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 knew better than to fall into Chiara’s trap, especially when fully aware of her true identity. Yet here was her phone, in Chiara’s hands. That was a situation that defied logic.“Have her call me back herself.” Michael’s voice was firm and brooked no argument.That cold response stung Chiara. His disregard was clear. Michael had no interest in her involvement. He had no trust in her to relay anything. In fact, had he already begun to suspect her motives just from this call?“She’s here,” Chiara handed the phone back to Ivanka.Ivanka could tell the call had affected Chiara. She took the phone and smoothly asked Michael, “What do you want?”In less than a minute, the phone was back in Ivanka’s hands.Michael’s voice was steely as he asked, “What’s going on?”Ivanka replied calmly, “Nature called. I left my purse with Melanie in my rush. I’ll probably stay until the party ends. You should go home first.”She knew Chiara was likely watching her closely for any reaction.
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