Michael broke the silence and said calmly, “It’s getting late. Let’s get some rest.”After speaking, he stood up and went to his room.Ivanka’s frown deepened.... Michael remained at Ivanka’s house for several days.This made her feel incredibly resigned.He would ignore her words and follow her around everywhere.Eventually, she had no choice but to compromise.She thought that if she could just endure it a little longer, it would all be over. Michael would then stop hovering around her.During these past few days, they barely spoke to each other.Ivanka had been considerate and included Michael in her meal preparations even though he had not asked for it. Over the past few days, Michael’s condition improved. Although he had not mentioned it, it was evident that his stomach was feeling much better.Xander noticed something different about him.He looked at Michael with some confusion and said incredulously, “Have you really been taking such good care of yourself lately?
Michael’s expression darkened. His eyes flashed with a sharp, intense glare.“Ugh, talk about bad luck! But have you heard? Some people are shipping you two as a couple,” Ivan said amusedly. “Seriously, what do you think it’d be like if you two actually got together?”Michael’s face grew even more somber.He knew exactly who Ivan was referring to.Lately, there had been a lot of buzz online about Michael and Jonah being the true couple. Netizens claimed that Ivanka was the one who disrupted their lives and was the real third wheel.They argued that without Ivanka, Michael and Jonah would be torturing each other every day, which they considered a true display of love. Both men came from good families, were good-looking, and excelled in every aspect. They were considered a perfect match and truly a well-suited pair.While Ivanka was excellent and an elite among women, she was still far behind Michael and Jonah in terms of power and wealth. According to this narrative, she deserved
“Sure, just let me know if you need anything. Or, if you want, I’m free this week. I could go with you,” Xander said to Michael casually.Ivan immediately raised his hand. “Perfect, then you go! That works for me! I’m busy trying to win over Sandy.”“Sandy?” Xander asked with a hint of amusement. “Didn’t you always call her ‘tomboy’? Why are you using her name?”“Hey! Only I’m allowed to call her that. You guys can’t!”Xander snorted dismissively. “Pathetic.”Michael frowned and gave Ivan a strange look. He silently looked away.He did not share the odd feeling he had, but it lingered in his mind.“Come on, let me make a toast to wish you both good luck,” Xander said as he raised his glass toward the two of them.Michael glanced at the plain water in his glass distastefully.Xander smirked and said, “It’s alright; your drink can wait. It’s rare for your stomach to be functioning so well, so let’s leave it at that.”Michael did not respond. He picked up his glass of water.Iv
“Ugh.” Ivan stopped talking. The thought of Sandy annoyed him. He hesitated for a moment before pulling out his phone and sending a text message to her.Ivan: D*mn woman! You’re already mine! How long are you going to keep avoiding me? Are you shy or something?After sending the message, he set his phone down with a sigh. After so many days, he had grown accustomed to his messages disappearing into the void with no response.This was extremely frustrating for him.However, just as he set his phone down, it vibrated. His eyes lit up as he quickly picked it up. He crossed his fingers, hoping it would not let him down. To his delight, Sandy had replied to his message!He said excitedly, “Oh my God! This is unbelievable! She actually replied to me!”Sandy: Seriously? Who says I’m yours?! Watch your language and stop bothering me!Ivan was instantly thrilled. “Wow! My girl replied to me! Even though she’s mad at me, it’s still amazing!”Michael looked confused, and Xander was speec
After a night of revelry, everyone finally dispersed.Ivanka wrapped things up with everyone and fell mostly silent.As Ivanka and Michael prepared to leave, they made sure everything was in order.In another part of the world, where it was daytime, Alexander and Eleanor sat across from each other. Alexander was exceptionally handsome and possessed a physique more refined and less rugged than typical Westerners or Easterners. He resembled someone from Zeminia. He gently swirled a glass of red wine. Any girl would be thrilled by his striking features and well-proportioned body. In Zeminia, he could easily be compared to Michael or Jonah, both in terms of abilities and physical appearance.Opposite him sat Eleanor. She looked rather alluring. Her hair was tied in a high ponytail. Despite her heavy makeup, she looked exceptionally glamorous.She looked at Alexander with a smile that did not quite reach her eyes. “I heard Michael is coming over this time, and he’s determined to get
Eleanor frowned and turned to Alexander. “Are you mocking me or criticizing me?”“I’m just telling you the truth,” he replied curtly. He stood up and headed for the door. “I have other matters to attend to. Take care.”Eleanor’s expression darkened further, but she could only watch as Alexander left. She had always known that he should not be provoked. However, a vicious glint flashed in her eyes as she thought about their impending arrival.In Zeminia, she might have been constrained in many ways, but here she had more freedom to act. With that thought, the sinister intent in her gaze deepened.... Meanwhile, the sun shone brightly in Zeminia as Ivanka and Michael finished their breakfast and set out for the day.They were currently on a plane. Ivanka sat by the window. She leaned back in her seat with her eyes closed to rest.Michael, on the other hand, diligently went through some documents.Even though both were company executives, Ivanka’s workload was much lighter than M
“If we’re really here to use each other for mutual gain, please show some cooperation instead of me having to keep making the first move. Look, you didn’t even inform me that you’ve postponed your welcoming banquet. Do you think you’re still worthy of my trust?” Since Chiara went straight to the point, Tanya stopped beating around the bush and was frank to her. “I’m telling you right now, aren’t I?” Chiara answered curtly. Tanya was no ordinary woman. In fact, she could be vastly more powerful than Chiara. Chiara had no choice but to politely persuade her. Tanya did not reply. Chiara blurted out in frustration, “You knew about my current situation very well. I don’t have much say in this case. I took the risk to tell you all this. I hope you’ll be more understanding.” Tanya looked absolutely calm. In spite of Chiara’s submissive tone, Tanya was not affected at all. Above all, Tanya did not trust a word. Tanya remained silent and let Chiara continue. Chiara’s expression grew inc
Tanya fell silent. She did not want to comment. A hint of mockery darted across Chiara’s eyes. She knew how much it bothered Tanya. Chiara’s lips twitched. A hint of disdain flashed in her eyes before she continued, “I’ll say this, their departure is not as simple as it appeared to be. The mysterious person decided to postpone the banquet because Michael and Ivanka went to the auction. You should go there as well.” Tanya said calmly, “Are you saying that I should attend the auction too?” “It’s natural for you and your family to bid for something from the auction, after all. The auction in Mirvania isn’t any ordinary auction.” Tanya ignored her and asked, “What do you want me to do after arriving at the auction?” Chiara chuckled. “Nothing. Just have a look there, that’s all.” Tanya was puzzled. “By the way, you need to bid something at the auction. Once you’re there, you can’t remain idle. You can hide your identity, but you don’t need to hide it on purpose. It doesn’t
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