What of it?These people seemed to forget who Ivanka was and what she was capable of.Ivanka’s fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. There was a faintly mocking smile on her lips. “Well, it seems you might be disappointed. He’s not my representative.”The very next moment, Sandy strode in from outside the courtroom. With a confident smirk, she gave Ivanka a wink. “Sorry, the traffic was horrendous, but I’m here now.”While Ivanka could not represent herself in court, her best friend certainly could. Sandy’s brilliance was the talk of Boston. She had built a reputation on delivering victories in seemingly impossible cases. And for those who thought their earlier maneuvering would ensure Ferris and Mandy escaped sentencing, or that Jolie would remain unscathed? Dream on.The net was tightening, and it was the perfect time to reel it in.Sandy presented her arguments with precision and backed them up with substantial evidence. Every word she spoke as a gold-standard lawyer left
Michael pressed his lips together and shot Ivan a glare. “Do you think Ivanka would leave with Sandy if I already won her back?”“So you haven’t? Seriously, what have you been doing all this time? You and Ivanka disappeared for such a long time and returned together, yet you still haven’t gotten her back?”Ivan stared at Michael in disbelief while Michael’s expression turned chillingly grim. There was a gloomy, foreboding air about him.Ivan immediately realized what he had done.He had touched a sore spot!Michael snapped back immediately. “Well, I hadn’t seen you for a while. Have you gotten together with Sandy yet?”Ivan was speechless.Michael rolled his eyes at him. Since Ivan had not gotten his girl, who gave him the right to mock Michael?Without saying another word, Michael started walking and left Ivan behind. Ivan caught up to him. “The ladies have left, but we can go grab a bite. I haven’t eaten, and we haven’t been hanging out lately. You should treat me to a meal,
Sandy did not oppose Ivanka dating anyone after establishing her career. If Jonah was not injured, Sandy would approve of their relationship given how much he cared about Ivanka.However, Jonah was currently in a wheelchair, and Margaret loathed Ivanka. As for Michael, it did not matter that his family all wanted him to remarry Ivanka.After all, Michael had been a jerk to her in the past.Ivanka shook her head. Meanwhile, the waiter came over to serve them coffee.He placed each cup in front of each customer.Ivanka lifted hers and took a small sip. Then she said, “When I came back, Grandma and Candice helped me stabilize the situation at the company. I’m grateful to them. I cleaned up Lane’s Group by taking care of Ferris and making an example of him so the other shareholders wouldn’t dare try anything funny. There’s also our collaboration with Sadler’s Group. It’s time to kickstart it.”If she had not fallen into the sea and ended up on the island, their companies would have s
Sandy was a little frustrated and helpless. “It’s impossible for us to get together. What sort of relationship do you think we have? Don’t assume that we will end up dating just because Ivan spewed some nonsense in front of you, Iv.”As she spoke, she felt amused and baffled at the same.Not only was Ivan shameless, but he also liked to say nonsensical things. Perhaps he had even told his close friends about Sandy when she still had not agreed to date him.He might have helped her before, but it would not develop into a relationship.With that in mind, Sandy cussed Ivan out internally.Meanwhile, Ivan and Michael found a restaurant. As they walked up to the door, Ivan suddenly sneezed a few times. He rubbed his nose and grumbled quietly, “How strange. I don’t have a cold. Why did I sneeze so much?”“Isn’t it obvious? You must have done something bad and offended some people. That’s why they cuss you out behind your back!” Michael said coldly beside him.His words alerted Ivan. I
Ivanka tugged at Sandy and stopped her from arguing with the man.Pulling Sandy over and putting herself between the two of them, Ivanka gave a courteous but mirthless smile.“It has been a while indeed, Mr. George.”The man who just touched Ivanka’s shoulder was none other than Mr. George.After Michael and Ivanka drove him away outside the supermarket, Mr. George had not shown up for a long time.Later on, things happened at Lane’s Group, and they ended up stranded on the island, so they did not run into Mr. George.Yet, Ivanka suddenly bumped into him at the cafe. Although she felt rather surprised, she was mostly vigilant. Mr. George responded with a smile. There was a chilling glint in his eyes.“This time, there aren’t any cops around, right? Ms. Lane?”Ivanka knew that he was referring to their previous encounter outside the supermarket.Who would have thought that this man would hold a grudge for something like that?Ivanka smiled and snapped back undauntedly. “You’
Ivanka had expected this. Her heart sank.She looked up at Mr. George and tried to negotiate with him.“I’ll go with you alone. My friend has nothing to do with what happened between us, and she doesn’t know you personally.”Behind Ivanka, Sandy squeezed her hand. Ivanka’s expression remained unchanged as if she had not felt the squeeze.Mr. George laughed heartily and pointed at Ivanka. “Well, you’re such a good friend. But unfortunately—” His tone suddenly switched. “Neither of you are allowed to leave!”He raised his voice and attracted the gazes of everyone around them. They all gave him weird looks like they were watching a freak show. However, when Mr. George met their eyes, they all looked away.Allegedly, people who had killed before would reek of death. There was a murderous air about them.Even though Ivanka was not intimidated, she still felt uneasy standing beside Mr. George.“So, there’s no room for negotiation?”Ivanka’s tone did not sound as courteous as befor
