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
Tanya sucked in a deep breath. No. This time, she did not want to have any contact with Ivanka for no good reason. Tanya thought. “This woman is like poison. Nothing good happens whenever I run into her.” She glanced around. The next moment, she looked like a thought crossed her mind. She glanced around again in puzzlement. Still, she did not see him. She instantly waved at her assistant who was standing quite a distance away. Her assistant quickly went over to her. Tanya whispered to him, “Has Jonah arrived at the banquet?” “Yes. He has arrived. But he seemed to have gone upstairs. I’m not sure if he went to look for Master Cullen.” Tanya gave a nod and said nothing else. It did not take long before the banquet started. Hermes slowly walked down the staircase. Even though he was already in his seventies, he still looked strong and did not need a walking stick. He looked like a man in his fifties. The crowd instantly stopped exchanging pleasantries and stared at Hermes.
Samuel looked at Ivanka and smiled. “It’s very late now. It’s unsafe for you to go back on your own. Let Michael send you home.” Ivanka was stunned. She did not expect Samuel to say that before the crowd. Before she replied to Samuel, Nick said, “No. Michael has been very busy throughout the whole day. He needs to rest. Jonah, on the other hand, has been very free today. Let him send her home.” Ivanka fell speechless. Jonah looked at Ivanka and chuckled. “It’s my pleasure.” Samuel instantly shook his head and smiled. “There’s no need to trouble Jonah to send her back. Michael hasn’t been doing much today either. Let him send her home. Jonah has signed a business contract today. He also has many projects to follow up on recently. I don’t want to make him exhausted.” While saying this, Samuel deliberately put on a long face at Michael. “Grab the chance and send her back now." Michael fell silent. Nick said to Samuel, “Jonah is used to working that much. Why would he fee
Ivanka walked away in a hurry. Samuel turned to Michael. “It’s unsafe at night. Quick, send her back now. If not, Rosie will be very worried when she finds out.” Michael pursed his lips and said nothing else. He headed outside. Nick sneered, “Samuel, you’re really good at this!” Samuel grinned. “It’s true. After all, they were husband and wife. No matter what, the original husband and wife are still the best for each other. What do you think?” Nick smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. “It depends on whether they are the right ones for each other. Since they’ve divorced, this shows that they are not the right ones for each other. Even though she didn’t say it, she already hinted at it through her actions.” Samuel parted his lips and inhaled deeply. He pretended to look angry as he stared at Nick. “Nick, how dare you say that in front of me?! If you refuse to admit defeat, let’s go out and fight!” “Do it! After all, I’ve been exercising my fists and kicks daily at home. N
Ivanka frowned deeply. Michael was in a horrible state. He had been poisoned and suffered gunshots. He had a strong tolerance to medicine and pain. But it was his mental condition that caused him to fall into this state. Not being fully recovered also added to the burden. Ivanka gave him a white pill which she had formulated by herself. After that, she had the security guard carry Michael into her car. Then, she sent him to the hospital. They arrived at the emergency department. Xavier had finished attending to his patients. When he walked out of his office, he saw Michael being carried into the hospital. He then saw Ivanka beside Michael. Xavier frowned. His expression became tense, and he asked solemnly, “What’s happened to him?” “He’s weak and had previously been poisoned. Since you’re around, you can look after him.” Ivanka summarized Michael’s condition. After hearing Ivanka’s brief explanation, Xavier gave Michael a checklist and put him on a drip. After that,
Since Jonah had come to this and Ivanka was not an ungrateful person, she nodded and gave her word. “Jonah, I’ll give this my all. Don’t worry. As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll help you.” Jonah had to be bound to the wheelchair at the moment. Since Ivanka had shared a similar experience when she took over Lane’s Group back then, she naturally figured out how wolfish and greedy his adversaries would be. Jonah was injured because of her. She swore to give her all to save him from whatever crisis he was facing. Jonah took advantage of this and asked, “What time are you coming tomorrow? I’ll have my assistant get ready.” Ivanka thought for a moment. “Tomorrow afternoon.” She needed to manage her company affairs during the first half of the day. Jonah was content upon hearing her answer. “Good. I’ll wait for you tomorrow.” “Okay.” Ivanka nodded before hanging up. When she returned to her office, she did not expect to see Michael sitting on the couch. She nearly jum
There was only one possibility. Ivanka was calling somebody else. Michael wondered who could strike up such a long conversation with her. Sandy and Ivan had returned to the country. Ivanka’s besties were around her. Even if Ivanka deliberately approached Chiara, she could not possibly have so much to chat with Chiara. If Ivanka’s phone call was business related, there was no need to chat this long. Michael eliminated the possible reasons one by one. In the end, he thought of Jonah. Michael’s expression instantly turned as dark as thunderclouds. His gaze was dull and cold. Evan noticed it. He also saw the call record on Michael’s phone. Evan quickly persuaded Michael, “Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane could be tied up with her work, so she couldn’t answer your call. We could go to her workplace now.” Michael said nothing. He gave a cold glance at Evan. Evan got a shock. The next second, Michael turned around and left his office. Looking at Michael’s fading silhouette, Evan wi
