Smack!A divorce agreement was thrown before Ivanka Lane.“Your sister is awake. I’ve promised her that there won’t be another Mrs. Barkworth as long as she’s alive.“Ivanka, sign the papers. We’re getting a divorce.”Ivanka’s cousin had regained consciousness this month. Since then, Ivanka had known this day would come. Ivanka looked up and, her bitterness was clear. “You still don’t trust me even to this day, do you?”Michael Barkworth snorted. “You’ve been a materialistic woman from beginning to end. Why should I trust you?“Ivanka, I hate repeating myself. Just sign the papers. This mansion is yours, as a final show of respect!” A hint of mockery flashed in Ivanka’s eyes. She thought. “Hmph! Therefore, he thinks he is being merciful by sparing some of his assets for me in the divorce?”She took the divorce agreement and saw his signature at the end of it. Calmly, Ivanka asked, “Do you think Grandma will agree to this?”“Do you think that Grandma can provide you with en
“I can’t accept the case?” Ivanka sat down on a couch. Suki nodded with a sigh. Ivanka raised one of her eyebrows. “Tell me why.”“Because…”Suki told Ivanka about the case. Ivanka placed one of her hands on her left thigh. Her fingers twitched. Her brown eyes lit up. “That’s interesting. Who are the parties involved?”“It’s pointless even if you find them out…”Ivanka looked up and saw Suki falling silent.“Both parties are leading figures in the commercial arena. A lot of issues are involved in this case, hence both parties decided to turn against each other. Mr. Sadler requested your help, but his opponent is…” Suki heaved a sigh. “We’re losing an immense sum of commission,” said Suki heart-wrenchingly. “His opponent is your husband!”For a moment, Ivanka could not quite breathe calmly. Suki clutched her heart and said with difficulty, “It seems that this case is not meant for us. It’s torture to see such a large sum of money slip from our grasp.”Meanwhile, Ivanka played w
The man wore a black suit. He looked noble.The two sat opposite each other. He looked gentle as he spoke to Chiara.Ivanka smirked to herself. ‘What a coincidence!’Suki was puzzled. She turned toward in the direction where Ivanka was looking. Suki looked troubled when she saw the duo. “Why are they here too?!”Suki had spoken with so much agitation that Michael turned to look at them. His gaze turned razor-sharp when he saw Ivanka and Suki, and he thought. “No wonder she signed the papers without hesitation and even gave up the mansion. It looks like she’s trying to play hard to get.”Ivanka drew in a deep breath. She thought her next meeting with Michael would be on the day they registered their divorce at the City Hall. She did not expect to see him so much earlier in the restaurant.Ivanka met his gaze and turned away indifferently before dragging Suki to leave.Just then, they heard a voice calling in surprise, “Iv, there you are!”Ivanka turned around and saw Chiara. She
For a moment, Chiara held her cutlery even more tightly. Michael told her that he and Ivanka had gotten a divorce, but they had yet to collect their divorce certificate even though it had been so long!No way, Chiara must not let her efforts go in vain!She said solemnly, “Don’t do that. Why did you two decide to get a divorce so suddenly? Iv, there’s nothing between Mic and me. Why won’t you trust him? If you dislike seeing me around him, I will stop keeping in touch with him in the future.”As Chiara was speaking, she turned to Michael and said seriously, “Even if Iv wants to leave you, I shouldn’t stick my nose into your business and causing you two to split up. Mic, women are very easily pleased. Say some nice things to her, and she won’t ask for a divorce anymore.”Ivanka narrowed her eyes and thought. “She has such a way with words. She’s basically saying that it’s a shame to be dumped by a woman and that I’m throwing a tantrum and that I’d be scared if he really files for
The hostility in Michael’s eyes was so great that it looked like he was about to kill her with his gaze alone. He then left without a single word.Chiara’s lips curled upward. Her poise was one of elegance and regality.Unbothered, Ivanka looked away and continued the discussion with Flint.After the discussion was over, Ivanka called a cab.She touched her neck habitually, and her expression changed suddenly.Where did her necklace go?!“Sir, please turn around and go back to the Imperial Mansion.”She must have been in a hurry to leave and forgot to put it on.After an hour, Ivanka entered the mansion.The moment she entered the bedroom, Michael was already standing before her dresser. He was lost in his thoughts as he examined his watch.Ivanka was puzzled. Over the past three years of their marriage, he had never entered their bedroom. Today, he was looking at the watch that she once gave him. He used to despise the watch and threw it on the floor. Ivanka was the one wh
It took a little over an hour before Ivanka arrived at the Barkworth family’s mansion. She felt conflicted. As soon as they entered the mansion, they heard a cry of excitement. “Iv, my beloved granddaughter-in-law! Come and sit with me. I’ve been longing to see you day and night. Oh, you’re finally here!”Ivanka’s mask of calm cracked, and she could no longer hide the complicated emotions in her eyes. She forced a smile. “Grandma, I’m sorry. I’ve been busy—”Before she finished speaking, Rosie Johanson patted her hand gently and said softly, “Say no more. I know of all your troubles.”Ivanka instinctively looked at Rosie. In her puzzlement, she asked tentatively, “You… know everything?”That was impossible. If Grandma had known about their divorce, she would not talk to Ivanka in this manner.Michael also stared at Rosie in puzzlement.Rosie glared at Michael. Her heart ached for Ivanka as she spoke gently to her, “Yes, I know everything. Mic has absolutely stepped out of line.
