Before Ivanka said anything, Candice started rambling about a random request.Ivanka refrained from saying a word, because she sensed that something was off.Perhaps Candice had not mispressed the emergency button. Her distress message was real!Just then, Leonardo snatched Candice’s phone right out of her hand and put Ivanka on speaker.Ivanka’s voice rang out. She sounded calm and did not betray a hint of emotion.“Go on. What is it?”Candice knew that Ivanka must have realized that she was in a dangerous situation.She heaved a sigh of relief. Her plan worked to a certain extent.She said, “I realized that there are some mistakes in the contract Dan Geralds submitted. Please review it as we need to submit it soon.”On the other end of the line, Ivanka frowned. There was no one named Dan Geralds in the company.She instantly knew that Candice was in a very dangerous situation.Ivanka inhaled deeply and made sure that she sounded as calm as possible so that whoever was th
Ivanka knew she had been out of line, so she immediately apologized.“I didn’t mean to offend you. This is urgent. Candice went to a business meeting today, but something happened. I need your help to ask the police to track her phone.”About five minutes later, the conference room door opened again. Evan stepped in. He looked apologetic.He lowered his head and said to the board members, “I’m sorry, everyone. Mr. Barkworth has some urgent business.”Ivanka and Michael left the company and split up after that.One of them returned to the office to check where Candice might be and investigate Victory Edge Corporation’s background. The other went to the police to ask them to locate Candice’s phone.Fifteen minutes later, Michael sent a location.Twenty minutes after that, they were both heading to a mountain resort.Michael called her and asked, “Do you know who’s behind this?”His expression was grim.Ivanka looked troubled, too. Speaking through her Bluetooth earpiece, she re
Candice had a feeling that there was something in the wine.She looked at him and shook her head.“Thanks, but I don’t want to drink. I need to head back later.”“Head back?” Leonardo’s smile turned sinister. He seemed to find it incredibly amusing and burst out laughing.Candice flinched at his reaction. She quickly grabbed her pepper spray from her bag. She kept a close eye on him and was wary of his next move.Before she could think, Leonardo held the wine glass in one hand and grabbed her chin with the other.His grip was so harsh that it hurt her.Candice placed both hands in front of her chest and tried to create some distance between them. She immediately began struggling violently.Leonardo became even more ruthless. He pinned the back of her head and tried to force the wine into her mouth.Candice realized she could not break free. So, she reached out and knocked the wine glass to the floor.The glass hit the floor and shattered into pieces.Some of the shards even
“Candice, open the door,” Leonardo said. His tone was calm, which only made it more unsettling. Candice knew him too well.She pressed her hand over her mouth and tried to stay silent. She could not risk giving herself away.“I’m saying this for the last time. Open the door!” His voice was sharp as he lost his patience.As soon as he finished speaking, he grabbed a chair and smashed it against the bathroom door.Candice let out an involuntary scream.“Open the door!” His tone grew frantic. Each strike against the door was more violent than the last. The relentless banging seemed to echo in her chest.She glanced around the bathroom desperately to search for something to defend herself. There was nothing. Her chest tightened as the weight of her helplessness bore down on her.To make matters worse, the bathroom’s glass door began to crack. Thin lines spread across it, jagged and sharp. It would not hold much longer.Candice’s heart clenched tightly.“Open the door!” Leonardo sn
Candice fought back with all her strength. She punched, hit, and even bit down on Leonardo’s hand so hard that it tore off a chunk of flesh. She did everything she could to push him away.Leonardo must have been in extreme pain. He slapped her across the face so hard that her ears rang.He bound her hands together with a tie.Once she stopped struggling, he resumed trying to strip off her clothes.She pushed him away, but it was useless. He was too strong. It was a losing battle.Tears rolled down her cheeks as she closed her eyes.She tried to comfort herself by thinking that the pain would be like a dog bite.Just as Leonardo was about to pull off her pants, the door suddenly burst open.Candice heard a familiar voice. It sounded strong and commanding. “Only female officers go in! The rest of you stay outside!”Candice instantly recognized Ivanka’s voice. Relief surged through her.That sense of safety made her entire body relax. She knew Ivanka had come to save her. She
Everything was over. The one who took it the hardest was Mandy.She later discovered that the person who had reached out to her was Leonardo. She also learned about Candice’s kidnapping from Ferris.It appeared that Leonardo had initially planned to collaborate with Mandy. The real target, however, was likely Ivanka.Candice had only been a step in the process. Ivanka had always been the ultimate goal.Yet, before the plan could even begin, it was abruptly abandoned.Whenever Mandy thought about this, frustration consumed her.Suddenly, a bold idea came to her.Perhaps she could use this situation to her advantage.The next time Ferris visited her, Mandy prepared a lavish meal to entertain him.During the meal, she casually brought up the topic.“Ivanka might’ve kicked me out, but it’s obvious she wanted to use me to embarrass you. Looks like she’s trying to assert her dominance. Doesn’t this feel like another factional struggle to you?” Mandy said.She carefully studied Fer
