The store manager went slightly pale. She immediately got in their way before they headed for the door. Her voice carried a note of panic. “Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane, you haven’t seen all the designs. Our current designers are quite talented as well. The situation is not as bad as you imagine, or else a big brand like us would’ve been done for.”Ivanka did not get up. She only stared at the store manager. “Then show me what you think is good. We don’t have time to go through the designs one by one.”The store manager quickly walked over. She picked some wedding gown designs and displayed them on the screen.Ivanka browsed through them. The disappointment in her eyes only grew.The store manager was so anxious that she almost broke out in a cold sweat. She quickly said, “We have also received some new designs today. Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane, please have another look at them!”Both Barkworth’s Group and Lane’s Group were big clients. If she missed the chance to work with them, her supe
Ivanka did not expect Michael to be such a jerk!After all, Michael could easily ostracize her and force her out of Lane’s Group if he wanted to.But she could not let this guy find and take advantage of her weakness!Michael looked mockingly. “You got me in trouble multiple times, but I let it slide for grandma’s sake. If you keep testing my patience, I’ll give you a taste of your own medicine!”Ivanka was at a loss for words.She gritted her teeth. “Fine, I’ll do it! But you’ll be the one reaching out to them, right?”Michael said nothing.But Ivanka knew that he had agreed, so she wordlessly drove to the hotel.Now, the most important thing was to track down those designers.If she could win them over, she would not have to work with another bridal house.However, Michael seemed to be messing with her. The moment she arrived at the hotel and parked the car, he had already forwarded her the phone numbers of those designers.“Talk to them yourself.”With that, Michael got
Ivanka vowed to get back at Michael for this one day!But she had not figured out Michael’s weakness.She could not bring herself to hurt his family, because she, too, cared about some of them.Otherwise, much to her immense frustration, he seemed invulnerable!Ivanka inhaled and thought about her relationship with Michael. They had been hanging out together way too often.After a pause, Ivanka said, “Give me a moment. I’m going to call him again.”Evan felt a migraine setting in. Why would Mr. Barkworth let him handle things like this? Must he act as a messenger between this couple—no, divorced couple?“Ms. Lane, please don’t bother. Mr. Barkworth was very insistent, and he is busy right now. He told me that he won’t answer any calls.”Ivanka was speechless.Michael had basically meant that he would not answer Ivanka’s call.Unable to suppress her frustration, Ivanka took a deep breath. But Evan continued, “Ms. Lane, you must attend this banquet. Besides, there is a potentia
Before she took her first step, Michael gripped her arm. By the time she realized what happened, her arm was already firmly hooked around his.Worse still, everything seemed to happen so smoothly, and there was nothing out of the ordinary.Everyone thought that they were still a close, perfect match. They would have assumed that Ivanka had put her arm around Michael’s.Ivanka wanted to retract her arm, but Michael tightened his clutch. She did not even have a chance to struggle and wrench herself free.She turned to look at him with a smile on her lips. However, Michael heard her low, angry voice through her clenched teeth, “Michael Barkworth, what are you up to?”Michael’s lips curved slightly into a seemingly mocking smile.But he also appeared to be in a good mood.He turned his gaze on Ivanka and answered patiently, which was uncharacteristic of him, “I’m attending the banquet.”Ivanka was speechless.What a jerk!She inhaled deeply and tried her best to remain calm.It
If they had met before Ivanka divorced Michael, this man would have called her Mrs. Barkworth. However, now…He dared not do that. These two were already divorcees. He had no idea how to address her.But he really wanted to get on Ivanka’s good side. That was why he blurted out that name.Iris.Michael immediately frowned.This name frustrated and angered him, but it mostly made him feel remorse.Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Hello, Mr. Lloyd.”The look on Mr. Lloyd’s face was tense and awkward. He had called her by the wrong name. He should have just addressed her by her maiden name.However…He only remembered that Ivanka was called Iris at that moment. He had, in fact, failed to recall her maiden name.Seeing Michael’s expression, Mr. Lloyd panicked a little. He quickly turned to Michael and chuckled. “Mr. Barkworth, why have you decided to attend the banquet today? Since you’ve visited Springvale, I ought to play my part and host you. Are you free tomorrow? I’ll treat you
Ivanka had enough!However, Michael looked at her mockingly. “You don’t have the right to rest just yet. We haven’t finalized our cooperation.”“You talk to everyone who approaches you! We can barely talk about our f*cking collaboration!” She gritted her teeth.“Ivanka! Who told you to curse like that?” Michael’s expression darkened.She was speechless. She suddenly realized the difficulty of communicating with someone whose opinions completely differed from hers.She was trying to tell him to speed up the discussion and wrap it up quickly.But he, on the other hand, was fixated on her cursing.He must be nuts! She continued cursing him in her heart.She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She needed to control herself!Michael seemed determined to be at odds with her. He continued to chat with everyone around him. He appeared particularly talkative today.With others present, she saw an opportunity rise.Looking at them, she said with a smile, “Sorry to interrupt.”
Ivanka looked up. She saw a dignified, elegant woman in a white gown. Her long, brown, curly hair rested on her shoulders. She lowered her head as she looked down at Ivanka. The woman was very polite. She gestured to Ivanka to finish her call before chatting with her. Ivanka immediately stopped chatting with Sandy. She said, “Sandy, I’m at a banquet now. Let’s continue when I go home.” Sandy was a little surprised, but she did not ask further. “Alright. We’ll chat after the banquet.” Ivanka hung up. She stared at the regal woman before her as she asked, “Are you Ms. Tanya?” Mr. Cullen was the president of the largest corporation in Springvale. Tanya Cullen was his beloved daughter. Tanya was not surprised that Ivanka recognized her. She sat opposite Ivanka and said calmly, “Ms. Ivanka, I didn’t expect to bump into you at this banquet.” Tanya did not expect to run into Ivanka in this manner. Ivanka sized Tanya up. “Ms. Tanya, do you have any business with me?” Tanya sm
“To be honest, I’m most surprised that you divorced because of your cousin.” Ivanka’s lips twitched. Not everyone was aware of how important Chiara was to Michael. Regardless of what Tanya said to her, Ivanka no longer cared about Michael. Thus, she did not pay attention to the hidden meaning in Tanya’s words. Ivanka smiled wordlessly. Tanya sized her up. A hint of surprise darted across her eyes. Ivanka differed completely from what she had expected. Tanya paused for a moment before saying with a smile, “I hope you’re not my love rival.” Ivanka nodded casually. “Don’t worry. I’ve learned my lesson. I won’t disgrace myself anymore. If you’re smart, you should be able to speculate why he openly brought me to this banquet.” Tanya had high social status and power. She was also a scheming woman. She naturally knew what Michael cared about the most. She also knew well about his background. Even without Ivanka pointing it out, Tanya should know why. As expected, Tanya nod
“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