Rosie understood what Ivanka was trying to tell her.She also sensed her displeasure. So, she just chuckled and tried to change the subject. “I just thought since you both came back together, I could just call him if I wanted to talk to you. Iv, are you coming today? I heard about what happened at the party. I feel bad about it.”The dinner was just a pretext. Rosie’s true intention was clearly to play matchmaker between her and Michael.Ivanka chose to turn her down. “Grandma, I’m really busy at work. No one wanted it to happen, but I’ll visit you when I have time. Make sure you take your medicine. If you run out, just let me know.”Without waiting for Rosie to respond, Ivanka handed the phone to Michael. She turned around and left. As she stepped out into the hallway, she saw Sandy waving at her. Her mood lightened at the sight of her.Michael, who was left behind, was getting an earful from Rosie.“Look at you! It’s only been a few days. Even if the wedding turned into a d
“Hello, are you a family member of Theodore Lane? This is Silverstone Hospital. We have a situation…”“I’m not.”Ivanka did not have the patience to listen any longer. She found it a little amusing. Of all people, why would they be calling her when something had happened to Theodore?However, the voice on the other end continued before she could hang up. “But he has listed you as his emergency contact. Aren’t you Ivanka Lane? He’s currently in the hospital, unconscious. We need you to come over to handle the paperwork and settle the outstanding medical fees.”Ivanka was speechless.She could not blame the hospital staff for not knowing the situation, but asking her to settle Theodore’s medical bills? Was that a joke?She would be more than happy if Theodore were dead!Before she could say anything, the person on the other end had already hung up.Ivanka simply thought it was absurd.Sandy noticed the change in Ivanka’s expression. She asked, “Iv, who called you? What’s with th
“Iv, when did you get back?”As expected, when Chiara asked that question, Ivanka knew everything was going exactly as she had anticipated.Ivanka smiled and replied, “I’ve been back for a little while now. Don’t worry, it’s just a simple errand. It won’t take long. I’ll send you the address, so hurry up and come.”With that, Ivanka immediately sent Chiara her location.If she wanted a reason to go to the hospital, she would need them to call her again. Otherwise, if she simply took Chiara there, it would definitely make her suspicious.Ivanka gave Sandy a look. Sandy patted her chest and grinned. “You don’t need the hospital to call you again. I’m right here, ready to help! Finding an excuse will be a piece of cake.”“Piece of cake?”Hearing those words, Ivanka froze for a moment.She made it clear. “A minor illness won’t work.”Sandy chuckled and responded in a teasing tone. “Don’t worry, I’ve got a brilliant plan.” After Chiara arrived, she and Sandy greeted her and invit
Ivanka and Sandy were right in front of her. She could not just devise an excuse to get rid of them.Chiara could only restrain her emotions.Meanwhile, the conversation between Sandy and Ivanka caught the nurse’s attention.The nurse frowned and looked at Sandy and Ivanka. “What are you two here for?”Sandy quickly replied, “I’m here for a check-up.”“A check-up for what?” The nurse asked out of habit. Sandy promptly answered, “To see if I’m pregnant.”The nurse could hardly believe what she was hearing. She was amused. “Miss, if you want to check if you’re pregnant, you should go to a pharmacy and buy a pregnancy test kit. Also, pregnancy tests aren’t part of the emergency services. You should turn left out the door, walk a hundred meters, and go to the outpatient department.”Chiara could start getting suspicious. Sandy reacted quickly. “I’m worried the test kits at the pharmacy aren’t accurate. This pregnancy may affect my future, of course I was anxious. I didn’t know pre
“Okay.”Chiara nodded and walked away.Watching Chiara walk away, Sandy crossed her arms and started mocking Ivanka.“Honestly, acting is so exhausting. I really don’t know how those actors do it on a daily basis!”She was only doing this briefly, and those actors had to do it for long stretches while constantly under the spotlight!“So, you…”Ivanka turned to look at Sandy.Sandy shook her head. “Since she’s already left, what’s the point of me getting checked now? I knew Chiara wouldn’t be able to help herself. Look, we’ve got solid proof now. Should we take advantage of this and get someone to take photos?”Sandy was thinking ahead for Ivanka. She imagined that if things came to a confrontation with Chiara, those photos and evidence would corner Chiara with no room for denial.However, Ivanka shook her head. “No need. The hospital’s got cameras, and besides, exposing this too early wouldn’t be a good move. Like you said, the game’s just begun. I haven’t had my fun yet. How
After hearing the full story from Chiara, Theodore’s face flushed with anger.He had hoped that Chiara’s new identity would ensure that everything would go according to plan without anyone suspecting a thing. However, it felt like they were nothing more than pawns in Ivanka’s game.Ivanka had positioned herself high above. She was looking down on their misery with a detached, almost god-like amusement.Chiara, on the other hand, was in complete panic. “What? My face is completely different, and my voice is different too. Sandy only came to the hospital to get checked out because she’s pregnant with Ivan’s child. Ivanka’s not some kind of psychic! There’s no way she could have figured out I’m Chiara after just a few encounters. No, I don’t believe it!”Her voice was frantic. She seemed to be losing control.Seeing his daughter in distress made Theodore feel uneasy, as if invisible hands were squeezing his heart tight.“Sweetheart, you have to accept the reality of the situation. I
When Chiara returned to where Ivanka and Sandy were waiting, Sandy, committed to making the act as convincing as possible, actually went through with getting an ultrasound.Holding the report in her hand, Sandy continued to act and fool Chiara.Sure enough, Chiara noticed the ultrasound report in Sandy’s hand and asked with a concerned tone, “Sandy, what did the results say? Are you pregnant?”“Yes, I’m pregnant.”“Congratulations! Go ahead and show the report to the doctor. Iv and I will wait for you outside,” Chiara said with a forced smile. Her tone dripped with polite pretense.Sandy had no choice but to step into Xander’s office.“Pregnant, huh?” Xander raised an eyebrow at Sandy the moment she walked in.Since it was just the two of them, Sandy dropped the act. “I’m not pregnant. Everything earlier was just a performance between Ivanka and me. Now, can you do me a favor and just prescribe some calcium supplements?”Xander was speechless. Sandy had been the one claiming
When their eyes met, Ivan fixed his sharp, somber gaze on Sandy.She blinked. She had a bad feeling about this.“D*mn it!” she thought. What was this guy doing here? Sandy suspected that Xander might have told Ivan something.But she immediately calmed herself down.As she was about to dawdle toward Ivan, he already strode up to her.His sturdy, towering shadow enveloped her instantly.Ivan narrowed his eyes and said with a cold, accusing tone, “Are you pregnant?”Sandy was flabbergasted.The moment she saw Ivan, she knew why he was here. She knew that she was about to face his wrath and barrage of questions.But who gave him the right to be mad with her?Sandy lowered her voice. “Why do you care if I’m pregnant? It has nothing to do with you. Besides, I have something else to attend to, so I don’t have time for you right now.”She had only intended to trick Chiara into coming to the hospital. She had not thought about the consequences.However, when Ivan showed up, the f
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