Ivanka said nothing. But Michael knew that she heard him. After that, he went downstairs. Upon hearing the sound of the door closing and his footsteps, Ivanka heaved a sigh. She laid down on the bed and recalled the image that happened not long ago. She should be angry about it. She should throw a tantrum at Michael. In fact, she had just done that. But when she saw Michael in his current state, she felt a sense of guilt. Ivanka was startled by her own thoughts. She shook her head as if trying to push these thoughts to the back of her mind. She thought she should not feel guilty about it. Michael was the guilty one. Meanwhile, Michael went downstairs and fixed the circuit breaker but to no avail. It had affected the entire neighborhood. After ten minutes, the electricity returned. When Michael returned to Ivanka’s room, she already locked the door. He wanted to remind her a thing or two. But he was unsure if she had fallen asleep, so he said nothing about it.
Lucas marveled while looking at Michael as if he was seeing a ghost. The tender officially started. This time, five companies were involved. Ivanka had presupposed the possible outcome: Yoda Technology would be the only company that could threaten Lane’s Group. As expected, the other three companies were temporarily asked to leave after giving a round of speeches. The second round of speeches followed. Candice was the chief planner. She naturally had to present the speech on her own this time. “Don’t be nervous.” Ivanka inclined her head and looked at Candice. Candice kept wiping the sweat in her palms. Candice smiled sheepishly. She did not look nervous. Still, this was her first time. Ivanka said, “We’ve done the rehearsals many times before. The proposal is all good. Besides, the promised return is very tempting. You just need to deliver the speech as usual. Cheers.” While Ivanka was saying this, she made a cheering gesture. Candice nodded. After the representative f
Yoda’s smile instantly turned stiff. Before he could school his smug grin, the atmosphere became awkward. Ivanka and her group maintained their composure and politeness. But their subordinates snickered behind the back. At the same time, they thanked Michael from the bottom of their hearts. One word from him and the situation was reversed. His statement caught Yoda off guard. Yoda rose. He wanted to burst into anger but he dared not. He wanted to say something, but no words came out. Only after he composed himself, he said, “Mr. Lucas, as you already knew, the other party cannot offer a lower price than this. As a businessman, we don’t always reveal everything from the beginning. I believe you can understand this well too, right?” Lucas said nothing. But his smile was unreadable. He figured out that Michael only wanted his wife to win the tender. The old coot had simply not realized this. Meanwhile, Ivanka sneered, and the crowd turned to her. She said, “Mr. Yoda, are
Candice’s hands were trembling when she went to sign the contract. She felt surreal until the stamped contract was in her hand. It took her a while to recover from her shock. She wanted to share this joy and achievement with Ivanka immediately. But after looking around, she did not see her. Candice was puzzled and got the other staff to look for Ivanka everywhere. At that very moment, Ivanka had just come out of the washroom. She was wiping the water from her hands while looking downward. By the time she realized a shadow was looming over her, it was already too late for her to look up Suddenly, she slammed into a solid wall of flesh.Ivanka let out a hiss and took a half step back.While rubbing the aching corner of her forehead, she looked at the person who came along.Who else could it be, if not Michael? At that moment, he had his hands in his pockets as he stared at her calmly.Ivanka looked around, then stared at his lips.“What? Aren’t you going to thank m
Everyone looked at her.Ivanka smiled mysteriously. “It’s fine to have a celebration banquet. But it’s my treat. We’ll go on a cruise. After all, it’s not just credit to the Project Department alone. The other departments and the other high-level managers have also pulled multiple all-nighters as well.”Naturally, the crowd had no objection.Candice smiled coyly and said sheepishly, “I didn’t think about this thoroughly then. Everyone has truly worked hard during this period.”Ivanka laughed. “Then everyone should quickly go back and get ready!”With a cheer, the crowd dispersed.They left Candice and Ivanka behind. Michael, who was squeezed aside a long while ago also remained.Candice finally realized Michael was there. With some surprise, she called out to her cousin.Michael, who had been ignored, stared quietly at Ivanka. “I’ve figured out what favor I want to be repaid with.”Ivanka stared at him and signaled with her eyes for him to speak.“I want… To attend your celeb
