Sandy stormed off while giving Coco a fierce glare as she left.Before leaving, she made sure to warn her, “Ms. Coco, if you run into any trouble at the hotel, contact the front desk first.”Coco looked frightened and nodded.Sandy could not stand seeing that expression. She quickly shifted her gaze away. Out of sight, out of mind.She looked at Ivanka, who nodded back. With that, Sandy hurried off like a gust of wind.As she left, Ivan followed her.Their conversation could be heard from quite a distance.“Why are you so upset? Who upset you?”“You did. You’d better stay away from me.”“Hey, what did I do?! You should at least tell me so I can understand what’s really going on.”... Ivanka smiled as she watched the two of them leave.At some point, Michael had walked over. He said in a deep voice, “Let’s go.”Ivanka snapped out of her thoughts. She looked at him and nodded.The two of them walked ahead, side by side.Candice hung back and walked alongside Coco.Coco
Candice initially seemed like she wanted to say more, but as they reached the rooms, she stopped.Ivanka’s room was in the middle. Candice’s room was to the left, Michael’s to the right, and across the hall were Ivan and Sandy’s rooms.If Sandy had not still been upset about how easily Ivanka had agreed to Coco’s request, she might have tried to switch rooms.Then again, perhaps it was better to leave the two bickering frenemies together.At the door, Michael said something to Ivanka. Whatever it was, Ivanka simply smiled and seemed to reassure him before swiping her card and entering her room.Candice kept her eyes on Coco to look for any sign of emotions. However, Coco appeared calm and unaffected.Michael, however, stood in place and watched Ivanka enter her room. Coco noticed that the moment she stepped into her own room, Michael had already shifted his gaze away.Though it stung, Coco kept her frustration hidden.Patience was key. Since Rosie was already taken care of, C
Sandy sent a winking emoji, and the group chat quickly became active with conversation.Candice chimed in. Candice: Hey, hey, hey! You all need to come check out the balcony! You can see the entire hot spring from here. Everything is in full view. It’s the perfect spot. Mic, Iv, come and look!Since the layout of the rooms was different, Sandy and Ivan could not see the view from their balconies. Frustrated, Sandy vented in the group chat.Sandy: Just my luck!The underlying message was obvious. Not only could she not see the hot spring, but she was also stuck in a room next to the insufferable Ivan.Ivan, however, seemed oblivious to Sandy’s implied meaning and replied cheerfully.Ivan: Really? I think this spot is pretty good. At least it’s quiet at night, right?Sandy did not bother responding. Instead, she knocked on Ivanka’s door. She decided to join her and check out the view from her balcony.Ivanka did not turn her down. After all, they were here to enjoy themselves.
Coco felt disrespected.But when she turned around to look at Michael, he was already gone.For a moment, she felt defeated. But mostly, she felt resentful.What more could she do to stop them from being so judgmental?And then there was Ivanka. She said she did not care, but her actions clearly suggested otherwise.To Coco, it felt like Ivanka was trying to play both sides.Fuming, Coco returned to her room.When it was time for dinner, the group had already decided what and when to eat in their chat.As Coco was about to leave, Ivanka called out to her.“Ms. Coco, dinner’s ready. It’s at the restaurant downstairs. Do you want to join us?”But Coco seemed to be waiting for something. Perhaps she was hoping for a chance encounter with Michael.Or maybe she was hoping for an unexpected meeting with him, which was why she declined.“Ah... no, it’s fine. I’m still changing. You go ahead.”Ivanka did not insist. She knocked on Candice’s door, and the two of them went downstair
Sandy and Candice had developed a good rapport over time. Sandy casually remarked, “Well, we came together because we admire each other, after all.”This comment was a subtle jab at Coco, one that Rosie had subtly planted in Sandy’s mind.Coco caught the implication but chose to stay silent.Her face flushed red. She probably had not expected the situation to escalate so quickly. It was her first time causing trouble and getting caught this fast.She realized that Sandy would likely become even more hostile toward her from now on.Coco regretted her actions. She had undoubtedly exposed her position.Candice laughed openly. Sandy was someone who never forgot a slight, and this reaction was entirely typical of her.After all, Coco had tried to take advantage of Sandy’s absence to talk behind her back.She deserved it!Ivanka did not let the tension linger between the two sides. She quickly urged Sandy to take a seat.Sandy let out a short huff and sat down beside Ivanka without
Almost everyone was there. The group entered the large hot spring pool one by one.At first, they were just hanging out in the large pool. There were quite a few people, but the atmosphere was not very lively. No one seemed to be having fun.Coco especially felt awkward. She did not enjoy anything at all.Even Sandy, who saw Coco fumbling awkwardly, could not help but complain, “I don’t get why she insisted on coming. Did she not think about what this situation might be like?”Candice glanced at Coco and whispered, “She probably didn’t. Just standing next to her gives me chills. I can’t believe she has no sense of embarrassment.”Sandy nodded seriously and added, “But even if she did think about it, she’d still come. After all, Michael’s here, right?”Candice glanced at Michael and then at the two men nearby.Both of them were topless, their bodies muscular. She looked down and could see the faint outline of abs.But there was not much more to see beyond that. Fortunately, it w
