It was the truth, but Michael disliked hearing it.However, things were no longer the same between them. No matter how much he hated the truth or how unhappy he was, he could not bring himself to go ballistic in front of her.He had wanted to persuade her with logic and hoped that his sincerity would move her.But recalling Ivanka’s attitude, Michael decided to back down and leave it for the time being.He asked hoarsely, “Are we dining out or at home? If we’re going out, I’ll tell Evan to book a table in a restaurant. If we stay home, I’ll tell him to bring the food over.”Evan would take about one or two hours to deliver the food.With that in mind, Ivanka shook her head. “I’ll get some ingredients at the supermarket downstairs.”“I’ll go with you.” Michael was quick to offer to keep her company.Ivanka glanced at him and saw that he was insistent, so she said, “If you don’t feel unwell, let’s go then.”“Sure,” Michael responded in a low voice and followed Ivanka out of the
But there was no way Michael would ditch Ivanka and leave alone. Besides, he was never one to back down from a confrontation.He even stepped forward and put Ivanka behind him protectively.Ivanka felt tightness in her chest, and her heart ached a little.Michael still had injuries on his body. If Mr. George attacked him, he could easily knock Michael to the ground. Even so, Michael insisted on protecting her in his poor condition. She would be lying if she said that she was unmoved by this gesture.Ivanka recalled how he had put himself in front of her courageously and took two bullets for her in Kingzillion Casino.At that moment, she could not describe how she felt about him.Certainly, she hoped that Michael would not get injured because of her again.She held his arm. Even though she said nothing to him, her actions spoke louder than words.In the next second, she locked eyes with Mr. George and chuckled. “I barely know you, so just cut the useless pleasantries and get str
Mr. George did not take Michael seriously at all. Every word he said tested Michael’s limit and patience.As Mr. George spoke, his smile had a hint of mockery, and his eyes were cold and taunting.Michael was enraged. He stepped forward and attempted to attack Mr. George, but Ivanka held him back and shook her head. She deliberately lowered her voice and said, “Don’t act impulsively!”There were only two of them. Although Mr. George had shown up alone, who knew if his men were hiding somewhere and ready to strike?If they clashed, Michael and Ivanka would be outnumbered.Michael had not recovered from his old injuries. Ivanka could not let him get injured again!Michael turned and looked at Ivanka. His eyes were filled with concern. He was signaling her to leave first.But there was no way Ivanka would do as he said and run away on her own.If she wanted to go, she would go with Michael. She would not leave him behind and let him deal with Mr. George alone!“We couldn’t be bot
Michael swung his elbow at George. It was fast and sharp, just like his usual style.Before making his move, he had glanced at Ivanka. She understood the message immediately and discreetly took out her phone.Michael trusted Ivanka to have his back. They had built such a level of trust over time. But his injury slowed him down. His movements were not as smooth as before and left an opening.George was no novice. He stepped back to dodge, grabbed Michael’s wrist with one hand, and aimed an elbow strike at the joint of his arm with the other. The strike was powerful and vicious, as if he wanted to break Michael’s arm.Michael frowned. Pulling his hand back was not an option. He might dislocate his shoulder if he tried.Instead, he raised his leg to force some space between them. Then, with his free hand, he aimed for George’s neck. George had to back off to avoid being taken down.“Mr. Barkworth, you’ve still got it,” George said. He was slightly out of breath but stared at Michael
Ivanka did not know how he found out. But she certainly had to be very careful.She and Michael exchanged a glance. Both of them wore the same cautious expression.George did not give them much time. He got into an attack stance and was ready to pounce at any second.Michael subtly stepped in front of Ivanka to shield her.She was caught off guard by his actions and stared at him.This was not the first time. He always stood in front of her without a word, no matter how bad his condition was.They were standing so close that she could hear his uneven breathing.She knew he must be in extreme pain. Otherwise, he would not let it show.She did not know how to feel at that moment.They had just discussed things and decided to go their separate ways. She did not want to be entangled with him anymore.Yet, at that moment, she could not deny that she was moved.“It’s alright. I’ll protect you.”His voice was a little raspy, perhaps because of his injury. Instead of sounding unple
The driver kept the ride smooth while still trying to go fast.Michael may have tricked Ivanka a little, but his injuries were real. They were starting to bleed.He always wore black, so no one could notice the blood unless they looked closely. It always gave Michael an advantage.George could not see the injuries, so he had been wary and did not dare to act too harshly. George would not have let them go so easily if Michael had worn a lighter shirt.Ivanka watched Michael as he suffered. Her nose became stuffy, and she almost cried.Michael leaned on her shoulder. He was so tall that the position felt awkward and hurt his wounds all the more. But it also brought him close to Ivanka. He could smell her unique scent, which was soothing.When he heard Ivanka sniffle, he froze for a moment.“Did you cry?” Michael struggled to sit up. Ivanka quickly supported him. When she noticed that Michael was worried, she felt a little embarrassed and quickly touched her face.However, she d
