She had lost her heart to him?Sandy was completely stunned!In the past, she might have instinctively refuted such a statement as it was simply impossible.However, at the moment, she never expected that this could be the case!She had lost her heart to Ivan?She liked Ivan?She shook her head in disbelief. “How is that possible? Ivan and I have been rivals for so many years. We’ve both gone to great lengths to compete for that thing, and I’ve always been on guard around him. How could I possibly have lost my heart to him?”She shook her head incredulously. Her eyes were filled with a frustration that she had never felt before.However, she could not convince herself anymore. Something felt off.Ivanka remained silent. It was as if she was giving Sandy some time to think.Many things need to be understood gradually. Ivanka wanted Sandy to process her emotions step by step. If she said too much at once, it might be too overwhelming for Sandy to accept.Moreover, much of what
Ivanka looked at her for a moment. “No matter what you decide, I’ll support you. Just make sure you’ve thought it through.”Sandy nodded. “I’ve definitely thought it through!”Her voice was firm and was devoid of doubt. She only felt uncertain when she questioned whether she had feelings for Ivan.Now everything had become clear to her.Ivanka placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a gentle pat. “I’m here for you.”Sandy felt a warm sensation in her heart and held Ivanka’s hand. “Iv, I’m so glad you’re here with me. I’m so grateful you’ve been by my side.”Ivanka sighed softly and said nothing.In such a situation, her presence could only do so much.The distress and suffering were Sandy’s alone to bear. No one else could go through it for her.Ivanka could only offer her some companionship. As for the rest…Thinking about this, Ivanka sighed inwardly, but ultimately said nothing.That night, Sandy did not sleep well. In fact, she had not slept well for several nights. Iv
Knowing that Michael was able to stay tough despite learning about his own condition, Ivanka was rather impressed. But since he was a patient, she would not neglect to comfort him. Of course, what she was about to tell him next was also the truth.Ivanka dealt with the used needle and said to Michael flatly, “Your condition is rather good. If you cooperate with my treatment plan for a period of time, you’ll recover.”A strange emotion flickered in Michael’s eyes. “How’s Grandma’s condition?”“I still need to observe for a day and see how she fares. Then, I’ll think about the prescription based on her physical condition.”The medicine she injected into Rosie’s body was very effective. Without it, Rosie would have to receive chemotherapy in a hospital and would have found out about her illness.Michael said nothing. He seemed calm and composed.But he did not plan to leave either. Ivanka contemplated for a while and eventually looked at him. “You must be cautious with food intake f
Michael immediately scowled and said with an icy expression, “Get in. I’ll drive you.”He did not intend to explain why.A strange emotion flashed in Ivanka’s eyes, but she said nothing.It was pointless to argue with him at this point. When Michael got mad, he would insist on having his way. Therefore, instead of wasting time arguing with him, she might as well get into the car so that she could go home and get him out of her sight sooner.With that in mind, Ivanka finally shut up and walked over to the front passenger seat right away.Only then did Michael’s expression ease up.During the drive, neither of them said anything. It was very quiet in the car. They did not even play music.But they did not feel uneasy. The atmosphere between them was already awkward to begin with.Once they reached the destination, Michael stopped the car. Ivanka opened the door on her side and glanced at him. “You may drive the car home first.”She had other cars.However, Michael did not respo
Michael said nothing. He got up and walked toward the bedroom.They did not interact for the rest of the night.The next day, after they both woke up, Ivanka made breakfast before they parted ways and left for work.Meanwhile, Michael thought that his stomach felt significantly better after having the food Ivanka had made. He wondered if it was an illusion.The two of them did not contact each other throughout the day. But after work, they both headed to the Barkworth family’s mansion without even informing each other. It was because Ivanka had said that she wanted to check on Rosie that night. Michael wanted to know the news firsthand, so he would naturally show up.When Rosie saw them appearing together, she was in an even better mood. Grabbing each of them with each hand, she said with a kind and loving look on her face, “You’ve come to visit me again. What if your frequent visits affect your work?”Ivanka smiled. “No way. I managed my schedule well.”Hearing that, Rosie wa
Samuel returned home to keep Rosie company as well. Lately, his attitude toward her had really changed. While it confused her, she was quite moved deep down.Rosie said gleefully, “Alright, it’s getting late. You kids should go home. Drive safe.”Ivanka nodded. “Don’t worry about us, Grandma. We’ll be fine.”Rosie smiled and turned her gaze on Michael. “You must drive her home safely. Do you hear me?”“Got it.” Michael readily accepted the request.Sensing that, Rosie was in an even better mood. After all, he used to hate doing anything for Ivanka. Instead, he had agreed to drive her home. He did not do that out of obedience, but because he genuinely cared about Ivanka!Her mood brightened even more. She stood at the door and saw them off with a smile.Michael was still the one driving, while Ivanka sat in the front passenger seat.Whenever he sent her home, he would insist on driving himself.Besides, they had things to discuss, so no one else was allowed to be in the car wit
Besides, there were all sorts of things at the auction. Apart from some really powerful people, no one could get their hands on the item list.After a pause, Ivanka turned her eyes on Michael and said, “Why don’t you… have your people ask about the item list?”“Sure.”Ivanka leaned back in her seat and said nothing else.This auction only gave them a shred of hope. They still needed to find and acquire a Ganoderma nebula through other channels.Besides, this ingredient was extremely precious. Other than curbing cancer cells, it had other great health benefits. Wealthy people always wanted to live longer. Therefore, the Ganoderma nebula would certainly be in high demand.On the way home, neither of them said anything. Sorrow lingered in Ivanka’s eyes. She was genuinely worried about Rosie’s condition.When they arrived in her yard, she finally pulled herself together. She glanced at Michael, who was in the driver seat, and said calmly, “You may go home now. I shan’t keep you here
“You keep staying over at my place. We can’t keep on doing this,” Ivanka said.Even if they were pretending for Rosie’s sake, she had seen enough of them during the day. Michael did not have to stay over at night.Besides, Rosie did not even know he was doing that.Michael ignored Ivanka’s complaint and instead strode toward the room he usually slept in. He acted like he could come and go as he pleased.Ivanka was astonished once again.She was a little frustrated, but he refused to listen or leave her house. What could she do about it?Feeling rather annoyed, Ivanka eventually returned to her bedroom.It was a particularly quiet and peaceful night. The next day, they parted ways and headed to work. Everything was back to normal again.However, Ivanka sometimes felt helpless with Michael’s behavior.…Meanwhile, Sandy also arrived at her office, but she was not in the mood for work.It was because all she could think about was Ivan. After Ivan left that day, Sandy though
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