When he said this, Ivan paused and spoke again with a somewhat odd expression. “Ivanka is so much smarter than Sandy. He’ll have a harder time than me when the time comes.”“Let nature run its course. Ultimately, he has to recognize it himself. No amount of talking from us from the sidelines is going to help.” Ivan did not say anything. He continued to drink while feeling depressed. Both of them had no intention of leaving. …It was getting late. Michael arrived home and took a shower before coming out to sit on his bed. At that moment, he did not even have the patience to look at the mountains of documents. Instead, he looked at the phone in his hand. Once upon a time, the thing he hated the most was having incoming calls on his phone, because those calls would only disturb him from working. The only exception was Evan’s calls. But at present, he found his phone to be disturbingly quiet.It was so quiet that he was not used to it. Even if it had not rung not too many ti
Ivanka frowned. “What does that have to do with you? Is there anything else I can help you with?”“Where are you?” Michael’s voice sounded even colder than before.Ivanka was baffled. However, judging by his tone, he seemed well enough. She did not want to deal with Michael any further, so she simply hung up.The air in the bedroom was suffocating from Michael’s anger....On the other side, Ivanka walked out after ending the call.She had returned to the study just now to retrieve something. The people outside did not know she was on a call, otherwise they would not have called for her.Ivanka stepped out and apologized. “Sorry about that, I had to take a call. We can continue now.”As she said that, she held up the document in her hand.Thomas looked a little surprised. “I didn’t realize you were on the phone. I shouldn’t have called for you.”“It’s fine, it wasn’t anything important. Let’s carry on.”Jillian looked at Ivanka with admiration. “It’s rare to see a young woma
Jillian also turned to Ivanka.Although Sandy was scrolling through her phone, she was not deaf. She clearly heard what her uncle had just said. She was stunned.“What?”She stared at Ivanka in disbelief. Her eyes fixed on her. She was unable to look away.However, seeing no reaction from Ivanka’s face, she turned her gaze to her uncle. “Uncle, what did you just say?”Sandy was completely dumbfounded!How had she been unaware of this?Ivanka’s eyes flickered with contemplation before she finally said softly, “We’ll see about that later.”Sandy exclaimed, “Holy sh*t!”At first, she thought she might have misunderstood, but she realized she had heard it correctly. She just could not believe it. At that moment, hearing Ivanka’s response, it confirmed everything. Ivanka was indeed Papaver!Holy crap!When did Ivanka become the legendary Papaver?She took another deep breath. “Say that again! Who are you? What do you mean, ‘we’ll see about that later’!”Ivanka’s eyes flickered
“Why is it that I don’t have any skills or achievements, while you can do so much and have so much?” Sandy looked utterly defeated.Ivanka felt speechless.She knew Sandy was just being dramatic again.Thomas, however, suddenly felt a little worried about his niece. He was concerned she might take this too hard and become withdrawn. He quickly said, “You can’t think like that. Iv is a prodigy. There’s no one else like her. But you, you’re really just mediocre. You need to work on becoming a more skilled lawyer. You need to train harder.”Jillian smirked and held back a laugh.Ivanka just shook her head silently.However, Sandy seemed to completely ignore what Thomas said. Instead, she was lost in her own thoughts. The next moment, she turned to Ivanka with a pout. “This won’t do! I’ve decided I’m not doing anything anymore. I’ll just stick by your side and be your sidekick. You have to split your wealth with me!”Thomas felt speechless.His expression darkened. “You really want
“Yes, I’m too tired to leave,” Sandy replied lazily.Thomas, however, said indifferently, “You should come back with me tonight. There are some things I need to talk to you about at my place.”Puzzled, Sandy looked at him. “What things?”Her uncle had never been this mysterious before.Thomas said with a calm expression, “You’ll find out if you come with me.”“All right.” Sandy obediently stood up.Jillian turned to Ivanka. “Iv, you should get some rest too. It’s been a long evening, and you must be exhausted.”“I’m fine. Be careful on your way back,” Ivanka replied with a relaxed smile.With that, the group did not say much more and began to head out.Ivanka walked them to the door.Before they got into their cars, another vehicle suddenly pulled up at the gate. Instinctively, everyone turned to look.Sandy was a little puzzled. “This car looks familiar.”However, as soon as she said that, it hit her. “Wait, this car...”She thought. “Isn’t it that guy’s car? What’s he do
“Can’t I come?” Michael’s voice was laced with irritation. If she had just told him earlier that she was with Thomas, would he have been so worked up?As he thought about it, Michael’s expression darkened further.He did not understand why his emotions were always so easily influenced by this woman. The feeling left him thoroughly annoyed.Remembering what Ivan and Xander had said only darkened his expression.Ivanka looked at him coolly. “If it’s not important, there’s no need for you to be here. It’s better for both of us if we keep our distance. It’s for the best… For you and for me.”She deliberately paused before saying the last sentence to emphasize her point.Ivanka really had no interest in Michael and did not want to engage in any more pointless interactions with him.It was a waste of time, energy, and emotion.If not for Rosie and the fact that, as a doctor, she was the only one who could treat his condition, she would not bother with this jerk at all!He had hurt h
What on earth was he talking about? She had no idea what he meant by saying that.Ivanka’s brow furrowed deeply as she stared at him in silence. It was as if she was waiting for him to continue.Or maybe he actually came here because he had something important to tell her?Otherwise, why would he show up unannounced like this? Even though it was undeniable that some of his actions had been rather off lately.The yard fell into a sudden silence.Michael seemed to regain his composure. In a low voice, he said, “Are you sure you won’t let me in? Would you like to make a scene for everyone to hear?”Even though this was a private villa, it was still in a neighborhood where the houses were close enough that people could easily overhear a conversation if it happened in the yard.Ivanka’s expression darkened. Her face showed a mix of frustration and irritation unlike anything before.She had felt annoyed before, but never with such calm detachment.This calm frustration and helplessn
Ivanka was speechless.She did not want to open the door.But she was worried that Michael would do something insane. She also realized that while she was well-versed in martial arts, she always turned into a weak, helpless woman in front of him. She could never fight back.He always predicted her next move, and she could never overpower him.Was it because he was too strong? Or was she too weak?Ivanka was so irritated that she did not want to say anything to him. Eventually, she put her finger on the door handle. As the scanner read her fingerprint, the door opened.Once they got in, Michael did not attempt anything by force again. He put her down and shut the door. Ivanka immediately put some distance between them, lest he did something insane again.When they parted, they both felt an indescribable feeling, and they were not used to such feelings.Ivanka inhaled as she walked over to the couch and sat down. Michael took off his shoes and put on slippers. Then, he went over
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