“Weren’t you just badmouthing Michael a moment ago? Why did you make it sound as if he is slightly better than Ivan as soon as we talked about Ivan?”Whether or not it made sense to compare the two of them, it made sense to Sandy.Ivanka was right about what Sandy was thinking as well.Sandy nodded. “Even though Michael was a jerk, he only had Chiara back then. When you married him in the heat of the moment, he also stated clearly that he didn’t love you, and he wanted to be with Chiara instead. But Ivan is different. He’s had so many women around him, but he never loved any of them. Has he claimed responsibility for any of them?“He just wants to lower my guard with seduction so that he can get what he wants. Men like him are shameless playboys.” That was what Sandy thought of Ivan.As it seemed, she truly loathed and despised him.Ivanka wanted to end this topic. “Alright, let’s stop talking about them. You didn’t call me just to lecture me, right?”Sandy denied immediately. “
However, Sandy refuted him immediately.“Stop it, Ivan. You disgust me.” There was a cold look in her eyes. It was filled with her contempt toward him.Ivan’s face fell instantly. “I was confessing my feelings for you. How’s that disgusting? You can say that you don’t believe me or accept my love, but you can’t deny my sincerity and all the things I have done for you.”Sandy was puzzled.His sincerity? She had not seen any signs of that!As for the things he claimed that he had done for her, she was rather curious about them. Hence, she asked, “What have you done for me?”Ivan explained eagerly, “I brought you to Mirvania and flew you back after that. Doesn’t it count?“You ask me to prove my sincerity. But I’ve told you repeatedly that I like you. Do you think that I’d waste my time on you if my feelings aren’t real?”He had explained himself clearly.It must have been hard for him to say all these things.Sandy gave a snort of laughter and immediately said, “I’ve made mysel
Ivan felt rather helpless and asked, “Do you think I came all the way here to argue about this, Sandy?”He came to see her and confess his feelings for her, but she had misunderstood his intention and they had ended up fighting.It was an unnecessary fight.He did not want to start an argument with her.Sandy smiled and asked instead, “Why else did you come here then? Have I not made myself clear? Or did you fail to understand what I said?”“I understand everything you said, and you’ve made yourself clear. But we haven’t even started dating. How do you know that I’m just trying to trick you?“Back then, I did try everything to get my hands on my mother’s necklace. But later on, I realized that you must have a good reason to keep it. If we end up together, then it doesn’t matter whom it belongs to, right?”Sandy understood what Ivan meant.At the end of the day, Ivan only wanted to date her because of that necklace. Without it or his mother, they would never meet each other, and
At that moment, Sandy smiled coldly. However, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes. The strange feeling in her chest grew stronger.Sandy had known Ivan for a long time, but this was the first time she ever felt this way. She believed that the Ivan she knew from before was not real but a facade.The real Ivan was an indifferent person!Ivan said, “Sandy, I’m just telling you the truth. I never planned on suing you. If I had, do you think we’d still be standing here talking? Yes, I really wanted that necklace before, but I didn’t take it to court. Do you think I would now?”Ivan’s voice grew hoarse at the end. There was a trace of sorrow in his eyes.He had not taken things to court. After falling in love with her, he definitely would not do so even more.Sandy’s heart ached more when she saw how sad Ivan was.She averted her gaze and stopped looking at him.She suppressed the strange feeling and forced herself to remain indifferent. “Whether you sue me or not, I’ll enterta
The McNeil family had always cared most about male heirs.Back then, when Sandy had nowhere to turn and no one to rely on, Ivan’s mother took her in.Over the years, the McNeil family grew more prosperous, but Sandy never kept in contact with them. Thomas had never lent her a hand before. His appearance might have been a coincidence, but his decision to step in and help her was certainly not.“You’re still part of the McNeil family. I’m your uncle. I couldn’t just stand by and let someone bother you,” Thomas said in a calm, indifferent voice.Sandy wanted to ask, if it was true, why did Ivan’s mother have to take her in? And why did no one help her all these years?But she held it in. She was no longer part of the McNeil family. After all these years, it was pointless to ask him these questions.Before leaving the car, she nodded politely and said, “Thanks for helping me out today, Thomas. Do you have any other business with me? If not—”Before she could finish, Thomas cut her o
She had not remained in contact with the McNeil family ever since Ivan’s mother adopted her.Anything that happened with the McNeil family was none of her concern. She carried the surname because of her father, not because of the rest of that family.She would never forgive how they had mistreated her.Just as Thomas was about to speak, Sandy cut him off. “Thomas, if there’s nothing else, can you drop me off at the intersection up ahead?”Thomas did not argue since Sandy had rejected his invitation. He told the driver to follow her request. Before Sandy got out of the car, he said, “Think about it. Your grandfather’s birthday is still a while away.”Sandy replied bluntly, “I won’t go. He has plenty of kids and grandkids. They don’t need me. I’m really busy. I’m going off now.”She did not wait for him to respond and walked away.After the encounter, Sandy felt very angry. She went to the bar, reserved a table, and sent her location to Ivanka.Sandy: Bestie, come hang out with m
These design drafts were the ones she had made before going to Mirvania. She had not had time to revise them properly.She was meeting him to provide an update. Finally, she could discuss the collaboration. It had been settled for a while. However, due to her busy schedule, things had been delayed.Jonah snapped out of his thoughts when Ivanka spoke. He looked at her and noticed how serious and focused she was. He shook his head and said, “There’s nothing wrong with your drafts. Iv, you’re amazing. If you give me more drafts, we’ll crush our competitors at the launch. I’m confident we’ll make Sadler’s Group and Lane’s Group the center of attention.”Jonah held Ivanka’s drafts while excited at the thought of the launch event where all eyes would be on her.Ivanka shared his excitement. She knew she had to seize these opportunities to make Lane’s Group more powerful. Through these collaborations, she could also prove herself to those who doubted her in the company.A few drafts alon
Jonah looked at Margaret with a frown. He was clearly annoyed.Margaret, on the other hand, was unhappy. “She can treat you at home. Why does she need to take you out? Jon, you know your condition.”His legs were weak and needed treatment. If he was not careful, he could end up permanently disabled.Jonah was fully aware of his situation and was frustrated that Margaret had brought it up in front of Ivanka.Even though he had a chance to recover, he was still stuck in a wheelchair. This made him feel worthless. He felt his confidence slipping away as he faced Ivanka.Jonah tried to shake off the feeling and spoke calmly. “I know. That’s exactly why I need to make the most of my treatment time. If you’re that worried, you can come with us. But I’d prefer you not say anything harsh. I’d rather you keep your distance when Ivanka is around.”After saying that to Margaret, Jonah looked at Ivanka and said, “Iv, let’s go.”Ivanka obeyed and gently pushed him toward the door.Margaret
“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