For a moment, Coco piqued Ivan’s interest. He stared at her face seriously before asking with amusement, “Did you put on makeup? I hope not. If you did, your makeup would wear off inside the hot spring.” “As if she didn’t!” On the other hand, Sandy played along with Candice’s lines. “If you can’t see if she’s put on makeup, it shows that she has great makeup skills. There are many waterproof cosmetics these days. We’ve seen her bare face before. To be honest, her facial features are considered average. Her skin condition is quite poor. We can’t make our skin look healthy in just a day or two.” Upon hearing this, Candice thought Sandy’s words made sense, so she nodded. Candice hardly put on makeup, so she did not quite understand all this. Meanwhile, Sandy put her hands on her hips and looked sulky. “Not everyone can look like Ivanka.” Ivanka was stunned. She turned to Sandy and blinked. She looked like she was quite confused about why she was dragged into this. Sandy wa
While the trio were discussing their summer trip next year, they heard the sound “brr…” “Brr… Very cold…” They turned to the direction of the sound and saw Ivan in his bathrobe walking toward them. He seemed to be carrying something in his arms. Something was protruding from his stomach. “This is a pool filled with roses. Do you want to take a dip too?” Sandy asked Ivan. At that moment, Michael came with him too. He exchanged glances with Ivan, and they grinned. It looked like they had been plotting something. “Three, two…” Ivanka realized something and shouted, “They’ve brought along ‘weapons’!” Ivanka’s reminder to her group drowned out Ivan’s voice of counting to one. The next second, Ivan and Michael jumped into the rose pool, took out their water guns, and started to unleash the water from their guns. Ivanka and her group were squeezed to the side and attempted to escape the men. Sandy had no way to escape. Ivan had targeted her. He unleashed the entire tub
Ivanka remained in a daze. She struggled to get to Sandy.Candice could not stop her at all. She did not dare to use force on her, either. She was conflicted. Just then, Michael walked over with a fruit basket. When he saw Ivanka wanting to get out of bed, he rushed over in a couple of steps and single-handedly pulled Ivanka back into the hospital bed.Ivanka was still struggling to get on the floor. When Candice saw Michael come, she breathed out a sigh of relief.Michael frowned and stared at Ivanka. “Do you want to die?” It was the first time he was so fierce to Ivanka.Ivanka was stunned silent for a moment as she looked at Michael. There was not much emotion in her eyes. Michael sighed and said in a soft voice, “I know you’re worried right now, but Sandy is already in the ICU. I’ve found the best doctors. Trust me, okay?”Michael saw that Ivanka was in a daze and unresponsive, so he brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. “Don’t worry about everything and leave it
Water. Endless water.It was as if Ivanka was trapped inside a tank of water. Everywhere she looked and her eyes and body touched, there was water.She tried to find a way out, but could not.Slowly, her breath was taken away.Ivanka held her neck, desperately trying to breathe and failing.She could even count the seconds by.“Huff—”Ivanka opened her eyes suddenly, accompanied by a violent gasping sound. It sounded a bit like a drowning person who had been inside the sea by a wave and lapped ashore again. This was a person who had escaped by chance and was finally able to breathe fresh air. “You’re awake!”In her ears, a familiar voice rang out, and only then did Ivanka’s somewhat blurred vision begin to focus.A somewhat unfamiliar ceiling. Her nostrils filled with the unpleasant smell of disinfectant. Next to her was an anxious Candice.“I…” Ivanka tried to speak, but it was as if her voice was not her own. As soon as she opened her mouth, her voice was like porcelain s
After all, when they ate breakfast, Jimothy was not there. She thought he had left first.It was only at this time that she realized that he had not left, and was still standing right behind Candice. The look in his eyes when he looked at Candice was in no way innocent.Ivanka’s and Sandy’s gazes were sharp, so Jimothy smiled slightly at the two of them and nodded.Ivanka also nodded politely at him in return.Afterward, his eyes were glued to Candice again. The two of them would whisper from time to time as if no one else was there. So, they did seem a bit like a young couple.When Michael saw Ivanka look at someone else, he probably felt very irritated. Then he coughed twice.Ivanka gave Michael a strange look. Michael explained without batting an eye, “Sorry, I guess I have a bit of a cold.”Sandy could not help but start chatting with Ivanka.“I say, this Jimothy is interested in Candice.”Ivanka did not say anything and smiled.Obviously, she thought so too.The reason
