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
Sandy stared at Ivan with a cold look in her eyes. Ivan understood what she meant.Her eyes were saying, “We have nothing to do with each other. What makes you think you can interfere with my life?”Ivan realized that he cared about her, and this realization made his heart sink.At that moment, he threw away his pride and immediately confessed his feelings. “I don’t want to see you end up with someone else, Sandy. I don’t want to see you pregnant with another man’s child.”Ivan had seen the ultrasound image.The report did not mention that Sandy was pregnant. Ivan had been ecstatic and dejected at the same time.It was because…Sandy asked, “Why?”She stared at him fixedly with confusion and indifference in her dark eyes. “Why don’t you want to see me end up with someone else?”Ivan knew at that moment, he could not run away from this conversation.He must tell the truth, even if she would avoid him after his confession.Ivan pressed his lips together. After a moment of he
Sandy punched Ivan in the chest. “D*mn you! I was panicking the whole time, and you just watched me panicking like a headless fly? Get lost! Get out of my sight!”Ivan took the punch without protesting and grabbed her hand before she withdrew it. “If I can get lost with you, sure.”Sandy was taken aback.He had said such shameless words with such an adoring look on his face. She shook her head in horror. “No, get lost on your own. You look insane!”As she spoke, she gritted her teeth and gave him a kick.Ivan stepped back. Sandy took the opportunity to run off and leave him in the dust.“D*mn you, woman! Get back here!” Ivan glared after her furiously and could not help yelling, “You sly little thing!”He chased after her without even dropping by to greet Xander.…Meanwhile, Ivanka was with Chiara.Sandy was with Ivan. Knowing that Ivan would certainly chase after her, Ivanka did not stay to give Sandy a ride.At that moment, she and Chiara were already in the car. Chiara t
Chiara held her gaze innocently. She seemed oblivious to the tension between them.Ivanka gradually smiled and said casually, “Since I brought it up, I’ll certainly make it happen. However, Jonah is still recovering. I might have to make a call and confirm it with him.”Chiara instantly chuckled and said, “Thanks a lot, Iv! Thank you so much for helping me out.”Ivanka stared at her with a smile. “You’re welcome.”She did not say anything unnecessary. As for Chiara, she continued pretending to be a young naive woman.She knew that Ivanka would not introduce any business partners to her. But since Ivanka had mentioned Jonah, she would certainly connect Chiara with him. Once Chiara got to know him, she would work hard to earn his favor. Melanie’s face was stunningly beautiful as well, so he might just fall in love with her after frequent contact.Soon enough, Ivanka took out her phone and called Jonah.He answered the phone shortly after.“You finally called me, Iv.” Jonah’s vo
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