When Michael stopped beside them, Tanya snapped out of her daze. She paused for a moment before smiling at Michael. “Mr. Barkworth, I didn’t expect to see you here. What a coincidence!” Upon hearing this, everyone could sense her reluctance. Ivanka rested her gaze on Michael. He did not look awkward. Instead, he replied calmly, “Yes. I have a project to set up here.” Tanya looked puzzled. She thought. “He might as well say he has a house over here.” There was only one village in that area. Even if a project were to develop there, it could only be Ivanka and Tanya’s collaborated project. There could not possibly be other projects. But Michael shamelessly said he came here to oversee the project. Did he not think he was making himself a clown? Ivanka fell speechless. She was unsure of Michael’s intention for coming over. Although she felt doubtful and somewhat confirmed what she doubted was true, on second thought, she was not convinced. She thought she was just imagini
This would only make Michael find Tanya even more disgusting and raise suspicion about her. On second thought, did Michael suspect her? If not, why would he arrive at such a time? Tanya inhaled deeply again and quickly left. She swore that Michael would belong to her one day. By then, he would only love her, and he would only have his eyes on her. ... As Tanya gradually walked further away, Ivanka turned to Michael. They stood in place motionlessly. She asked, “When are you leaving?” Michael’s expression instantly turned darker than before. Seeing that Ivanka had not noticed anything yet, he grabbed her wrist. He ignored her reaction as he forcefully dragged her into the car. Ivanka instantly frowned. “What are you doing?!” She could not free herself, so she could only let Michael drag her into the car. Nonetheless, her expression looked absolutely dark. After the car door was closed, Michael turned to her in a darkened expression. “Do you know what sort of person
Tanya never won Michael’s heart. Despite that, his admirers viewed her as their love rival. Was this not the greatest irony on earth? On the other hand, if she were to be Michael’s lover, she would think that it was worthy even if she became everyone’s target. But the fact was, she was not even his lover at that moment! Meanwhile, Ivanka felt restrained. She felt frustrated and restricted. The car was already driven quite some distance away from the village. Michael seemed to be in a better mood. He turned his head around and cast Ivanka a cold glance. When he saw that she sat on the passenger seat quietly, his eyes were filled with endless mockery. His expression turned darker than before. “You’re not allowed to collaborate with her on any projects.” Ivanka said calmly, “After the collaboration ends, Lane’s Group will be pushed to a higher level, and Cullen’s Group will gain tremendous benefits too. She won’t harm me during this period of time.” Before she came to the villag
Michael seemed to have seen through her thoughts and said indifferently, “Leave this matter to me.” Ivanka looked at him with some surprise. She stayed silent as if she was waiting for him to continue speaking. Michael had already recovered his composure and said calmly, “Chiara now has a deep, complicated relationship with the people behind her. They’re now moving forward with their progress. You’ll just need to do your work as usual and leave the rest to me.” Ivanka narrowed her eyes. “Are there so many benefits just for treating you and Grandma?” Michael’s expression had just returned to normal, but it turned dark again. Ivanka then smiled nonchalantly. “I don’t need you. I can handle these myself.” “Ivanka Lane.” Michael controlled his anger and said her full name. But Ivanka just raised her eyes languidly. “Although there is a lot involved in this now, I hope you’ll give me some space. We’re all adults here, and we all have our own opinions about this matter. Michael
Ivanka’s feelings were mixed as she got out of bed. When she saw that this place was exactly as it had once been, her heart tensed for a moment. This place really held too many memories for her. Even in the past three years, even if she was the only one who was often back here and Michael rarely came back, she could still remember every bit of what happened here. But when she took the trip down memory lane, she felt it all inexplicably unfamiliar.She remembered that one day, she had just gotten up when Michael suddenly entered the bedroom. His expression was grim. She looked at Michael with a dumbfounded look on her face. No delight rose in her, as she could see that Michael was in a nasty mood at that time, but she still asked, “Why are you back so suddenly?” Michael looked at her and let out a cold laugh. “Just how many more underhanded tactics do you plan on using?” Ivanka’s face suddenly paled a fair bit. Even if she knew that he was in a bad mood, she only thoug
“I’ve never seen anyone dumber than you in this whole wide world.” Michael’s cold eyes were mocking her. Right before he left, he sneered at her again. “Don’t think you can do whatever you want just because Grandma keeps protecting you. This is my last warning to you, Ivanka. You’d better watch out.”After saying that, Michael left without looking back. The moment the door closed, Ivanka suddenly lost all of her strength and sat back down on the bed. She propped herself with one hand on the bed so as not to fall down. … That was the end of the memory. Ivanka was also currently sitting on the bed. The difference in her position from that day was that she did not need to prop herself up anymore. Her eyes were filled with mockery. All the memories she had here were just endless sadness and life in a cage.It was probably because she had been single for so long. She had actually forgotten how unhappy she used to be. It might also be because Michael’s attitude toward her at the
