Mr. George did not say a word. He just stared at Ivanka with a cold, menacing glare.She stood tall and composed. After a moment, Mr. George broke into a slow chuckle. “Ivanka, you’re something else. I really underestimated you.”Ivanka smiled faintly but remained silent.In an instant, Mr. George’s expression darkened. He pulled out his gun, cocked it, and pointed it directly at her forehead. He said ruthlessly, “Do you have any idea how many of my men, who fought alongside me, you’ve killed?”Ivanka said nothing. The truth was, she also was not sure either.Earlier, her shots had been meant as warnings. The bullets were intended to intimidate, not to kill. But in the heat of the moment, the last six bullets had been aimed directly at people. She had no idea if they had hit vital areas or caused fatalities.Mr. George held up three fingers. His face twisted with rage as he shuddered. “Three! Three of my brothers are dead because of you!”Ivanka shrugged and said calmly, “Mr.
She waited, but no car showed up. Instead, her pursuers arrived.Five men armed with machetes closed in on her.Their eyes were fixed on the helpless Sandy with menacing grins.Sandy screamed in terror, but her desperate cries only excited them as they watched her helplessness.She found herself in an isolated, helpless situation. She was utterly alone, and there was no way out.She could only watch as the five men closed in on her. In her mind, she kept thinking of Ivanka, who had desperately tried to clear the way for her escape.Sandy shook her head and backed away. A tear slid down her cheek.Eventually, she stumbled and fell to the ground. Exhausted and helpless, she could do nothing but watch as the men drew closer.The leader smiled and said, “Hey, gorgeous. Let me send you on your way.”When she saw them pulling out knives in front of her, she quickly shut her eyes and cried out, “No!”... After Ivanka was captured, she was taken back to the same abandoned factory.
“It looks like your subordinates are the ones who have a fate worse than death, not my friend, Mr. George.”Ivanka smiled. Her smile was usually warm and refreshing. But at that moment, it was chilling. Her bright smile made the atmosphere even more tense.Mr. George was infuriated and slapped her hard. Her face immediately swelled up.But she did not cry out in pain. She kept a smile on her face. It was as if she was silently asking if that was all he got. Mr. George felt so insulted that he dragged her to a water tank nearby and pressed her head down into the water.As the cold water hit her face, she shivered. She did not have time to hold her breath. The water rushed into her nose and throat. It was painful and suffocating.No matter how much she struggled, the large hand continued pressing down on her head.Her hands were bound tightly behind her back, and she could not find anything to hold onto.She knew he was being serious this time. She closed her eyes, stopped s
Travis spoke so softly that Ivanka could not hear what he said. Then she heard Mr. George say no while dismissing him. Clearly, Mr. George did not want Travis to bring up the topic again. Travis looked nervous. He drew closer to Mr. George and said, “Boss, your ultimate aim is to humiliate her and Michael instead of making money, so why wouldn’t my idea work?” Ivanka was horrified and had a bad feeling about the “idea” they were sharing. For some reason, the traffickers they had contacted could not make it. On top of that, she had previously killed their gang members. Therefore, some of them could no longer hold back themselves and wanted to humiliate her and Michael immediately. Ivanka knew she must not show her fear at that moment. Her fear of them would only make the b*stards grow even more exciting. Nonetheless, she refused to allow those b*stards to ruin her body. If worse came to worst, she would perish together with them. Still, she refused to accept the fact
“Don’t you feel sorry for what you’ve done?!” Ivanka stared at Travis as if she was staring at an idiot. “Mr. George is the one who killed him. Since you were so close to Benny, you should hate Mr. George instead. Why are you forcing me to regret myself for what I’ve done to him?” Ivanka looked at Travis in puzzlement. Travis was afraid of Mr. George because of his power, so he targeted Ivanka, who was weaker in comparison. Travis knew Mr. George was the one who had killed Benny. But he tended to delude himself and put all the blame on Ivanka. All he wanted was a peace of mind. Ivanka felt speechless. She sighed while looking at the rancid food. She wondered when she would be rescued and when the opportunity would come to leave this place. An opportunity presented to those who were well-prepared for it. When it was time to leave this place, she could not run away with an empty stomach. It would only cause her trouble. So, Ivanka decided to take the plate. Little
Suddenly, Ivanka saw a human face appear outside the window. She was shocked. She looked carefully at the human face and realized that it was none other than Michael. Ivanka cradled her mouth for fear that she would cry out in excitement. Her eyes teared up. When she was taken away, threatened, and mistreated, she barely showed any emotions. It was not because she was not afraid of them. Mr. George was ruthless. He was a madman. She could not look fearful in front of these men. She needed to protect Sandy. As she continued to act tough, she became used to it. It was not until she saw Michael that she finally met her savior. Michael had trekked all the way up the mountain to find Ivanka at all costs. He also bore the risk of being discovered by Mr. George and his group at any time. But the moment he saw Ivanka, he thought everything he did was worthwhile. “Are you still alright?” Michael mouthed. Using his lips, he asked about Ivanka’s current condition. Ivanka n
