“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
“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
It was perhaps because Ivanka was so outstanding that Candice never saw her as a peer but rather as a role model.Being praised by someone she admired so deeply was naturally a source of great joy.But Candice never said these feelings out loud, nor would she.Ivanka patted her on the shoulder. “Good job. Now get back to work and start getting comfortable in your new role. On Friday evening, Michael and I will help you with your move.”Candice nodded. She had no objections to the arrangement.For some reason, the previous incident had made its way to Rosie’s ears. Rosie had insisted that Candice move into the family’s mansion.Unable to find a reason to refuse or to push back further, Candice reluctantly agreed.“Then you and Michael will be staying for dinner at the family mansion on Friday, right?”Ivanka nodded, figuring they would likely need to stay the night as well.“Don’t overthink it for now. Get back to work, and just wait for me after work on Friday.” Candice no
Ivanka and Candice got into the car together.Candice instinctively took the front passenger seat while Ivanka and Michael sat in the back.The car moved smoothly toward the family mansion.Michael glanced at Ivanka and noticed her fiddling with her phone. Quickly, he leaned over, cast a shadow over her, and snatched the phone from her hand.“You’ll get carsick.”Ivanka frowned. Her gaze locked on Michael as she extended her hand. “Give it back.”Michael did not budge. Ivanka raised her voice a little. “Give it back. I’m in the middle of something important.”Michael’s striking eyes fixed on her. It was as if he could see right through her.“What’s so urgent? Isn’t it just about someone poaching employees from your company? Do you really need to spend all your time resolving it?”Ivanka’s brows furrowed even tighter.From the front seat, Candice turned around to look at Michael in surprise. “Michael, you know who is behind this?”Michael glanced at Ivanka and said, “Not on
It was still early. Michael told the driver to head over to Candice’s former residence and help her move.Her neighborhood was not a secluded area, and the facilities were not too old. But these houses were mostly for rent. There was a mix of ordinary citizens and people with shady backgrounds among the residents. The security measures in this neighborhood were unsatisfactory.Ivanka helped Candice pack her clothes and other household items, while Michael instructed the movers to pack the furniture.“Leave this. Dispose of that.”When Ivanka and Candice walked out of the bedroom, they saw Michael sitting on the couch with his legs crossed and ordering people around like a boss.Well, he was not simply acting like a boss. He was the boss.Since he decided to leave so many pieces of furniture, the movers’ job had gotten much easier.Candice hurried over and stopped them. She said with resignation, “These are still useful, Mic. Why would we throw them away?Michael glanced at the
Unfortunately, her sly cousin beat her to it.Defeated, Candice rubbed her nose awkwardly and sat down opposite Ivanka.Rosie saw what happened between them and could not stop smiling.When Rosie was young, she was stern and decisive. She implemented strict household rules and banned everyone from talking during mealtime. But as she got older, she seldom had a chance to meet up with her grandchildren.Therefore, she started chatting with them at the dining table.Rosie started off by asking how Candice was doing.Candice was modest. “I’m doing fine these days. Hopefully I have not caused trouble for Ms. Lane.”“I see,” Rosie said. She looked at Ivanka and said teasingly, “What about you, Ms. Lane?”That form of address startled Ivanka. She nearly choked on her soup. She turned away and started coughing. Rosie told Mrs. Ruth to bring her a glass of water.Before the water arrived, Michael reacted quickly and immediately put down his cutlery. He wiped his hands on the napkin
But given the state of Ivanka’s relationship with Michael, it was not appropriate for them to move back home together.Ivanka tucked her hair behind her ear. “I don’t think it’s a good idea. I don’t want to be a bother to Grandma.”Rosie disagreed with her. “You won’t be a bother. I’d be thrilled to have you both back. You’ll keep me company!” Ivanka smiled, but deep down, she was trying to come up with an excuse to persuade Rosie while not hurting her feelings.If she did not handle this matter properly, Rosie would bring this up again, even if she backed down this time.Candice could tell how conflicted Ivanka was, so she came to her rescue. She said to Rosie in a child-like manner, “Am I not enough to keep you company, Grandma? What have I done wrong?”As expected, Rosie shifted her attention to Candice. She tapped a finger between Candice’s eyebrows adoringly.“You brat. Are you getting jealous? Of course I adore you. I just want all of you in the house. No one is getting r