“Going to work.” “Have breakfast.” Breakfast had been spread on the dining table. Even if she was hungry, Ivanka was not in the mood to eat with him at all. She said, “I’m not hungry. There are still some urgent matters to tend to in the company.” She could finally control herself from saying or doing anything, and that was great. This was because she was being considerate of Michael having stomach cancer. Ivanka kept silently chanting in her heart that she should not get angry. She should not be emotional. It was all in the past. She walked those paths on her own volition. She chose them herself. So there was nothing to say. She should not resent anyone, because she did it voluntarily. Back when she liked Michael, he did not have any feelings for her. Yet she still chose to marry him without any hesitation. She thought he would develop feelings for her. But in the end, her failed marriage was a warning to her, so she gradually came to her senses. It was okay to take th
“You told me to take care of my stomach. You’re a doctor, so you should know better to take care of my emotions and have breakfast with me.” Ivanka felt exasperated by his words and scoffed. Even though she had just calmed her emotions down, this man’s appearance still made her mood switch. “You’re the one who got stomach cancer, not me. If you don’t even know how to love and care for yourself, then no matter what anyone else does for you, it’s useless! Someone like you doesn’t deserve to live, either. You might as well die early to make room for good people.” Michael only felt anger burn in him, but he still calmed down and said to her, “If you’re here, I’m sure I can eat, and I’ll care about myself too.” Ivanka laughed from exasperation. “Are you guilt-tripping me?” Michael had not cared about her emotions during those years. He would even believe in a liar, yet he would not listen to a single word she said. When she thought about that time, she wondered why she cared for h
Ivanka did not pay him any mind and got into the car. If Michael dared to chase after her again, she would most definitely kick him out of the car! She would do what she said she would!Michael did not catch up, but he blocked her with his arms wide open. His stance was clear: You can leave. But over my dead body! Ivanka could not possibly drive over Michael. But it was not a problem for Michael to keep blocking her way. Plus, she had just politely rejected his parents. So, it was even more impossible for her to turn back. Ivanka ran out of patience. She held her forehead and frowned. Michael had already drained her last bit of patience. She never imagined that Michael would actually cling to her to such an extent! How would she put it? All her positivity had been drained clean! “Michael, your parents are still at home. Aren’t you afraid they’ll see and laugh at you? I know Grandpa and Grandma are standing by our side now. It’s not like you and I haven’t been in
Ivanka would neither accept the carrot nor the stick approach. Michael had no choice but to persuade her with reason and win her over with affection. Ivanka snorted. “Have you ever given me a chance to have a meal with you before this? As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time for things to come to this state. Things might have passed for you but not for me!” Ivanka’s gaze was razor-sharp. Michael felt his heart clench up. At that moment, his throat was in so much pain that he did not know what else to say to her. Ivanka did not wait for his response. She pushed away his hand and headed out without hesitation. Michael did not stop her. Nonetheless, he went after her and followed behind her. Meanwhile, they heard the sound from the kitchen. Mindy prepared dinner in the kitchen, and Jay helped her out. They had heard their conversation. Out of courtesy, Ivanka went to the kitchen and greeted them. She said with a smile, “Uncle Jay, Aunt Mindy, I’m
Ivanka clenched her fists. Her gaze was filled with ferocity. She looked like she was really going to punch Michael. Michael noticed the anger in her eyes. But since the person was none other than Ivanka, he was willing to take the beating. He even took a step forward and held his head high. “Strike me if you want.” “You!” Ivanka glared at Michael. He truly annoyed her. She reminded herself to keep her composure. She sucked in a deep breath before saying, “Michael, I’ve treated you with respect. You’d better behave yourself.” Right after she finished the sentence, Ivanka left. Before she even took a step forward, Michael grabbed her. “My mom is preparing the dishes inside the kitchen. If you leave now, you’re not showing me any respect. Please stay around to have dinner. Even though we’re already divorced, and it’s impossible for us to get back together again, we’re still friends,” said Michael. Haha! He had been adamant. He was using the same approach to draw close