Ivanka gave Michael a sarcastic smile. She knew that he must be thinking that she complained about him to Rosie.In the past, Ivanka had tried to avoid having Michael misunderstand her. But now… hah!Even if he misunderstood her, it no longer mattered to her.It was not as if it would do any harm to her.“What’re you staring at?! Iv is not the one who snitched on you. You’re the one who saunters to the hospital every single day and don’t even bother going home. Do you think I’m blind?!”Michael pursed his lips and remained silent.Rosia continued nagging at Michael throughout dinner and did not show him the slightest bit of mercy.Meanwhile, Ivanka was happy to see this. In fact, she felt as if she had vented her anger. Ivanka chatted with Rosie a little longer before she left the mansion with Michael.But this put Ivanka on the spot.Grandma was unaware that they had divorced, so she had to get into Michael’s car.However, she no longer wanted to have any sort of contact w
Michael gnashed his teeth and hissed, “Ivanka…!”Ivanka smirked. She turned into a corner without looking back. Then, she went down the hill through a path that could only fit one person.After some time, she reached a large road. By then, Michael’s car was out of sight, and Ivanka felt relieved.She wrapped her arms around herself and walked under the moonlight and streetlights. The grass was green, and everything appeared to be at peace.She heard the sound of insects. In the past, she was usually in a hurry whenever she passed by the place. She hardly had the time to take a stroll and admire the panoramic view like today. She waited for a while before the cab arrived. Once it sent her home, Ivanka took her bath and felt refreshed.Although she had been living alone in the past as well as the present, she felt an indescribable sense of relaxation at present. In the past, she always had Michael in her mind. Yet now, she could focus on her career. However, she could not help but
After Ivanka realized this, she turned around and said to the nurse, “I got it. You can do your work now.” When the nurse saw Ivanka reacting like this, she knew Ivanka would take care of Theodore. So, the nurse said nothing else and left. After the nurse left the ward, Ivanka pulled the chair and sat in front of Theodore. “I wondered why you set my phone number as your first contact person. Are you doing this to warn yourself about me? It’s simply ridiculous that they called me. They may not know about our current situation, but you know it well, don’t you? I won’t take care of you, but I won’t watch you die either. Based on your current state, I’ll conduct several drug tests on you.” Ivanka stared at Theodore and sneered. She deliberately said that to Theodore. If her guess was correct, he could hear what she said. Moreover, Chiara had been to the hospital with Ivanka not long ago. Chiara had also disappeared within her sight for a short period of time. Theodore remaine
In other words, if Ivanka ignored this, as Theodore’s first contact person in his phone as well as his relative, Ivanka still needed to bear the full responsibility when the police arrived. Ivanka was undaunted. She was about to say something when Xavier interrupted, “What’s the purpose of this hospital? It’s to save people’s lives. When you find out the contact of the patient’s family in his phone, you contact them. But if not, is the hospital an institution that forces them to pay the bill?” When the nurse came in, she did not notice Xavier standing by the side. Xavier originally did not understand the context of their conversation. After listening to it, he finally figured it out. Moreover, he became aware of Theodore’s case after it became a headline on Twitter. Ivanka was a strong-headed woman. If she refused to do something, no one could force her to. When the nurse saw Xavier, she stuttered, “M-Mr. Quinn.” Xavier dismissed her. “Go and do your work. Since he has aw
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