Ivan smiled as he glanced at the guy next to him. He was not paying attention, so he did not notice it until Xander gave him a warning signal.He thought today would be an excellent day to provoke someone.He saw Michael glancing silently at the video.“Before the divorce, Ms. Lane, you secretly dated Mr. Sadler. Is Mr. Sadler to blame for your divorce? Did you cheat on Mr. Barkworth?”Michael’s eyes sharpened suddenly.Ivanka used to be a good girl, and he assumed she would never cause a problem. When Jonah discovered she was Iris, she jumped to his aid without hesitation. She accompanied him to the dinner and publicly requested a divorce.He got the impression that Ivanka had decided to divorce him.He focused his attention on the beautiful woman in the video. She had a frosty expression on her face.“If you want to interview me, you can ask me questions, but keep in mind that I am also Iris. I have the legal right to sue you and make you pay for what you said.”Ivan gave a
The video had finished playing. The more Ivanka shone, the darker Michael’s expression grew.Ivan found it amusing. “Michael, be honest with me. Did you fall in love with Ivanka?”Michael was startled. He thought. “Do I like Ivanka?”He sneered the next moment. “How could I possibly like her?”He thought. “She acted recklessly, disregarded the reputation of the Barkworth family, and opposed me. How could I fall in love with that woman?“No, it’s impossible.”Ivan was speechless.He stared blankly at Michael. Although he said nothing, his expression indicated that he did not believe it. He thought. “Okay, I know you’re a proud person. If you don’t want to admit it, that’s fine, but I know you like her.”Michael was at a loss for words.Ivan raised his eyebrows. “And how about Chiara? Will you marry her? Ivanka must have regarded Chiara as her enemy. Are you planning on marrying her? If you marry her, the situation may worsen. Everyone will probably say that Chiara is a mistress
They entered the room together.At that point, many guests had arrived, and many were looking at the door. That way, they could immediately fawn over any important people who walked through the door.Everyone looked at the door and saw two women walking in together.On the left was a woman in a light blue strapless dress. The dress was simple, with a few stripes and little decoration. She was wearing a necklace with blue gemstones. The gemstone was not particularly dazzling, but it still held everyone’s attention. It went perfectly with her dress.Ivanka already had a lovely body, and the dress brought out her best features. She shone like a star.Her curly hair cascaded down her front and back. She wore a simple hairstyle with a butterfly hair clip, which made her look ladylike and elegant. No one could ever imitate the innate nobleness she exuded.Many people found it impossible to look away.Sandy had dressed up for the occasion, too. She wore a pink gown adorned with numerou
Those who did not know any better thought Ivanka had gone too far and criticized her actions. However, people who were part of the circle knew what was going on.“It’s not all about how you look. They didn’t get married because of Ivanka’s beauty. Besides, do you even know who Ivanka is as a person? We can never fully understand a person. We don’t know her well because we don’t see her often.”They always wore masks when they met new people, so they knew nothing about each other.“Alas, if I were a man, I would pursue her. She’s so beautiful!”“Pfft, a beautiful woman like her is trouble. She’ll cause problems for everyone around her. Throughout history, beauties never ended up well.”While the guests were discussing animatedly among themselves, someone excitedly said, “The show has started!”The others were perplexed, but they kept looking at the door. Their eyes lit up when they saw the three people walk in.Theodore, Lyla, and Chiara were the three.Chiara’s gown was not as
At that moment, Ivanka was standing opposite Sandy. Many people were watching Ivanka, but few came to greet her.The main reason was Ivanka’s special identity. She was the ex-wife of Mr. Barkworth. Despite the fact that she was divorced, no man dared to flirt with Mr. Barkworth’s ex-wife.Besides, she also had a close relationship with Jonah. Men were afraid to approach her for fear of being targeted by the two bigwigs before they could speak with Ivanka. They would have a miserable life if that happened.Sandy smiled as she noticed the two people behind Ivanka slowly approaching. “Here they come.”She then greeted Lyla and Chiara. “Aunt Lyla, Chiara, hi!”She told reporters yesterday that Chiara treated her well on Ivanka’s account, so she had to take the initiative to greet them.Sandy was overjoyed when she noticed Chiara’s smile freeze.Ivanka also turned. She felt nauseous when she saw Lyla and Chiara.She thought. “In the past, when they had nowhere to go, they would seek
Ivanka sneered once more. Lyla’s words carried a deeper meaning.When she said that a family should always stay together, she was implying that she rarely stayed at home and did not consider it her home. She had kept her distance from them.Lyla’s actions were meant to sow discord and expose Ivanka as a hypocrite. This way, she could turn the situation to her side regarding yesterday’s interview.Since Ivanka set them up yesterday, how could she let them do as they wish?She smiled and nodded. “You’re right, Aunt Lyla. We haven’t eaten together in a very long time. I talked to Chiara about it last time, but at that time, she seemed busy. We were going to discuss it further, but she had to leave for work. Do you think Chiara has any plans for tomorrow?Lyla looked stiff.Chiara was so angry that she almost lost it. She thought. “That’s nonsense! There’s no such thing! I never knew Ivanka could tell such bald-faced lies.”Ivanka had salvaged the situation. They had attempted to de