None of the previous questions were the ones she wanted to ask. The one she really wanted to ask was the last one. Ivanka understood this clearly. After answering the previous question, Coco nodded with a look of realization. She took Ivanka’s hand and shook it in a friendly manner.If other people saw this, they might even think that they were sisters.“Ms. Iv, you still know the best, you’re also meticulous enough to remember all of this. It’s no wonder Grandma told me to learn more from you.”Ivanka was also smiling, but her smile was a little forced.Coco seemed like she was complimenting her. But in reality, it was a roundabout way of saying that she and Rosie had a good relationship.Although she knew that there was something fishy going on, Ivanka could not help but feel her skin crawl when Coco said this.When she saw the unnatural expression on Ivanka’s face, Coco knew that her purpose had been achieved, and she immediately asked, “Didn’t you say that you’re going to c
She could not explain it all in such a short moment. Then Coco was also eyeing the situation with a fierce and intense look. It was hard to say it out loud.Candice suddenly understood. The meal was somewhat silent. Ivanka especially felt very uncomfortable.She kept feeling like she was being stared at all the time, and such a stare made her feel very uncomfortable.Coco’s seemingly elusive eyes kept looking toward Ivanka, afraid that she would say something to Michael.Under Coco’s intense gaze, Ivanka could not find a chance to speak.They ate the meal in silence. Sandy and Ivan did not come until the end.In the end, it was Candice who spoke. Otherwise, the meal would probably have been spent in silence.“Why don’t we soak in a private bath after our nap? We can still make it back in the evening.”Ivanka nodded noncommittally.Michael looked at Ivanka and was a little surprised. “Didn’t you say you want to rest for a while longer? Why are you suddenly in such a hurry aga
Ivanka still felt that she should talk to Michael about this matter.The thought weighed her down with worry. After thinking about it, Ivanka still wanted to talk to Candice about this matter in advance.As soon as the call connected, Ivanka began to talk about this matter.At the door, Coco had wanted to come and return the cleanser. She stared at it with a wry smile. It contained some small gifts that she had carefully prepared. Although it was not so bad that Ivanka would be disfigured, it was good enough to make her unable to see anyone for a couple of weeks.Coco put away her smile. Her hand had just touched the doorknob when she heard a voice from inside.The door was of good quality, and the soundproofing was naturally good. So Coco could only hear some of it in bits and pieces.But it was what she heard that made her a little surprised and even more fearful.Vaguely, she could hear Ivanka say something about Grandma, something wrong, witches, and the like.Coco was ho
The next day, Ivanka woke up early.Probably because of the hot spring yesterday, she woke up refreshed today and did not sleep in.A glance at the time told her it was around 7 a.m.. She sent a message to the group and received plenty of responses. Ivanka: Does anyone want to go for breakfast together?[Me.][Me too.] … It seemed that everyone was up. Ivanka smiled. Soaking in the hot springs really did help improve blood circulation. The group agreed to meet in the lobby downstairs at 7:30 a.m.. Ivanka washed up first. After washing up, she called Rosie, mainly to talk about Coco. The phone rang for a while before it connected. Mrs. Ruth answered it, but she sounded a bit strange.Ivanka did not suspect anything amiss. “Mrs. Ruth, is Grandma awake? Let her answer the phone.” Mrs. Ruth sounded troubled. After a pause, she seemed ready to speak.Rosie’s voice came from the other end. In the next second, the phone sounded like it had been snatched away. “It’s me.
But Ivan did not have the heart to entertain her. His mind was filled with images of Sandy’s razor-sharp gaze at him when she left. As such, he felt absolutely annoyed. As the organizer of the event, Ivanka could not bear to watch the event fall into this state. Hence, she asked everyone to return to their rooms. “You can ask for a room service to deliver the meals to your doorstep. It’s late now. Take a good rest.” Ivanka forced herself to remain calm when she said that. After she finished her sentence, she yawned. With that, everyone left. Jimothy sent Candice home. Ivan and Michael left together. Meanwhile, Ivanka stayed around with Coco. After all, they stayed together. They did not talk to each other on the way. Michael deliberately walked behind Ivanka. He wanted to guard her until she returned to the hotel safely. Ivan whispered to him, “Have I done something wrong?” He mumbled to himself. Michael ignored him. They just kept walking. ... When they arriv
Ivanka turned to Michael and thanked him in a whisper. Then she gathered her clothes. While waiting for Ivan, the wind blew directly toward them, and it was really cold. Ivanka stared at Michael. He only wore a wool sweater, so she asked gently, “Aren’t you cold?” Michael shook his head. He pulled out a stool and sat beside Ivanka. When he pulled out the stool, it released a piercing sound. Michael looked at Ivanka apologetically. Her eyes had flown wide open. Sandy was about to fall asleep and woke up in a startle to the sound. She then looked at her watch. It was already 11:30 p.m.. They had already waited for 30 minutes. Ivan was a man. Did he need to take so long to get ready? He was not even a lady. There was no need for him to blow his hair dry. While Sandy seethed in anger, Ivan finally packed up and walked out. At that moment, Candice looked slightly awake. Jimothy was beside her, and he stared at her without blinking even once. Candice stroked her face. “Is