Theodore’s expression turned grim. He quickly shook his head. “Of course not!”He shook his head instinctively even though no one was around and he was on the phone with Chiara.“Really? Dad, I’m not sure if I should believe you.” Chiara’s voice sounded anxious. She was like a deer caught in the headlights, filled with fear and distrust.Despite feeling sorry for her, he knew it was not the time to reveal the truth. He immediately said, “Chiara, of course you should believe me. I’m your father. Why would I lie to you?”Chiara’s expression was complicated. After hesitating for a moment, she said, “Mrs. Levine told me it’s all true.”Theodore became increasingly anxious but managed to keep his voice steady. However, after hearing what Chiara said, his anger came through in his words. “She’s lying!”Chiara took a deep breath and remained silent.Theodore wanted to explain further, but after thinking for a moment, he asked, “What happened earlier? What else did she say?”Chiara pur
“Chiara, if this scandal keeps spreading, I might have to leave Lane’s Group. If that happens, we’ll lose our chance to turn things around completely.”Chiara frowned while looking troubled. “Dad, I’m powerless right now. I can’t do anything on my own, and I don’t have any real authority. I’m just a puppet...”Theodore sighed helplessly. He was not sure what to say. He had some idea of Chiara’s situation.However, he did not want the scandal to drag on for too long. If it did, someone would eventually notice and his reputation would be ruined. He would be completely cut off from the company.“Sigh...” Theodore looked distressed but did not want to end the call. Chiara sighed as well and said reluctantly, “Dad, I’ll try my best to find a solution. I’ll beg them again. But are you sure you don’t have an illegitimate daughter?”“Of course, I don’t!” he said firmly. Chiara remained worried. She thought for a moment and spoke again, “Dad, things have already escalated this far. You
Chiara frowned and sighed. “Alright, let’s stop talking about it for now. I’ll think of something. In the meantime, see if you can contact anyone on your end to clear things up.”Theodore sighed as well. “Clear things up? What good would that do? We need to find someone more powerful than Ivanka to suppress this. Otherwise...”Before he could finish, Chiara sneered. “Someone more powerful than Ivanka? Dad, are you kidding? Sadler’s Group and Barkworth’s Group are backing her. Who do you think can match that? The Levine family won’t intervene. And Tanya? There’s no way I can get her to help. What do you expect me to do?”She still doubted her father and was growing resentful.Theodore, knowing Chiara’s personality all too well, quickly said, “Chiara, you don’t believe what’s being said on Twitter, do you? I’ve always been devoted to you and your mother. When have I ever had any intentions of betraying you two?”Chiara frowned but said nothing. She was extremely upset at that moment
The more the two guards talked, the more unsettled Lyla became. She started to panic.The male staff member sneered. “They deserve it. Their family ended up like this because of their own actions. They have no one else to blame.”Lyla had lost interest in weeding, but she feared that if she stopped, she might draw attention and cause them to change the subject. She took a deep breath and continued working.The female guard laughed and glanced at Lyla, who was not far away. She continued with her mocking tone, “I’ve been following Twitter these past few days. Theodore has become public enemy number one. He can’t even stay home comfortably. He has lost all his power, and there’s no one to clear the trending topic for him.”Trending topic? What trending topic?!Lyla’s expression changed as she wondered.How could that wretch Ivanka do this?!The female guard had long suspected what Lyla might be thinking. She almost told her not to worry and assured her that she would fill her in s
The female guard’s voice was filled with sarcasm and danger. However, Lyla showed no fear. Having committed murder and confessed to her crimes, she had little left to be afraid of.She was simply standing here and talking to these two guards. What more could happen?“What’s going on outside? Is there anything besides the trending topic?” she asked as she stood right in front of them.The other prisoners glanced over. They were clearly interested in the gossip. It was a welcome change to hear about the outside world, given they could not touch a phone every day.The female guard scoffed. “What’s happening outside has nothing to do with you. It’s not like you can plan any schemes from here.”“You better have evidence for what you’re saying. You’re supposed to be legitimate officials. The court has already ruled that I didn’t kill anyone intentionally. Yet you continue speaking about my husband in that tone. Aren’t you afraid I’ll sue you? I’ll get out of here eventually.”The femal
The female guard looked at her indifferently. “Do you really think Ivanka still needs anything from you in this situation?”Lyla’s body stiffened. She became flustered.“Just get back to work. The Lane family is truly finished.”Lyla’s heart raced faster. Her uneasy premonitions grew stronger.The female and male guards ignored her and continued their conversation.They kept discussing Theodore.Lyla’s anxiety increased with each new detail. Her suspicion that Theodore was having an affair grew from fifty percent to seventy percent.She became increasingly panicked.... It was evening when Ivanka returned home.As soon as she arrived, she heard the sound of a car engine in her yard.Confused, she looked outside and spotted a familiar Rolls-Royce. Her brow furrowed.What was he doing here again? Had he not been visiting too frequently lately?As she thought about this, Michael had already opened the car door, stepped out, and was striding toward the entrance.When Ivanka
