiled and said, “Back then, Samuel was fully supportive of Chiara and Michael. But when the Lane family fell, he didn’t care
Derek frowned and said, “Her anger is not strictly necessary. You have a tough task ahead of you. She might not be willing to cooperate with you. Besides, this is something you should handle yourself once you get your new identity.”“After I get my new identity, I doubt the new family will treat me like their own daughter. I’ll be highly tied down. It’s better to let Tanya handle it. She’s capable and smart. If she’s willing to cooperate, it’ll be much more effective for us.”Derek looked at her coldly and said in a serious tone, “Then you better keep quiet about what you had those waiters do today.”Chiara smiled and said confidently, “I trust you to get things done. I’m sure everything will go smoothly.”She put down her phone as her mood brightened. After this, a series of successes would surely follow. With Tanya taking action, she could direct and strategize from behind the scenes. Gradually, things would go according to her plan.At this thought, the malevolence in her eyes
Derek was puzzled when he saw Chiara suddenly approach him. She even spoke to him in a coquettish voice, saying, “Derekie…”Derek’s expression immediately darkened. He looked at Chiara coldly and asked, “What are you trying to do?”Chiara did not respond. She had made her intentions clear. Any man would have understood what she was trying to do.However, she was puzzled to see Derek’s apparent confusion. Did he not understand her intentions, or did he find her repulsive?Was it because he was Eleanor’s trusted person? After all, Eleanor sent him to keep an eye on her because she did not fully trust her.At that moment, Chiara suddenly felt unsure and even a little panicked inside.However, she refused to let her life be controlled by others. She felt miserable enough already!She took a deep breath and forced a stiff smile at Derek. “It’s just the two of us here. Why don’t we talk about something else?”Derek sneered. “Forget it if you have any filthy thoughts. If I want a woma
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