At that moment, in front of him was Ivanka, the woman he loved deeply. It felt as if the whole world had faded away, leaving only the two of them.For a moment, Ivanka did not know how to react. Michael thought to himself. “She didn’t push me away. Does that mean she doesn’t dislike me, or maybe she even likes me?”Such a thought made Michael ecstatically happy.Just as he got swept up in the moment and was about to hold Ivanka tighter to deepen the kiss, she pushed him away.“Sorry, I was too forward,” Michael said. He struggled to explain himself, though he did not really want to.He could not help it. He longed for this.Ivanka did not say anything. She did not know what to say either. All she could think about was the kiss.Seeing her like this, Michael only wanted her more. But he restrained himself.When they arrived at Ivanka’s place, the private doctor began to treat his wound.Michael’s expression was difficult to interpret. He frowned wordlessly. Occasionally,
Ivanka’s heart sank. She had expected such a question.She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them, the confusion in her eyes was replaced by clarity.She turned to face Michael.Michael’s gaze was intense as he watched her. He held onto her hand tightly. He was afraid she would pull away if he loosened his grip.But she would not. Ivanka wanted to talk honestly with him too.He said, “Iv, you didn’t push me away. That means you don’t hate me, right? Maybe you still have feelings for me? Stop lying to yourself. Don’t hold back how you feel anymore. Okay?” His voice carried a mix of hope and nervousness. He worried she might say something that would shut him down.Ivanka lowered her gaze and said nothing.Michael saw this and continued, “I know I messed up before. But I’m asking for a chance to make it right. I want us to have a future together.”Ivanka turned to look at him. She did not look disgusted, which made Michael feel relieved.Their eyes locked.
Instead, she remained standing in front of Jimothy and studied the group of men with a smile.“He works at our company. Since I’ve run into him, I’m obligated to come over and check on him. Pray tell, what has happened between you and why do you feel the need to resolve it with violence?”Jimothy stared at Candice while she stood with her back facing him. The look in his eyes was conflicted.The men exchanged glances with each other and saw a hint of astonishment in one another’s eyes.The man at the front of the group, who was likely their leader, said, “We just get paid to do this, lady. You should stay out of it.”When Candice heard his advice which also sounded like a threat, she did not intend to back down at all. Instead, she asked him, “Oh? How much did you get for this? I’ll pay you double. I just told you that this guy works for us, so I have to intervene.”The leader started laughing, and so did the men behind him. They did not even bother to hide the mockery in their t
Candice ordered some food she liked, and the dishes arrived soon after.Sandy suggested that they all took a picture together.The others did not object.Sandy gave her phone to the waiter.Then the five of them moved their chairs to sit in a row.Michael and Ivan each took the outermost seats.Naturally, Ivanka was seated next to Michael while Sandy, who paid for the dinner, was right beside her.Next to Sandy was Candice, who sat awkwardly in her chair. Ivan was beside Candice.The second the waiter took the picture, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances inadvertently. Meanwhile, Ivan stared past Candice, and his eyes fell on Sandy.Sandy and Candice were the only people who looked into the camera.But each and every one of them had a genuine smile on their face.Once they had taken a picture, they started eating together.It was a nice, relaxing dinner. They did not talk about work or how annoying Coco had been.They mostly chatted about the fun anecdotes they had he
The call was soon answered, but the person who picked up was not Rosie. It was Mrs. Ruth.“Ms. Lane, you finally called! Mdm. Barkworth will be over the moon when she wakes up!” Mrs. Ruth sounded quite excited as she spoke.Ivanka smiled and asked, “Is Grandma resting now?”“Yeah, she hasn’t had a good rest after learning that you’d be kidnapped. Once you were safe, she finally allowed herself to rest.”Ivanka nodded and told Mrs. Ruth to take good care of Rosie. She later said that she and Micheal would visit Rosie soon.With that, she hung up the phone.Meanwhile, she also reflected upon herself.Rosie had gotten old, yet Ivanka always made her worry. From that moment on, Ivanka would consider the consequences before making any decision. It was not only for the sake of herself, but the important people in her life, who also cared about her.As she contemplated this, Ivanka inevitably thought of the gathering. It would be quite fun.Before they were about to get off work, San
Coco practically ran out crying.Candice glanced at Ivanka worriedly and asked, “Will something bad happen to her?”Ivanka was not concerned at all. “What could possibly happen? She is an adult. Even if something bad happens, she has to bear the consequences of her own action.”Hearing that, Candice no longer fretted over the matter.She was not really worried about Coco. She was just afraid that something would happen to Coco, and Ivanka would be blamed for it.But Ivanka had made a good point. Candice did not want to trouble herself with Coco’s matters. It would only be an unnecessary emotional burden to her.Everyone in the office began discussing the progress of their project.Perhaps it was because Ivanka had made an example of Coco, the other employees became especially energized and diligent during their discussion.They were even more focused than before, since they were all afraid that Ivanka would treat them harshly as well.Hence, they were particularly efficient.
