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.
Ivanka immediately retorted, “You should tell that to Chiara. If she wants to, maybe you two can get back together.”With that, she turned and walked ahead.Michael’s expression darkened instantly. That darn woman!Without hesitation, he caught up with her and said in a low voice, “I didn’t mean that. You know full well that she…”“She what? Remember how she ‘died’? Do I really need to remind you again?” Ivanka cut him off sharply before he could finish his sentence.Michael fell silent.Chiara’s ‘death’ shocked the entire Bostone and caused Ivanka to be blamed by the public. How could he not know that?After their trip to Mirvania and their close contact, he understood that there was more to the story.No matter what, he knew deep down that Ivanka and Chiara would never reconcile. He would never ask that of Ivanka.Michael pursed his lips, collected his thoughts, and spoke to Ivanka. “I didn’t say anything about her, but you know exactly what her intentions are.”Ivanka nodd
“Wait a minute.” Ivanka thought.Was she angry because Michael had been fixated on Chiara the entire time?Regardless of how he felt about Chiara, what did it have to do with Ivanka? Why would she be mad?When she realized this, Ivanka was shocked by her line of thought.For a moment, she felt awkward and despised herself too.As Michael said, Ivanka had indeed gotten jealous.Little did she know, Michael saw her slight frown when she was deep in thought. He did not believe her earlier words.“It’s actually not that hard to acknowledge how you really feel deep down, just like I have done, Ivanka.”Ivanka was speechless.Michael made her sound like a coward.She refused to accept that accusation!Displeased, she said, “What do you mean by that, Michael? If I were a coward, I wouldn’t have lost my sense of self and wasted three years of my life on you!“You were the one who tossed me the divorce papers, weren’t you? Unlike you, I’m a human being with feelings. We were married
Even if Michael was pretending, it would not have been this convincing.Ivanka checked his pulse and found it unstable.It was the symptom of poisoning!Luckily, her bag contained the medicine kit and emergency pills she had brought to the hospital earlier that day.Otherwise, she would not be able to save him within such a short period of time, considering that they were in an unfamiliar place without medicines.After feeding him the pill, Ivanka called Evan on the phone.It was nighttime.Evan became alert instinctively. “What’s the matter, Ms. Lane?”“Michael is showing symptoms of poisoning. We’re at the Levine family’s place. Come get us right now.”Initially, Ivanka planned to ask someone to help her carry Michael to her car. However, even though he had taken the pill, he should not be moved around, given his condition.He had to stay still for an hour, or else his breathing and blood flow would be disrupted, which would affect his bodily functions and lead to a massive
Ivanka could not send Michael back to the Barkworth family’s mansion or other places.But she could not bring him back home either, right?Ivanka thought of Evan’s place. “I can’t spend too much time around him, given the current nature of our relationship. Why don’t you bring him back to your place, Evan?“I still have some emergency pills with me. You still have the prescription I sent you a while ago, right? Given your efficiency, he will be fine if you prepare the medicines today, and then prepare them for consumption or medicinal baths tomorrow. “Huh?”Evan thought Ivanka would say she was taking Michael back to her house. Who would have thought Ivanka would rather go through so much trouble than just take him home?As it seemed, their relationship had once again become awkward and tense.However, earlier that day, they had attended the reunion banquet held by the Levine family together. In the eyes of the outsiders, they had practically remarried.Seeing Evan’s shock, Iv
However, the moment Ivanka said this, the businessmen immediately refuted her.One said, “How could it be the same, Mrs. Barkworth? Throughout history, men have been the ones taking the lead while women support their husbands. Although you’re the chairwoman of Lane’s Group, our collaboration won’t go smoothly if you’re the only person discussing the terms with us. If Mr. Barkworth is around, he can act as a bridge between us. Only then can all of us profit from this project.”“Mr. Gaudin is right. Besides, you’re probably unfamiliar with certain details, given that you’re new to this field. With Mr. Barkworth around, you’ll be more informed and assured.”“When will Mr. Barkworth recover from his hangover? If he is able to show up, then we don’t mind waiting till afternoon.”Even though all three of them said different things, they meant the same. They all wanted to wait till Michael showed up before discussing the project with Ivanka.Their speeches revealed their disdain for wome
