Rosie hesitated to speak, but Ivanka smiled and said, “So, Grandma, humans get tired and change. The two of us couldn’t be together, but we’re more harmonious now than we were before. What do you think, Grandma?”Previously, Ivanka had felt so suppressed that she could barely breathe. Her mother-in-law looked down on her and excluded her from everything, while her husband hated her. He desperately wanted to kill her, she had to deal with a lot of stress every day.Now, she did not have to suffer through all that anymore. She just felt very relaxed. She did not have to be wary of other people’s attitudes before doing anything. She just needed to protect the ones she cared about.In addition, her grandmother did not have to worry about her anymore.Rosie could not help but sigh. “Sigh… I give up. I won’t bother the two of you again.”Ivanka’s tension instantly eased at this moment.Even her mood gradually got better. As long as their grandmother did not force them to be together, s
To get the Barkworth family to acknowledge Chiara, Mindy had to suppress her hatred and willingly acknowledge Ivanka as a member of the family.However, her recognition was still very subtle—both of them were members of the Barkworth family.Rosie saw Ivanka as her granddaughter, but… she was not as accepting of Chiara. On the other hand, Mindy did not acknowledge Ivanka as her daughter. She was obviously telling Rosie that Chiara would be Michael’s wife.However, Rosie did not refute her this time. “We’ll talk about it after Ms. Lane marries into our family,” she said indifferently.Mindy looked at Rosie in surprise. Rosie had no objections?If this had happened in the past, Rosie would have probably argued that Ivanka was her only granddaughter-in-law. Did she just change her mind?Did Chiara stand a chance now?Even Chiara looked at Rosie in surprise. Rosie had apparently changed her mind after her latest visit to the cathedral.Mindy and Chiara looked at Ivanka at the same
Ivanka chuckled. “I’ll pick you up when Grandpa goes on his next business trip.” “That’s so thoughtful of you.” Rosie was happy, and she smiled genuinely. Ivanka chatted with her during their meal, and the atmosphere was harmonious. Meanwhile, Chiara and Mindy sat opposite them as if they were outsiders. Chiara tried to provide an explanation for yesterday’s incident, but Rosie merely focused on Ivanka. She did not even give Chiara a glance. Chiara then remembered her parents’ advice. They had reminded her to not bring up the issue and act magnanimously instead. Chiara hesitated for a while, but eventually, she managed to hold back the urge to defend herself. She found the food to be tasteless. Ivanka, on the other hand, had a full meal as she chatted happily with Rosie. However, she still had other things to do. “Grandma, I have to get back to my work. I’ll visit you again when I’m free,” she said with a smile. Rosie smiled back and nodded. “Go ahead. If you’re busy, you d
Ivanka’s face sank. Chiara had shown up and said a lot of things to her without recording anything with the dash cam. Even if she was trying to lure Ivanka to say certain things just before she turned on the dash cam again, Ivanka was not afraid. After all, even if the record was made public, what could the netizens do to her except criticize her? Ivanka lived for herself, and the netizens’ harsh remarks would do her no harm. Ivanka turned to Chiara and snorted. “You know why I slept with him that night, don’t you?” Chiara’s expression changed slightly. The next moment, she hissed. “I care about him the most. Why would I set you up with him?!” “You’re right. You didn’t mean to set me up with him. It was just an accident, wasn’t it?” Chiara seemed furious, and Ivanka was even more sure of her guess. Chiara had intended to set Ivanka up with another man to sever her ties with the Barkworth family. However, Chiara did not expect Michael to be set up on the same night. As a re
Ivanka’s lips twitched as Chiara remained headstrong. If the incident last night had not left her without a way out and destroyed the good image she had built for years, she would not have been so cranky. Ivanka chuckled. “I’ve never thought of reuniting with Michael. In fact, I can see that he isn’t paying attention to you, Chiara. Even though you lay in bed in a ‘coma’ for a year, he merely showed you some pity. Your marriage will be based on the fact that he’s indebted to you. Do you think your marriage will be different from mine?” “Of course my marriage will be different from yours!” Chiara mocked Ivanka without hesitation. “I’m not you. I’ll never force him into marriage on the grounds of him being indebted to me. He doesn’t like you, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t like me. Just you wait, Ivanka Lane!” Ivanka smiled and nodded. “In that case, I wish you all the best. I hope you’ll be able to resolve your current deadlock situation. Otherwise, everyone will see you as a cl
The corners of Chiara’s lips curled up slightly. “As for your father, he died very early. Don’t you think you’re the jinx that led to his death? “Your father was obviously fine. Why did he fall sick all of a sudden? Besides, he suffered from such a serious disease. Why did he have a heart attack out of nowhere? He never had a heart attack before that. Ivanka, don’t you think your presence just brings bad luck?” Ivanka’s heart tightened, and her face turned pale. It was not because she believed that she was the jinx that had caused her father’s death. It was because she had no idea of her eldest uncle and his family’s true colors in the past. She had always trusted them. Ivanka recalled the past and remembered that her father had been in good health before he suffered from a sudden serious disease. Her father’s disease was so serious that he passed away before Ivanka could rush back and see him for the last time. Chiara chuckled and patted Ivanka on the shoulder. “Ivanka, you