“Why don’t we leave now so that you can deal with this matter, Ms. Ivanka?”The director of the project department, who was perceptive and shrewd, planned to leave right then. Ivanka shook her head and signaled everyone to sit down.They were all uneasy, and they kept giving Coco weird looks.Two people had dared speak to Ivanka like that in the past—Ferris and Mandy.But those two were no longer with the company.At the thought of those people, the project department staff began looking at Coco with pity.However, Coco could not care less. All she wanted was to make a fuss.She wanted to see how shameless Ivanka could be.Unruffled, Ivanka stared at her. She did not get angry and seemed rather affable as she asked, “Tell me what upset you. Have we falsely accused you of something you didn’t do?”Before Coco said anything, Ivanka added cruelly, “Oh, I forgot that you aren’t familiar with the protocol here, so you have no idea what you did wrong, right?”Coco paled. Undoubte
Candice was momentarily stunned by his answer. She was a little offended.“Then why did you come to my office for this conversation?” Jimothy’s grin was mischievous. “To prove your company’s HR is blind, and you just lost a great talent. That’s all.”With that, Jimothy stood up, dusted off his sleeves dramatically, and turned to leave.“Your resume!” Candice called after him.Jimothy waved dismissively without looking back. “Keep it. Enjoy reading it. And don’t let an incompetent HR handle your interviews again.”Candice stood there for a moment and processed the scene before an involuntary chuckle escaped her lips. This one had personality.Regardless, the incident served as a wake-up call for Candice.It became glaringly clear that Coco was not only incompetent but also prone to overestimating her abilities.Before the task was assigned, she had the chance to decline. Candice had given her the opportunity and explicitly asked if she could handle it. Yet, Coco confidentl
The college student finally believed her and walked toward Candice.On the other hand, Coco seemed guilty and was desperate to prevent it. “He has no respect for our company! Are you really going to hire someone like him who won’t follow orders?” Coco’s tone was sharp. Her finger trembled as she pointed at the young man.She scanned the room for backup in hopes that the people who had been flattering her earlier would speak up in her defense.Unfortunately, no one stepped forward.Those who flattered Coco only did so out of respect for Ivanka. Yet Candice had a close relationship with Ivanka and was the company’s vice president.The gap between a vice president versus an intern was as vast as night and day.Anyone with common sense knew where to align themselves.Coco felt a mix of despair and resentment.Candice ignored her entirely. Why Ivanka was so wary of someone as clueless as this was beyond her comprehension.Coco was simply dumb.Without wasting another thought o
However, reality proved she had worried for nothing.Candice had called her over merely to ask if she had the most basic professional knowledge and whether she could handle the afternoon’s interview.Coco let out a deep sigh of relief before patting her chest confidently and assuring Candice she was more than capable.Knowing Coco came from the mountains, Candice was naturally skeptical, so she asked again, “Are you sure?”Coco thought to herself that it was just an interview. All she needed to do was just ask the candidates some questions. They could just choose someone who wrote the resume well.Not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Michael’s cousin, Coco pretended to be confident and accepted the task.Candice was half-doubtful, yet she still gave her instructions and let her go.However, Coco’s firm assurance eventually led to trouble....“Your company must be a joke to hire someone like you for HR. You’re offended? You’re not even a real professional. What? You ca
Word quickly spread within the HR department. After learning about Coco’s connection to Ivanka, some colleagues were vying to curry favor with her.Although some observant individuals noticed that the relationship between Coco and Ivanka was not as harmonious as it seemed, it did not deter the opportunists. Relentless flattery and attention poured in.One moment, a male coworker would offer to grab her food while placing his own lunch order. Next, a female coworker would ask if she wanted to order some coffee too.At first, Coco was caught off guard and politely declined. However, as she realized their intentions were purely self-serving, she began to accept their gestures without hesitation.By midday, Coco had become the department’s little queen. Ironically, as an intern, she should have been the one fetching coffee, running errands and collecting mail. Instead, she had colleagues practically lining up to do those tasks for her.Coco quickly assembled her own little e