Michael typically avoided interacting with women, especially those with overly delicate and sugary tones. It always struck him as odd and unsettling.However, Ivanka was there with him.The young nurse stood in front of him. Her head was lowered like a schoolgirl who just got scolded. She would not leave without his forgiveness.Meanwhile, Ivanka quietly ate her breakfast by the side. The whole situation did not seem to concern her.That made Michael feel a little frustrated. He frowned and said, “You said it wasn’t intentional, but it felt like the opposite.”His question made the nurse’s face pale immediately. “Um…”Michael’s gaze was sharp like a dagger.The nurse fidgeted with her hands and continued to stammer in a humble tone, “Mr. Barkworth, I swear it wasn’t on purpose. It really wasn’t. It’s just that your presence is so overwhelming. I-I-I find it hard to breathe when I get close to you.”Michael’s commanding presence was undeniable.His sharp and cold features only
“Michael, if you don’t care about your health, why bother getting treatment? You might as well just go home and wait to die!”A mocking and indifferent voice came from not far away.The words carried a strong sense of disapproval toward Michael.Michael and Ivanka turned toward the source of the voice. Ivan, dressed sharply in a tailored suit and carrying his briefcase, approached them at a deliberate pace. His words were not the only thing dripping with annoyance. His expression radiated coldness and contempt.Ivan had clearly come looking for Michael. The moment he heard Michael was at the hospital, with Ivanka by his side, he dropped everything and rushed over.He knew full well that while Michael’s health was fragile, the man was not made of paper. One little shove would not knock him over. Assessing the scene in front of him, Ivan quickly caught on to the situation.Michael, however, shot him a sharp glare. He was silently telling him to shut up.Ivan raised an eyebrow
Ivan’s words made Michael fall silent and threw him into a bout of introspection.So, was Ivanka’s annoyance with him mostly because he did not act like a patient enough?Did that mean he needed to act more like a patient?Seeing Michael lost in thought, Ivan seized the moment and continued, “Women are soft-hearted. And come on, you were her husband once. No matter what, you two were married. If something happened to you, do you really think she’d just stand by and let you die?”Her husband once…Those words hit Michael like a dagger.Once.If he could not win back Ivanka, that word would define their relationship forever.Noticing Michael’s expression growing even darker, Ivan sighed. “Just get back in bed, will you? Let her take care of you for now. And listen, don’t feel guilty about it, and definitely don’t act like you did earlier. If I were in your shoes, well, let’s just say I wouldn’t waste this chance.”Otherwise, he could have tried the same approach to keep Sandy by
If the artery near his heart ruptures, it would lead to massive bleeding. Michael could die instantly without a chance for resuscitation!Therefore, Michael needed complete bed rest right now. No stress, no overexertion, not even casual walking around. He could not do anything that required strenuous movement!The first priority was clear, which was to completely eliminate the residual drugs in Michael’s system. However, given his current condition, even something as drastic as a full blood transfusion was not an option.Michael’s case was proving to be increasingly complicated.Ivanka, remembering how Michael had yanked out his IV and gotten out of bed just moments ago, felt a surge of anger rise within her. She was so furious she wanted to kill him!She threw the test results onto the table. “You’ll have to be the one to tell Michael. He doesn’t listen to a word I say. Tell him this, if he wants to live, he’d better follow the doctor’s orders. If he wants to die, then he can lea
Seeing Ivan catch up to her, Ivanka frowned. “What do you want?”Ivan wasted no time. “I need your help. I need you to set me up with Sandy.”He did not beat around the bush. This was, after all, the main reason he had come to the hospital today.Back in Mirvania, he had already asked her once. At the time, she had said they could talk about it once she returned home. However, Sandy just called her yesterday to talk about Ivan.Her tone was dripping with disdain and frustration when she talked about him.Ivanka shook her head. “I can’t help you with that. If Sandy likes you, and you like her, then I…”“If we both liked each other, do you think someone like Sandy would need anyone to play matchmaker?” Ivan interrupted before she could finish.Ivanka was momentarily at a loss for words. She could not deny that Ivan was right. With Sandy’s personality, if she really liked someone, there would be no need for anyone to step in.Still, the dynamic that these two shared was rather c
