Ivanka laughed internally. She was aware that Theodore did not want her to work in her best department. Even though she had voiced her desire to reclaim Lane’s Group, she knew that she could not immediately do it. After all, they had signed a contract. It would be difficult to persuade the old coot to return the company to her. Moreover, before Ivanka’s father passed away, he did not make a will. As Ivanka’s father’s eldest brother, Theodore had the right to inherit his company. Since she did not have a lot of company shares back then, she signed the contract without hesitation. Now, Ivanka wanted to reclaim not only her own shares but also the shares that belonged to Theodore and his family. She wanted to unmask them and kick them out of Lane’s Group! “Uncle Theodore, do continue.” Chiara and Lyla did not say a thing. At that moment, they naturally trusted Theodore. He must have his reasons for his actions. Theodore sighed before he said, “Iv, you’re aware that we ofte
The next moment, Theodore acted surprised and laughed. “That’s great! It’s good that you can stay!” Chiara looked extremely happy. “Iv, you’re finally willing to come back and stay with us!” She repeated the word, “finally” again. Ivanka was absolutely sure that they were recording their conversation. She was recording their conversation too, so she was not concerned even if they garbled and twisted her words. Ivanka nodded. “I didn’t come home previously because my father died here. I didn’t have the courage to face the place he used to live in. It’s been so long, and I can’t hide from it forever. I’ll stay in my dad’s room tonight. Uncle Theodore, did anyone move anything in my dad’s room?” “N-No. Everything is still the same!” Theodore had always been annoyed with her father’s room because that place was the master bedroom. Although Theodore and his family were the owners of the mansion, they could not sleep in that room due to the demands of morals. They had to sleep in
Theodore and his family grew increasingly excited as they chatted. They agreed with Theodore’s decision, and the corners of Chiara’s lips curled up slightly. “Ivanka thinks that she’s invincible simply because she’s an elite lawyer. Dad, I understand why you made such a decision. If you had refused to let her return to our home, she might end up working together with our competitors to stand against us. If she finds any loopholes in the contracts and helps them with their lawsuit, we’ll have to pay a huge sum as compensation. We might as well allow her to join the company so that we can keep an eye on her.” Theodore looked at Chiara in satisfaction. “Chiara, you’re as clever and capable as a man. I’ll be relieved to let you take over our family affairs in the future.” Lyla could not help but nod with amazement. “That’s right. Chiara, you’re really intelligent. We can rest assured when the time comes for you to take over Lane’s Group.” Chiara smiled. “The three of us should work t
“Got it.” Michael did not give Evan any further instructions, so Evan acknowledged his answer and left. ...... Thanks to her tireless efforts, Ivanka finally found a bottle of medicine inside the room. The bottle had no label. In fact, it had nothing on it. She opened it and saw a few white lozenge-shaped pills. She wondered, “What kind of medicine is this? Was Dad diagnosed with some kind of disease before? Did he keep it from me because he didn’t want me to worry about him?” Ivanka pursed her lips. She did not want to alert Theodore and his family, so she took two pills out of the medicine bottle before putting it back in its place. She could not find any more clues inside the room, so she eventually gave up searching for them. She then took a shower and slept in her father’s room. She did not sleep well that night. Just as she was about to drift off, she thought she saw her father inside the room. Ivanka woke up with a start and tried to call out to her father, b
Ivanka nodded and said nothing. She appeared to be at ease. Lyla placed the food on the table, and they ate together. Chiara cast a glance at Ivanka before she hesitantly said, “Iv, are you still angry with me because of that incident during Rosie’s birthday? Ivanka looked at her. “Why would I be? If I was angry with you, why would I come back and eat with you?” Chiara was speechless. Ivanka’s words were unyielding, and they left no room for discussion. As such, Chiara did not know what to say next! She drew a deep breath and said in resignation, “The incident isn’t what you think it is. I had no intentions of outdoing you with that gift. After all, we’re cousins. We don’t compete with each other, but those people deliberately drove a wedge between us. That’s why it turned into a misunderstanding. Iv, I didn’t buy the rosary as a gift. Someone else swapped it with my gift.” Ivanka was indifferent. They had already turned against each other, yet Chiara was still saying the
Chiara’s calm exterior cracked slightly. Theodore and Lyla both raised their heads one after the other. They had wanted to interrupt several times, but the opportunity never came.“What did she say?” Lyla wondered aloud.Ivanka smiled slightly as she looked at Chiara. “Grandma told me she still likes you very much, but you’re too much of a schemer. It’s not uncommon for you to plot against people in various situations. If at all possible, she would like to address you as her granddaughter-in-law. In spite of all the wrongs you have committed, you are still so adamant about maintaining your innocence and getting out of the situation scot-free. Even if you manage to prove that this had nothing to do with you, it doesn’t mean everyone is blind, right?Chiara’s demeanor shifted.She thought. “Ivanka is laying a trap!“She is aware that I am recording this conversation, so she purposefully used Grandma to scare me. I’m not going to be intimidated!”Just as she was about to release the
Ivanka nodded. “I’ll gladly assist. I won’t just stand by and watch the Lanes struggle through the crisis, but Uncle Theodore, we can’t make ill-gotten gains.”Theodore chuckled. “That’s for certain. You can rest assured that all of our businesses are legal.”Ivanka nodded. She was convinced. After all, Theodore did not have the stomach to engage in illegal activities.He had previously been imprisoned for similar offenses, so he was already terrified.“All right, I can’t wait to see you around the office.”Theodore suddenly felt it was the right decision to allow Ivanka to join the company. At the very least, she would remain optimistic on her chances while staying with the Lane family and would give her all to the Lane family.When the Lane family faced future problems, they would be able to solve them with ease!With Iris’s help, no one dared to sue the Lane family because they could not win!Chiara had a similar thought. Her hatred for Ivanka was fading at this point. After
With a complicated expression, he frowned slightly. Ivanka sat facing the tombstone, so she could not see him. Despite being some distance away, he could hear everything she said.Ivanka raised her hand and gently touched the man’s face in the photograph. Her heart was racing. “I should’ve listened to you, Dad. I shouldn’t have married him.”A short distance away, the man’s face darkened and his eyes narrowed. Fearing that he would shock her if he looked over, he quickly reined himself in. Now more than ever, he was curious to know her thoughts.Ivanka sighed softly. “You once told me that I had to marry the right person. Otherwise, it would be better not to get married. But I really liked him. Dad, did you know that? I liked him. I’m not even sure how many years I have liked him. I only recall being unable to forget him after meeting him as a child.”The man was taken aback and looked at her in shock. However, he laughed in his heart the next moment. Despite the fact that she had
“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