“Boss, is this the woman you told us about? Do you need me to teach her a lesson first?”A man with a scar on his face walked over and bumped his fist against his palm. He seemed ready to beat Ivanka up as soon as Mr. George gave his order.Ivanka did not doubt that the man would do this. There was a murderous look in her eyes.Mr. George immediately stopped the man and patted him on the chest.“Hey, don’t be so violent. These two ladies are my guests. Didn’t I teach you how to treat a guest?”With that, Mr. George gave Sandy what he thought was an amiable smile.Little did he know, it was horrifying.He gestured to the van. “Please get into the vehicle, madam.”His burly subordinates also returned to the vans and left just two men outside the vehicles with Ivanka and Sandy. The men urged them to get in.Ivanka started walking but halted in her tracks.The men behind her immediately looked at her vigilantly.Ivanka blinked innocently. “You two can get in first. I want to sit
But it did not matter much to Mr. George.Ivanka managed to fool the man, but before she sighed in relief, he took out two black gunny sacks and said with a ferocious smile, “Please put these on, ladies.”Ivanka glanced at the gunny sack and sighed internally.She could not avoid being treated like that.Therefore, she did not hesitate to accept her fate because it was pointless to hum and haw.Ivanka took one of the gunny sacks and put it on Sandy. She adjusted it to make sure that her friend could breathe properly.Then Ivanka took the other one and put it on herself.The man flashed her an odd smile and said nothing.Ivanka shut her eyes with unease.…Meanwhile, Michael and Ivan went to a French restaurant, and Ivan was ordering.As he flipped through the menu, he said he would order the most expensive items and bankrupt Michael.Michael did not even react or look up from his phone as he tapped on the screen. He was waiting for Ivanka to contact him.Soon enough, he re
The next day, Candice saw Jimothy working at the company.He wore a suit. It sharply contrasted how flustered he had looked when the gangsters were after him. He seemed immaculate with not a hair out of place.Compared to how he used to look, he appeared more like a working man rather than a fresh graduate.“Morning,” Candice greeted him as she passed by. Jimothy responded in a low voice that only the two of them could hear.Candice smiled and left.Jimothy kept staring at her retreating back for no apparent reason.…Ivanka was at home. Perhaps it had been a while since she drank freely and relaxed. She ended up sleeping in. By the time she woke up, it was already 9 a.m..Michael was preparing breakfast.After washing up, Ivanka went downstairs and saw Michael cooking with an apron on. She could not describe how she felt at the sight of him.It was odd, but she did not hate it.“Morning.”Michael looked at Ivanka. His eyes crinkled as he smiled.Ivanka could not help re
As it turned out, they had been holding hands the entire time.Candice came to her senses belatedly and immediately let go of Jimothy.“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to grab your hand,” Candice explained sincerely. Earlier, she had been in a rush and did not think it through.Jimothy shook his head and shrugged it off, but his face was still flushed.Candice suddenly suspected that it might be the first time Jimothy held a woman’s hand.But she did not pry, because it was not an urgent matter.“What happened between you and those thugs?” Candice asked out of curiosity. Jimothy did not seem like a troublemaker.How did he get in trouble with them?Jimothy forced a smile. “It’s a long story. It’s because of my family… I don’t want to talk about it now. Is that alright?”Perhaps it was because Candice had just saved him. Jimothy no longer sounded as brusque as he used to. He was polite and looked like a fresh-faced student.Naturally, Candice did not push for an answer.“It’s alrigh
Instead, she remained standing in front of Jimothy and studied the group of men with a smile.“He works at our company. Since I’ve run into him, I’m obligated to come over and check on him. Pray tell, what has happened between you and why do you feel the need to resolve it with violence?”Jimothy stared at Candice while she stood with her back facing him. The look in his eyes was conflicted.The men exchanged glances with each other and saw a hint of astonishment in one another’s eyes.The man at the front of the group, who was likely their leader, said, “We just get paid to do this, lady. You should stay out of it.”When Candice heard his advice which also sounded like a threat, she did not intend to back down at all. Instead, she asked him, “Oh? How much did you get for this? I’ll pay you double. I just told you that this guy works for us, so I have to intervene.”The leader started laughing, and so did the men behind him. They did not even bother to hide the mockery in their t