It was from Michael.[How long till the celebration banquet? Don’t forget to invite your benefactor.]Ivanka looked at her cell phone and snorted.If word got out that the great Michael Barkworth cared so much about a spot on a luxury cruise, people would laugh at him. She wanted to tease him for a bit.[We forgot about you. There are no more spots.]He did not reply for a long while. Just when Ivanka thought he would not reply, Michael sent a message.[What? Really? That’s too bad. Then you’ll need to compensate me privately.]For some reason, Ivanka could not stop thinking back to that kiss…Ivanka shook her head as she tried to shake those unrealistic thoughts out of her head.In the end, she sent it over.[Saturday night, 4 p.m., Freshbrooke Pier, The Duchess.]Immediately after that, she did not look at her phone and set it aside.Time passed by rather quickly. Before she knew it, it was Saturday.It was rare for Ivanka to stay home and not go to the company.Natur
For once, Michael did not listen and slow down. He stepped on the gas pedal.The car did not stop until they reached the dock.Ivanka glared at him. She said nothing and did not rush to get out of the car. But it was clear that she was angry.Michael looked at Ivanka being all puffed up from anger and could not help but feel a little amused. Just as he reached out his hand to rub her hair, Ivanka dodged it.Michael’s hand froze in mid-air.He resentfully withdrew his hand and apologized, “I saw that people are already arriving one after another. If people saw you getting off halfway, it would seem even more suspicious, right? It’s better to be graceful and alight at the pier together. No one will overthink or ask too many questions.”Ivanka still did not answer. However, her expression was not as cold as before, at least it softened quite a bit.Her glare was not as cold as before either. Ivanka unbuckled her seatbelt and got out of the car.Michael also followed right after
Ivanka was silent.Michael suddenly remembered something and said, “In fact, you are not much older than Candice. She can cry when things happen, and she can be afraid. And you… don’t need to force yourself to hold on.”Michael was trying to say that he had Ivanka’s back. But in the end, he could not say it.Ivanka smiled. It had a hint of mockery in it, but was beautiful and eye-catching.Compared to her, the blue sea instantly seemed to lose its color and became a backdrop to frame her beauty. “I’m not forcing myself to hold on. I simply am unaffected.”With that said, Ivanka left and began greeting everyone.One by one, people boarded the ship. By 4 p.m., almost everyone was here. Most of them were relatively punctual.Ferris and Mandy were exceptions.Candice had just come out of the captain’s room. She walked through the crowd with rushed steps and found Ivanka in a hurry.She said, “The captain asked if we should set sail now. If we keep staying, he’s afraid we won’t
This must surely be what it meant by family ties were the strongest. Ivanka nodded. Her eyes stung. “It has indeed been a long time since I’ve seen you, Uncle. Why did you ask me here?” Nothing had changed in the casino. There were plenty of people by her uncle’s side. He seemed well and was in high spirits. Even that big Tibetan Mastiff wagged its tail and came up when it saw her. Throughout the whole trip here, Ivanka had thought about it and kept this matter at the forefront of her mind, yet she could not understand and was also anxious. “I can take you back this time because of your mom’s matter. I think there are some things you should know. Knowing will be better than your current situation. I can’t just watch you continue to be influenced by Michael,” Vincent said seriously. At first, Ivanka had said that she wanted to look into it. Also, she meant that there were still some things in Bostone that had not been dealt with. So, he had let her go back. Yet what happe
Regarding Michael’s previous scheme against Njord, he knew Njord was still angry with him. Therefore, when Njord cussed at Michael in front of the crowd, Michael decided to compromise the situation. But since Njord proposed to have a duel with him, he would not allow somebody else’s subordinate to flaunt by overwhelming him. On top of that, he would not allow anyone to look down on him like this. Njord refused to give up. He rose, then charged at Michael and attacked him. Since Michael was able to take him down in the first round, he was able to prevail against Njord again in the second round. As a result, Njord was knocked to the ground. He lost the energy to get up again. Meanwhile, Michael bent slightly in front of Njord. Michael looked down at him and smirked. “I know you’re very angry with me. But you’ve been working under Vincent for so many years, don’t you still get it?” That was, one had to create an opportunity. If one lacked the capital, no matter how great t
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