Jonah felt a sharp pain in his chest when she said that.Ivanka knew how he felt, but she still kept her distance. She would not give him a chance, even though she had no one else in her life and was not planning to get back with Michael.The recent news had been weighing on Jonah. He did not want to upset her, but he could no longer hold back.“Iv, you know everything. So why won’t you give me a chance?” asked Jonah. His gaze was serious and filled with sorrow as he looked at her.In a low, hoarse voice, he added, “You’ve divorced Michael. What does he have that I don’t? Or do you think less of me because I’m crippled?”Hearing that broke Ivanka’s heart.She shook her head. “No, you’re better than he is. But love doesn’t work like that. I know how you feel, and I know you’ve let go of the reason you first approached me. When you protected me back then, I saw you as someone I could trust with my life. You risked your life for me, and I’d do the same for you.”“I’ve never looked
“Let me pay for you and Mr. Sadler’s bill today,” Chiara said confidently.Ivanka smiled. “Alright, I’ll wait for you.”After she ended the call, Jonah asked, “What would you like me to do?”He noticed the playful smile on Ivanka’s face. From the start, she had been dropping him hints. He could tell she had a plan, but he wanted to know what it was and why she was involved with Melanie.Ivanka explained, “She’s after the Willy suburbs project. She’s trying to bait me into her game. I’m going to pull her into mine instead.”She wanted to have Chiara completely under her control.Jonah nodded. He understood what was going on. Soon, Chiara arrived and busied herself tending to both Ivanka and Jonah.When pouring a cup of water for Jonah, she “accidentally” spilled it all over him. She said, acting shocked, “Mr. Sadler, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to!”Jonah smiled calmly. “It’s fine.”If Ivanka had not mentioned Melanie’s plans earlier, Jonah might have believed it was just a m
Ivanka continued to observe Chiara from the side. She did not expect Chiara to target Jonah and wanted to play her dirty little tricks on him this time. If not for the fact that Ivanka wanted the game to go on for a while longer, she would be very tempted to record the scene and send it to Michael. Ivanka wanted him to see Chiara’s true colors. For Ivanka’s sake, Jonah continued to behave like a gentleman until Chiara left. It was only then that Jonah revealed his true thoughts to Ivanka. “Iv, are you causing me trouble? She doesn’t look like a smart woman. I wonder why you would think of getting close to her to play the game. There isn’t any project from the Levine family that is worthy for you to nail down.” Although Lane’s Group was no longer how it used to be, it still had collaborations with Sadler’s Group and other existing collaborators. Besides, Ivanka had Michael to back her up. Jonah knew all this. This was what he thought, and so he asked the question. Ivanka
Ivanka instantly made herself clear. Upon hearing her sentence, Jonah’s heart sank. He looked sad. He asked, “If I don’t help you with this, you’re not going to help me out, right?” Ivanka felt embarrassed upon hearing his question. She quickly explained herself. “I don’t mean that. I’m playing along with what you said and giving you my word.” While saying this, she looked anxious. Seeing Ivanka in her current demeanor, Jonah felt sad. Even though he knew it, he still wanted to ask to make himself feel better. He smiled. “I understand. Iv, in return, I wish you could… Forget it. I won’t say anything more. After all, you certainly won’t agree with it. To say anything more than this would be me wasting my breath.” There was a tinge of misery to his smile. Seeing Jonah in his current state, Ivanka felt sad too. She was the reason Jonah fell to this state. She pursed her lips and said, “I understand how you feel, but I think our friendship can last longer than if we’re
Ivanka wondered if this was the real reason Sandy came to her house without hesitation. She felt speechless and resigned. Ivanka shook her head. “You already said that to me many times before, and I’ve stopped associating myself with Michael. I already did everything I could and explained to him. If I still stay beside him, that will only reflect badly on myself.” While saying this, Ivanka sighed. Sandy sneered, “What’s the point of you telling me all these? You should look at yourself in the mirror at how you react to the real situation. Whenever I rebuke you, you still glued yourself to him. If this were the past, I believe you would have had a few children with him.” Ivanka fell speechless. She wondered if gods had given Sandy the guts to mock her this way. She had, indeed, been very perseverant and passionate about Michael in the past. Speaking of which, she wondered why she never showed her passion toward Michael during their three-year marriage. Although she was v
Ivanka shook her head in resignation. After that, she smiled. It looked like this strategy of hers and Jonah worked. Sandy had not only taken it seriously, but as her friend, she was also worried that Ivanka would get caught in it. Ivanka was touched. But she knew it would never happen. Ivanka knew herself best. She felt a whole slew of complicated emotions about Jonah. She was grateful for him, trusted him, but she never liked him. She did not have the same kind of crush that a couple normally had for him. She thought their current relationship status was the best arrangement. “Sandy, thank you for your concern. I understand that you’re doing me a favor and worrying about me. But I’m in a different state of mind these days. Love doesn’t matter so much to me anymore. This is especially after experiencing a failed marriage. I don’t want to destroy a hard-won friendship. Jonah and I are very compatible, but only as friends. Besides, I never thought of other possibilities between
Jonah rolled out on his wheelchair while looking around and asked, “Is your friend leaving?” Sandy poked her head out of the kitchen and teased him, “Jonah, it seems like you’re eager to watch me leave Iv’s house. I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m going to clean your room with her and even stay back to have dinner. You don’t mind it, right?” Jonah smiled gently. His voice was very charming. Listening to him would make one feel soothing and comfortable. “Of course not.” Sandy smiled and revealed her pearly whites. “I’m glad you said that.” After that, Sandy helped Ivanka to clean the house inside and out. Meanwhile, Jonah did not just sit there and do nothing. He helped to serve the ladies drinks. He took his task seriously. Sandy was relieved to see this. She was worried that Jonah would adopt the habits of a typical young master, who was picky and not helpful at all. This would be especially bad for Ivanka. After cleaning the house, the three of them became closer.
Ivanka thought for a moment before giving a nod. “You’ll wait for us at home, then. I’ll buy you some daily necessities.” Ivanka explained to Jonah. He could not help but laugh. The corners of his lips curved upward, and he looked approachable. The distance between them drew closer because of his smile. Ivanka was annoyed. “What are you laughing about?” Jonah waved his hands. “You look cute when you explain things to me in such detail.” Ivanka was a little stunned. Meanwhile, Sandy was sensible enough to look away. As the saying went, it was best to ignore things that had nothing to do with her. Sandy did not expect Jonah to be so flirty. Ivanka said nothing. The atmosphere was slightly awkward. Jonah noticed this. He realized that his words had been too flirty and over the board for a friend—Sandy. Jonah said, “Alright. I’m hungry. You may go now and come back early.” It was only then that Ivanka and Sandy left together. When they left, they did not say anything
“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