Candice ordered some food she liked, and the dishes arrived soon after.Sandy suggested that they all took a picture together.The others did not object.Sandy gave her phone to the waiter.Then the five of them moved their chairs to sit in a row.Michael and Ivan each took the outermost seats.Naturally, Ivanka was seated next to Michael while Sandy, who paid for the dinner, was right beside her.Next to Sandy was Candice, who sat awkwardly in her chair. Ivan was beside Candice.The second the waiter took the picture, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances inadvertently. Meanwhile, Ivan stared past Candice, and his eyes fell on Sandy.Sandy and Candice were the only people who looked into the camera.But each and every one of them had a genuine smile on their face.Once they had taken a picture, they started eating together.It was a nice, relaxing dinner. They did not talk about work or how annoying Coco had been.They mostly chatted about the fun anecdotes they had he
The call was soon answered, but the person who picked up was not Rosie. It was Mrs. Ruth.“Ms. Lane, you finally called! Mdm. Barkworth will be over the moon when she wakes up!” Mrs. Ruth sounded quite excited as she spoke.Ivanka smiled and asked, “Is Grandma resting now?”“Yeah, she hasn’t had a good rest after learning that you’d be kidnapped. Once you were safe, she finally allowed herself to rest.”Ivanka nodded and told Mrs. Ruth to take good care of Rosie. She later said that she and Micheal would visit Rosie soon.With that, she hung up the phone.Meanwhile, she also reflected upon herself.Rosie had gotten old, yet Ivanka always made her worry. From that moment on, Ivanka would consider the consequences before making any decision. It was not only for the sake of herself, but the important people in her life, who also cared about her.As she contemplated this, Ivanka inevitably thought of the gathering. It would be quite fun.Before they were about to get off work, San
Coco practically ran out crying.Candice glanced at Ivanka worriedly and asked, “Will something bad happen to her?”Ivanka was not concerned at all. “What could possibly happen? She is an adult. Even if something bad happens, she has to bear the consequences of her own action.”Hearing that, Candice no longer fretted over the matter.She was not really worried about Coco. She was just afraid that something would happen to Coco, and Ivanka would be blamed for it.But Ivanka had made a good point. Candice did not want to trouble herself with Coco’s matters. It would only be an unnecessary emotional burden to her.Everyone in the office began discussing the progress of their project.Perhaps it was because Ivanka had made an example of Coco, the other employees became especially energized and diligent during their discussion.They were even more focused than before, since they were all afraid that Ivanka would treat them harshly as well.Hence, they were particularly efficient.
“Why don’t we leave now so that you can deal with this matter, Ms. Ivanka?”The director of the project department, who was perceptive and shrewd, planned to leave right then. Ivanka shook her head and signaled everyone to sit down.They were all uneasy, and they kept giving Coco weird looks.Two people had dared speak to Ivanka like that in the past—Ferris and Mandy.But those two were no longer with the company.At the thought of those people, the project department staff began looking at Coco with pity.However, Coco could not care less. All she wanted was to make a fuss.She wanted to see how shameless Ivanka could be.Unruffled, Ivanka stared at her. She did not get angry and seemed rather affable as she asked, “Tell me what upset you. Have we falsely accused you of something you didn’t do?”Before Coco said anything, Ivanka added cruelly, “Oh, I forgot that you aren’t familiar with the protocol here, so you have no idea what you did wrong, right?”Coco paled. Undoubte
Candice was momentarily stunned by his answer. She was a little offended.“Then why did you come to my office for this conversation?” Jimothy’s grin was mischievous. “To prove your company’s HR is blind, and you just lost a great talent. That’s all.”With that, Jimothy stood up, dusted off his sleeves dramatically, and turned to leave.“Your resume!” Candice called after him.Jimothy waved dismissively without looking back. “Keep it. Enjoy reading it. And don’t let an incompetent HR handle your interviews again.”Candice stood there for a moment and processed the scene before an involuntary chuckle escaped her lips. This one had personality.Regardless, the incident served as a wake-up call for Candice.It became glaringly clear that Coco was not only incompetent but also prone to overestimating her abilities.Before the task was assigned, she had the chance to decline. Candice had given her the opportunity and explicitly asked if she could handle it. Yet, Coco confidentl
The college student finally believed her and walked toward Candice.On the other hand, Coco seemed guilty and was desperate to prevent it. “He has no respect for our company! Are you really going to hire someone like him who won’t follow orders?” Coco’s tone was sharp. Her finger trembled as she pointed at the young man.She scanned the room for backup in hopes that the people who had been flattering her earlier would speak up in her defense.Unfortunately, no one stepped forward.Those who flattered Coco only did so out of respect for Ivanka. Yet Candice had a close relationship with Ivanka and was the company’s vice president.The gap between a vice president versus an intern was as vast as night and day.Anyone with common sense knew where to align themselves.Coco felt a mix of despair and resentment.Candice ignored her entirely. Why Ivanka was so wary of someone as clueless as this was beyond her comprehension.Coco was simply dumb.Without wasting another thought o