Michael looked at the design again.The wedding dress was innovative. The design quality was outstanding. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before.From head to toe, every detail sparkled and shone.It was not just about an abundance of pearls in the design. It was inherently filled with highlights, especially the embellishments on the chest and waist. Michael suddenly felt the urge to ask Ivanka to try on this wedding dress immediately for him to see the effect.“Speak.”Ivanka nodded. “I know her.”Seeing that Michael was about to say something, Ivanka interjected. “She’s not available for more. This is the only piece she can do.”As she spoke, she concealed the irony in her eyes.This wedding dress...She seemed to stare off into the distance again, tinged with a hint of bitterness and unresolved emotions.Michael pursed his lips and did not utter another word. However, his eyes remained fixed on the design. The subtle and elegant style somehow felt familiar to him.
As Michael had a video conference scheduled next, Ivanka returned to her room with the venue design proposal.Through WhatsApp, Evan briefed her on the morning’s developments.Throughout the afternoon, Ivanka immersed herself in studying the proposal. She was figuring out how to communicate specific details effectively with the design team.That evening, Michael and Ivanka had dinner together as usual.Ivanka found Michael’s mood swings strange, but she proceeded to eat her meal as usual.Michael’s phone suddenly rang again.It was Chiara calling.In contrast to Michael’s frown, Ivanka smiled. “Isn’t she your lifesaver and girlfriend? Ignoring her calls doesn’t seem proper, does it?”Michael’s sharp gaze instantly fell on Ivanka’s face. Seeing her mocking expression, he snorted. “Who said I’m not answering it?”Ivanka’s grin seemed to grow wider. “I was afraid you wouldn’t answer it.”That sounded like a provocation.Michael gave her a disdainful look and answered the phone.
“Mic?”Chiara was truly on the verge of losing it this time.She did not get it!Michael clearly did not like Ivanka and found her extremely hypocritical. Why would he keep getting involved with Ivanka like this? They even… They even slept together!Chiara sounded like she was crying. A faint sob came from the other end of the line.Michael frowned slightly and glared coldly at Ivanka. “Ivanka, that’s enough!”He thought. “Has this woman finally revealed her true colors?” Ivanka chuckled. “Enough? How can it be enough? Look at how upset Chiara is now. Aren’t you going to treat her the way you treated me yesterday? You were so gentle to me.”After all, the high and mighty Mr. Barkworth carefully applied ointment to her foot yesterday. She almost felt grateful for it.Michael stared sternly at Ivanka.Ivanka, however, could not help but chuckle. The last thing Michael cared to do was to explain himself, so he would not take the initiative to tell Chiara that they were not in b
“B*tch! That b*tch!”Chiara was infuriated.She never expected Michael to have dinner with Ivanka, nor did she expect the b*tch to have no regard for what Michael thought of her and speak without restraint.Was she not afraid of making Michael hate her even more after saying those things?Or had she resorted to scorched earth tactics to bring down her enemy?After what Ivanka said, Chiara could not admit herself into the hospital again. Doing so might make Michael suspicious!Besides, when Ivanka said those things just now, Chiara did not sense much resistance from Michael. Chiara thought. “How did things turn out like this? Why did it become like this?”Chiara, in a fit of rage, shouted, “Ivanka!”That b*tch!Chiara’s chest heaved as she gripped her phone tightly. Her face became paler.She was panicking.No! She absolutely could not let Ivanka go on like this!...After finishing her meal, Ivanka cleaned up the table and went back to her room to take a shower.As her p
“And?”Evan paused briefly before speaking softly, “I need to dig deeper for the details. We can’t prematurely conclude that this is related to Ms. Ivanka.”Michael’s stern face revealed little emotion. His expression was inscrutable.“I got it.”After saying that, Michael hung up.The room fell into silence once again.Michael held his phone with a cold, thoughtful gaze.... For the next two days, Ivanka finished her work as usual. She pretty much had to spend time with Michael during the day and had meals with him.However, apart from work-related discussions, there was no other communication between them.The seven days of the business trip finally ended.They would spend the night at their current location, and tomorrow they would head back.Ivanka was puzzled about why they did not leave tonight, but without any specific instructions from Michael, she refrained from questioning.The next day, they departed together.Ivanka and Michael were still seated together in t
There was a loud boom.It sounded as if something exploded.Michael immediately grabbed Ivanka’s hand and headed for the exit.Ivanka was trembling slightly, and she let him drag her away.Soon enough, they reached the flight captain. At this point, the captain had lost his composure.With the hubbub outside, he still attempted to calm everyone down.It was a shame that this time, his assurances no longer worked.Bangs sounded. Some passengers saw what was going on outside the plane through the windows.“Someone’s out there! A plane is attacking us! They fired at us!”“Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”People could not stop screaming.Everyone was already panicking.Some flight attendants were about to burst into tears. They could not help saying, “What do we do? Why is this happening? Are we going to survive this?”One of them was sobbing. “I’m terrified… Ahhh!”The flight attendant who just spoke suddenly let out a scream. It was broadcast to the passenger cabin.The passengers were e