Ivanka later realized that Michael’s excuse had been a trap!But at the end of the day, she would never expose his lie and embarrass him in front of Rosie. With that in mind, Ivanka gave a cold snort.She would let him off the hook just this once. If he did that again, she would certainly teach him a lesson!Ivanka felt lethargic when she came to work the next day.Candice saw her when she came over to hand her a contract. She could barely hide the smile on her lips.Seeing Candice’s smile, Ivanka knew that she must have gotten the wrong idea.But at that point, Ivanka did not have the strength to explain herself, so she let Candice be.After signing the contract, Ivanka capped her pen and said, “Do you need me to go with you? This is not an ordinary assignment. The other party would come prepared. I’m worried that something might happen to you.”Candice picked up the contract on the table and said with a smile, “We live in a society with laws and regulations. What are they goi
Still, Ivanka made a show of reaching out to help Chiara up.Her tone, however, remained clear and unmoved. “Begging me won’t change anything. I’m not Jonah. If you’re going to plead with someone, it might as well be him.”“But he listens to you.” That was why she had to ask her to do it.Ivanka frowned. “Jonah isn’t some little pet I raised. He’s not going to do whatever I say. Melanie, you’re oversimplifying everything. You should really be focusing on how to lock down your next deal and solidify your footing in the Levine family. That’s what matters now. We should order something before a server walks in and sees you like this. That wouldn’t look good, don’t you think?”With that, Ivanka let go of her hand.Chiara had never intended to actually stay kneeling anyway, especially not after Ivanka reached out to help her up. The moment had played its part.She was not going to give up just yet.“Iv, could you at least bring it up to Jonah for me? I… There’s a show at Springvale
Seeing Ivanka about to leave, Chiara quickly got up to block her path.Ivanka smiled and said, “I don’t need anything from you. I really do have something to take care of, so let’s have the meal another time.”“But your schedule is always packed. If I want to see you again, it’ll be nearly impossible. Iv, didn’t you say we’re good friends? Are we not even close enough to share a simple meal?” Chiara drew in a breath. Her voice was laced with disappointmentHer eyes were already turning red.“Hmm, I noticed this cafe serves light meals too. Let’s just eat here.” Since she had not openly fallen out with Chiara yet, and Chiara was so insistent on putting on another act, walking out at that moment would only make her seem like a bad friend.“Iv, they only serve light meals here. I was hoping to treat you to a proper dinner. I... Actually, I was wondering if you could do me another favor?” Chiara asked tentatively.The fox finally showed her tail.No wonder she had laid it on so thic
Chiara lowered her head. “Iv, things have been really difficult for me in my family. Because of your introduction, I got the chance to meet Jonah. You talked about bringing a friend along last time, but neither of them ended up working with me. If I can’t land a deal soon, I’m afraid…”Her voice filled with hesitation, grievance, and sorrow. She sighed.“Aren’t you presenting yourself as Jonah’s fiancee these days?” Ivanka replied coldly. Seeing her act so meek and pitiful, Ivanka sneered.Since she was publicly claiming to be Jonah’s fiancee, surely the Levine family would not be treating her so poorly.“I am, but it’s all fake. And now that you’re back, do you really think Jonah would still let me keep playing as his fiancee?”The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. Tears even rolled down her cheeks.Ivanka only found the sight nauseating.Chiara’s acting had really reached a masterful level. Honestly, it was such a waste of talent that she was not in showbiz.“Ev
Jonah was the Sadler family’s primary heir.If he was incapable, how could he and Michael have made it onto the list of Bostone’s most sought-after elite bachelors?Hearing him say such things, Ivanka felt horrible.“Jonah, I’m really not as great as you think I am. With everything you have going for you, it’d be very easy for you to find a beauty who loves you. I’ve got things to take care of today. I have to go.” As she said that, she pushed Jonah away.If she kept talking to him like so, it would only make things worse. His emotions were already unstable. If he really did something reckless, it would become a scar neither of them could ever erase.She was set on leaving. Jonah had no way to stop her.He could only ask about her plans for the next day. “Will you be coming by around the same time?”“I’ll come in the afternoon.”Since she was back in Bostone, some matters at Lane’s Group needed her attention.At that point, there was no way she could ask Jonah to move in wit