Ivanka frowned even further. “Let me go.” She stressed again. It was only then that Michael slowly let go of her hand. He then walked over to the couch and sat down on it. Ivanka gave him a strange stare. She increasingly thought that he was behaving like a child. Perhaps he behaved differently when he was sick. Without saying anything, Ivanka went to take the med kit. It did not take long before she went to Michael, then passed him a glass of warm water and pills. “Take the pills.” Michael frowned. He remained motionless and did not even glance at the pills. Ivanka felt speechless. “Why do you hate pills so much? You’re diagnosed with cancer. You can’t be inconsistent about this.” Michael pursed his lips and said nothing else. Ivanka frowned. “You’re so uncooperative. It mustn’t have been easy for Xander to still keep you this fit at this level.” Michael’s gaze turned gloomy. The next second, Ivanka looked like she figured out something. She looked at him and a
With those few words, Ivanka did not say anything else. Michael’s expression clearly grew darker. Still, he pursed his lips and said nothing else. Ivanka fell speechless. She felt extremely speechless with him. If not for Rosie and the fact that he was diagnosed with cancer, she and Michael would not have that much contact. “You don’t need to stay around my house. Since you’ve finished dinner, you should leave now.” This time, Ivanka snapped at him without hesitation. Nonetheless, Michael did not fly into a fit of rage out of humiliation. Instead, he sat down on the couch and switched on the television with ease. Ivanka was puzzled. She wondered if she had not made herself clear, or if Michael did not understand English. She thought. “Isn’t the b*stard aware that it’s time for him to get lost now?! I’ve already made myself clear, yet he still sticks around my house!” Ivanka sucked in a deep breath and said again, “Michael, please get out of my house now.” She had expl
Ivanka understood everything just by looking at Stella’s expression.The drinks and pastries had to be the problem. The weakness and fatigue people were experiencing must have come from consuming them. She tested them with a test strip right away.As expected, they had been poisoned.She had not eaten anything, so she was fine. But she was unsure about Vincenzo, so she checked on him immediately. Thankfully, he was unharmed.Stella let out a deep breath.Before she could say anything, Vincenzo scolded her. “You ran back here and left Njord alone? Hurry up and get back there!”“Yes, Boss!”Stella responded quickly and ran off.Ivanka was about to speak when Michael and Evan rushed in.Michael looked anxious and was breathing heavily.Just like Stella, he was panicking.“Come here. Let me check.” Ivanka nodded at him. She knew how stubborn he was.Michael pursed his lips together and hesitated.But Ivanka had already stepped forward and checked on him. His pulse was weakenin
Vincenzo immediately noticed Michael putting some distance between them.It was not out of fear but respect for Vincenzo’s status. After all, he was Ivanka’s only family.Ivanka walked straight to Vincenzo without sparing Michael a glance.Michael could only stand there and watch her leave.Back at their spot, Vincenzo remained silent. Ivanka, however, felt uneasy.She had only gone to the restroom and had not expected to run into Michael.After some thought, she decided to explain.“Uncle, I didn’t go looking for him.”“You don’t need to explain. Even if you did, that’s your choice. I’ve said what I needed to. The decision is yours.”His tone was calm, but to Ivanka, it sounded like he was upset.She wanted to say more, but Vincenzo spoke first. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m not angry. Once the banquet is over, take a few days to rest. Then we’ll head out.”“Alright.”Since he had already said that, there was nothing more to say.Caeser had hosted the banquet to trigger inte
Ivanka saw the grin on Michael’s face and immediately let go of his arm. Her expression darkened with displeasure.Michael looked like he was enjoying her frustration.“I’m not,” he denied at once, quickly adding, “I’m happy because you pulled me away. It shows you care.”Ivanka was speechless.She looked at his smiling face and shook her head. “I just didn’t want you getting into a fight with Mr. George right now. If something happened to you while I was there, I couldn’t just leave. And if I didn’t, that would make me responsible for you.”Michael frowned. “Do you really think I’m that useless?”He had fought Mr. George before and never even saw him as a threat. There was no way someone like that could take him down.“That’s not the point. Mr. George isn’t alone, but you are. This isn’t your territory, Michael. And don’t forget, the drug in your system hasn’t fully cleared, and your gunshot wound—”He cut her off before she could finish.“That injury was a long time ago. I’m