That was how Michael showed up in front of Ivanka. Michael found his way based on Sandy’s description of the location. Ivan wanted to stop Michael but failed. Michael had expressionlessly said, “If Sandy was taken instead, I wouldn’t stop you either.” Ivan had no choice but to make way for Michael. He reminded Michael to be careful. Nonetheless, all that was no longer important. The moment Michael saw Ivanka safe and sound, everything became worthwhile. The two did not need to say much. They could tell from each other’s gazes, and the rest was redundant. Ivanka was relieved when she saw Michael. But she could not completely relax herself yet. She briefly mentioned Fiona’s matter. Upon hearing her words, Michael fell silent for some time before asking, “Has Mr. George met with Fiona before this?” Ivanka was startled. The next moment, she shook her head. “I don’t think so.” “Are you sure?” Michael narrowed his eyes. “This is very important.” Ivanka recalled care
After Mr. George left, Ivanka nervously looked outside the window. Michael was no longer there. She did not know when he had left. Ivanka was perturbed. She waited until it was night. They delivered her food throughout, but Travis did not come. Mr. George was aware of Travis’s desire for Ivanka. He wanted to avoid any complications before handing Ivanka to Fiona. Ivanka waited but did not see Michael and his group barge in to save her. Instead, Fiona finally came. It was about 10 p.m.. The quiet factory instantly created quite a commotion and the lights were brightly lit. Ivanka leaned against the corner of the wall and saw the lights outside. The next moment, she heard a faint sound. Ivanka pressed her ear against the door. The door had no soundproofing, so she heard everything. Mr. George seemed very happy and showed his respect to Fiona. He said, “Fiona, good to see you. Please come in.” Fiona said nothing. The crowd entered through the door and went to the c
Ivanka understood everything just by looking at Stella’s expression.The drinks and pastries had to be the problem. The weakness and fatigue people were experiencing must have come from consuming them. She tested them with a test strip right away.As expected, they had been poisoned.She had not eaten anything, so she was fine. But she was unsure about Vincenzo, so she checked on him immediately. Thankfully, he was unharmed.Stella let out a deep breath.Before she could say anything, Vincenzo scolded her. “You ran back here and left Njord alone? Hurry up and get back there!”“Yes, Boss!”Stella responded quickly and ran off.Ivanka was about to speak when Michael and Evan rushed in.Michael looked anxious and was breathing heavily.Just like Stella, he was panicking.“Come here. Let me check.” Ivanka nodded at him. She knew how stubborn he was.Michael pursed his lips together and hesitated.But Ivanka had already stepped forward and checked on him. His pulse was weakenin
Vincenzo immediately noticed Michael putting some distance between them.It was not out of fear but respect for Vincenzo’s status. After all, he was Ivanka’s only family.Ivanka walked straight to Vincenzo without sparing Michael a glance.Michael could only stand there and watch her leave.Back at their spot, Vincenzo remained silent. Ivanka, however, felt uneasy.She had only gone to the restroom and had not expected to run into Michael.After some thought, she decided to explain.“Uncle, I didn’t go looking for him.”“You don’t need to explain. Even if you did, that’s your choice. I’ve said what I needed to. The decision is yours.”His tone was calm, but to Ivanka, it sounded like he was upset.She wanted to say more, but Vincenzo spoke first. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m not angry. Once the banquet is over, take a few days to rest. Then we’ll head out.”“Alright.”Since he had already said that, there was nothing more to say.Caeser had hosted the banquet to trigger inte
Ivanka saw the grin on Michael’s face and immediately let go of his arm. Her expression darkened with displeasure.Michael looked like he was enjoying her frustration.“I’m not,” he denied at once, quickly adding, “I’m happy because you pulled me away. It shows you care.”Ivanka was speechless.She looked at his smiling face and shook her head. “I just didn’t want you getting into a fight with Mr. George right now. If something happened to you while I was there, I couldn’t just leave. And if I didn’t, that would make me responsible for you.”Michael frowned. “Do you really think I’m that useless?”He had fought Mr. George before and never even saw him as a threat. There was no way someone like that could take him down.“That’s not the point. Mr. George isn’t alone, but you are. This isn’t your territory, Michael. And don’t forget, the drug in your system hasn’t fully cleared, and your gunshot wound—”He cut her off before she could finish.“That injury was a long time ago. I’m