Realizing Jonah was losing control, Ivanka quickly removed the medication from his body.Her voice was calm. “Jonah, your emotions are very unstable right now. You need to rest. I’ll carefully consider the next step of your treatment.”She turned to leave, but how could Jonah possibly let her go?The moment he reached out to grab her, Ivanka swiftly stepped aside.However, Jonah did not give up.In a moment of desperation, he pushed himself off the bed, only to crash to the floor with a heavy thud.The sound froze Ivanka in her tracks.When she turned around and saw Jonah on the floor, she rushed to his side. “Why would you do this to yourself, Jonah? Please calm down and think about it. Everything I’ve said to you is the truth. Even if we could get married without caring what they think, what about later? What about our future children? Would they have to grow up being treated differently too?”She had seen the end of her marriage to Michael long before it arrived. That was wh
Margaret let out a disdainful laugh. The corners of her mouth curled in contempt. Coupled with the look of disdain in her eyes, her contempt for Ivanka was as clear as day.Ivanka could tell Margaret was trying to provoke her, but she did not take the bait. “I don’t need to go crying in front of Jonah. If I really wanted something, do you honestly think you could stop him from giving it to me?”People in love usually lost all reason.Jonah had proven how stubborn he could be when it came to her. If she so much as hinted at something, he would do it without hesitation. In fact, he would get it done immediately if it meant proving his love to her.She just did not want Jonah to be rejected by his own family. Plus, she had no real expectations when it came to love. If she had cared that much, she would have made her move long ago.To Margaret, Ivanka’s words sounded like clear provocation, so she was not about to back down. “As long as I’m still alive, you really think I’d let so
In the face of Laura’s meltdown, Ivanka’s words seemed a bit smug.She was doing it on purpose.“You! Ivanka, how can you be so shameless as to say such things? Are you still a woman?” Laura’s hand, which was pointing at her angrily, trembled uncontrollably.Laura’s tears fell like a snapped pearl necklace. Ivanka laughed in a low voice. “Of course I am, otherwise how did I become the one Jonah wakes up to every day? Laura, since things have come to this, you’d better hurry home and stop embarrassing yourself here.”“What’s the point of chasing after someone who doesn’t like you like this?”She acknowledged Laura’s persistence toward Jonah. But insisting too much would turn into clinginess. Jonah’s dislike and disdain for Laura was clear. He never once gave Laura a chance. Even so, Laura refused to give up.Sometimes she did not think thoroughly before doing things. “Whether there’s a point to it is not for you to say!”Laura was still persistent.But the next second, Iva
It would not have been nice for Ivanka to be present during Jonah’s conversation with his mother. The Sadler family’s house was large. She went directly to the grass field outside.Margaret had a Golden Retriever. When Ivanka saw the maid bring it out to play, she immediately squatted in front of the Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever was very gentle and did not bite. Margaret saw the Golden Retriever wagging its tail at Ivanka. The gesture was clearly a sign of fondness and affection for Ivanka.Even the dog liked Ivanka, and she still did not like her. Could she really be the problem?Margaret began to contemplate and reflect on herself. As she was trying to approach Ivanka, someone had already walked up to Ivanka first.This person was no other than Laura, who she had once hated.When Laura saw the cozy scene of a person and a dog. She instantly rushed to Ivanka. “Ivanka, you’re so despicable. You won’t even spare a dog. Are you planning to drug it too?!”Ivanka kept
However, Jonah seemed to have heard some hilarious joke. “Do you really mean well? Do you mean well by trampling on my feelings?“You said everything started because of Ivanka. Why don’t you say it all started because of you?”Jonah let out another rhetorical question.He was extremely emotional.Margaret could not bear to watch him like this. She roared, “Enough, don’t think that I’ll compromise and stop interfering with you guys if you are like this!”Jonah laughed slowly. “Then what you said before was nonsense. Since I can’t get what I want, what else is left if I cure these legs?“You really don’t get it. You think that I’m driving you to your grave when it’s the opposite. Then what kind of mother-son bond is there between us to speak of?”At the end of Jonah’s speech, the mockery at the corner of his was extraordinarily obvious. His eyes even seemed determined.Margaret sensed it.“Are you going to cut ties with me for Ivanka?” Margaret found it incredulous. When she ask