Before this, Ivanka had planned to walk her own path and reclaim her family’s fortune to prevent her father’s hard work from falling into Theodore’s hands. However, only now did she realize that her father never died from a serious disease! If Theodore and his group were the ones who had caused his father’s death, Ivanka would personally send them to jail. She would not spare them! Ivanka took a deep breath. It looked like she had to visit the Lane family’s mansion someday, but not today. Ivanka drove to the law firm instead. The lawyers in the hall noticed her cold expression, and they did not greet her. Even Abel kept quiet. When Suki noticed Ivanka’s expression, she asked in bewilderment, “What’s wrong? Were there some issues with St. John Cathedral?” Suki knew that Ivanka had taken Rosie to St. John Cathedral in the morning. Ivanka shook her head and answered, “No.” “What’s wrong then?” Suki stood up and poured her a glass of water. Ivanka took the glass but did n
Ivanka returned to her senses and looked at the door. “Come in.” Soon, someone pushed it open. Abel stood at the door and smiled at Ivanka. “Ms. Iris, I would like to ask you some questions.” Ivanka was puzzled. “Have a seat.” Abel walked up to her, and his charming smile gave off a warm vibe that made him approachable. He then passed his notebook and documents to Ivanka. “I recently received a case. I thought it was a sure win at first, but the opponent just obtained some troublesome evidence. I couldn’t find a way to win. Please have a look.” He did not say anything further. After all, everyone knew that Ivanka had the ability to solve this. Ivanka looked at the documents and appeared extremely calm. By then, she had controlled her emotions and returned to her senses. Abel took the opportunity to size Ivanka up. Instead of leering at Ivanka like other men, he stared at her with admiration. Ivanka did not care about this. After she read the documents, she passed them b
“I deserve everything that’s happening to me now. But please don’t involve my family in my mistakes…” Ethan clasped his hands together and sincerely begged everyone to spare his family. Ivanka spared him a brief glance before turning off her cell phone. Although she was helping herself to some meat, Michael could see how she felt at the moment. “Why don’t we…” Michael asked for her opinion. But before he finished speaking, Ivanka interrupted him. “Now that he’s released a video like that, if I continue to hold him accountable, I’d be the one in the wrong.” Michael immediately replied, “I can step in—” “You? It’s better if you don’t. Everyone knows your relationship with me now.” Before Michael could finish his sentence, Ivanka immediately interrupted him. Although they were not officially remarried, Michael often went out with her. If anyone else were to see this, what difference did it make? Michael understood, but he really could not bear to see Ivanka getting bulli
After they finished taking pictures, Ivanka greeted everyone politely. “After finishing your meal, go home early. It’s snowing, so drive safely. Bye…” Ivanka subconsciously reminded them. She belatedly realized she had been acting as though she was really an idol. Nonetheless, she treated them with sincerity. She had not done this for Michael’s sake. She did this mostly for the sake of the innocent, inexperienced young ladies who had yet entered the society. These young ladies raised their phones warily and asked, “Could we take a picture together?” They were so worried that their invitation would be turned down, so much so that when they talked, they almost bit the skin off their lips. Ivanka could not bear to reject them. It had not been easy for her to finally reach the private room. Michael teased her, “Our celebrity finally arrived. It looks like you’d best wear shades wherever you go in the future.” Ivanka glared at him and said gruffly, “Stop teasing me.” She paused
After that, Ivanka politely bowed to the people who had been watching the drama in the main hall. She smiled at them. “Sorry for making a fool of ourselves. We encountered two tricksters who wanted to eat the meals for free by calling themselves the friends of the restaurant owners. It happened that I know the restaurant owner, so we easily uncovered their tricks.” By saying that, Ivanka was able to save the hot pot restaurant’s and the Barkworth family’s reputation. Her statement could result in a win-win situation, and the reason was acceptable. Ivanka continued, “Sorry for causing a stir and affecting your dining mood. I’ll foot the bill for everyone who dined on the first floor. How does that sound?” She was not trying to curry favor with the people or to show off her wealth. She simply did not want the people to hate the wealthy. One could not deny that this method worked. Right after Ivanka made her statement, the crowd thanked her. The commotion was no more than ju
