With that in mind, Ivanka reached out and stopped Evan.She pursed her lips and said, “Get a staff uniform. If he refuses to put it on, stay here with him.”She did not want to spend the night in this strange casino!“Alright then.”Although Evan was reluctant, he relented when he saw how insistent she was.Soon enough, he found a staff uniform and handed it to Ivanka. “Ms. Ivanka, please bring it to Mr. Barkworth.”Evan was afraid of him.Ivanka gave him a look of contempt and walked into the washroom with the uniform.By then, the medicine had already cooled down.“I forgot to tell Evan to get you clean clothes. This is all we could find. If you don’t want it, then both of you will have to spend the night here.”Ivanka held out the clothes to Michael, but he did not take them.He frowned. “What about you?”“I’ll return to the hotel.”“I’ll go back with you.”Michael, too, knew that it was getting late.He did not mind inconveniencing Evan, but he could not afford to le
“Since they like following us around so much, Evan, look up where the nearest police station is.” Ivanka’s lips curved into a scheming smile.Evan immediately turned on his GPS.The nearest police station was just five minutes away. The hotel they stayed at was located downtown, so none of the roads around it were particularly secluded.Besides, there were surveillance cameras on all these roads. Whenever the stalkers wanted to make a move, their targets would make a turn or other cars would suddenly approach and ruin their plan.If there were gunshots in the urban area, police would be drawn over. Therefore, the stalkers could not take action anytime soon.They did not expect that as they awaited opportunities, Evan led them to the police station!“Heck! Boss, I didn’t expect this! Now that they’ve noticed us, we can’t do anything now. Even if we try to rob them, I don’t think the item is with them at the moment!”The driver quickly turned the steering wheel. The car veered a
“Great suggestion, but we’re in a dangerous situation right now,” Ivanka said.Still, she considered Evan’s suggestion and crafted a plan.They were currently targeted. Their belongings were being closely watched no matter where they went. She could not post the Ganoderma nebula back to the country.If she powdered it, the airport security would flag it.Hearing what she said, Evan and Michael became deep in thought.Before they came up with a solution, Ivanka proposed her plan calmly. “Kingzillion Casino is hosting another party, isn’t it? We can ask for the owner’s help.”Michael responded with a hum of approval. It was a sound plan.Since he had agreed to it, Evan did not say anything else.Soon, he drove them back to the hotel.Ivanka took off her high heels, changed into slippers, and entered the bathroom. Staring after her, Michael recalled her beautiful figure. It was as clear as day in his memory.He swallowed and immediately shook this thought out of his head.Thi
Everyone was stunned.With such a horrible threat, they had to obey!Most men were already covered with bloody lashes and bruises. But they did not dare make a sound. Instead, they all huddled up to discuss this matter among themselves.One of them, a plump man, lost his cool. He wiped the blood from his nose and suggested, “Boss, you heard what our employer said. Not only are we saving ourselves, but we also have to protect our families. Why don’t we disguise as servers and spike the targets’ food before robbing them?”His leader pulled a long face. Even after smoking a few cigarettes, he could not ease the frustration in his chest. “Rob them? Didn’t you hear what the casino staff said? If we rob Barkworth and Lane and they accuse the casino, the casino staff will certainly come after us. We will be done for!”Hearing that, everyone else fell silent.A minute later, one of them said solemnly, “Given Barkworth’s condition, they can’t go anywhere anytime soon. If we don’t seize th
Blake gave a mocking laugh and snapped back at Felix.But Felix did not seem offended.Felix’s let out a snicker filled with mockery. “I am here for you, aren’t I? Seriously though, I am curious. Why would you allow a foreign woman to tie you up in such a humiliating way?”But just as he finished speaking, Blake snorted coldly and said, “What do you know? This is true love.”Of course Blake knew that Felix was criticizing him.But he did not need anyone to tell him what to do.As long as he could win Tanya’s heart, he did not mind putting up with her ill treatment for the time being.“True love? Is love meant to be this sadistic? Your taste is getting weird.” Felix snorted. He seemed to hint at something else.But Blake was not in the mood for his jokes and jibes.His expression turned cold instantly. His patience had run out. “Your purple hair is too eye-catching. Get lost. If someone catches you, you’re going to ruin my honeymoon!”“Fine, I shall leave you to it then.”Fel
“No, Grandma. We’re simply on a normal business trip. Michael has to take medicine because I prescribed them to improve his digestive system.” Ivanka told Rosie a white lie to ease her worries.“Is that it?” Rosie was a little skeptical.Ivanka seemed to chuckle out of amusement. “Grandma, why would I lie to you?”“Oh, I’m just concerned,” Rosie said with a grin. “Iv, thanks for doing this. The two of you used to be married, so you know how he is. He is mean and doesn’t speak his mind. Now that I am not around, I can’t keep him in check. You’ll have to look after him for me this time.”As she spoke, Rosie heaved a long sigh.A strange emotion flickered in Ivanka’s eyes when Rosie mentioned that she and Michael used to be a couple.But Ivanka knew what Rosie was up to, so she did not linger on that. Instead, she immediately made a promise. “Grandma, rest assured. I’ll take good care of him.”“That’s good then. When are you coming back? When you do, I’ll cook and get someone to
