That was what mattered most.Jonah understood her stance. He chose to hold back the words he had been about to say.Instead, he said gently, “Our collaboration will be like last time. Iv, with the latest jewelry and fashion show, I believe it’ll help you make a strong comeback in the country, right?”A deep, unmistakable smile spread across his face as he said that.He trusted Ivanka.She would have forgotten entirely about their collaboration if Jonah had not brought it up.Jewelry and fashion were part of their joint project, which will be unveiled at the upcoming “Jewels & Glamour” competition. It included new releases by Lane’s Group and Sadler’s Group.Not only did she have to deal with the Keller father-daughter duo, but she had also promised Rosie to attend her cousin’s wedding, oversee the new product launch, and manage the Willy Suburbs project. On top of all that, she had to find out the truth about her birth mother!The thought of it all gave Ivanka a headache.Ev
However, to Evan’s surprise, Ivanka still put him on the back burner.Glancing in the rearview mirror at Michael’s gloomy face, Evan struggled to keep his composure. “Ms. Lane, this is a matter of life and death. I’m begging you, can’t you make it a priority?”He was giving it his all to help Michael and Ivanka reconcile.Ivanka pursed her lips together and said, “Even if I rush there right away, it won’t change much. Evan, Grandma is using the Ganoderma nebula. You should call Michael and ask him to set some aside for your grandfather.”While it was confirmed that using the entire Ganoderma nebula would yield better results, the fact remained that it could save two lives. Ivanka believed Michael wouldn’t be so stingy about something this serious.Evan did not know how to respond to that.He had planned to get Ivanka away from Jonah, but the situation had unexpectedly circled back to Michael.If he said no, it would look like he was being cold and indifferent to his own grandfat
She was not as bad as he once thought.Everything he had previously believed about her was a misunderstanding. She had so many sides to her. He had never taken the time to try to understand her.At that moment, a deep sense of unease settled over him.He understood why she and Jonah always seemed to have a lot to talk about. Regardless of the situation, Jonah always had his eyes fixed on Ivanka and spoke to her softly and with happiness. Right, what woman would not prefer someone warm and considerate over someone cold and distant?So, would Ivanka choose Jonah?An uncomfortable pressure began to build in Michael’s chest as a result of the thought. It felt like his chest was about to explode.Evan felt a growing sense of guilt as Michael’s expression became darker and more tense. “Mr. Barkworth, how about I go straight to Ms. Lane and apologize?”Ivanka may not be upset if he told her the truth, but it could also cause problems between her and Jonah. However, Michael
Not wanting Ivanka to be swayed by anything related to Michael, Jonah brought up another topic.“Why don’t you come by Sadler’s Group tomorrow to discuss about the Willy suburbs project? Also, about the collaboration we talked about last time, do you have the designs ready?”Ivanka had only completed the fashion designs for the “Spring Colors” collection, but she had not started on the jewelry yet. Still, creating the designs would not be difficult for her.Without hesitation, Ivanka said, “Since I’ll be at Sadler’s Group tomorrow to meet with you, I’ll bring the design drafts with me.”“Good.” Jonah was fine with that.In fact, he was already looking forward to it. He believed that work would naturally give them more opportunities to spend time together.Jonah raised his hand to call over the waiter. “Bring me the menu.”The waiter quickly returned with two menus.Jonah immediately handed one to Ivanka. He tenderly said, “Iv, take a look and see what you’d like to eat.”How
When Evan saw Ivanka’s number flashing on his phone, he became nervous.He even considered coming clean.Rosie frowned when Evan did not answer his phone. “Evan, what’s going on? Why aren’t you picking up?”Evan jolted and snapped back to reality. “Mdm. Barkworth, it’s... It’s Ms. Lane calling.”Evan had laid out his entire plan and thoughts to Rosie as soon as they returned to the mansion when she questioned him.Rosie gave him a sharp look when she heard that it was Ivanka calling. “So now you’re afraid to face her? You two really are good-for-nothing! Did you really think Ivanka wouldn’t see through your plans?”Rosie clutched her chest, as she was feeling a tight, painful pressure there.She had come up with a perfectly crafted plan to help them reconcile, and what had they done?One was incapable of taking action, while the other came up with useless, harebrained ideas. They were completely unreliable!Evan kept his head down. He was fully aware of how foolish his plan
Michael did not expect to see Jonah driving her over.They were too far away, and he could not hear their conversation.But Michael clearly noticed Ivanka staring at Jonah. Every expression she made when she looked at him was painfully striking.In the next second, Ivanka put her arm around Jonah’s.“Come in with me?” she asked.Jonah said with a smile, “Since I’m already here, of course I’ll keep playing along, won’t I?”Since Jonah had agreed to cooperate, Ivanka said nothing else.Together, they walked into the Barkworth family’s mansion.Michael subconsciously balled his right hand into a fist when he saw them together. Seeing Ivanka appear in the living room on Jonah’s arm, Evan was shocked.At the sight of them, Rosie’s face darkened. Unable to help herself, she rose from the couch abruptly.She could not believe what she was seeing. She had difficulty breathing, and her chest was aching!The pain reminded her that what she saw was real. It was not a trick of the lig
But what happened in the end?Rosie still refused to believe it. “Is it because you’re reluctant to attend my relative’s wedding with Michael on my behalf? That’s why you found a fake boyfriend, Iv?”Ivanka pursed her lips. She was indeed reluctant to attend that wedding.But Rosie had brought it up twice, and Ivanka wanted to cut ties with Michael. Therefore, she enlisted Jonah’s help to stop Rosie and Evan from setting her and Michael up again. She also hoped that Michael would get over her soon.Before she said anything, Jonah beat her to it.He said in a low but somber voice, “Ivanka and I are in a serious relationship, Mdm. Barkworth. You can’t accuse her of lying to you. Ever since she divorced Michael, she no longer has anything to do with him. She is free to do whatever she wants. She doesn’t have to find herself a fake boyfriend to trick you.”As he spoke, he grabbed Ivanka’s shoulder.At that moment, she sensed his powerful strength. She was thankful to him for playing
Ivanka was speechless.It was a good thing that she and Jonah were merely acting.If they were really dating, Michael’s words would have infuriated her and Jonah.“A temporary stay should be fine. After all, we humans have feelings. Iv is close to Mdm. Barkworth, and she is a medical expert. If she can heal her by staying over temporarily, why not? What do you say, Iv?”“Medical expert? What medical expert?” Rosie was confused. She did not understand what they were saying at all.Her eyes were filled with bewilderment.It was only then did Ivanka realize that Rosie had not known that she was Violet Cress.Ivanka had also been too busy lately to bring that up.But it would not change anything.Before she replied, Michael quickly explained, “Ivanka is a medical expert. Haven’t you found out about that since she returned, Grandma?”Rosie was astonished.She had been preoccupied with how to set Michael and Ivanka up. Of course she had not figured this out!Ivanka was actually a
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