“Are you a mind reader, Mr. Howard? You sound as if you can read my thoughts.”Everyone was startled and immediately looked toward the source of the voice.They saw Michael walking over in a black suit. He was tall and sturdy, and he had a domineering and menacing air about him.At that moment, he was shrouded in kingly grace as he towered over three businessmen.The second they saw him, they immediately quailed in fear.Mr. Howard explained in a panic, “Mr. Barkworth, I didn’t mean that. I…”The sharp look in Michael’s eyes terrified him, and he could barely utter a complete sentence.Ivanka did not want to fan the flames when Michael came.Even if he did not show up, these businessmen would not intimidate her. They did not sense anything wrong with Michael, but she could hear the tremble in his voice. He was still ill!She wondered what was with this man. He had suffered from symptoms of poisoning the night before. But instead of getting enough rest, he came all the way he
Ivanka was no longer angry, and she was not the kind of person who held a grudge. Therefore, she said coldly, “Now get out of my sight!”“What?”Mr. Howard, Mr. Gaudin, and the remaining man all gawked at each other.They thought that after they apologized, they would still have a chance to talk about their collaboration. After all, Michael had already shown up.They did not expect that Ivanka would react this way.She was practically kicking them out.As they hesitated, Michael said grimly with a dark look in his eyes, “Didn’t you hear what my wife said? Get lost!”“Alright, alright, we’ll leave now!”The three men quickly said as they left sheepishly. They dared not upset Michael further.Michael might have defended Ivanka, but she believed that she would have been fine on her own. She could refuse to work with those men and still get out of there unscathed.Besides, what Michael said earlier confirmed that they were back together.Michael had called her his wife on purpos
Chiara lowered her head. “Iv, things have been really difficult for me in my family. Because of your introduction, I got the chance to meet Jonah. You talked about bringing a friend along last time, but neither of them ended up working with me. If I can’t land a deal soon, I’m afraid…”Her voice filled with hesitation, grievance, and sorrow. She sighed.“Aren’t you presenting yourself as Jonah’s fiancee these days?” Ivanka replied coldly. Seeing her act so meek and pitiful, Ivanka sneered.Since she was publicly claiming to be Jonah’s fiancee, surely the Levine family would not be treating her so poorly.“I am, but it’s all fake. And now that you’re back, do you really think Jonah would still let me keep playing as his fiancee?”The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. Tears even rolled down her cheeks.Ivanka only found the sight nauseating.Chiara’s acting had really reached a masterful level. Honestly, it was such a waste of talent that she was not in showbiz.“Ev
Jonah was the Sadler family’s primary heir.If he was incapable, how could he and Michael have made it onto the list of Bostone’s most sought-after elite bachelors?Hearing him say such things, Ivanka felt horrible.“Jonah, I’m really not as great as you think I am. With everything you have going for you, it’d be very easy for you to find a beauty who loves you. I’ve got things to take care of today. I have to go.” As she said that, she pushed Jonah away.If she kept talking to him like so, it would only make things worse. His emotions were already unstable. If he really did something reckless, it would become a scar neither of them could ever erase.She was set on leaving. Jonah had no way to stop her.He could only ask about her plans for the next day. “Will you be coming by around the same time?”“I’ll come in the afternoon.”Since she was back in Bostone, some matters at Lane’s Group needed her attention.At that point, there was no way she could ask Jonah to move in wit
Realizing Jonah was losing control, Ivanka quickly removed the medication from his body.Her voice was calm. “Jonah, your emotions are very unstable right now. You need to rest. I’ll carefully consider the next step of your treatment.”She turned to leave, but how could Jonah possibly let her go?The moment he reached out to grab her, Ivanka swiftly stepped aside.However, Jonah did not give up.In a moment of desperation, he pushed himself off the bed, only to crash to the floor with a heavy thud.The sound froze Ivanka in her tracks.When she turned around and saw Jonah on the floor, she rushed to his side. “Why would you do this to yourself, Jonah? Please calm down and think about it. Everything I’ve said to you is the truth. Even if we could get married without caring what they think, what about later? What about our future children? Would they have to grow up being treated differently too?”She had seen the end of her marriage to Michael long before it arrived. That was wh
Margaret let out a disdainful laugh. The corners of her mouth curled in contempt. Coupled with the look of disdain in her eyes, her contempt for Ivanka was as clear as day.Ivanka could tell Margaret was trying to provoke her, but she did not take the bait. “I don’t need to go crying in front of Jonah. If I really wanted something, do you honestly think you could stop him from giving it to me?”People in love usually lost all reason.Jonah had proven how stubborn he could be when it came to her. If she so much as hinted at something, he would do it without hesitation. In fact, he would get it done immediately if it meant proving his love to her.She just did not want Jonah to be rejected by his own family. Plus, she had no real expectations when it came to love. If she had cared that much, she would have made her move long ago.To Margaret, Ivanka’s words sounded like clear provocation, so she was not about to back down. “As long as I’m still alive, you really think I’d let so