The young lady did not know what to do, so she turned to the restaurant manager. The restaurant manager nodded in approval. It was only then that the young lady left the restaurant. Before she left, she glared at Coco. Coco glared back at the young lady and pointed at her viciously. Coco shouted, “Come back! I’m not done with you yet! Who permitted you to leave now?!” The young lady’s body shivered a little. Still, she gnashed her teeth and left. Ivanka watched the young lady’s back as she drifted away. Ivanka stood in Coco’s way because she did not want Coco to chase after the young lady. Ivanka did not want to make a big deal out of the situation. Otherwise, the Barkworth family would be the one who suffered disgrace. After all, Coco stayed in the Barkworth family’s mansion, and everyone knew that Rosie doted on her. If it continued, Ivanka was worried about Rosie’s later years… Ivanka rubbed her temples in resignation. It looked like she needed to resolve the issue as
The restaurant manager thought for a moment before saying, “Ms. Fishbourne, the restaurant has its own rules. Only three types of VIPs could reserve our private rooms while the rest could only enjoy normal seats. I have reasons to believe that our front desk told you the same when you called. We may not have empty seats now, but we’ll have one shortly after.” Coco recalled the situation and remembered that it was exactly like what the restaurant manager had mentioned. So what? Things have changed these days. Coco was no longer an ordinary woman. Her words could even move the earth. With that thought in her mind, Coco chuckled. She kept her tyranny and mockery to herself before locking her little finger with the young lady’s at the front desk. The young lady at the front desk looked down at her finger before glancing at the restaurant manager helplessly. The restaurant manager himself, too, was caught in trouble, so he could not do anything else to defend the young lady. C
Little did Coco know that her behavior was no more like a clown in the crowd’s eyes. Ivanka felt disgusted. Although she could not put herself in Coco’s shoes, she could understand the thoughts of a sensitive person. Ivanka could sympathize with a sensitive and cowardly person. But she could not find herself sympathizing with Coco. Coco’s low self-esteem should not be the reason for her to behave like a crook. Michael, on the other hand, already finished discussing with the restaurant manager and entering the private room. Ivanka lagged behind him. She had no intention of entertaining Coco, much less inviting her to eat together. No doubt that the private room was able to accommodate four people. But based on their relationship, Ivanka thought she had been kind enough to not find fault in Coco, much less eating together. Meanwhile, Coco continued to argue with the restaurant manager. She argued until her face reddened. Although the restaurant manager already made hims
The temperature was above freezing point, so the snowflakes melted before they even reached the ground. The trees were covered in snow. At a glance, they looked like a blanket of pristine snow. The big trees looked as if they had been covered in snow-white new clothes. Ivanka was a little surprised at such a scenery. Even though she often went for business trips in the north and had experienced snow, skied, and various other experiences, it was a rare sight to experience snow in their city. Instead of snow, they looked more like an ice sheet. The snow there was different from the cities in the north. They easily fell on their hair. In just a while, their hair turned snowy white. Ivanka took out her phone and took a photo. Then she shared it with her friends in her WhatsApp group. Meanwhile, Michael took photos of Ivanka. Michael hardly posted anything on Twitter. After a moment, he uploaded a photo of Ivanka taking photos of the scenery.The caption was: Experiencing
Michael glanced at Ivanka.Ivanka kept her eyes lowered and focused on nothing in particular. Both of them tacitly agreed not to bring it up.“Let’s go out to eat,” Michael said. Ivanka agreed without hesitation.If they got ready and left at this time, they would be just in time for lunch.She went upstairs to freshen up. Michael did not rush her. He just smiled, as if he was telling her to take her time.Ivanka felt a little embarrassed and touched the tip of her nose. Truthfully, she was the one in a hurry because she was the one starving.Five minutes later, she came back down.She had changed into a long black down coat that reached her ankles. It was practical and warm.But the weather was still unbearably cold. This winter was harsher than usual.“Let’s go.” She rubbed her hands together and looked at Michael.Michael was on his phone. He was smiling and looked relaxed. With just a glance, Ivanka could tell he was probably making a reservation.Their long-standing
Ivanka slept in the next day. By the time she woke up, the sun was already streaming through the window, casting light across her bed and face.In a way, the sunlight had forced her awake.She frowned slightly before slowly opening her eyes. The brightness left spots in her vision, so she instinctively raised a hand to shield herself before getting out of bed.It was already past 10 a.m.She had no idea how she managed to sleep so much, especially after napping all afternoon the day before.Then again, maybe she was just that exhausted. So much had been going on lately.Fortunately, it was Saturday, so she did not have to go to the office.That was probably why her internal clock had not woken her at seven as usual.Come to think of it, her body’s internal clock was quite accommodating.On workdays, no matter how tired she was, she always woke up at seven sharp. But on weekends, that never happened. She could sleep in as much as she wanted, which was pretty great.She lay in