Everyone had a complicated expression. Mindy appeared to acknowledge Chiara as her daughter-in-law, but Rosie did not.Rosie held a higher position in this family than Mindy.Chiara’s marriage into the Barkworth family appeared to be a challenge.Chiara, despite having a good upbringing, could not help but despise Rosie.Rosie was attempting to humiliate her in front of everyone.Chiara took a deep breath and suppressed her rage. Then, she smiled and said, “Yes, Grandma, you are not old. Uncle Jay and Aunt Mindy were just worried about you. They're scared that you’ll fall.”Mindy relaxed and returned to her senses. “Mom, you’ve always been like this,” she said with a smile. “You’re not as strong as you used to be, so you need to take care of your body.”Rosie waved her off dismissively. Everyone saw her and came over to congratulate her. They sent her their blessings, and Rosie was happy.“Hahaha, you guys made me feel like I’m only eighteen today.” Rosie sounded happier than b
Chiara took a deep breath and smiled. Then, she said, “I won’t have such thoughts.”Right then, Ivanka helped Rosie walk to the head seat and sat down.Ivanka glanced at Jay, smiled, and nodded at him.When she met Jay, she felt awkward because she did not know how to address him.Jay was not like Mindy. She had a strained relationship with Mindy and could confidently address her as Aunt Mindy.When it came to Jay, however, she was at a loss. She could not call him Dad since she and Michael had divorced, but she could not call him Uncle Jay since he was kind to her. She was afraid that calling him Uncle Jay would sound distant. In the end, she remained silent.Although she called him Dad the last time they met, it was when no one was around. She could not say it in front of so many people.Samuel finally cracked a smile after a while. When others complimented him, he smiled.Chiara subconsciously looked around. She wondered why Michael had not arrived.Rosie smiled as she held
“One more thing, these are my team members. They’ve seen firsthand how you’ve tried to suppress me all the time. A little payback from them isn’t exactly unjustified, don’t you think?”Before Mandy could say anything, Candice turned to the employee and instructed firmly, “Call security. Have them escort her out of the building. Make sure she doesn’t take anything that doesn’t belong to her. Thoroughly check her devices for any company files.”Mandy completely lost her composure and started yelling.“Who do you think you are to treat me like this? You’re just riding on Ivanka’s coattails! Everyone knows how someone so young became CEO. And you? Are you sticking by her? You’re no better than… Argh!”Before Mandy could finish her tirade, Candice delivered a resounding slap across her face.Not far away, Ivanka, who had come out after hearing the commotion to see if she needed to step in, slowed her steps. While leaning casually against a nearby column, she watched Candice handle the
“I understand what you mean now.” Candice’s cheeks flushed with excitement. The gloom that had previously clouded her was swept away.Her joy was genuine. She said, “In three months’ time, I’ll secure this position and prove to you and the board that your decision was the right one.”With that, Candice stood, gave Ivanka a respectful bow, and left the office.Ivanka watched her leave with a smile.All was good.While the two of them were in good spirits, someone else’s mood was far from pleasant.Mandy returned to her office, humiliated, to pack her belongings.If she could turn back time, she might have chosen not to come at all. The shame she endured was beyond anything she could have imagined.Somehow, word of what happened in the conference room had leaked. Perhaps Ivanka had orchestrated it.When she arrived at her office, she was not surprised to see all her belongings stuffed into a tattered, broken box.The box had been placed right outside her office door. It was a
“Mr. Clarke, if you don’t like my decision and want to change it, you’ll have to take my position first to do so. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”With those words, Ivanka coolly left the meeting room.Candice, though initially taken aback by the sudden turn of events, quickly adjusted to her new role. Turning to Mandy, she said, “Ms. Cruella, please ensure your office is cleared in three days, as I will be moving in.”With that, she too left the room.After they left, the meeting room erupted into chaos, with arguments flying back and forth. However, the outcome was already sealed. Ferris was powerless to change it.Though he still had cards to play, he was not about to waste them on Mandy.Sure enough, by the afternoon, employees spotted Mandy packing her belongings and leaving in disgrace.Candice, though initially satisfied, could not help but feel uneasy. After thinking it over, she decided to speak with Ivanka. And so, at that moment, she was standing in front of the door to t