Candice held out her hand and blocked them.“If you’re brave enough to talk behind someone’s back, at least have the guts to face them. Cowards.”The two employees trembled. They realized they were at fault and did not dare to argue. They could only apologize repeatedly. One of them even slapped her own face and said, “Sorry, Ms. Candice. I just ran my mouth. I won’t do it again.”Candice did not budge. She stared at them sharply and said coldly, “The company doesn’t need employees who gossip, especially those who spread rumors about middle management. Go to the finance department and settle your wages.”The two pleaded for mercy. The ones who had been so animated while gossiping were now dumbfounded.Who would have thought she would get caught gossiping just to fit in and lose her job?Candice did not linger. She walked away and left them to stare at each other in regretful silence.Less than an hour later, the whole company was buzzing about what had happened.Everyone was
But Ivanka was untouchable.There was no way to blame Candice either.Ferris had no choice but to storm off in anger.Although he was fuming, he still made sure to slam the door behind him when he left.Ivanka found it amusing.She did not ask Candice about the incident afterward and had no intention of doing so. Whether it was intentional or accidental, Candice had done nothing wrong.Ivanka still had that much control.In the end, the office gossip, which lasted only a few hours, was completely shut down.Mandy, on the other hand, was so furious when she found out that she nearly lost control. But it did not matter.All she could do was grit her teeth and swear, “One day, I’ll make Ivanka and Candice infamous. They won’t be able to hold their heads up again!”Ivanka had no idea about Mandy’s plan, nor did she care. It had no impact on her.If Ferris had been pulling the strings behind Mandy, Ivanka might have taken it more seriously. But that was in the past.In the futur
By the time Ivanka and Michael got off the plane at Mirvania, it was already 9 p.m. Before boarding the plane, Ivanka had WhatsApped Vincent. Therefore, the moment they got off the plane, Vincent had Njord to pick them up. They saw Njord immediately after getting off the plane. The moment Njord spotted Michael behind Ivanka, his expression instantly turned black. Njord recalled how Michael had schemed him before this. “Why are you coming with Ms. Lane? Ms. Lane, have you hired him as your bodyguard?” Njord cussed at Michael before asking Ivanka. Ivanka was aware of the grudges between Njord and Michael. But since Njord came with a group of people, Ivanka looked solemn and rebuked him, “He’s my friend. Njord, you can’t say that to him.” “Ms. Lane, if he’s truly your friend, I’ll naturally show him my respect. But the truth is, after being with you for such a long time at the casino, how can a person like him be considered your friend?” Njord said without hesitation when ment
“Got it.” Chiara behaved submissively in front of Jonah. Jonah swept her a cool glance and did not reply to her. Their meeting with Margaret had ended up unhappily. Little did they know that right after Chiara left, Laura came. Compared to Chiara, Laura, at least, genuinely loved Jonah, and Margaret knew it. In the past, Margaret did not entertain her. This time, she allowed Laura to enter the house. This gave Laura false hope. She asked, “Aunt Margaret, are you willing to accept me?” “To be frank with you, if not for the fact of Jonah’s current condition, I wouldn’t have accepted you. I’ve only allowed you to enter the house because I’ve some questions for you.” Margaret spoke without hesitation. Her tone was cold. Laura looked at Margaret in puzzlement. “Aunt Margaret, what do you want to ask me?” Laura’s gaze was filled with expectancy. Margaret pursed her lips. Then she said coolly, “You’ve fallen head over heels for Jonah, haven’t you? Since you love him, could
Margaret had always wanted a daughter-in-law. Besides, the girl had to come from a wealthy family. Jonah had done so according to her will and took Chiara home, but Margaret refused to accept her. “I want a genuine couple relationship. What are you guys doing now?” Margaret’s expression was dark and cool. She took a step toward Jonah and did not even glance at Chiara. Chiara knew it was better to fall silent at that moment. Jonah said calmly, “We’re in a genuine relationship. She needs a husband. I need a wife. Would our union cast any doubt?” Melanie had just reunited with her family. Her family did not favor her, and she had to be hidden behind the scenes all the time. As for Jonah, he was a cripple who was bound to a wheelchair. He believed no one would object to the two of them getting together. On top of that, he was just using Chiara. “Indeed, no one will doubt your relationship. But I know what you’re thinking. I don’t mind the fact that you’re using her to stop
