“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
After taking another deep breath, Ivanka tried her best to calm the annoyance in her heart and said calmly, “Michael, I don’t need any apology from you. Everything that happened in the past might have something to do with you, but I blame myself too. If I weren’t so obsessed with you, then I wouldn’t be hurt so thoroughly, either. I only have myself to blame, and I can’t fault you either. But just because I’m not blaming you, doesn’t mean I forgive you. I hope you know my boundaries. I remember every moment of what you’ve done to me. I will never be back together with you, much less will I look for trouble and repeat my past mistakes!” Michael was silent. Ivanka was really prickly. When he heard that she did not blame him, an unexplainable emotion welled within Michael. It felt like panic. Michael frowned but did not say a word. Ivanka tried to struggle again, but Michael still did not let go.Ivanka frowned. “What do I need to do for you to let go? I’m currently treating yo
Soon enough, the two finished their breakfast. Neither of them ate much. They were just making sure their stomachs were not empty. Ivanka had already set down her cutlery. Her expression was flat, nor did she look at Michael. Meanwhile, Michael’s gaze landed on Ivanka. As he stared at her, he asked with a calm expression, “Just what sort of prejudice do you have against me right now?” “Prejudice?” Ivanka looked at him calmly. “Do you think that all of the things you did to me can just be written off as me having prejudiced views about you?”Michael pursed his lips. It was as if he did not know what to say, yet he seemed to acknowledge Ivanka’s statement. Ivanka scoffed coldly. She did not bother to waste her breath on him and got up. “We have nothing to say to each other. So, let’s not dwell on the subject. So long as we are not together, anything is up for discussion.” After saying this, Ivanka got up to leave. Michael sat in place and did not move. He did not pester Iv
Jonah sighed deeply.Not making a move only made things harder for her.However, he had recently uncovered some information about Michael’s grandmother. It was why he had not been pressuring her.Once those matters were resolved, he planned to pursue her again. Since Ivanka had already separated from Michael, he would not give Michael another chance to win her back.That morning, everyone was busy with work. When noon came, Jonah did not go to pick up Ivanka.He knew that Ivanka would not want that.At the agreed location, Ivanka and her assistant had already arrived. They sat in a private room. When Jonah arrived, Ivanka nodded to him. “You’re here.”Jonah nodded back. Ivanka’s assistant stood up and greeted him respectfully. “Hello, Mr. Sadler.”Jonah nodded in acknowledgment.Jonah’s assistant, James, also nodded to Ivanka and her assistant.“Why did you get here so early?” Jonah looked at her and gently asked as he sat across from her.Ivanka answered truthfully, “There
Soon, they finished reviewing the plan. Both of them had a look of surprise in their eyes.“This proposal is very bold.” Ivanka remarked after reading it.Peachy remained silent as she was trying to process the shock. This was definitely a high-risk, high-reward move.“If such a publicity stunt doesn’t resonate with the fans, it could backfire. But if it does catch on, it could lead to unprecedented success, especially compared to Papaver’s previous launches.”Jonah smiled. “That’s the thrill of it, isn’t it? At our level, if we just keep playing it safe, the room for growth is practically zero.”Ivanka knew he had a point and did not refute him.Still, the plan was a little…The private room fell silent again.Jonah did not rush her. It was as if he was giving Ivanka time to think.Peachy, who sat beside her, dared not say a word. The stakes were just too high for her to comment. Only the chairwoman could make this decision.Even as the dishes were served, Ivanka remained si
Ivanka frowned. If Jonah had been digging around, even if Michael’s doctors kept things tightly under wraps, Jonah might have found some clues.How much did he know?Ivanka studied Jonah for a moment, but he remained as he had been. Finally, she looked away. She pursed her lips before saying softly, “I’ll be going now.”“Okay.”This time, Jonah did not offer to accompany her. He cooperated by letting her leave without any further insistence.Soon, everyone got into their respective cars.Ivanka sat in the passenger seat. She was still pondering the meaning behind Jonah’s gaze.However, before she could think further into it, her phone suddenly vibrated. She opened WhatsApp and saw a message from Jonah.Jonah: I know you have a lot on your plate right now. The health of the elderly is important, and I know you care about her, so I won’t interfere during this time. But Iv, not interfering doesn’t mean forgetting. Once things are better, I’ll find you again.Ivanka’s eyelashes tr
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