Mindy’s expression instantly darkened. “What’s with us being prejudiced against her? Had I ever targeted her when she married Michael from the beginning? “She knew how well Rosie had treated her. It’s her own fault for failing to bond with Mic. How could you blame us?” Mindy had always disliked Ivanka. She believed Samuel’s intervention had been the reason for their marriage. It was an arranged marriage. There was no need for the Barkworth’s family to have an arranged marriage. At the end of the day, it was all up to Samuel to choose the bride for Michael. Ever since Ivanka married Michael, aside from the deliberate arrangements, they had hardly shown up together as a couple in public. Mindy did not have any particularly hard feelings for Ivanka. She believed the two would live happily together after getting married. After they divorced, Mindy thought Michael could start all over again. But she did not expect to see their current relationship was no different from when they
It was Jay and Mindy. When Ivanka saw them, a thought came across her mind. She took out a syringe and inserted it into Michael’s arm to unmute him. Michael felt like he had been stung by a bee. It was as though he had been put in jail, only to be freed all of a sudden. Ivanka took away the syringe and gave him a glance with displeasure. “Get out of the car now. Your parents are here—” “Aren’t you entering the house?” Before Ivanka finished her sentence, Michael interrupted her. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with sincerity and seriousness. But Ivanka rejected him coldly. “Quick! Get out of the car! I’m not joking with you. Get out now!” “Let’s go in together. After all, you’re already here. Are you worried about seeing them?” Michael was undaunted by her emotions and tone. Instead, he stretched out his hand to try to grab Ivanka. Nonetheless, she avoided him with ease. Meanwhile, Jay and Mindy saw them. They walked over to them. Mindy glanced at th
It was no wonder Jonah asked for so many details. All these were facts.Ivanka did not avoid answering his questions. She gave a light smile. “The longest will be half a year.”If the treatment was ineffective after half a year, she would go to Silvania with Vincent.After all, it was not just about her.Upon learning of Ivanka’s decision, Jonah smiled wryly. “Iv, I don’t think it’s an easy feat to treat my legs. How about you go and deal with your stuff first? You can always treat my legs afterward.”Ivanka initially planned to do it that way. But George, Florence, and Margaret had interrupted her plan.Since she had returned to Bostone, why was there a need to travel back and forth again?She might as well treat Jonah’s legs.Besides, Vincent had informed her that it would be highly uncertain whether they could still return to their home country after arriving at Silvania.Ivanka said, “No. I don’t want to make so many trips. I’ll treat your legs for half a year and see if i
It was not an overstatement to say Michael was crossing the line. Nonetheless, Ivanka could not just sit there and watch the two men get into a conflict. Hence, Ivanka pulled Michael to the side and glanced at him. “If you don’t want to be kicked out, you’d better wait here.” But Michael was undaunted by Jonah. Although Jonah had the power to rebuke him in his own territory, Michael refused to allow Jonah to get the upper hand. Ivanka saw the determination in Michael’s eyes. She was very worried that the two might get into a fight. She quickly pulled him back. “Stop making me worry about you. Just wait here! If you dare to come after me, I’ll…” Although she did not finish her sentence, her intention was clear enough. If Michael disobeyed her, she would make him a statue! Understanding this, Michael did not follow Ivanka. But when Jonah turned around and left, the provocation in his eyes was evident. Still, Michael listened to Ivanka. He did not want to offend her. He
Jonah narrowed his eyes while questioning Michael. Still, Michael did not respond to him. Ivanka pursed her lips. She looked displeased when she answered Jonah, “Jonah, there’s no need to speak so harshly. Do you still want me to treat your legs?” She had temporarily made Michael mute. She did that to stop Michael from talking endlessly about those things. Nonetheless, he had still insisted on coming along with her, only to end up being targeted by Jonah. Ivanka had no intention of making Michael mute in front of Jonah. Upon hearing Ivanka’s words, Jonah looked at where she currently stood. She stood in front of Michael. It looked like she was trying to protect him more. As the saying went, true love was portrayed in hard times. This saying was true indeed. It was true that Ivanka cared about Michael. Jonah said gently to Ivanka, “I want you to treat my legs, and I only speak harshly to specific people. I already showed him much respect when he barged into my terri
Michael remained resolute.Ivanka rolled her eyes. “Then stay stubborn. I’ll only fix it when you stop pushing me away.”After she was done speaking, she turned to leave.Michael followed.He even opened the passenger door and got in her car. He was determined to follow her.But Ivanka would not go easy on him.Once inside, she warned him coldly, “Not being able to speak is harder than you think. Follow if you want. Michael, are you sure about this?”Even after her warning, he kept staring straight ahead.She said nothing more and started the engine.Within half an hour, she arrived at Jonah’s mansion.Jonah came out to greet her personally. The moment Ivanka parked the car, Jonah immediately spotted Michael in the passenger seat.The sight of him stirred up bitterness in Jonah. Yet there was nothing he could do.Before Ivanka exited the car, she said to Michael, “Wait here.”Without glancing at him, she walked straight toward Jonah.Her attitude made Michael decide t