Jennifer took the man to Candice in the middle of the night. Things did not seem good. Ivanka knew something bad was going to befall Candice. She was about to follow them when someone behind her abruptly stopped her. Ivanka’s eyes flew wide open. Her scream got stuck in her throat. The man’s large hand had covered her mouth. At the same time, a familiar smell entered her nostrils, and she gave up trying to let go of herself from the man’s grasp. “Why are you giving up so easily?” As expected, Ivanka heard a familiar voice. She turned around and saw Michael’s playful smile. “I know it’s you, so there’s no need to keep trying to free myself,” answered Ivanka truthfully. “How did you know it’s me?” Her answer piqued his interest. Ivanka was about to explain when a thought struck her mind. After that, she kept quiet. “It’s a secret.” Before Michael could continue the topic, Ivanka decided to skip and end it by asking, “You saw everything. What do you think about it?”
Bam! The room door was kicked open all of a sudden. Michael was the one who kicked the door open. The man in the formal suit had just taken off half of his pants when Michael entered the room. Michael exuded an air of standoffishness. The man looked dumbfounded. He did not know if he should put back on his pants or remove them. Ivanka was behind Michael. He did not let her enter the room. “On the count of three, put your pants on, or else—” Michael did not finish his sentence, but the man in the formal suit was so scared that his entire body trembled. The man knew that if he did not act as he was told, he would lose his d*ck. So the man quickly put his pants on comically. While Michael was entering the room, Ivanka followed him. She ignored the man in the formal suit and went to the bed where Candice was laying. They had made quite a commotion when they entered the room. Despite this, Candice laid motionlessly on the bed. Apparently, she had been drugged. It l
Leonardo had always been a perfect boyfriend. He was so perfect and seemed to have been specially made for Candice. Candice used to find it suspicious. But she dared not probe further into her own suspicions. Since things had turned out like so, she had no choice but to confront it. Candice’s heart was filled with a slew of anxiousness and complications. Despite this, she held back her emotions. Without further hesitation, she lifted the blanket and got down from the bed. She walked to the room next door. Ivanka gave Michael a look so that he would bring Jarek along. Michael was amused. He believed Ivanka must have treated him as her bodyguard. She was the first woman who had dared to give him an order. Despite this, Michael did as he was told. After all, Ivanka was not supposed to get involved in all this in the first place. It was all about the Barkworth family’s business. When Michael confronted Jarek, Michael’s temper instantly turned foul. He glared at Jarek.
Of course, he was referring to Jarek, who was screaming on the ground. Ivanka and Michael’s eyes met across the distance. They exchanged a look with each other. In the end, they chose to stay out of it. What should have been done was done. No matter the outcome, it was Candice’s own choice. Michael took a step back and came to Ivanka’s side. “Thanks.” Candice stared at Ivanka and sincerely thanked her once again. She was not stupid, so naturally, she could see that her cousin greatly respected his wife’s opinion. On the other hand, Ivanka was highly self-sufficient.Not long after, the security guards came and took Jarek away. After Candice said goodbye to the two, she left in the opposite direction.Ivanka and Michael went back to their rooms together.On the way back, Ivanka’s brows remained furrowed, and Michael turned to look at her. “Still worried about her?”Ivanka’s eyes flashed, then she looked at Michael and said softly, “Do you think that she will be soft-h
When she put on makeup, her features looked even more exquisite. She looked sharper. Michael’s gaze paused for a moment. Why had he not realized it in the past? Ivanka glanced at him and spoke directly. “I’m good to go. Let’s go there now?” “Yes.” Michael quickly collected his thoughts and rushed to the wedding venue with her. There were a lot of guests. Those who came were all the city’s upper-class people and everyone was open and relaxed. They were able to navigate their way in a situation like this and take the opportunity to meet more work partners.The groom also weaved in and out of the crowd. He was beaming and full of life.Jennifer was with him. The two of them were welcoming the guests together. Those who did not know any better might even think that the two of them were the new couple. Everyone arrived one after another. It was just that… Only the bride and Jarek were missing.The crowd could not help but be a little confused. Right among the murmuring
At that moment, there was a crazy video rolling on the big screen. The video was unsightly. The man and woman on the bed were “wrestling” frantically with the woman’s coquettish voice calling out at the same time. Also, the facilities here were top notch and equipped with 3D surround sound. The guests had no idea what to do when they heard.Some of the sharp-eyed guests spotted the man and woman in the video in a single glance. “My goodness! Aren’t these two the groom, Leonardo, and the bride’s best friend Jennifer?!”The moment these words came out, it instantly set off an uproar!Jennifer was instantly dumbfounded when she saw the video! But the next moment she screamed in panic. “Turn it off! Turn it off! It’s not me at all!” It was just that, not only were her shouts futile, but she felt the contemptuous disdainful glances thrown at her from all sides!She could even feel like some of the men were undressing her with their eyes! She was screaming! “Turn it off! Turn