Sandy pushed Ivan away. But she still held his flowers in her arms. It was a bouquet of pink roses. Pink was her favorite color. The bag he gave to her contained her favorite food. Ivan had put in extra effort. “Think about it carefully. I’ll come again tomorrow.” Right after Ivan finished his sentence, he turned around. Looking at his gifts, Sandy felt a surge of indescribable bitterness in her heart. She did not throw his gifts away. After all, Ivan gave them to her out of his kind gesture. Sandy carried the gifts back to the office. Anna instantly spotted her. Anna raised one of her eyebrows and chuckled. “Did Young Master Ivan give them to you?” Sandy only had Ivan as her male friend. She did not deny it. Nonetheless, Anna noticed Sandy’s dull expression. Anna hesitated first before asking, “Is there any problem between you and Ivan? You don’t look happy. Is your family objecting to your relationship with him?” Sandy and Ivan had always been a quarrelsome but lo
Sandy fell silent. She looked resigned and replied to Ivan honestly, “I can’t possibly allow you to pester me for the rest of my life. My family is urging me to get married soon. With you pestering me, I think I should marry somebody else to end all this once and for all.” “Do you think I would allow that to happen?” While saying this, Ivan took a step forward. His expression darkened. He exuded an intense sense of hostility like the most horrifying creature emerging from hell. Ivan’s murderous look seemed to state that he would go to the extent of stealing the bride at Sandy’s wedding ceremony if he was not the bridegroom that day. On top of that, he gave an impression as though Sandy would either be his bride or a ghost bride. Seeing Ivan in his current demeanor, Sandy did not know if she should laugh or cry. Prior to that, she was worried that Ivan was just using her. At that moment, she finally realized the disparity of status between them. Ivanka had always believed that m
In the past, Ivan did not understand the conflicts between his parents. He thought his mother had been so cruel that she cheated on his father and abandoned him. Later, Ivan learned his mother had not been the one at fault. So, a heartless sc*m like his father was not in the position to rebuke him. If not for his parents, Ivan would not have let himself go wild and had so many girlfriends. Reuben York sounded indifferent. He made himself clear by saying, “You should, at least, marry someone with a clean background and whose parents are still around so that they could assist you—” “Does that mean I need to accept an arranged marriage by you? I’m not your only child, you can instill your way of thinking on your other children!” Right after Ivan finished his sentence, he hung up. His expression turned dark. The next moment, he accelerated the speed of his car. He carried a bouquet of flowers and Sandy’s favorite food when he showed up in front of her. For a moment, Sandy was
Ivan had not lived with his mother for a long time. Meanwhile, Sandy was her adopted daughter and the direct heir to her estate. Legally, the necklace could be considered part of that inheritance.Following that logic, Ivan had no right to speak on the matter.But to him, Sandy was just an adopted daughter. He was the biological son. Their separation had been caused by a misunderstanding. Since the truth was out, it was only natural for him to take back his mother’s belongings.If things went to court, it would be a battle between them. Both had an equal claim.By blood, Ivan had an undeniable advantage.From the way he spoke, Sandy could hear his confidence and condescension. She knew exactly what he was implying. He was prepared to fight her for the inheritance. But things had not escalated to that point yet.Even if they did, she had no fear of going to court with him. In fact, she was ready to fight.“Ivan, Mom left it to me. She never said it was for you. Whatever happened
Sandy heard the same automated response as the one on Ivanka’s phone.Did that mean they had all left together?Realizing this, she did not press Candice further. Instead, she smiled casually. “It’s nothing. Get back to work. I’ll head out now.”As she turned to leave, she pulled out her phone and sent Ivanka a message.Sandy: Call me when you turn your phone back on. Just as she was about to get in her car, her uncle, Thomas, walked up to her.The moment he saw her, he frowned. “Still upset?”“Uncle, I don’t want to think or talk about it. If you’d been through what I have, you wouldn’t be trying to change my mind.”Addressing him as “Uncle” was Sandy’s way of maintaining politeness while creating emotional distance. She hoped Thomas would get the hint and back off.Thomas was caught off guard. He fell silent and was unsure how to respond.Before he could, Sandy got in her car.On her way out of the law firm, her phone rang. It was Ivan. “My baby, Sandy, where are you?”
Chiara’s tone was sharp. Her eyes darkened with determination.James noticed. So did Jonah.Jonah snapped out of his thoughts. Chiara was trying too hard to prove herself. It was clear she wanted to use him to elevate her own status.Fine. He would let her think she was winning only to watch her fall even harder.“They’re just regular people. They aren’t worth your energy,” Jonah said. “Let’s go home and see my mom first. Tomorrow, I’ll visit yours.” He had already made all the arrangements.Chiara had no objections.Even so, she sent Katiana a message.Katiana replied right away.Katiana: Since he’s coming, I’ll gather the whole family. You’ve finally brought some honor to us. Just do your part, and I’ll handle everything else.Chiara was not surprised that Katiana would invite the entire Levine family. As the second daughter of the Levine family, she had always been under scrutiny. Katiana had pinned all her hopes on her. Katiana wanted her to make a name for herself and sec