Sandy looked at him silently.She agreed with what Ivan said. It was true that in the past, he would not have apologized to her at all.But he did just moments ago.She looked at him, wanting to see what he would say next and if he was up to any tricks.Ivan had gone to great lengths to obtain that relic. Sandy could not be sure if he was playing another trick or if he was being genuine.“Xander and Michael used to try to talk sense into me, but I didn’t believe it was possible and argued with them. It turns out they had already seen through thoughts I wasn’t even aware of.”Sandy was puzzled. She did not understand what he was talking about.Ivan ignored her reaction and continued, “Going through this whole ordeal changed my perspective completely. At that time, my mind was still a mess, especially when I saw you by my side. I was completely shocked.”Sandy frowned but remained silent, letting him continue.After a pause, he spoke again slowly, “After everything happened, I s
Ivan said helplessly, “Can’t you see that I’ve already given up?”Sandy scoffed, “With all your tricks, how could I possibly figure that out?”She felt that merely surviving all these years had been a significant struggle. If it weren’t for living in a society governed by law, someone like Ivan would probably have already had her killed.Ivan took a deep breath and tried to stay composed.Sandy noticed this and sneered, “You don’t need to act like this. No matter what you do, I’m not giving you the thing. And I’m definitely not going to be with you. So, Ivan, don’t waste your breath or our time. It’s pointless.”She sounded resolute and gave Ivan no chance to change her mind.Ivan still refused to walk away. Instead, he continued to gaze at her and said in a deep voice, “Just hear me out first.”Sandy frowned and remained silent.Ivan looked at her with a displeased expression and continued, “Believe it or not, I’ve given up. Since it’s something she left for you, you should keep
Sandy was speechless and did not want to continue the conversation with Ivan. She asked calmly, “Are you done?”Ivan was at a loss for words.He had just poured his heart out, and this was her response?!He had the urge to strangle her!“Sandy, do you really think I’m joking?!”Sandy frowned and then laughed wryly. “Do you think I’ll fall for that?”Ivan was so furious that he became speechless!That d*mn woman!What did he have to say to make her believe him?He felt he had put in a great deal of effort and endured all the discomfort to say those words.How could she respond to him that way?She simply dismissed him in disbelief!He took a deep breath to try to stay composed.Before he could say anything, Sandy said, “Yeah, you’re definitely behaving differently today. Do you really think I’d fall for your trick? You’re only trying this because none of your previous methods worked. You’re doing this because you have no other choice.”Ivan was baffled. “You…”“What? Am I
Sandy was at a loss for words.She looked at Ivan and acted indifferent to what he said.After thinking for a moment, she sighed and said, “No matter what methods you use, I won’t be with you. I won’t give up the things left by my godmother. Just give up, Ivan.”Ivan was speechless.How could this woman be so stubborn?!He took a deep breath.Maintaining a calm expression, Sandy added, “Actually, if it weren’t for the things left by my godmother, you might just be an idol I admire from afar. We might never have met in this lifetime.”After a pause, she continued, “So, don’t waste your breath anymore.”“I…” Ivan frowned. He was visibly upset. However, before he could say more, Sandy interrupted him again.“Ivan, you really don’t need to say so much. You know how we are. How could I possibly believe what you say?”“I swear…”To be honest, he could not deny it either. However, he was unable to say it out loud.Sandy interrupted him again. “Fine, let’s assume everything you’re
“Because no one else would dare to pursue you!” Ivan said in a deep voice.When Sandy looked at him, she saw his cold and stubborn gaze.She was stunned. Then her expression darkened. “What are you trying to do?”“From now on, I’ll pursue you openly. I want to see who dares to oppose me,” he said shamelessly and arrogantly.Sandy’s expression darkened even more. “Ivan! Are you out of your mind? Can’t you give me a break?”Ivan’s expression darkened as well. He restrained himself from getting out of the car and said coldly, “Sandy, can you speak properly for once?”Sandy was baffled. She took a deep breath, trying to control her anger.She looked at him and said, “Speak properly? Look at what you’re doing! Everyone knows you’re a notorious womanizer. Very few of the women you’ve been involved with have found good men afterward. People will think badly of any woman who’s been involved with you! You’re such a player! You have money and power, and you don’t have to worry about these
Ivan frowned. He had already gotten out of the car and walked to the back seat to open the door for her. “Get out, please?”Sandy glared at him in annoyance. “You wouldn’t let me out when I wanted to. Now that I don’t want to get out, you want me to? What kind of joke is this? Dream on! I’m not getting out!”Ivan was not angry. He had anticipated her reaction. Instead, he looked at her with a bemused smile. “Are you sure you don’t want to get out?”“No! What are you going to do about it, huh?” Sandy retorted defiantly.“Alright, you’ve made your choice. Don’t regret it later.” With that, he shut the car door.Sandy’s expression changed. She was momentarily puzzled by his words.“What do you mean?”Ivan ignored her. He got into the driver’s seat. Before Sandy could react, he started the engine and drove off.She frowned when she saw him driving again.“Where are you going now?”He ignored her and continued driving.“Where are you taking me, you jerk? Let me out of the car!”
Nonetheless, Ivan reached Sandy in just a few steps and grabbed her hand. Sandy tried to pull her hand out of his grip, but he was far stronger than her. She could not free herself even after using up most of her strength. “Do you have a few screws loose in your head?!” Sandy used up her last bit of energy when she yelled the words. But it was useless to say that. Ivan was just crazy!“I already have them to start preparing dinner. You’ll stay overnight here.” Ivan did not care if Sandy agreed to this as he dragged her into his mansion. “Let go of me! I’m not eating the food!” “You must, even if you don’t want to.” “Are you mad?” “Yes. I’m madly in love with you.” Sandy fell speechless. When had he started behaving like a rascal? “Let me go! We’re not even suited for each other. Stop wasting your effort on me!” “Try first and see if we’re really not suited for each other,” said Ivan expressionlessly. Sandy sucked in a deep breath. “B*stard! I don’t care about
When Ivan saw that Sandy finally listened to him this time, his mood improved. Prior to this, he had behaved so oddly because he wanted to keep his dignity regardless of the circumstances. However, in the end, he realized that he lost his happiness. After “confining” Sandy in his mansion, he felt an unprecedented level of happiness. After eating dinner, Sandy turned to Ivan. “Boss, it’s time for you to let me home. I can’t possibly stay overnight here, b*stard!” Ivan raised one of his eyebrows. “You’re right. We’re not married yet. I can’t possibly do something outrageous to you. I’ll send you home.” Sandy instantly heaved a sigh of relief. He was a man of his words. ... It was getting late. Ivanka had no idea what was going on on Sandy’s side. Ivanka stared at the design drawing on the computer screen. She focused on the screen and occasionally clicked using the mouse with her right hand and typed with her left hand. Suddenly, her phone rang. She collected her though
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