Just as he was about to say something else, a clear voice suddenly spoke.“I told them to play it. Is there a problem?”The crowd looked for the voice and saw Candice in a white dress. She looked serene and cool. It was a different kind of beauty.But this was not a wedding. It was obviously a funeral.Everyone looked at the heroine who was supposed to appear today. Shock crossed their eyes. It looked like the bride found out about their despicable deed. Immediately after, the bride said in a mocking voice once again, “Leonardo, how does it feel to lose your reputation? You experienced it before me. Do you like the wedding gift I gave you?”Candice looked at him. Her brow was calm and void of emotion.Leonardo was already extremely cranky. In a way, he was at the end of his rope. He looked at her incredulously. “What do you mean by that?!” Candice sneered. “I didn’t mean anything by that. Just letting everyone present witness and see clearly for themselves what mangy dogs d
Naturally, Ivanka and Michael could not get involved to clear the mess after that. It was almost time for them to return as well.“You’re leaving before I can thank you.” Candice took Ivanka’s hand. She was grateful from the bottom of her heart.“I originally came to attend the wedding, but I didn’t expect to witness it take such a turn. I’ll have to go back and explain to Grandma about it.” Ivanka said with a smile.Candice hurriedly nodded and smiled. She looked at Ivanka and said, “Ivanka, send my regards to Grandma. After things are settled over here, I will definitely go visit her.”Ivanka smiled. “Then it’s a deal.”“It’s a deal.”… On the airplane, Ivanka’s mood was down the entire time.Michael spoke to her several times and did not get any response. He frowned slightly when he saw that Ivanka was about to sleep. He directly pulled her hand.Ivanka immediately tried to pull her hand back but she was not as strong as him. She opened her eyes and looked at him unhappily
Ivanka and Candice got into the car together.Candice instinctively took the front passenger seat while Ivanka and Michael sat in the back.The car moved smoothly toward the family mansion.Michael glanced at Ivanka and noticed her fiddling with her phone. Quickly, he leaned over, cast a shadow over her, and snatched the phone from her hand.“You’ll get carsick.”Ivanka frowned. Her gaze locked on Michael as she extended her hand. “Give it back.”Michael did not budge. Ivanka raised her voice a little. “Give it back. I’m in the middle of something important.”Michael’s striking eyes fixed on her. It was as if he could see right through her.“What’s so urgent? Isn’t it just about someone poaching employees from your company? Do you really need to spend all your time resolving it?”Ivanka’s brows furrowed even tighter.From the front seat, Candice turned around to look at Michael in surprise. “Michael, you know who is behind this?”Michael glanced at Ivanka and said, “Not on
It was perhaps because Ivanka was so outstanding that Candice never saw her as a peer but rather as a role model.Being praised by someone she admired so deeply was naturally a source of great joy.But Candice never said these feelings out loud, nor would she.Ivanka patted her on the shoulder. “Good job. Now get back to work and start getting comfortable in your new role. On Friday evening, Michael and I will help you with your move.”Candice nodded. She had no objections to the arrangement.For some reason, the previous incident had made its way to Rosie’s ears. Rosie had insisted that Candice move into the family’s mansion.Unable to find a reason to refuse or to push back further, Candice reluctantly agreed.“Then you and Michael will be staying for dinner at the family mansion on Friday, right?”Ivanka nodded, figuring they would likely need to stay the night as well.“Don’t overthink it for now. Get back to work, and just wait for me after work on Friday.” Candice no
“One more thing, these are my team members. They’ve seen firsthand how you’ve tried to suppress me all the time. A little payback from them isn’t exactly unjustified, don’t you think?”Before Mandy could say anything, Candice turned to the employee and instructed firmly, “Call security. Have them escort her out of the building. Make sure she doesn’t take anything that doesn’t belong to her. Thoroughly check her devices for any company files.”Mandy completely lost her composure and started yelling.“Who do you think you are to treat me like this? You’re just riding on Ivanka’s coattails! Everyone knows how someone so young became CEO. And you? Are you sticking by her? You’re no better than… Argh!”Before Mandy could finish her tirade, Candice delivered a resounding slap across her face.Not far away, Ivanka, who had come out after hearing the commotion to see if she needed to step in, slowed her steps. While leaning casually against a nearby column, she watched Candice handle the
