Belle was a little surprised. She quickly glanced at Chiara through the rearview mirror.Without Chiara’s instruction, Belle could not do as Ivanka said, or else Chiara would punish her when they got back.Puzzled, Chiara turned to Ivanka. “Where are you going?”Ivanka said with indifference, “I know you’re doing this just for show. There’s no need for us to take the same car. I have something else to attend to, so let’s not waste time dancing around in circles.”Chiara’s brows were knitted in a tight frown. Chiara thought. “Has Mic contacted her?“Are they meeting up again?”With that in mind, she immediately said, “Where are you going? I’ll ask Belle to give you a ride.”Ivanka smiled faintly. “Don’t worry. I won’t meet Michael again.” Chiara scowled and said grimly, “Pull over!”Belle turned the steering wheel and slowly stopped the car on the side of the road.Without a word, Chiara stared at Ivanka coldly.She wanted to warn Ivanka to behave, but it seemed pointless. I
Ivanka said, “We can’t act rashly just yet. Without enough evidence, I can’t send them to prison once and for all.”Suki pursed her lips. “Alright, let me know if you need anything.”Ivanka nodded. “Regarding my father, keep investigating. We may have missed something.”“Okay.”After a brief discussion, the two of them left the office.Suki drove Ivanka home.On the way back, Ivanka was deep in thought. Theodore wanted to take over Lane’s Group. Taking her shares was just an excuse.In fact, he had recently won the loyalty of some people in the company.If that was the case, Ivanka could surely uncover some clues from the shareholders.So, she ought to infiltrate the board of directors as soon as possible!She pondered over this throughout her ride.But she could not figure it out, even after Suki pulled up outside her home and stopped the car. Suki looked at Ivanka and said in a somber voice, “So, how did they do it? What did they do to your father? Did he really have
The person on the other end of the line was a little shocked. “Ms. Lane?”“Yes, it’s me.”Mr. Parker’s assistant paused before saying in a low voice, “Noted. Mr. Parker is in a meeting. I’ll relay your message and call you back.”“Okay, thanks.”After this brief exchange, both Ivanka and the assistant hung up.The assistant put down the phone and headed straight to Mr. Parker’s office.Meanwhile, Mr. Parker was sitting at his desk. He had a beer belly, and his breathing was a little ragged. He shifted uncomfortably in his chair, which could barely fit him. He seemed to be in his forties and wore a pair of white-framed glasses. His hair was parted in the middle and made a sight for sore eyes.Knowing that the person coming in was his assistant, he did not even bother to look up from the pictures of beautiful women on his phone.The assistant had long gotten used to Mr. Parker’s behavior. He walked up to his boss’ desk right away.Even though Mr. Parker was a lecherous man, he
“But…”Before she finished, Ivanka interrupted her with a smile. “Don’t worry. I’ll be fine.”Rebecca opened her mouth but failed to form words. In the end, she sighed resignedly. “Alright then… You should watch out.”“Okay.”…Ivanka stayed and waited until it was time to meet up with Mr. Parker.She packed up and headed to their rendezvous. When she arrived, to her small surprise, Mr. Parker was already there.Mr. Park’s eyes immediately lit up with excitement at the sight of Ivanka. Not even her formal attire could hide the curves of her perfect figure. He quickly got up and stared at Ivanka with a grin. “Here you are, Ms. Lane. Thanks for asking me out for dinner. I’m so honored.”Ivanka smiled. “Drop the formalities, Mr. Parker. I’m grateful that you agreed to meet.”Mr. Parker’s grin broadened instantly. “Come over here and take a seat. What do you want to eat?”He extended a hand and signaled her to sit down at the dining table.At that moment, Mr. Parker still appe
Xander and Michael both glanced at Ivan’s phone.Ivan saw the incoming call and grinned. “Look, my favorite girl is calling me. I really like this girl. Do you want me to bring her over and introduce her to you guys?”“No need,” Xander and Michael replied in unison.They clearly were not interested in wasting time meeting a woman who would not be in Ivan’s future.Ivan’s expression darkened slightly. “Screw you guys!”He stood up and headed out. “I’ll take this call outside. I’ll be back in a bit.”Xander and Michael remained silent as he strode out.While pacing back and forth in the corridor during the call, he noticed a group of waiters carrying food pass by. He touched his stomach and realized he was hungry.The door of a private room opened, and Ivan instinctively glanced over.His expression changed when he spotted two familiar figures.He hurriedly told the person on the other end of the line, “Babe, something important just came up. I’ll call you back later.”He made
Ivan knew for sure that Michael had not gotten over his ex-wife, yet he feigned indifference.Ivan would like to see how Michael reacted if he found out what she was dealing with.Crossing his legs, Ivan looked forward to seeing what happened next. There was a smirk on his lips.Xander looked at Michael and tried to talk some sense into him. “William Parker is capable of getting anything he wants. He is gutsy. Besides, you have already divorced Ivanka. She no longer poses any threat to him.”Ivan laughed. His legs remained crossed as he said languidly, “That isn’t true. Isn’t Jonah quite fond of Ivanka now? With him around, Mr. Parker probably wouldn’t dare do anything to her. I saw them sitting at the same table just now, and he has been behaving himself. He might just give in and sign the agreement this time.”Michael was speechless.Noting his inaction and darkened expression, Ivan let out a hearty laugh. “Alright, I was just gossiping with y’all. Let’s mind our own business a
Mr. Parker was not in a rush to say anything. Instead, he stared at Ivanka in seemingly deep thought.Ivanka remained composed as usual. Her calm expression gave nearly nothing away.He had indeed spiked the food with something.But with only the two of them in this room, Ivanka was not afraid.Mr. Parker smiled. “You’re right, Ms. Lane. It’s just that… You ought to know there’s no such thing as a free lunch. You have been in business for a while and got to where you are today, so I suppose you know how things work in this industry, yes?”As he spoke, he raised his hand.As his hand was about to touch Ivanka’s, she evaded his touch with composure and ignored his hand, which was frozen stiff awkwardly.The smile on Mr. Parker’s lips was a little tense. But he soon recovered from his embarrassment. Staring at Ivanka, he said smilingly, “Ms. Lane, it is how it is in our industry these days. You ought to know what I want from you and what you should give in return. I heard that you
“Ms. Lane, since you have so much confidence in your plan, show me then. I’ll take a look and decide for myself,” Mr. Parker said.With a smile, Ivanka produced her business proposal in a swift, smooth motion.Mr. Parker had never let anyone wrap him around their finger at the negotiation table, especially if the other party was a woman.Now, all thanks to Ivanka, he was indeed put in a passive position. However, if what she claimed was true, he would not mind being manipulated like that.Mr. Parker took the business proposal from Ivanka. At this point, he was no longer eager to take advantage of her. Rather, he started reading the plan attentively.The more he read, the more shocked he was. But he was an experienced businessman, so his expression betrayed nothing.After he read the entire document, Mr. Parker put down the proposal.However…Before Ivanka asked to meet with him, she had done her homework.If Mr. Parker was not interested, he would never finish reading the docu
“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