Tanya’s actions had thoroughly exposed her. But Ivanka was not in a hurry. She smiled very gently. “Ms. Tanya, it’s windy here at the beach. Aren’t you a little cold? If you’re cold, I’ll ask Evan to help bring you some of Michael’s clothes.” As soon as she said this, Ivanka felt chills crawl down her spine. She knew that Michael was glaring at her. However, Ivanka ignored him. Not only was she saving her own pride, she was helping him find the culprit. It was Tanya Cullen. How could Tanya not know where she got the drug from? Since she knew where she got the drug from, then she would know some people too. From there, she was bound to know where the antidote was. If there was an antidote, why did they have to work so hard to figure out a cure? “That… wasn’t appropriate, right?” As she said that, Tanya followed Ivanka’s words and wrapped her arms around herself to pretend to be cold. Ivanka laughed. “What’s there to be afraid of? You’re an honored guest. It’s just a pie
At the same time, Ivanka was also the first to snap out of her shock. She hurriedly pulled out paper towels to help Tanya wipe off the stains from her chest. “Ms. Tanya, I’m really sorry for ruining your clothes. Why don’t you come with me to my room and change? I have some clean clothes that I haven’t worn yet. After we come back from changing, we’ll settle accounts with Michael for this!” There was no doubt about it. Michael still cooperated well with her this time. However, this made Tanya believe that Ivanka was testing her on purpose. But if she did not go, that would mean that she was playing right into Ivanka’s hands. She hesitated for a moment. Then, she said, “Thank you, Ms. Lane.” After Tanya agreed, Ivanka took her back to her room. On Michael’s end, Alexander had walked over. Michael walked forward as well. When Michael stood in front of him, Alexander smiled faintly. “Does the great Mr. Barkworth want to talk to me?” “Stay away from her.” Michael stared stern
He knew that Ivanka was skilled. Even if Tanya got angry, Tanya would still be unable to win against Ivanka.But the most important matter at that moment was Michael’s concern over Ivanka.In the end, Michael said, “Alright.”He left and completely ignored Alexander.As he watched Michael’s retreating back, Alexander scoffed in derision.He had thought that he would be able to exercise his limbs, but Michael had chosen to back down at the last moment!But that was fine. Based on Michael’s personality, it would not take long before they officially fought each other, and Alexander would look forward to it.…Ivanka brought Tanya into her room once she opened the door using the password. She even intentionally let Tanya see the password. “After Michael was drugged, we had Evan get us a suite for convenience’s sake. Ms. Tanya, if you like him, you should be more courageous. If necessary and if you need help, I can help you.” Ivanka smiled gently.But Tanya refused to believe tha
It was too crowded outside. Ivanka knew Tanya was cunning enough to cry out for help, play the victim, and turn the situation against her. She did not want to deal with that mess.“You… You wouldn’t dare!”Tanya’s voice shook with panic as she tried to threaten Ivanka. Her body was trembling uncontrollably.She knew all too well how dangerous this situation could be. If Ivanka applied pressure in the wrong place, it could easily leave her paralyzed.Tanya could see the murderous chill in Ivanka’s gaze.She had not yet won Michael’s heart. She had not yet killed Blake. She had not enjoyed enough of life’s pleasures. There was no way she was going to spend the rest of her life paralyzed in a bed!Ivanka only scoffed at Tanya’s threats. “Since you had the nerve to drug Michael and use my face to pull off those shameless stunts, what makes you think I wouldn’t dare?”As expected, everything had played out just as Tanya feared. Ivanka had already figured out it was her. Everything sh
Ivanka let out an amused chuckle.“Are you warning me about the consequences I’ll face if I dare lay a hand on you, or are you just reminding yourself of the consequences you’ll face?”Tanya met Ivanka’s gaze. Though Ivanka was smiling, the smile did not reach her eyes.Tanya’s expression flickered with hesitation as she took a deep breath before speaking in a steady voice. “A warning? No, I’m just stating the facts.”“Well, I guess I’ll just have to give it a try and find out.” Ivanka sneered. She prepared to put force on the knife in her hand.Bang!The door was suddenly kicked open from the outside.At the next moment, several large, menacing men were barreling straight toward Ivanka.They were aiming directly for her weak spots!Ivanka’s eyes narrowed. She swiftly dodged out of the way. At that moment, she had no choice but to abandon her plan for Tanya.A flash of cruelty crossed Tanya’s eyes.Luckily, Tanya had prepared for this ahead of time. If not, she might have re
Just as it seemed like Ivanka was about to be overpowered, two figures suddenly appeared at the doorway!Ivanka’s eyes brightened as relief washed over her.At that moment, Michael was like an angel sent by God.Evan immediately charged forward and joined the fight.The men who had been grappling with Ivanka were already on the brink of exhaustion. They were barely holding on as they tried to subdue her. They did not expect another skilled fighter would join in!In the blink of an eye, the men were swiftly taken down.Michael’s face was dark and menacing. His murderous glare fixed on Tanya as if he were ready to tear her apart.Tanya’s body trembled violently. She opened her mouth to explain, but before she could get a word out, Michael coldly ordered Evan, “Take care of these men.”The next moment, Michael walked toward Ivanka. “Are you okay?”Appreciation flashed in Ivanka’s gaze. She gave a soft response. “Yes.”She had seen how swiftly and skillfully Michael and Evan had
Ivanka quickly caught on. “Are you saying that it’s just Alexander playing a role?”A second later, she realized it was not so far-fetched. Alexander did have a tendency to enjoy disguises and deception.Her brow furrowed at the thought. “Aren’t we already dealing with Alexander now? Give it time. He’ll eventually slip up.”By then, Alexander’s true intentions would finally be revealed.“You don’t really have to…”Michael began, but Ivanka cut him off coldly. “Alexander is targeting me. Why would you think it’s unnecessary?”When Michael did not respond, Ivanka recalled something Evan once told her. She could not help but smile. “Michael, do you really think I still see you as someone I can rely on?”Michael’s lips pressed into a thin, tight line. His expression remained cold.That was not what he had meant.As his expression turned even colder, Ivanka pursed her lips and said, “Thank you for earlier.”Michael was caught off guard by her gratitude, but before he could think o
Ivanka kept her stern expression and warned him. “If you keep acting like this, I can tell you very clearly, it’s not going to happen between us.”“All right, I was just joking. Don’t take it so seriously.” Alexander’s tone remained playful but with a hint of mock hurt.Ivanka rolled her eyes at him and said no more.What she did not realize was that Alexander’s exaggerated display was intentional. It was meant for the eyes of Michael, who was standing behind her.Behind them, Michael stood watching their retreating figures. His dark eyes were cold and expressionless.For a moment, he had considered going after them.However, Ivanka’s words echoed clearly in his mind. She did not want him to interfere, which was why she had been so quick to push Alexander out.In their recent interactions, he had come to understand one thing about her. When Ivanka made up her mind, she was not one to easily change it.At the same time, Blake received a report from one of his men about Tanya. “M
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