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
A salesperson saw Michael standing motionlessly in place. The salesperson took note of his outstanding appearance and knew he was a rich man at a single glance. Hence, the salesperson went over and promoted his products in a friendly manner. “Sir, are you looking for something for your girlfriend?” Michael originally wanted to clarify himself. On second thought, he shook his head and said, “I would like to buy something for my wife.” Upon hearing his sentence, the salesperson smiled. His eyes narrowed to crescents. “Your wife is truly a very lucky woman.” Michael said nothing. For a moment, the atmosphere became awkward. The salesperson had experienced plenty of things in life, so he was unbothered. He then began to promote his products. “Look at the daily products over here. I believe a couple needs these to improve their happiness and sense of belonging. Imagine seeing your wife lying on the bed when you wake up early in the morning, and the sun shines warmly on her face.
Ivanka nodded and returned to the dining hall.It did not take long before Michael carried a tray of food to the table. Ivanka was surprised to see a table of food. She looked up at Michael and asked skeptically, “Did you prepare all these? Are you sure they aren’t takeaway food?” Ivanka questioned Michael’s cooking skills, but he did not feel irritated. Instead, he answered her solemnly, “It looks like I’m receiving high praise from you, Ms. Lane.” They exchanged glances and smiled. “Eat the food now. I’m worried they don’t taste good anymore after all the repeated reheats.” Ivanka nodded and tasted the steak placed in front of her. She had to admit that Michael was quite skillful in cooking. The steak was cooked to the exact doneness. Ivanka was a picky eater. She rarely found something that tasted good to her. But the steak tasted very good indeed. The meat was not too hard. When she took a bite, the blood did not leak out from the meat. The meat was very fresh
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
She said to Ivanka in dissatisfaction, “Ms. Ivanka, please go out. I have something to say to Jonah alone right now.”Ivanka did not respond. However, the way she moved out already said everything.Jonah did not make a statement but silently agreed.He also did not want Ivanka to be present to see his embarrassment.“You’re being an ingrate. You never raised me like that! Since you’ve already spoken such, why are you still holding it against Iv? Is being a divorcee her sin?” Jonah’s expression was as dark as the storm clouds. Those eyes were locked on his mother. He felt that Ivanka had been deeply wronged.However, Margaret replied blandly, “Have you seen anyone wealthy choosing to marry divorcees? Are there really no other women out there?”“You are a woman too.” Jonah frowned.However, Margaret brought up a very realistic question. “I am indeed a woman. But no parent in the world would ever settle for anything less than the best option.”Those words infuriated Jonah.“Mom,
At Margaret’s rebuke, Ivanka was annoyed. “If you say so.”Whatever Margaret wanted to think was her own business. She would not interfere.Margaret immediately choked out in response, “You!”“You don’t have to target me. You know very well that I won’t get together with your son. I’m only here to administer treatment for your son.”Ivanka gave Margaret a bland look. Even her tone was bland.Margaret burst out laughing coldly. “It’s what you should do!”“I didn’t say that I shouldn’t,” Ivanka shot back indifferently. She no longer bantered with Margaret. She kept looking at her cell phone.In Margaret’s eyes, Ivanka was playing with her cell phone, and was playing intently too!There was a parasol over her head as she was leaning on a rattan chair. Most importantly, there were also refreshments on the round table to Ivanka’s left.Sheesh!“Ivanka, are you here to treat Jonah’s leg, or are you here to enjoy yourself?” Margaret chided Ivanka in dissatisfaction.When someone di
Jonah was concerned about Ivanka. But before he could finish speaking, he automatically lowered his voice.He was not the same as before.Call for him. With his weak legs, what could he do for her?Ivanka heard his tone but did not expose or console him. She only followed suit and said, “Rest well. I know my place.”“Alright.”Jonah answered half-heartedly. Ivanka turned around and left her back to him.On the terrace, there was a parasol and a rattan chair.She had only laid down on top of the rattan chairs for a few minutes when she heard footsteps from behind her. As the footsteps drew closer step by step, she subconsciously turned around.She only saw the servant who had just helped her carry a tray of food and walked towards her slowly.“Ms. Ivanka, the young master asked me to prepare some refreshments for you.”Ivanka nodded wordlessly.She was here to treat Jonah’s legs, not to enjoy the sunshine and eat. She did not eat anything. Her gaze was on the phone screen.S
As he said that, Jonah turned his wheelchair and moved closer to Ivanka.The delight on his face was hard to hide. Margaret did not see it. She was still in the hospital. It would have been better if she did not see her, but Ivanka also understood very clearly what Margaret meant by this. If she really wanted to have a long-lasting relationship with Jonah, they would have become a couple already. Why wait until that moment? As long as she agreed, it was not impossible, and that was what Jonah thought: he thought she would say yes.Ivanka gently laughed and shook her head. “Jonah, why are you still lying to yourself and others?”Even she understood it, so how could Jonah not know about it?However, Jonah was not willing to dwell on the matter. In the next second, he changed the topic. “It’s better to go to my room. The second floor has plenty of fresh air.”Ivanka saw that he was not willing to talk about it, so she did not say anything more. She nodded. Then a servant came
“If it’s my fault, you can always vent out your anger on me.” Michael made himself clear. It was not his fault, so he refused to accept being treated unfairly. Ivanka sneered, “It seems like you’ve forgotten that you were the cause of everything. If not for the fact that you refused to give up on me, I wouldn’t have invited Jonah for a roleplay. I don’t want to get into the details with you.” In the face of Ivanka’s mockery, for a moment, Michael felt as if something had stuck in his throat, and he did not know what else to say. Ivanka was utterly furious. It was pointless to speak any further to her. But he refused to become a punching bag on Jonah’s behalf for free. “You need to calm down. No one can get in the way of your choices. But I’ll never give up,” said Michael in a low voice. “I see. Since you refuse to give up, are you planning to steal the bride at her wedding as well?” Ivanka raised one of eyebrows. She felt amused. Michael blurted out a single word with
“Michael, I just didn’t want to upset Grandma. If you want to keep her posted on our progress, you might as well find someone else and get married so that there’s no more possibility between us. She will also stop thinking about me and you.” Ivanka had blurted it out without hesitation. Her tone was serious. She really meant it. Michael did not expect Ivanka to say this to him. Rosie had told Michael that Ivanka agreed to let him be her bodyguard because of her. At that time, Michael was over the moon thinking that Rosie had caused another miracle. But based on the situation, it looked like Ivanka did not plan to take other people’s concerns into account anymore. Michael’s mood turned foul. He could not say anything about Ivanka’s decision. “Iv, I refuse to accept this.” After a moment of silence, Michael said that to Ivanka. At that moment, he looked serious. Even though Ivanka could not see his expression, she could imagine his demeanor through his tone. “I know y