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.
Michael was happy to see the usually quick-witted Ivanka being speechless at that moment.He held her hand and walked toward the door. Ivanka tried to pull away a few times but failed. She sighed and let him take her.At the door, Evan’s jaw dropped when he saw Michael holding Ivanka’s hand. Michael looked pleased as they walked out of the room.If he remembered correctly, Ivanka had been cold toward Michael ever since their divorce and had even rejected him many times.Had Michael finally made Ivanka accept him?Evan could not help but admire him.Michael truly lived up to his reputation.Evan was still thinking about it as they walked downstairs when Michael shot him a sharp look.Evan was startled. Had he done something wrong?Just then, Ivanka spoke. “It’s getting late. Why don’t you all stay for dinner?”Evan finally understood why Michael had shot him that look.He was not going to let Ivanka cook for them. He certainly was not about to stay and interrupt their rom
Michael just smiled and did not argue. He thought that days like this were really nice.Although Ivanka still did not allow herself to become too close to him, she no longer pushed him away.It was a good sign.Michael was more confident that anything was possible with enough effort. He believed that if he kept trying, Ivanka would eventually accept him.Three days had passed since then.It was around 10 p.m., yet the office at Lane’s Group still had its lights on.Candice and her team were still there.Since Candice came to Boston for help, Ivanka had recognized her potential and offered her a position as a project team leader in her company.Candice proved herself capable. She secured a major client in no time and was busy preparing the report.Securing the client would significantly boost the company’s revenue for the year.Candice and her team had spent several late nights reviewing and revising proposals. She was often the last to leave the office.That night was no dif
Michael stayed around Ivanka like a pest. He fixed his gaze on her, but she ignored him. Meanwhile, on the other side of the line, Candice sneezed four or five times in a row. Ivanka asked if she had a cold. Candice rubbed her nose. “No. I have a feeling that someone is cursing me behind my back.” Ivanka chuckled before glancing at Michael. Both Ivanka and Candice had a hearty chat before Candice arrived at the rented house safely and soundly. She only felt relieved once she entered the house. After exchanging some pleasantries with Ivanka, Candice hung up. Inside the rented house, Candice’s heart was still beating fast. She somehow felt things were not as simple as they appeared to be. The next day, Ivanka went to work early in the morning. Michael insisted on sending her to work. Ivanka could not change his mind, so she gave in to him. Michael was reluctant to say goodbye when they arrived at the company entrance. The corners of Ivanka’s lips curved upward. She go
“Ms. Lane, I’m sorry to cause you trouble and involve a great deal of people for such a petty matter.” Michael gave a light smile. His voice was very charming. He bent down and looked at Ivanka from a subservient position. He sized her up before resting his gaze on her lips. He thought her lips were very beautiful. They looked rosy and delicate, even without lipstick. “Iv, I came from far away just to have lunch with you. You wouldn’t reject me, would you?” Although it was troublesome to send Ivanka lunch, it was a scheme to win her heart. Ivanka naturally could not turn him down. She took the lunchbox and saw it contained her favorite Bolognese pasta. It was still warm. Ivanka suddenly remembered something. She pushed Michael away and took her phone to call Candice. Michael read her mind. He raised one of his eyebrows and said, “I already had Evan give Candice her lunchbox. She’ll eat it inside the canteen so that she won’t disturb us. She already disturbed us last night
“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