Mostly, she was tired of pretending.At that moment, she suddenly also understood Michael’s indifference to her in the past. It was because she did not like him. The acting was tiring, too. So she simply did not play pretend.“As I said, I’m here mainly because of you. Now that we are in the beginning of getting into talks for collaborating, if you don’t want to go, then let’s not go.” Right after he said this, Michael got a chair next to Ivanka and sat down.Ivanka did not pay any attention to him.She said, “I’ll leave in another half hour.”“Well, we’ll go together.”Michael still followed her.At the same time, the dance started when the banquet was in progress. Michael had Ivanka by his side, so Chiara’s original plan could only fail.All she could do was find a seat.Ivanka happened to notice this scene. When she saw that there was no one by Chiara’s side, she smiled wryly.She got up and quickly walked over to Chiara’s side.“Ms. Levine.”Ivanka smiled slowly and
She stated clearly. “You’re not the only one in the Levine family. If the succession of the Levine family all falls on you, Ms. Levine. Then the others definitely won’t stand for it. I just thought that if I can collaborate with you, then when you achieve something from it, you can give me a hand back. If I can help you now, then of course I’ll help you. I need a friend; I think you’re suitable for the role. Would you be friends with me?”Ivanka was very sincere.Chiara did not expect that Ivanka would have thought of something like this.If she had not double-checked that there were no flaws before the banquet tonight, she would have suspected that Ivanka had already recognized her at that moment.However, the cosmetics she used were specially formulated. It was waterproof and would hold well in heat. Even the makeup artist was specially trained.Ivanka would not figure it out.However, while Ivanka had such thoughts, Chiara felt it was a good chance. However, she could not ag
Michael pursed his lips and prepared to approach them.But just as he was about to take a step forward, someone called out to him. “Mr. Barkworth.”It was a man.Michael thought it sounded familiar.When he paused, he saw Blake, who was walking up to him, and Tanya, who was not far behind.When he saw those two, Michael’s face sank slightly.But before Michael could open his mouth, Blake had already stopped in front of Michael.Blake said softly, “Why are you so serious and defensive, Mr. Barkworth? We are just meeting by chance at this banquet. We’ve seen each other so many times, so we’re not strangers, right?”Michael was indifferent. “Friend? Are you worthy of it?”The contempt in Michael’s eyes was obvious.He did not respect Blake the slightest bit. In fact, he even found Tanya and Blake annoying.Blake smiled and replied. “I know that a certain Mr. Hicks had made you unhappy before. But you know what they say, “out of blows, friendship grows.” One more friend is alw
“I have to run an errand. Give me a call when you’re finished.” Michael placed his hand on Ivanka’s shoulder, leaned in close, and whispered to her.Ivanka smiled and nodded. “Okay.”Her voice was incredibly gentle.In front of Michael, she seemed very much like a delicate woman.Chiara could not help but gasp. Had they become so intimate?She felt resentment, jealousy, and heartache. However, she had to hide it. She even had to force a look of envy. “Mrs. Barkworth, you and Mr. Barkworth have such a wonderful relationship.”“Of course, my wife deserves nothing less.” Michael smiled as he turned to leave.He said that on purpose for Chiara.Chiara understood the message perfectly. However, Michael used to hate Ivanka before. Then again, the past meant nothing.Ivanka’s voice pulled Chiara’s wandering mind back. “Ms. Levine, didn’t I just tell you? It’s all just for show.”“We have to play the part in public. If things really were perfect between us, would we have divo
With a wry smile, Ivanka looked at Chiara and said, “Honestly, I didn’t even notice. Like I said, Michael and I are just putting on a show. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. Whoever he leaves with is none of my business.”She was telling the truth. She had not even noticed Michael leaving with Tanya. Knowing Michael’s nature, he would never walk off with someone he despised and said harsh things to unless there was a reason.This was Michael they were talking about. Ivanka trusted that he could handle whatever came his way. Besides, Tanya was on his turf. She would not be able to harm him in the slightest.“Well then, are you free tomorrow, Ms. Lane?” Chiara asked carefully.Ivanka felt a thrill of satisfaction. Chiara had taken the bait!After a moment’s thought, Ivanka replied, “I have a meeting with a partner in the morning, and I’m not sure about the afternoon. Tell you what, I’ll reach out if I’m free tomorrow.”“Okay.”Chiara nodded. As Ivanka glanced down at her
Before Blake could respond, Michael grabbed him by the collar and tossed him violently aside. “You’re in no position to make demands of me!”“Michael, my people caught every bit of that on camera. And let’s not forget your little attitude problem. If you don’t agree to my terms, I’ll post it all online for everyone to see!”Despite just being thrown by Michael, Blake’s voice was loud and strong.He seemed full of confidence.Michael had only entertained this conversation because he wanted to know who was behind it all. He had even considered agreeing to Blake’s conditions if they were reasonable enough.He did not expect Blake to make such outrageous and shameless demands. He had even played him.Blake’s confidence stemmed entirely from that video. He thought he could edit it however he pleased to paint Michael in a bad light.However, Michael was not about to be intimidated by such threats.Michael snorted. “You really think these cheap tricks would rattle me in the slight
With a strained expression, Tanya looked at Michael. Her brow furrowed tightly as she said, “Whether Ivanka is clever or foolish, what grudge would the Hicks family have against her? Why would they go out of their way to kill her? Couldn’t it just as easily be someone from her past or even one of your enemies, Michael?”Michael’s eyes flashed with intensity, but Tanya stood her ground, unwavering, positioned firmly in front of Blake.Blake’s eyes widened slightly. Being defended by a woman did not make him feel humiliated. Instead, he was very touched. He thought. “Tanya really does love me!”Before Blake could react, Tanya spoke again with a cold and sharp voice.“Michael, don’t forget that from Mirvania to Bostone, you and Ivanka have been inseparable. Surely, you’ve got plenty of enemies yourself too?”Tanya aimed to divert Michael’s suspicion away from Blake and his family, hoping to protect him. With someone of Michael’s standing, he was bound to have more than a few adve
Blake’s word made it clear that this had to involve the Hicks family. Keeping Blake under control would quickly reveal the truth.After ordering his men to take Blake away, Michael returned to the party. However, when he arrived, there was no sign of Ivanka or Chiara.His face darkened as he called Ivanka.Meanwhile, Ivanka was in the restroom with Chiara, having asked her to come along. She wanted to test just how far Chiara’s patience would go.As Michael’s call came through, Ivanka was touching up her makeup in front of the mirror.“This is so annoying!” she muttered and pulled her phone out of her bag.“Ms. Levine, let’s make this easier. I’ll call you Melanie from now on, and you can call me Iv. We’re friends now. All the formal ‘Ms. Levine’ and ‘Ms. Lane’ feels too distant.”When Chiara nodded, Ivanka continued. “Melanie, could you take this call for me? Just tell him I’m busy and can’t talk right now.” She handed the phone over to Chiara.Chiara glanced at the ca
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