“Looks like you really enjoy arguing with me.”Ivan sighed with resignation.Meanwhile, he stepped forward and approached Sandy while still maintaining distance. Sandy frowned. “What do you mean by that? When I took the case, I didn’t know you were hired by my client’s ex. Besides, what’s the point of talking about all this? Do you have anything important to discuss? If not, I’m leaving now.”She and Anna were shopping. Ivan had interrupted them.Sandy detested him!Seeing that she was about to leave, Ivan chased after her. “Why are you leaving? Anna is gone, but I can shop with you.”Sandy stared at Ivan, who caught up to her, with a grim expression. “Aren’t you broke? If you shop with me, can you afford to pay for my things?”Hearing that, Ivan had to address this issue, since he was the one suggesting that they shopped together. “I can’t afford them right now, but I can carry your stuff.“This is why I asked you to drop the case. I’m penniless and need money, but I don’t wan
After Michael hung up the phone, Ivanka started tidying up his room.She initially planned to let him stay in a spacious room so that he would not run into furniture when he moved around. Moreover, she was worried that since he grew up with a silver spoon, he might not get used to staying in a small room.The larger room was quite a distance away. It was not really a big deal to Ivanka. On the contrary, she thought that it was a good thing. It was better for them to leave each other alone and coexist in peace. But Michael did not like this arrangement.He said that if they were too far apart, Ivanka would not be able to learn about Michael’s condition should anything happen.Ivanka was quite bewildered. What was the worst that could happen?“Given your condition, I don’t need to keep monitoring you. There won’t be any issues.” She crossed her arms and looked at Michael casually. She wanted to see what other excuses he could come up with.Michael did not plan to make any excuses
Michael stared at Ivanka greedily and hungrily. She knelt before the coffee table with slightly disheveled hair. There was an air of sensibility, restraint, and passion in her beauty. Michael’s eyes traced her eyes to the round tip of her nose. He swallowed reflexively.She was even more beautiful when she focused on doing something. Perhaps he was seeing her through rose-tinted glasses? She was more stunning than ever.Unaware of his thoughts, Ivanka put down the pen and handed the shopping list to Michael. He reflexively looked away and refused to meet her eyes, which puzzled her.Michael turned away and inhaled deeply. After he was certain he had regained composure, he looked back at her and took the list.He looked through the list and picked up the pen to add a few items. It did not take long. Ivanka had gotten almost everything covered.Michael returned the list.Ivanka wondered why he became so considerate all of a sudden. Perhaps there was a catch. When she got the list b
Ivanka’s intention was clear. She wanted him to deal with the young women without getting her involved.But Michael would not let her get away with it.He smiled at her. It sent a chill down her spine. She had a bad feeling about what was going to happen next.Ivanka’s fear came true when Michael said to her gently and pleadingly, “Let’s go, my dear wife. Aren’t we going to shop for my underwear?”Stunned, the two young women gawked at each other. For a moment, they were too shocked to excuse themselves and leave.Awkwardness spread among them.He had called her his wife and even mentioned underwear. Anyone would get the wrong idea about their relationship.But the only people feeling awkward were the young women who asked for Michael’s number. Ivanka’s eyes widened with disbelief. She gave an angry bark of laughter.Meanwhile, there was a sly, smug smirk on Michael’s face.“What the heck? She’s his wife but she said nothing when we approached him. She just wants to embarrass
Michael found the worked-up side of Ivanka was adorable.Every time he saw her like that, he would wonder why he had never noticed this side of her before.But it was not too late. He had a chance to make it up to her.They shopped around the food aisles and the fruit section. Ivanka did the picking. Michael did not have anything that he particularly wanted to eat. Once in a while, he would take some items, but they were all Ivanka’s favorite food. No one could say for sure that it was on purpose or just a coincidence.After buying the groceries, Ivanka took Michael to the underwear store.Perhaps it was because of their exchange with the two young women earlier on, Ivanka stopped feeling awkward. She was rather at ease.The strange, romantic tension between them gradually faded.The sales assistant asked who Ivanka was shopping for. She pointed to Michael and let him tell the sales assistant what size he wore.Noticing that Ivanka was not in a good mood, Michael stopped stalli
They worked in the kitchen for a while and produced a table full of scrumptious dishes.Ivanka was a great cook. It surprised Michael a little.After all, when they were married, he had only seen her make a bunch of dishes and place them on the table. He never touched them.Seeing Michael’s expression, Ivanka gave a faint, bitter smile. “The cook didn’t always come over. I couldn’t starve myself to death when I was home alone, right?”Michael kept his head down and said nothing. He knew Ivanka was implying that he rarely came home when they were married.But he would not let it happen again.He would try his best to make it up to her.When they were eating, Ivanka switched to a news channel. She deliberately did it to avoid further interaction with Michael.Oddly enough, she could stand dining with Michael at the same table.But she could not bring herself to properly converse with him during mealtime or bedtime.It was too private of a pastime. She did not want Michael to ge
Michael nodded. “I need some air. It’s suffocating in here.”“Alright.”Ivanka decided not to argue further.As they stepped outside, a cool breeze hit them. Ivanka tossed him a light blanket. “It’s a bit chilly. Take this if you’re going out.”Michael had been upset that she let Jonah stay, but her thoughtful gesture comforted him.Perhaps listening to Ivan and Xander was not so bad after all.“Sure,” Michael said with a nod.Ivanka had hoped that giving him the blanket would make him give up on the walk. But no, he still wanted to go.She gave up and just let him be.After walking a bit, she grew worried. “I think you’re overthinking it. I’ll bring you to another check-up tomorrow.”She suspected that Xander had fabricated the report. With Michael’s demands added to it, everything about the situation felt off.“If you’re that worried, we can go get it now. No need to wait.” Michael went along with her suggestion.He stopped and looked at her intensely.Ivanka met his gaz
Michael: Thanks for letting me stay and for going out for a walk with me today when I insisted. I couldn’t bring myself to say this in person, but I didn’t want to leave with regrets. My days with you have been amazing.Ivanka felt a sharp pang after reading those words.Things would not have ended like this if he had said this sooner.She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She did not reply and instead opened the next message.Jonah: Iv, can you come by tomorrow? My legs are hurting badly. I’m worried it’s getting worse.She knew Jonah would not lie about something like this just to get her to come over, especially with how much Margaret hated her.She could not help but worry.Ivanka: I’ll come first thing in the morning.Right after she sent the text, Jonah called.He asked gently over the phone, “Why aren’t you asleep yet? Did Michael bother you?”Jonah stayed at her place for two reasons. The first was to treat his leg, and the second was to stop Margaret and
“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