Ivanka smiled at Theodore. “So?” Ivanka had to admit that she was “impressed” with Theodore. As a CEO who had been demoted to an ordinary employee, he seemed to have no qualms obeying the orders of his colleagues who had curried favor with him in the past. On top of that, he acted very naturally. It was simply wishful thinking for him to even hope about making a comeback. Ivanka thought. “He’s living in his own bubble!” Theodore replied to her indifferently, “What’s the point of retaining an employee who doesn’t even recognize the CEO of the company?” Ivanka instantly refuted him, “Are you the CEO of the company or I am?” Ivanka narrowed her eyes. Her gaze was cold. Theodore had originally wanted to use the receptionist to tease Ivanka. It turned out that he had been put on the spot instead. He refused to leave the company and wanted to make a comeback. Therefore, he compromised Ivanka’s arrangement of demoting him to an ordinary employee. Theodore understood what sh
Ivanka did not trust Theodore. Although the receptionist did not recognize her, Ivanka did not fire her according to Theodore’s order. Ivanka gave the receptionist a chance. “You’re innocent because you know nothing about me. But when you join a new company, you need to first understand its rules and regulations. This is especially so when you’re the receptionist. You need to treat everyone who enters the company like VIPs.” “Got it, Ms. Lane. I’ll keep your words in my mind. Thank you for giving me a chance.” The receptionist felt extremely lucky and grateful. This was her first day working in Lane’s Group. Ivanka said coolly, “If you have no idea how to work professionally, you can always do some research from the websites.” Right after Ivanka finished her sentence, she turned to Theodore. Her tone became firmer. “As an ordinary employee, shouldn’t you go to work on time? Are you a business negotiator?” Ivanka narrowed her eyes. Theodore was an experienced man. He
“Do you think you can oppress me simply because I’m young and inexperienced? Why do you refuse to accept my recommendations? I won’t waste my breath anymore. If you refuse to do as I say, you can withdraw your shares at a discounted rate.” Right after Ivanka finished her sentence, she pulled her hand away and changed her posture. She casually leaned back in the office chair. Her gaze was still as sharp as a razor. The shareholders who disagreed with her had wanted to join forces to put pressure on her. They wanted to make her give up her thoughts. But they did not expect Ivanka to behave so arrogantly. Only a fool would withdraw their shares after knowing that Lane’s Group had a great prospect ahead. They certainly refused to withdraw their shares. “This isn’t counted as a shareholders’ meeting since a few key men aren’t around. You need to wait for the rest before making a final decision for your proposal,” said one of the shareholders. Ivanka looked around. Indeed, a
After she said that, Ivanka stood up to leave. Just as she said, she was giving certain people a chance. If they could correct themselves on the two points she mentioned from then on, certain parasites could still stay within the company. If they could not correct it, then she would take the opportunity and nip the problem in the bud. In that regard, Ivanka’s objective was apparent. However, Ferris Clark could not stand for this. He approached Theodore. “When will your plan begin? If you need any help now, just say the word!” Theodore looked at Ferris. Ferris was as ambitious as he was. Although he had never been hostile to him before, Ferris had his own set of ideas. Meanwhile, at the shareholders’ meeting, Ivanka pushed Ferris to his side. It was better to have one more friend than to have one more enemy. Theodore smiled and poured him a cup of tea. “Ferris, some things can’t be rushed. She’s eager to make some achievements after taking over. We’re her second
“Dad.” Theodore frowned. “Why did you change your number again?” Chiara pursed her lips. “Ivanka is tailing me closely. I can’t let her find out that I’m still alive. She’s back home now. We have to act quickly. We can’t let her get away with this again!” If Ivanka was not eliminated, their plans after this would become more and more difficult to carry out. Theodore’s expression looked solemn. “Of course I know. I don’t need you to teach me how to handle things. Didn’t you say your men were very reliable? Why is she back home alive?”Originally, Theodore also thought that Ivanka would die in Mirvania.When this matter was brought up, Chiara was morose too. She also did not expect Ivanka to befriend the owner of Kingzillion Casino in Mirvania and receive his protection. Chiara’s expression was ugly. “Ivanka has too many friends. She has people protecting her in Mirvania. Back home, it’s just Michael and Jonah. But we can also work better on home turf.” “Right.”Theodore
He wanted to see just what this meeting with Jonah was about!… Meanwhile, the private airplane that Tanya and Blake were traveling in had landed at the Cullen family’s mansion, on their vast lawn.When Tanya stepped off the plane and saw no one in front of her, anger instantly raged from the bottom of her heart. In the past, she was always greeted by a large number of servants who nodded and bowed to her whenever she went out or returned home. The emptiness today was a direct indication that she, Tanya Cullen, was no longer taken seriously. When they entered the main house, there was no sign of her parents. She saw a maid. Before the maid could greet her, she asked. “Where are my parents?”The maid saw Tanya. She was not quite ashamed of the news that Tanya had been exposed on the internet. Tanya was still the heir to the Cullen family. She had to be respectful, “Ms. Tanya, ever since you were exposed on the internet, Mr. Cullen was so angry that he was admitted into th
The moment their hands touched, Tanya felt his warmth. She violently shook Blake’s hand away. It was like she had touched a hot potato.“Let’s go, Tanya. Every daughter-in-law would have to meet their in-laws someday. It’s the same for a fiancé like me.”Blake slowly said. His voice was extremely gentle.Tanya was silent. But in hindsight, she found Blake’s words to be extraordinarily strange.In the car, she still looked at him. Then she made things clear. “Blake Hicks, our relationship is mutually beneficial. We each have their own needs. Don’t say things just to make yourself seem noble. We are just acting our roles. It’s not real. Don’t get too deep into the drama!”“Understood.”Blake did not continue after replying.Soon, in front of the hospital, they got out of the car. On the VIP floor of the inpatient department, Tanya asked for her father. She learned where the ward her father was in from the nurse.“Wait for my cue outside. Don’t come in on your own,” Tanya said t
Tanya viciously pinched her palm. “No, Dad. Someone wants me. The eldest son of Mirvania’s Hicks family, Blake Hicks. He’s outside the door right now. I won’t let Michael and Ivanka off the hook easily when I’m back this time!”At the mention of those two people, a touch of ruthlessness flashed through Tanya’s eyes.However, Edward narrowed his eyes. “Tanya, your name is already in the mud. Since it’s the Hicks family from Mirvania, how could they possibly want you?” Edward did not believe it. The more powerful the family, the less they would want notoriety. They demanded to be paired with a proper family.Any family would want someone with a clean reputation.“Dad, he came back with me this time. He’s right outside the door.” Tanya knew that her father did not believe her. With that, she stood up, then she turned toward the door and called out. “Blake, come in.”Blake had been watching from the doorway. When he heard Tanya call out to him, Blake pushed the door and entered in
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