Michael stared at Ivanka silently.Ivanka, however, declined his offer to accompany her. “With him in that condition, it’s better to let it go.”“Breakfast is ready. The meds are sorted. Evan, let’s get moving.”Ivanka nodded toward Evan while completely ignoring Michael.Evan instinctively glanced at Michael.Michael’s gaze and expression were frigid.But at the next second, he said, “Stay close to her. Make sure nothing else happens to her.”“Yes, Mr. Barkworth,” Evan replied. He would never dare to be complacent about this.With that, Evan drove her to the location sent by the masked man. It was a cafe thirty-five kilometers away from their hotel.The masked man had only sent her the name and location of the cafe. Just as she was about to call for more details, she spotted the masked man waving at her from a seat facing the entrance.He had changed his mask again. This time, it featured golden dark dragon patterns. He was dressed in a black shirt, black pants, and black le
It was undeniable that Alexander was speaking the truth.“I’ve got a lot of other things to deal with,” Ivanka replied coldly and cut straight to the point.In other words, Ivanka was telling him that she did not have time for his nonsense.How could Alexander not understand what she was trying to convey?Though she was usually calm and strategic, she could also become emotional and impatient like other women.However, she was not as gentle or compliant as most women.“Well, if you’re in a rush, Ms. Ivanka, I won’t keep you. My point is simple—I admire you. If you agree to be with me, I’ll do more than tell you who’s behind this. I can ensure that you’re set for life.”Alexander let out a long sigh while pretending to look troubled. His subsequent words revealed his true intentions.Ivanka felt as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke. She scoffed and said deliberately, “You have the nerve to ask me that when you won’t even show your face?”Wearing a mask meant he had
Instead, she remained standing in front of Jimothy and studied the group of men with a smile.“He works at our company. Since I’ve run into him, I’m obligated to come over and check on him. Pray tell, what has happened between you and why do you feel the need to resolve it with violence?”Jimothy stared at Candice while she stood with her back facing him. The look in his eyes was conflicted.The men exchanged glances with each other and saw a hint of astonishment in one another’s eyes.The man at the front of the group, who was likely their leader, said, “We just get paid to do this, lady. You should stay out of it.”When Candice heard his advice which also sounded like a threat, she did not intend to back down at all. Instead, she asked him, “Oh? How much did you get for this? I’ll pay you double. I just told you that this guy works for us, so I have to intervene.”The leader started laughing, and so did the men behind him. They did not even bother to hide the mockery in their t
Candice ordered some food she liked, and the dishes arrived soon after.Sandy suggested that they all took a picture together.The others did not object.Sandy gave her phone to the waiter.Then the five of them moved their chairs to sit in a row.Michael and Ivan each took the outermost seats.Naturally, Ivanka was seated next to Michael while Sandy, who paid for the dinner, was right beside her.Next to Sandy was Candice, who sat awkwardly in her chair. Ivan was beside Candice.The second the waiter took the picture, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances inadvertently. Meanwhile, Ivan stared past Candice, and his eyes fell on Sandy.Sandy and Candice were the only people who looked into the camera.But each and every one of them had a genuine smile on their face.Once they had taken a picture, they started eating together.It was a nice, relaxing dinner. They did not talk about work or how annoying Coco had been.They mostly chatted about the fun anecdotes they had he
The call was soon answered, but the person who picked up was not Rosie. It was Mrs. Ruth.“Ms. Lane, you finally called! Mdm. Barkworth will be over the moon when she wakes up!” Mrs. Ruth sounded quite excited as she spoke.Ivanka smiled and asked, “Is Grandma resting now?”“Yeah, she hasn’t had a good rest after learning that you’d be kidnapped. Once you were safe, she finally allowed herself to rest.”Ivanka nodded and told Mrs. Ruth to take good care of Rosie. She later said that she and Micheal would visit Rosie soon.With that, she hung up the phone.Meanwhile, she also reflected upon herself.Rosie had gotten old, yet Ivanka always made her worry. From that moment on, Ivanka would consider the consequences before making any decision. It was not only for the sake of herself, but the important people in her life, who also cared about her.As she contemplated this, Ivanka inevitably thought of the gathering. It would be quite fun.Before they were about to get off work, San
Coco practically ran out crying.Candice glanced at Ivanka worriedly and asked, “Will something bad happen to her?”Ivanka was not concerned at all. “What could possibly happen? She is an adult. Even if something bad happens, she has to bear the consequences of her own action.”Hearing that, Candice no longer fretted over the matter.She was not really worried about Coco. She was just afraid that something would happen to Coco, and Ivanka would be blamed for it.But Ivanka had made a good point. Candice did not want to trouble herself with Coco’s matters. It would only be an unnecessary emotional burden to her.Everyone in the office began discussing the progress of their project.Perhaps it was because Ivanka had made an example of Coco, the other employees became especially energized and diligent during their discussion.They were even more focused than before, since they were all afraid that Ivanka would treat them harshly as well.Hence, they were particularly efficient.