In the face of Laura’s meltdown, Ivanka’s words seemed a bit smug.She was doing it on purpose.“You! Ivanka, how can you be so shameless as to say such things? Are you still a woman?” Laura’s hand, which was pointing at her angrily, trembled uncontrollably.Laura’s tears fell like a snapped pearl necklace. Ivanka laughed in a low voice. “Of course I am, otherwise how did I become the one Jonah wakes up to every day? Laura, since things have come to this, you’d better hurry home and stop embarrassing yourself here.”“What’s the point of chasing after someone who doesn’t like you like this?”She acknowledged Laura’s persistence toward Jonah. But insisting too much would turn into clinginess. Jonah’s dislike and disdain for Laura was clear. He never once gave Laura a chance. Even so, Laura refused to give up.Sometimes she did not think thoroughly before doing things. “Whether there’s a point to it is not for you to say!”Laura was still persistent.But the next second, Iva
It would not have been nice for Ivanka to be present during Jonah’s conversation with his mother. The Sadler family’s house was large. She went directly to the grass field outside.Margaret had a Golden Retriever. When Ivanka saw the maid bring it out to play, she immediately squatted in front of the Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever was very gentle and did not bite. Margaret saw the Golden Retriever wagging its tail at Ivanka. The gesture was clearly a sign of fondness and affection for Ivanka.Even the dog liked Ivanka, and she still did not like her. Could she really be the problem?Margaret began to contemplate and reflect on herself. As she was trying to approach Ivanka, someone had already walked up to Ivanka first.This person was no other than Laura, who she had once hated.When Laura saw the cozy scene of a person and a dog. She instantly rushed to Ivanka. “Ivanka, you’re so despicable. You won’t even spare a dog. Are you planning to drug it too?!”Ivanka kept
However, Jonah seemed to have heard some hilarious joke. “Do you really mean well? Do you mean well by trampling on my feelings?“You said everything started because of Ivanka. Why don’t you say it all started because of you?”Jonah let out another rhetorical question.He was extremely emotional.Margaret could not bear to watch him like this. She roared, “Enough, don’t think that I’ll compromise and stop interfering with you guys if you are like this!”Jonah laughed slowly. “Then what you said before was nonsense. Since I can’t get what I want, what else is left if I cure these legs?“You really don’t get it. You think that I’m driving you to your grave when it’s the opposite. Then what kind of mother-son bond is there between us to speak of?”At the end of Jonah’s speech, the mockery at the corner of his was extraordinarily obvious. His eyes even seemed determined.Margaret sensed it.“Are you going to cut ties with me for Ivanka?” Margaret found it incredulous. When she ask
She said to Ivanka in dissatisfaction, “Ms. Ivanka, please go out. I have something to say to Jonah alone right now.”Ivanka did not respond. However, the way she moved out already said everything.Jonah did not make a statement but silently agreed.He also did not want Ivanka to be present to see his embarrassment.“You’re being an ingrate. You never raised me like that! Since you’ve already spoken such, why are you still holding it against Iv? Is being a divorcee her sin?” Jonah’s expression was as dark as the storm clouds. Those eyes were locked on his mother. He felt that Ivanka had been deeply wronged.However, Margaret replied blandly, “Have you seen anyone wealthy choosing to marry divorcees? Are there really no other women out there?”“You are a woman too.” Jonah frowned.However, Margaret brought up a very realistic question. “I am indeed a woman. But no parent in the world would ever settle for anything less than the best option.”Those words infuriated Jonah.“Mom,
At Margaret’s rebuke, Ivanka was annoyed. “If you say so.”Whatever Margaret wanted to think was her own business. She would not interfere.Margaret immediately choked out in response, “You!”“You don’t have to target me. You know very well that I won’t get together with your son. I’m only here to administer treatment for your son.”Ivanka gave Margaret a bland look. Even her tone was bland.Margaret burst out laughing coldly. “It’s what you should do!”“I didn’t say that I shouldn’t,” Ivanka shot back indifferently. She no longer bantered with Margaret. She kept looking at her cell phone.In Margaret’s eyes, Ivanka was playing with her cell phone, and was playing intently too!There was a parasol over her head as she was leaning on a rattan chair. Most importantly, there were also refreshments on the round table to Ivanka’s left.Sheesh!“Ivanka, are you here to treat Jonah’s leg, or are you here to enjoy yourself?” Margaret chided Ivanka in dissatisfaction.When someone di