It was why Ivanka still came for Jonah in spite of her unpleasant experience with Margaret in the hospital last time. Jonah had been injured because of Ivanka. She came for him only. The other people did not matter to her. Jonah’s heart sank upon hearing her words. His expression tensed up. He could imagine the indifferent look on Ivanka’s face right at that moment. She had that expression on her face simply because he was never really important to her. Jonah was upset precisely because of her indifference to him. He wanted to say something to her but did not know how to begin. He was also not in the position to say that. It did not take long before Ivanka’s gentle but rather indifferent voice rang in his ears, “Jonah, don’t worry. I’ll treat your legs until they recover. Don’t run into any conflicts with your mom because of me.” Her words pulled Jonah’s wandering mind back into the present moment. He felt a heavy weight on his heart. “Iv, I trust you. You don’t need to
Margaret became frustrated and grabbed Ivanka. She could not understand why Ivanka was fine while Jonah ended up in such a bad situation after the accident.Then, Jonah defended Ivanka. There was also all the talk about Ivanka’s treatment. Margaret was curious to see what kind of miracle medicine Ivanka could develop.In the end, Ivanka’s treatment did not work. Moreover, her relationship with Jonah, which had finally started to improve, was once again ruined because of Ivanka.Jonah scoffed. “Mom, I’m not an eight-year-old anymore. You’re saying all this because you want me to go along with your plans for an arranged date, right?”Margaret had not expected Jonah to guess her thoughts. She was about to insist on her point when Jonah spoke first. With a mocking smile, he said sarcastically, “Do you think anyone would date someone like me?”He had a point. But Laura might be one such person.However, Margaret did not like her. She would do anything to keep Laura from becoming her d
“That’s because you want him to fall in love with you!” Margaret snapped.Ivanka chuckled softly. Her tone was edged with sarcasm. “Love? Does it really matter that much?”Margaret felt humiliated and furious. She pointed a finger at Ivanka’s face with a hostile expression. “If it doesn’t matter, why are you doing all this? Stop pretending, Ivanka!”Ivanka let out a bitter laugh. “Pretending? What am I pretending for? Is being divorced a crime? Margaret, you’re a woman too. How would you feel if someone accused you like this?”She hoped Margaret would take a moment to reflect. After all, she was Jonah’s mother, and Ivanka did not want their conflict to escalate.But Margaret was unmoved. Her glare turned colder, sharper, and filled with hatred.“You think I’ll just let this go?” Margaret said sharply. “If it weren’t for you, Jonah wouldn’t be in this mess! I meant every word I said, and nothing will change that.”To her, Ivanka was nothing more than someone scheming to use Jonah
“Ivanka,” Margaret took a deep breath while trying to compose herself. When she looked at Ivanka again, her expression was calm. She said, “I don’t know how deep Jonah’s feelings for you run. What I fear most is that once he becomes fixated on you, that’s it. When he falls for someone, his heart won’t make room for anyone else. In that way, he’s just like his father.”Ivanka’s gaze wavered. She bit her lip and was unsure of what to say.“I beg you, don’t hurt Jonah anymore!” Margaret’s voice carried a note of desperation.Ivanka’s expression turned extremely complicated.There was a time when Jonah came to her only to use her. Back then, they were both using each other. It made things simple.But later, Jonah unexpectedly started talking about marriage. Perhaps it was to provoke Michael, or perhaps he simply wanted to keep her close because she was useful to him.At some point, though, it seemed Jonah had become serious about her. She could not pinpoint when it happened. Perhaps
Jonah frowned in clear disagreement, but he stayed silent. Ivanka’s confident smile reassured him and made him trust her.Eventually, he let go of her wrist.Ivanka noticed Margaret putting on her shoes. She quickly followed, stepping outside just as Margaret was about to get into her car“Margaret,” she called out.Margaret frowned slightly and stood still.Since Jonah had not come out with Ivanka, she decided she could spare a moment to speak with her.She turned and looked at Ivanka coldly.Ivanka softened her tone. “Let’s take a walk.”Margaret did not respond, but her silence was enough of an agreement.They walked slowly around the edge of the mansion. The surrounding area was all part of the Sadler family estate.Margaret suppressed her anger and glanced at Ivanka before speaking in a composed tone, “Alright. What do you want to say?”Ivanka met her gaze briefly before looking ahead and said, “Do you know what will happen if Jonah’s coughing continues?”Margaret’s he
Margaret glared at Ivanka and scoffed, “If there’s an issue, I’ll get another doctor to handle it. It’ll be anyone but you, Ivanka. Haven’t I made myself clear enough? I’ve told you this before.”She hated how Ivanka ignored her warnings and kept coming back to visit Jonah time and again. What if Jonah got too close to her and ended up ruining his reputation? If Jonah had not been here, Margaret would have been even harsher.Ivanka frowned as she met Margaret’s sharp gaze. “I’ve never tried to get close to Jonah like that. We’re just friends. I know I’m not good enough for him, so I’ve never even thought about it.”“You might not have, but he has!” Margaret snapped, raising her voice.“Mom!” Jonah’s expression darkened.Jonah was usually calm and polite. This was the first time Ivanka saw him looking so upset and was about to lose his temper.Ivanka’s eyes flickered with hesitation. She was unsure of what to say.Explaining Jonah’s coughing would do no good. Margaret would not