“Why don’t we leave now so that you can deal with this matter, Ms. Ivanka?”The director of the project department, who was perceptive and shrewd, planned to leave right then. Ivanka shook her head and signaled everyone to sit down.They were all uneasy, and they kept giving Coco weird looks.Two people had dared speak to Ivanka like that in the past—Ferris and Mandy.But those two were no longer with the company.At the thought of those people, the project department staff began looking at Coco with pity.However, Coco could not care less. All she wanted was to make a fuss.She wanted to see how shameless Ivanka could be.Unruffled, Ivanka stared at her. She did not get angry and seemed rather affable as she asked, “Tell me what upset you. Have we falsely accused you of something you didn’t do?”Before Coco said anything, Ivanka added cruelly, “Oh, I forgot that you aren’t familiar with the protocol here, so you have no idea what you did wrong, right?”Coco paled. Undoubte
Candice was momentarily stunned by his answer. She was a little offended.“Then why did you come to my office for this conversation?” Jimothy’s grin was mischievous. “To prove your company’s HR is blind, and you just lost a great talent. That’s all.”With that, Jimothy stood up, dusted off his sleeves dramatically, and turned to leave.“Your resume!” Candice called after him.Jimothy waved dismissively without looking back. “Keep it. Enjoy reading it. And don’t let an incompetent HR handle your interviews again.”Candice stood there for a moment and processed the scene before an involuntary chuckle escaped her lips. This one had personality.Regardless, the incident served as a wake-up call for Candice.It became glaringly clear that Coco was not only incompetent but also prone to overestimating her abilities.Before the task was assigned, she had the chance to decline. Candice had given her the opportunity and explicitly asked if she could handle it. Yet, Coco confidentl
The college student finally believed her and walked toward Candice.On the other hand, Coco seemed guilty and was desperate to prevent it. “He has no respect for our company! Are you really going to hire someone like him who won’t follow orders?” Coco’s tone was sharp. Her finger trembled as she pointed at the young man.She scanned the room for backup in hopes that the people who had been flattering her earlier would speak up in her defense.Unfortunately, no one stepped forward.Those who flattered Coco only did so out of respect for Ivanka. Yet Candice had a close relationship with Ivanka and was the company’s vice president.The gap between a vice president versus an intern was as vast as night and day.Anyone with common sense knew where to align themselves.Coco felt a mix of despair and resentment.Candice ignored her entirely. Why Ivanka was so wary of someone as clueless as this was beyond her comprehension.Coco was simply dumb.Without wasting another thought o
However, reality proved she had worried for nothing.Candice had called her over merely to ask if she had the most basic professional knowledge and whether she could handle the afternoon’s interview.Coco let out a deep sigh of relief before patting her chest confidently and assuring Candice she was more than capable.Knowing Coco came from the mountains, Candice was naturally skeptical, so she asked again, “Are you sure?”Coco thought to herself that it was just an interview. All she needed to do was just ask the candidates some questions. They could just choose someone who wrote the resume well.Not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Michael’s cousin, Coco pretended to be confident and accepted the task.Candice was half-doubtful, yet she still gave her instructions and let her go.However, Coco’s firm assurance eventually led to trouble....“Your company must be a joke to hire someone like you for HR. You’re offended? You’re not even a real professional. What? You ca
Word quickly spread within the HR department. After learning about Coco’s connection to Ivanka, some colleagues were vying to curry favor with her.Although some observant individuals noticed that the relationship between Coco and Ivanka was not as harmonious as it seemed, it did not deter the opportunists. Relentless flattery and attention poured in.One moment, a male coworker would offer to grab her food while placing his own lunch order. Next, a female coworker would ask if she wanted to order some coffee too.At first, Coco was caught off guard and politely declined. However, as she realized their intentions were purely self-serving, she began to accept their gestures without hesitation.By midday, Coco had become the department’s little queen. Ironically, as an intern, she should have been the one fetching coffee, running errands and collecting mail. Instead, she had colleagues practically lining up to do those tasks for her.Coco quickly assembled her own little e