Of course, there had also been Samuel, Michael’s grandfather, orchestrating their marriage.Before Ivanka could say more, Ivan realized he had misspoken and hurried to explain. “Wait, that’s not what I meant! I was talking about before. Now Michael’s different. He really wants to fix things and make it up to you. Just forget what I said earlier!”His flustered response amused Ivanka. She teased him, “Spilled words are like spilled water. I already heard them. Do you really think I can just ignore them?”She was not deaf, after all. There was no taking back what he had just said.Ivan looked visibly annoyed with himself. He thought. “Why couldn’t I keep my mouth shut? If Michael finds out what I’d just blurted, he’d probably kill me. Seriously, I have a knack for saying the wrong thing.”“All right, enough of this. I’m busy, so I have to go. As for Sandy, if she’s open to considering you and you manage to prove that you’re reliable, I’ll help where I can. But if she has no intere
Ivanka was at a loss for words for a second.She had not expected Ivan to say something like that.Did he just assume she was going to see Sandy?Ivanka felt resigned. “Fine, I’ll call you a cab and have it take you straight to Sandy. Also, why not just ask Michael for money?”Her last point hit the nail on the head.Ivan was momentarily speechless. She was not wrong. It did not make sense for him to go to her instead of Michael. However, with the agreement he and Michael had made, there was no way he could let Ivanka leave alone, especially not when he needed to stop her from potentially meeting Jonah.With a long sigh and a look of exaggerated helplessness, Ivan said, “I thought about it, but you know how it is. Men have their pride, or what little of it we have left. Look, I get what you’re thinking. But if you just take me to Sandy, then fine, let me be pitied. I’ll take it. If I didn’t mean it, do you think I’d still be standing here asking you like this?”His words were
Therefore, Ivan came clean and said, “I do intend to help you and Michael, but I’m also truly broke. Many people refuse to believe that. You’re the only one who was willing to lend me money right away. As for Michael, I haven’t told him about my predicament.”With that, he had explained why Michael did not help him out.He also wanted to convince Ivanka that he was telling the truth.Ivanka was not interested in whether Ivan had told Michael about his financial problem. She was bothered by what he said in the beginning. He wanted to help her and Michael out.Did he know the current state of their relationship?For some reason, everyone around them failed to see that.Ivanka pursed her lips with resignation. “We’re already divorced. We have been separated for quite some time. I don’t know what’s with you all. Do you seriously think that we can get back together again? If we could just make up, why did we get a divorce in the first place?”People indeed could remarry, but if they
“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
Ivanka noticed that the distance between the both of them were a little too close. She moved a little to the side as a form of silent resistance to Micheal’s behavior.Michael only felt lonely for a moment. But he then quickly returned to normal as if nothing had happened.“Candice hasn’t finished giving her statement yet. I know you have to keep her company today, but I don’t agree that you should just sleep here. I’ve booked a hotel in the neighborhood. In a moment, I’ll explain to the people from the police station and send the two of you there.” Ivanka seemed to be a little hesitant.Michael said, “It’s just nearby. It’s about a kilometre away. I’ve reserved two rooms. So, if we need to rush over at night, we can just come over together again. Besides, if you sleep in the lounge for the night, both of you will catch a cold.”Ivanka hesitated and finally nodded.She thanked him and turned to go into the lounge to wake Candice up.Michael’s voice called out from behind her.
The two looked at each other and spoke a name. “Ferris Clark.”“Ferris Clark.” Michael laughed first. Ivanka followed suit. “Speaking of which, it actually has something to do with me. When Candice came, everyone knew I brought her in. When she first came in because she did not have any experience, she was only offered a position as an intern team leader. She thought that she would be transferred to a permanent position after she did a good job. But her report never passed after that. It was stuck in Ferris’s hands. “I will go to the board of directors tomorrow and continue to submit the report. This time it will have to be passed no matter what. I will also take the opportunity to find an excuse to test Ferris. If it’s really him…” Ivanka did not finish speaking, but the ferocity in her eyes made Michael silently pray for Ferris in his heart.Ivanka changed her tone. “But if it’s not someone from Bostone, then we have to consider someone else.”The tacit understanding betwe