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
“Hot d*mn! Starlet Bar is really giving its all tonight. I heard that the gold key was given away when the boss of Kingzillion Casino first built the establishment. There are only three in total. Allegedly, whoever owns it can make a request to the boss, and he will fulfill any request!”“Really? Is Starlet Bar messing with us? Is this some kind of fake event? If the key is so precious, why are they giving it away?”“I know right? If we get the gold key and demand the owner of Kingzillion Casino to hand over his business, will he comply? He is no fool!”The customers downstairs did not believe what the hostess said and even made fun of her.The hostess, on the other hand, gave someone next to her a look. Soon enough, two hulking bodyguards carried a display rack to the center of the stage.There was a gold key in the glass cover on top of the rack.“It has been two years since Starlet Bar was founded. Some of our loyal customers must be here with us tonight. They can step up and
“I’m Tanya.” Since she was teaming up with Blake for the event, she introduced herself.“Alright, Ms. Tanya, let’s go,” Blake said with a smile and extended his hand toward her.Tanya ignored his gesture and stood up.She agreed to team up with him, but she was only comfortable being close to him within the context of the event. She was not ready to hold his hand just yet, considering they had just met.Tanya walked ahead. Blake followed. His smile widened as he watched her.She was the young lady of the Cullen family, after all. Her pride and elegance were apparent.Even so, he was determined to win her over.Soon, they arrived at the stage area.The bargirl announced the first game. “The first game is the long jump. Guys on the left, girls on the right. You’ll have your feet tied together, and the pair that jumps the farthest wins. Participants need to sign up over here.” She then pointed to a direction.A lot of people were signing up for the first game. Blake held Tanya’s
Tanya felt completely suspended in mid-air. She instinctively tightened her grip on Blake. He felt a sense of pride to see how tightly she was clinging to him. They managed to jump 1.85 meters!“1.85 meters is impressive for one person, but for two? That’s freaking awesome!”When the bargirl announced their score, the crowd erupted in amazement!“Wait, aren’t they supposed to jump together? The guy basically lifted the lady the entire way. Isn’t that against the rules?”“It’s a couples’ game. If the guy doesn’t do the heavy lifting, who will? If the lady had that kind of strength, then sure, why not?!”“With their feet tied together, someone has to put in more effort. Otherwise, how would the game even work? It’s up to you to figure out the best strategy.”... The crowd had mixed reactions.The bargirl remained calm and composed as she said, “This game is all about interaction between guys and girls. With your feet tied together, it’s up to you and your partner to figure out
Blake seemed sincere, but Tanya knew he was not serious.Blake was just talking big. Even if he really had the golden key and everyone knew where it came from, there was no way he would give it to someone he had just met.“Even if you had it, I wouldn’t care,” Tanya said indifferently as she took a sip of her wine.Instead of responding, Blake revealed a faint, mocking smile.He knew Tanya did not mean what she said. If she truly did not care, she would not have teamed up with him to play the game for the key.Still, he chose not to call her out. He simply sat across from her.Even though she did not like him, she would not rudely chase him away especially with so many people around them.Besides, he was her current partner in the game.Watching the others compete was boring, but they could not wander off too far. As the first pair in the competition, they would miss their chance to continue if they were not around when the next round started.“Do you know how to play cards? W
“That’s nice of you.”Tanya felt physically weak and drained of energy. She softly chuckled at Blake’s words. She did not think Blake would push things too far.“Why don’t we...”But she could not make out what Blake said after that. Her eyelids grew heavy, and she blacked out.When she woke up again, it was already daylight.She found herself in an unfamiliar, luxurious room. The sunlight shining into the room made her instantly alert. The curtains fluttered in the breeze, adding to her unease.She sat up and realized she was naked on a large, two-meter-wide bed. Her entire body ached as if she had been run over by a truck, and her head throbbed painfully.She remembered that she was supposed to participate in a second round of the game with Blake but could not recall how she ended up in this room.Did they hook up?!“Oh, you’re awake! Are you hungry? Do you want to eat anything?” A gentle voice spoke softly nearby.Tanya looked up and saw Blake wrapped in a towel around his
“I’ve got stuff to do. Here’s my number. Call me if you need anything.”With that, Blake handed Tanya a gold-embossed business card.Tanya did not take it. Her dark eyes were fixed intensely on Blake.Blake pursed his lips and placed the card on the nightstand without saying anything else.He knew she had never taken him seriously from the start. After being with the man she least regarded, she was understandably struggling with her emotions. He understood that staying would only make her feel worse, so he needed to give her space.“F*ck off!” Tanya shouted in anger. Her eyes red with rage as she pointed toward the door.Blake obeyed and left without saying another word.As soon as he was gone, Tanya angrily ripped up the gold business card into tiny pieces until she could tear no more.Then she rushed into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and scrubbed herself frantically.But no matter how much she scrubbed, she could not rid herself of the feeling of being tainted. Blake’
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