Michael coldly made his stance clear. At the same time, he told Ivanka to leave with him.Ivanka was a little stunned.Weren’t they supposed to keep going until they became public enemies? Was he really pulling back now?“Wait, you two lucky charms! We haven’t even had the chance to place our bets with you yet. Why are you leaving? Kingzillion Casino isn’t run by Jackie alone. If he can’t handle losing, others here can!”As Michael was about to lead Ivanka away, someone quickly stepped out from the crowd and tried to stop them.“Yes, stick around and share some of that good luck with us! Let us shake off the slump we’ve been in at Kingzillion Casino and finally get a win!”“That’s right!”...The crowd around Michael and Ivanka was filled with a mix of admiration and envy. Of course, they came out of their own accord to surround Michael and Ivanka because they were hoping to ride the wave of their fortune to win some money.After all, many of them had gambled away everything t
“Haha! Thanks to these two, I finally had a winning streak at Kingzillion Casino!”A voice suddenly erupted from the crowd and interrupted Ivanka’s train of thought.A plump man was waving his chips in the air. However, within seconds, people around him pulled him back.“You must be crazy. Their luck could just as easily turn around. Sure, we’ve won some money thanks to them, but we should quit while we’re ahead. Do you really think they’ll be able to leave Kingzillion Casino with all that cash?”The words hit the man like a cold splash of water and snapped him out of his euphoria.Ivanka, who was standing nearby, heard their conversation clearly despite their attempts to whisper.Soon, the onlookers began to disperse.Soon, the area around the table was almost empty. Only Ivanka, Michael, Evan, and Kingzillion Casino’s men remained.Bert, still seething from the kick Michael had given him and the forced apology by Jackie, made no effort to hide his disdain for Ivanka. The murd
“Turn around.”It was a command.It immediately put Michael on high alert.The sudden demand made Michael instinctively step forward and position himself in front of Ivanka.He did not know what the casino boss had in mind, but there was no way he was going to let anything happen to Ivanka right under his nose.“How may I address you, sir?”Michael pursed his lips and questioned as he attempted to divert the conversation.Ivanka understood what he was trying to do, but she could not help finding it ironic.He was being protective. She had never experienced this from him before. Why the sudden concern? “Sir, I apologize for my earlier staring. I meant no offense. I was just surprised that the owner of Kingzillion Casino is simply a middle-aged man.”Ivanka met the man’s eyes and calmly explained herself.The middle-aged man listened to Ivanka’s words and could not help but take a closer look at her.There was a flash of surprise in his eyes.Ivanka’s expression and feature
The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes and snorted. The hint of mockery on his lips was rather obvious.It had been so many years since he founded Kingzillion Casino. It was the first time someone talked to him in that manner. Besides, Michael and Ivanka were basically little kids to him!“Not quite a threat. But since we came prepared, we’ll make sure we get to leave here unscathed,” Michael said somberly. He looked the man in the eye, undaunted.The casino did not allow them to take the money they won and refused to help them out either. Ivanka thought that the man before them was dangerous.“Then, what should we do to convince you to let us go? I think the money we won is worth a request: you have to promise to play fair during the auction. Don’t you think so?“Although it’s money we got from the casino, we still won it fair and square. We’ve come to discuss this matter with you in good faith. If this negotiation falls apart, your reputation will be impacted as well.”Ivanka pu
“Sure.”The middle-aged man accepted Ivanka’s invitation.“We’ll decide the time and place after the auction ends.”Ivanka smiled and replied, “Okay.”“We shall take our leave now.”Michael nodded to the man and left the casino with Ivanka.As soon as they left, Njord turned to his boss with confusion. “Boss, they crossed the line. Are we going to let them go just like that? Darko has been acting weird too. It usually barks at strangers. Why was it so quiet in front of those two?”If Njord had not brought this up, the man would never have noticed this detail.He could not help thinking about Ivanka and suddenly realized that dogs would never behave erratically around people they spent time with and regarded as their family.Was Ivanka related to the woman from his past?“Njord, run a background check on those two, especially the young lady. I want to know everything about her!”Hearing his boss’ abrupt order, Njord was very surprised. “Boss, what about her? I can tell you’re
“What makes you think they are delusional, rather than taking a gamble? Let’s not look down on Michael and Ivanka. They are no fools.” There was a hint of coldness on his smile as he refuted the woman.The woman immediately burst out laughing. “Gamble? Well, if they die, what else can they do with it?”As she spoke, a murderous look flashed in her eyes.She then revealed her plan. “Ivanka will die during the auction. Imagine how delighted she would be, when she thought she could get what she wanted. I want her to die just as painfully.”The woman was very determined about this.“You’d better forget it! Her death will not benefit you. Besides, what makes you assume you’ll succeed?” As soon as the man heard her plan, he frowned in disapproval.He believed that the auction must go off, or else they would not get the Ganoderma nebula. If so, he would not be able to hurt Michael and make him suffer.But the woman turned toward the window and did not listen to the man. She had her own
After hanging up on Chiara, Tanya went to the underground exit of the airport.Just as she hailed a cab, her phone started ringing again.She thought it was Chiara.Answering the call without checking the caller ID, she said, “Chiara, did you even hear what I said? That’s enough!”She disliked people who could not take no for an answer. The fact that this person was Chiara made Tanya loathe her even more.If Chiara was standing right in front of her, she would have had the urge to slap her silly.However, the voice from the speaker was not Chiara’s.It was Tanya’s friend, Cordelia Ulmer.“What Chiara? I’m your Coco Milkshake. Isn’t Chiara already dead?”Tanya froze. “I was mistaken. Didn’t I tell you I was going to Mirvania? What are you calling me for?”Hearing her best friend’s voice, the furrow between Tanya’s brows faded.But since Chiara had ruined her mood earlier on, she was a little glum.“Well, didn’t you complain to me a while ago? I know that you aren’t in a good
“I reserved this spot.”Tanya ignored the man’s advance.“Well, will you allow me to sit here for a while, gorgeous?”He was about to keep talking, but a woman’s voice rang out from the main hall downstairs. “May I have your attention, everyone? I’m a hostess at Starlet Bar, and today is its second anniversary. As a token of appreciation for our loyal customers, we’re organizing an event.” “What event? Free ladies? Everything we order will be free of charge?”“Free ladies? That’d be unfair to our female customers. If the men get pretty ladies, the women get the hotties too, right?”As soon as the hostess mentioned an event, the customers under the stage could not withhold their excitement and started asking questions.“The event is a series of simple games that encourages interaction between our male and female customers. You’ll get the chance to win first, second, or third prizes, as well as a special prize.”“Are you interested, gorgeous?”After the hostess was done, the ma
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