Ivanka had never revealed her identity as Violet Cress. How did Mr. George figure it out just from her treating Caeser?“Mr. Ali, I only gave Mr. Hicks a few herbal prescriptions. It was nothing special.”“Caeser has plenty of skilled doctors, yet none of them could fix his condition. You did so effortlessly. That says a lot. Anyone who can earn his trust must be exceptionally capable. Ms. Ivanka, the Ganoderma Nebula is not something just anyone can use properly, nor does everyone have your level of confidence.”At first, Mr. George had not suspected anything. But after learning about the legendary medical expert, Violet Cress, he started making connections. She was well known by reputation, yet no one had ever seen her face. He had looked into her background and found that she was probably not elderly.There was also the Ganoderma Nebula.So, he made an educated guess.Looking at Ivanka’s calm reaction, he was even more convinced. When he first mentioned it, there had been a fl
A teasing voice broke the moment, interrupting Ivanka and Michael.They turned to look.Standing before them was none other than Mr. George. It had been a while since they last saw him.Michael narrowed his eyes. He had not expected him to show up at Caeser’s banquet.“What? Didn’t learn your lesson last time?” His tone was cold and sharp.As he spoke, he stepped forward. He simultaneously shielded Ivanka behind him.They knew they were in Mirvania, and Vincenzo was nearby. No matter what Mr. George was planning, he would not dare make a move under Vincenzo’s watch.Still, Michael’s reaction was instinctive.“No hard feelings, right? Isn’t this how friendships start?” Mr. George replied indifferently. He stepped to the side and looked at Ivanka.“Friends?” Ivanka let out a sharp laugh. “Be honest, Mr. George. Do you really think we could ever be friends?”She had taken the Ganoderma Nebula. He had tried to steal it by sending his men. She had turned five of them against him a
Ivanka tried to step aside, but Michael blocked her path.The acrid smell of smoke hit her.She instinctively covered her nose and mouth.Michael saw her reaction and put out his cigarette.“If I talk through a third party and they can’t get my point across to my subordinates, wouldn’t it be better to handle it myself?”Ivanka frowned. “Is this really the time to talk about this?”She thought about pushing him away, but she decided against it.“I know it’s not. I also know you did all that to make me give up. But I won’t. It will just hurt.”His voice was hoarse and tinged with sorrow.He looked heartbroken.If this had been before, she might have felt bad for him. But at that moment, she felt nothing. She said calmly, “That’s your problem, not mine. If you want to keep getting knocked out and run around like this, be my guest.”She stepped forward and pulled out her phone.Michael knew exactly what she meant. If he kept blocking her way, she would call Njord, Stella, and t
“Alright, go back to the casino and wait for my order.”The fight between Tanya and Blake had revealed how fragile their relationship was. If Tanya thought the stranger she met at the party was reliable, she would try to leave Blake.She would have thought that she had gotten her freedom. But in fact, it was just another circle of hell awaiting her.By then, Tanya would suffer a worse fate than death.That was what Ivanka wanted to see.After all, Tanya had disguised herself as Ivanka and put a stain on her reputation for a time. Moreover, Tanya was still planning to come after her and Michael.Ivanka would not intervene in the feud between Tanya and Michael, but since she had run into Tanya at the party, she would like to settle the score between her and Tanya.“That’s your plan?”As Ivanka hung up, Vincent could not help frowning.He knew what she was up to when she had asked Njord to assign the job to a man.But the progress was too slow!Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Yeah
Tanya was not a fool.Seeing Tanya’s reaction, the man smiled calmly and said, “Seriously? He’s just your boyfriend. He can’t possibly stop you from making friends, right?”Tanya ignored him and kept walking.She reached a junction and took out her phone to book a ride. But the Hicks family’s mansion was on the hillside. Moreover, Caeser had contacted the Ministry of Transport to impose traffic control in the area. Apart from those who attended the party, no one else’s vehicle was allowed to enter.Seeing that there was not a single car around, Tanya had no choice but to walk down the hill.Blake had told her to get lost, so she would not go back to the mansion to ask for his help.She walked for about five minutes. High heels were not made for long-distance walks, and she was in a long evening gown. She held a little purse that contained her phone, lipstick, a small packet of tissues, and nothing else. Worse still, she could not tear off the long hem of her gown.Tanya had no c
What Blake said struck a chord with Tanya.Her expression was cold, and the look in her eyes was vicious.She did not even love Blake, so everything he did had nothing to do with her. She did not care if he was involved with other women.“Do you have anything else to say? I don’t think I need to be at this party for long.” Tanya averted her gaze so that she did not have to look Blake in the eye.She had made her point clear. If he did not need her around, she would take her leave for the night.Naturally, Blake knew what she meant to say.“Get lost then!”He yelled at Tanya right away. She did not even spare him a look before lifting the hem of her dress, turning around, and walking away.Blake’s voice was filled with disgust, hatred, and rage. But Tanya could not care less about how he felt.She had come to the party with Blake, who arranged their ride. The Hicks, who organized this party, had prepared a parking lot for the guests. There were cars arranged neatly across the p