They all got into the car after speaking.They arrived at the restaurant in two cars. Frank wanted to talk to Ivanka, so he invited her to join him in his car. Hanson sat in the front passenger seat while Ivanka and Frank sat in the back.Sandy and Anna took another car.Frank looked at Ivanka with a smile. “What’s your name?”Ivanka thought for a while and said with a smile. “You can call me Wisteria.”“Wisteria!” Frank’s mouth was agape with shock. That was not something he expected. The person beside him was a professional racer he thought he could never invite.No matter how experienced Frank was and how good he was at controlling his emotions, he could not hide the shock at the moment.When Hanson noticed Frank was silent and seemed to be digesting the shocking news, he turned and smiled. “Dad, how is it? Is it a pleasant surprise?”He promised Frank a pleasant surprise, and he delivered.“Yes! It’s a good surprise!” Frank could not help but laugh. “I never expect you to
Frank was a little friendlier to Ivanka and no longer produced the airs of a company president.Even though Jackson’s Group was not as large as Barkworth’s Group or Sadler’s Group, it was still influential in Bostone. Otherwise, he would not have been assigned a seat next to Michael.They talked for a while before arriving at their destination.They exited the car one by one, and the two drivers drove the cars away together.They chatted happily as they walked into the private room and sat down. This time, Hanson could no longer help himself and pulled a chair out for Ivanka. “Wisteria, please take a seat.”Ivanka was taken aback, but she sat down politely. Then Hanson sat down beside her.Frank glanced at Hanson in surprise. He was well acquainted with his son and was aware of Hanson’s personality. He assisted her not only because she was Wisteria.He probably developed feelings for her a long time ago.Frank was overjoyed. Even though Ivanka purposefully concealed her identit
Ivan cleared his throat and asked, “You haven’t moved on? No way. No matter what, you’re divorced and have gone on your separate paths. She is free to do whatever she wants. We’ll simply react accordingly to her next moves. Besides, she’s just a woman. She has no one to rely on. What? Are you worried she would get the upper hand over you?” Michael snorted and thought. “A woman? This is the woman who threatened to make me lose tens of billions of dollars, and she delivered. Is that a small sum of money?” That just occurred to Ivan as well. He cleared his throat again and hurriedly said, “I let my guard down that time! Besides, I was about to file an appeal when you stopped me. Who knows? Maybe I will defeat her next time!” Michael set the spoon down. He only had a few bites of his food. Ivan immediately said, “You have a poor stomach. Now you are not eating anything. Do you want to die young? Also, wasting food is bad!” Ivan handed him another clean spoon as he said this. He mot
Jonah’s eyes narrowed. He had been expecting this. Frank, who had been nervous, burst out laughing! “As long as she beats the racer, it’s fine. It makes no difference if Michael is ahead of her.” No one would ever doubt his son again as long as she maintained such a ranking and order! The following ten people would compete in the final round! The top ten would be rewarded by the organizers, but big names like Michael and Ivanka did not care about any reward at all. Trophies and other mementos practically filled Ivanka’s apartment. Today’s race lasted longer than expected. Because it was the final game that would determine the winner, they decided not to postpone it until the next day. And, as everyone had predicted, the game began! In the last round, they had to race on an extremely challenging circuit. In addition, the rule was different from previous rounds, which required ten cars to start at the same time! The track was particularly wide. When the referee gave the s
The next moment, they got out of their cars at the same time. Ivanka did not spare Michael a glance. She just walked to her seat as usual. Other people’s results had nothing to do with her. Besides, she had seen that she tied with Michael. Just as she sat down, Sandy exclaimed with excitement. “Whoo-hoo! We won!” Ivan snorted when he heard it. “It’s obviously a tie. What makes you think you’ve won? Don’t embarrass yourself, okay?” Sandy rolled her eyes at him. “You’re the one embarrassing yourself!” Ivanka sat down without looking at Ivan. Ivan, however, could not help but stare at Ivanka and thought. “She has defeated me twice in two different fields. It’s insane! And Sandy always makes fun of me at every opportunity!” He wished he could smack Sandy across the face. Jonah was no longer interested in looking at the third-place finisher in the field. Instead, he focused his attention on Ivanka. He thought. “Wisteria. Why does this woman look so familiar? Have we ever m
Michael ignored him. Ivan leaned closer to him in a resigned manner and whispered, “Can you please take it easy? It’s absolutely freezing! Besides, do you want people to think you’re upset because you didn’t win?” Michael’s piercing gaze was drawn to Ivan’s face right away. Ivan immediately yielded and raised his hands. “Fine, fine. Forget I said that.” The ranking had been confirmed. The host continued to introduce the race winners and the awards that would be presented on stage. Ivanka looked at Hanson with a smile. “Hanson.” Michael also heard her voice, which she had deliberately altered. His face darkened as he thought. “She called his name with such affection.” Hanson looked at her. “Yes?” “Get someone else to receive the award. I’m going home.” There was no point in staying here. Besides, she did not want to be in the same place as Michael. She was not afraid of him; she just found him annoying. He entered the race because he wanted to win the project. Her enc
Ivanka nodded. “Sure. We’ll have fondue then. It’s been a long time since I’ve had it.” “Whoo-hoo!” Sandy appeared to be overjoyed. “It might be a tie today, but the score is absolutely perfect! Hanson, your problem is solved, right?” Hanson smiled and nodded. “That’s right. I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to take over the company if it hadn’t been for Iv. Thank you, Iv.” Ivanka was bothered by Hanson’s affectionate gaze. “We are friends,” she said with a smile, looking away. “This is the least I could do. There is no need to say such things to me again.” Hanson’s eyes flickered with disappointment. He could tell Iv was emphasizing the word “friends” in her tone. Even Anna and Sandy heard it. Anna’s eyes darkened slightly. She wondered if Hanson would be happier if Ivanka agreed to be with him. Sandy, too, sighed in resignation. She thought. “Iv hasn’t gotten over her last love affair.” Hanson smiled and said, “Okay. I got it.” He said nothing more after that. Th
Michael’s face stiffened for a split second. Ivan could not read the emotion in his eyes. Ivan let it pass. He said again, “Actually, it’s fine to have flings, but don’t get too serious with a woman. Or else…” As he said that, he snorted. He considered his father as an example, but he clearly did not want to bring it up. Michael frowned slightly. “Not everyone is like your dad.” “Seeing how my dad behaves kills off any desire for me to fall for any woman. All right. I’ll get off after the turn. I will see you again some other time.” Ivan appeared to be aloof. However, there was a tinge of bitterness in his eyes. Michael could not say anything about his affairs. After Ivan got out of the car, he leaned back in his chair and rested with his eyes closed. By now, it was completely dark, so Michael drove all the way back home. Michael entered the house as usual, but there was a faint fragrance in the living room. Michael frowned immediately. A fragrance like this would have
“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