“I understand what you mean now.” Candice’s cheeks flushed with excitement. The gloom that had previously clouded her was swept away.Her joy was genuine. She said, “In three months’ time, I’ll secure this position and prove to you and the board that your decision was the right one.”With that, Candice stood, gave Ivanka a respectful bow, and left the office.Ivanka watched her leave with a smile.All was good.While the two of them were in good spirits, someone else’s mood was far from pleasant.Mandy returned to her office, humiliated, to pack her belongings.If she could turn back time, she might have chosen not to come at all. The shame she endured was beyond anything she could have imagined.Somehow, word of what happened in the conference room had leaked. Perhaps Ivanka had orchestrated it.When she arrived at her office, she was not surprised to see all her belongings stuffed into a tattered, broken box.The box had been placed right outside her office door. It was a
“Mr. Clarke, if you don’t like my decision and want to change it, you’ll have to take my position first to do so. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”With those words, Ivanka coolly left the meeting room.Candice, though initially taken aback by the sudden turn of events, quickly adjusted to her new role. Turning to Mandy, she said, “Ms. Cruella, please ensure your office is cleared in three days, as I will be moving in.”With that, she too left the room.After they left, the meeting room erupted into chaos, with arguments flying back and forth. However, the outcome was already sealed. Ferris was powerless to change it.Though he still had cards to play, he was not about to waste them on Mandy.Sure enough, by the afternoon, employees spotted Mandy packing her belongings and leaving in disgrace.Candice, though initially satisfied, could not help but feel uneasy. After thinking it over, she decided to speak with Ivanka. And so, at that moment, she was standing in front of the door to t
Ferris was panicking at the moment. He shot Mandy a disappointing and furious glare.It was one thing for her to embezzle funds, it was another for her to get caught.How foolish!Feeling the weight of Ferris’s gaze, Mandy instinctively lowered her head.That only made Ferris more enraged.She had caused all this trouble, and he had to clean up the mess.Ivanka ignored them and turned to the other shareholders. She sharply said, “Tell me, how can someone like her hold the position of project director in our company, yet Candice can’t even be promoted to team leader?”Mandy had been personally hired by Ferris, so Ivanka criticizing her in front of everyone was effectively a direct slap to his face.That naturally made Ferris extremely uncomfortable.His expression turned even darker.“In my opinion, it’s true Mandy shouldn’t have done that, but she’s been in this position for so long. While she doesn’t have achievements, she’s at least put in the effort. How about this, let’s
However, her smile did not reach her eyes.Mandy stood frozen. She was too scared to drink the water or take a seat. Just like that, she was ignored. The atmosphere was awkward. She could only cast a pleading glance toward Ferris for support.Ferris, who was standing near her, cleared his throat and said, “That’s right. Ms. Ivanka, Ms. Cruella is right. This isn’t in line with proper procedures.”Ivanka maintained her enigmatic smile. Her index finger tapped lightly on the table. It was impossible to guess what was going through her mind.She glanced around the room. “What do the rest of you think?”She sounded like she was seeking opinions, but the weight of her presence was intimidating. No one dared to answer.Just as Ferris was about to say something, Ivanka picked up Mandy’s report and tossed it onto the floor.It happened too fast. Everyone was stunned by her action. Even Ferris was caught off guard.Mandy’s face turned pale.“Rules are made by people. Besides, Cand
“Please start.” Ivanka nodded. Mandy glanced at Ferris and then at Ivanka. She did not dare to speak.It was obvious that she did not want to offend either side.But she had received a lot of favors being under Ferris over the years, so naturally she did not dare to disobey him.Ferris felt like he was getting the upper hand again, and he was a lot more cheerful. His expression seemed to say, “Look, this is my staff. Look at how they listen to me and not you. You’re nothing much as the chairman. Who are you here, Ivanka?”The anger from before had completely disappeared. He said calmly, “You really don’t get the hint. If Ms. Lane lets you speak, you should just speak.”Although he sounded like he was scolding her, anyone could hear from Ferris’s tone that he was not complaining. He was gloating.Some shareholders did not want to be caught up in the mess and lowered their heads.Others wanted to see where things went.In a way, he was asserting dominance over Ivanka. Everyone wa
Ivanka suggested to Candice to go home and rest.But Candice still refused.She said, “The contract will be done soon. I’ll be able to rest properly and have peace of mind sooner when it’s finalized.”Ivanka relented. She only said that if she felt discomfort in any way, she must tell her immediately.Candice nodded her head and took note.Ivanka gripped the steering wheel tightly. She felt guilty.Candice was already in such a state, but she still insisted on working. Her reason there was not only to repay Ivanka but also to realize her own self-worth.But Ferris kept getting in the way of that report.It was really upsetting.Ivanka also secretly made it a point to get the report passed on that day.The car reached the company. Ivanka went upstairs with Candice together. Ivanka also personally helped Candice to her workstation.Despite Candice’s repeated refusals, Ivanka was very insistent.She wanted to demonstrate to everyone that she had Candice’s back. If anyone wante