Ferris was panicking at the moment. He shot Mandy a disappointing and furious glare.It was one thing for her to embezzle funds, it was another for her to get caught.How foolish!Feeling the weight of Ferris’s gaze, Mandy instinctively lowered her head.That only made Ferris more enraged.She had caused all this trouble, and he had to clean up the mess.Ivanka ignored them and turned to the other shareholders. She sharply said, “Tell me, how can someone like her hold the position of project director in our company, yet Candice can’t even be promoted to team leader?”Mandy had been personally hired by Ferris, so Ivanka criticizing her in front of everyone was effectively a direct slap to his face.That naturally made Ferris extremely uncomfortable.His expression turned even darker.“In my opinion, it’s true Mandy shouldn’t have done that, but she’s been in this position for so long. While she doesn’t have achievements, she’s at least put in the effort. How about this, let’s
However, her smile did not reach her eyes.Mandy stood frozen. She was too scared to drink the water or take a seat. Just like that, she was ignored. The atmosphere was awkward. She could only cast a pleading glance toward Ferris for support.Ferris, who was standing near her, cleared his throat and said, “That’s right. Ms. Ivanka, Ms. Cruella is right. This isn’t in line with proper procedures.”Ivanka maintained her enigmatic smile. Her index finger tapped lightly on the table. It was impossible to guess what was going through her mind.She glanced around the room. “What do the rest of you think?”She sounded like she was seeking opinions, but the weight of her presence was intimidating. No one dared to answer.Just as Ferris was about to say something, Ivanka picked up Mandy’s report and tossed it onto the floor.It happened too fast. Everyone was stunned by her action. Even Ferris was caught off guard.Mandy’s face turned pale.“Rules are made by people. Besides, Cand
“Please start.” Ivanka nodded. Mandy glanced at Ferris and then at Ivanka. She did not dare to speak.It was obvious that she did not want to offend either side.But she had received a lot of favors being under Ferris over the years, so naturally she did not dare to disobey him.Ferris felt like he was getting the upper hand again, and he was a lot more cheerful. His expression seemed to say, “Look, this is my staff. Look at how they listen to me and not you. You’re nothing much as the chairman. Who are you here, Ivanka?”The anger from before had completely disappeared. He said calmly, “You really don’t get the hint. If Ms. Lane lets you speak, you should just speak.”Although he sounded like he was scolding her, anyone could hear from Ferris’s tone that he was not complaining. He was gloating.Some shareholders did not want to be caught up in the mess and lowered their heads.Others wanted to see where things went.In a way, he was asserting dominance over Ivanka. Everyone wa
Ivanka suggested to Candice to go home and rest.But Candice still refused.She said, “The contract will be done soon. I’ll be able to rest properly and have peace of mind sooner when it’s finalized.”Ivanka relented. She only said that if she felt discomfort in any way, she must tell her immediately.Candice nodded her head and took note.Ivanka gripped the steering wheel tightly. She felt guilty.Candice was already in such a state, but she still insisted on working. Her reason there was not only to repay Ivanka but also to realize her own self-worth.But Ferris kept getting in the way of that report.It was really upsetting.Ivanka also secretly made it a point to get the report passed on that day.The car reached the company. Ivanka went upstairs with Candice together. Ivanka also personally helped Candice to her workstation.Despite Candice’s repeated refusals, Ivanka was very insistent.She wanted to demonstrate to everyone that she had Candice’s back. If anyone wante
Ivanka noticed that the distance between the both of them were a little too close. She moved a little to the side as a form of silent resistance to Micheal’s behavior.Michael only felt lonely for a moment. But he then quickly returned to normal as if nothing had happened.“Candice hasn’t finished giving her statement yet. I know you have to keep her company today, but I don’t agree that you should just sleep here. I’ve booked a hotel in the neighborhood. In a moment, I’ll explain to the people from the police station and send the two of you there.” Ivanka seemed to be a little hesitant.Michael said, “It’s just nearby. It’s about a kilometre away. I’ve reserved two rooms. So, if we need to rush over at night, we can just come over together again. Besides, if you sleep in the lounge for the night, both of you will catch a cold.”Ivanka hesitated and finally nodded.She thanked him and turned to go into the lounge to wake Candice up.Michael’s voice called out from behind her.
The two looked at each other and spoke a name. “Ferris Clark.”“Ferris Clark.” Michael laughed first. Ivanka followed suit. “Speaking of which, it actually has something to do with me. When Candice came, everyone knew I brought her in. When she first came in because she did not have any experience, she was only offered a position as an intern team leader. She thought that she would be transferred to a permanent position after she did a good job. But her report never passed after that. It was stuck in Ferris’s hands. “I will go to the board of directors tomorrow and continue to submit the report. This time it will have to be passed no matter what. I will also take the opportunity to find an excuse to test Ferris. If it’s really him…” Ivanka did not finish speaking, but the ferocity in her eyes made Michael silently pray for Ferris in his heart.Ivanka changed her tone. “But if it’s not someone from Bostone, then we have to consider someone else.”The tacit understanding betwe