Ivanka had never revealed her identity as Violet Cress. How did Mr. George figure it out just from her treating Caeser?“Mr. Ali, I only gave Mr. Hicks a few herbal prescriptions. It was nothing special.”“Caeser has plenty of skilled doctors, yet none of them could fix his condition. You did so effortlessly. That says a lot. Anyone who can earn his trust must be exceptionally capable. Ms. Ivanka, the Ganoderma Nebula is not something just anyone can use properly, nor does everyone have your level of confidence.”At first, Mr. George had not suspected anything. But after learning about the legendary medical expert, Violet Cress, he started making connections. She was well known by reputation, yet no one had ever seen her face. He had looked into her background and found that she was probably not elderly.There was also the Ganoderma Nebula.So, he made an educated guess.Looking at Ivanka’s calm reaction, he was even more convinced. When he first mentioned it, there had been a fl
A teasing voice broke the moment, interrupting Ivanka and Michael.They turned to look.Standing before them was none other than Mr. George. It had been a while since they last saw him.Michael narrowed his eyes. He had not expected him to show up at Caeser’s banquet.“What? Didn’t learn your lesson last time?” His tone was cold and sharp.As he spoke, he stepped forward. He simultaneously shielded Ivanka behind him.They knew they were in Mirvania, and Vincenzo was nearby. No matter what Mr. George was planning, he would not dare make a move under Vincenzo’s watch.Still, Michael’s reaction was instinctive.“No hard feelings, right? Isn’t this how friendships start?” Mr. George replied indifferently. He stepped to the side and looked at Ivanka.“Friends?” Ivanka let out a sharp laugh. “Be honest, Mr. George. Do you really think we could ever be friends?”She had taken the Ganoderma Nebula. He had tried to steal it by sending his men. She had turned five of them against him a
Ivanka tried to step aside, but Michael blocked her path.The acrid smell of smoke hit her.She instinctively covered her nose and mouth.Michael saw her reaction and put out his cigarette.“If I talk through a third party and they can’t get my point across to my subordinates, wouldn’t it be better to handle it myself?”Ivanka frowned. “Is this really the time to talk about this?”She thought about pushing him away, but she decided against it.“I know it’s not. I also know you did all that to make me give up. But I won’t. It will just hurt.”His voice was hoarse and tinged with sorrow.He looked heartbroken.If this had been before, she might have felt bad for him. But at that moment, she felt nothing. She said calmly, “That’s your problem, not mine. If you want to keep getting knocked out and run around like this, be my guest.”She stepped forward and pulled out her phone.Michael knew exactly what she meant. If he kept blocking her way, she would call Njord, Stella, and t
“Alright, go back to the casino and wait for my order.”The fight between Tanya and Blake had revealed how fragile their relationship was. If Tanya thought the stranger she met at the party was reliable, she would try to leave Blake.She would have thought that she had gotten her freedom. But in fact, it was just another circle of hell awaiting her.By then, Tanya would suffer a worse fate than death.That was what Ivanka wanted to see.After all, Tanya had disguised herself as Ivanka and put a stain on her reputation for a time. Moreover, Tanya was still planning to come after her and Michael.Ivanka would not intervene in the feud between Tanya and Michael, but since she had run into Tanya at the party, she would like to settle the score between her and Tanya.“That’s your plan?”As Ivanka hung up, Vincent could not help frowning.He knew what she was up to when she had asked Njord to assign the job to a man.But the progress was too slow!Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Yeah
Tanya was not a fool.Seeing Tanya’s reaction, the man smiled calmly and said, “Seriously? He’s just your boyfriend. He can’t possibly stop you from making friends, right?”Tanya ignored him and kept walking.She reached a junction and took out her phone to book a ride. But the Hicks family’s mansion was on the hillside. Moreover, Caeser had contacted the Ministry of Transport to impose traffic control in the area. Apart from those who attended the party, no one else’s vehicle was allowed to enter.Seeing that there was not a single car around, Tanya had no choice but to walk down the hill.Blake had told her to get lost, so she would not go back to the mansion to ask for his help.She walked for about five minutes. High heels were not made for long-distance walks, and she was in a long evening gown. She held a little purse that contained her phone, lipstick, a small packet of tissues, and nothing else. Worse still, she could not tear off the long hem of her gown.Tanya had no c
What Blake said struck a chord with Tanya.Her expression was cold, and the look in her eyes was vicious.She did not even love Blake, so everything he did had nothing to do with her. She did not care if he was involved with other women.“Do you have anything else to say? I don’t think I need to be at this party for long.” Tanya averted her gaze so that she did not have to look Blake in the eye.She had made her point clear. If he did not need her around, she would take her leave for the night.Naturally, Blake knew what she meant to say.“Get lost then!”He yelled at Tanya right away. She did not even spare him a look before lifting the hem of her dress, turning around, and walking away.Blake’s voice was filled with disgust, hatred, and rage. But Tanya could not care less about how he felt.She had come to the party with Blake, who arranged their ride. The Hicks, who organized this party, had prepared a parking lot for the guests. There were cars arranged neatly across the p