Ivanka felt like she was in a dream.She looked at Michael in surprise. After all, Michael always appeared indifferent and kept a distance from people around him. But today, the usually cold Michael suddenly stepped up to maintain order and calm everybody down.At that moment, she had a bizarre thought: Michael seemed to be a kind-hearted guy.Michael turned off the microphone. The flight captain immediately looked at him with gratitude in his eyes. “Thank you so much for doing this, sir!”However, even though the situation was stabilized at the moment, they were not truly safe. The captain added anxiously, “The plane is still flying, but it is unstable. I am afraid that the pilot can’t take it anymore.”It was his fifteenth year working on a plane. Regardless of how experienced he was, he had not been through a crisis like this one.Michael immediately said, “I’ll pilot the plane, and I need a flight conductor.”With immense disbelief in their eyes, the captain and the flight a
If he made a mistake, he would become a killer who failed hundreds of passengers…While he deserved to die for his mistake, he could not let the others die with him…He was surprised when the flight captain came into the cockpit.The captain said, “Well done, Owen. Let Mr. Barkworth and Ms. Lane take care of the rest. Switch places with Mr. Barkworth. Stabilize the plane before getting up.”Owen was flabbergasted. “Is… Is this alright?”Seeing that someone wanted to take over, he was surprised and incredibly relieved.The captain nodded solemnly again. “Yes, quickly.”Owen responded with an affirmative and did as he was told. He looked at Michael. “Here you go, Mr. Barkworth.”As he called out to Michael, he was still in deep shock. Even though he had seen Michael and Ivanka on the television screen, the astonishment he felt was still indescribable.Who would have thought that Mr. Barkworth could fly a plane!Michael took the pilot’s seat and started controlling the plane. He
Ivanka did not pay him any mind and got into the car. If Michael dared to chase after her again, she would most definitely kick him out of the car! She would do what she said she would!Michael did not catch up, but he blocked her with his arms wide open. His stance was clear: You can leave. But over my dead body! Ivanka could not possibly drive over Michael. But it was not a problem for Michael to keep blocking her way. Plus, she had just politely rejected his parents. So, it was even more impossible for her to turn back. Ivanka ran out of patience. She held her forehead and frowned. Michael had already drained her last bit of patience. She never imagined that Michael would actually cling to her to such an extent! How would she put it? All her positivity had been drained clean! “Michael, your parents are still at home. Aren’t you afraid they’ll see and laugh at you? I know Grandpa and Grandma are standing by our side now. It’s not like you and I haven’t been in
Ivanka would neither accept the carrot nor the stick approach. Michael had no choice but to persuade her with reason and win her over with affection. Ivanka snorted. “Have you ever given me a chance to have a meal with you before this? As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time for things to come to this state. Things might have passed for you but not for me!” Ivanka’s gaze was razor-sharp. Michael felt his heart clench up. At that moment, his throat was in so much pain that he did not know what else to say to her. Ivanka did not wait for his response. She pushed away his hand and headed out without hesitation. Michael did not stop her. Nonetheless, he went after her and followed behind her. Meanwhile, they heard the sound from the kitchen. Mindy prepared dinner in the kitchen, and Jay helped her out. They had heard their conversation. Out of courtesy, Ivanka went to the kitchen and greeted them. She said with a smile, “Uncle Jay, Aunt Mindy, I’m
Ivanka clenched her fists. Her gaze was filled with ferocity. She looked like she was really going to punch Michael. Michael noticed the anger in her eyes. But since the person was none other than Ivanka, he was willing to take the beating. He even took a step forward and held his head high. “Strike me if you want.” “You!” Ivanka glared at Michael. He truly annoyed her. She reminded herself to keep her composure. She sucked in a deep breath before saying, “Michael, I’ve treated you with respect. You’d better behave yourself.” Right after she finished the sentence, Ivanka left. Before she even took a step forward, Michael grabbed her. “My mom is preparing the dishes inside the kitchen. If you leave now, you’re not showing me any respect. Please stay around to have dinner. Even though we’re already divorced, and it’s impossible for us to get back together again, we’re still friends,” said Michael. Haha! He had been adamant. He was using the same approach to draw close
Mindy’s expression instantly darkened. “What’s with us being prejudiced against her? Had I ever targeted her when she married Michael from the beginning? “She knew how well Rosie had treated her. It’s her own fault for failing to bond with Mic. How could you blame us?” Mindy had always disliked Ivanka. She believed Samuel’s intervention had been the reason for their marriage. It was an arranged marriage. There was no need for the Barkworth’s family to have an arranged marriage. At the end of the day, it was all up to Samuel to choose the bride for Michael. Ever since Ivanka married Michael, aside from the deliberate arrangements, they had hardly shown up together as a couple in public. Mindy did not have any particularly hard feelings for Ivanka. She believed the two would live happily together after getting married. After they divorced, Mindy thought Michael could start all over again. But she did not expect to see their current relationship was no different from when they
It was Jay and Mindy. When Ivanka saw them, a thought came across her mind. She took out a syringe and inserted it into Michael’s arm to unmute him. Michael felt like he had been stung by a bee. It was as though he had been put in jail, only to be freed all of a sudden. Ivanka took away the syringe and gave him a glance with displeasure. “Get out of the car now. Your parents are here—” “Aren’t you entering the house?” Before Ivanka finished her sentence, Michael interrupted her. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with sincerity and seriousness. But Ivanka rejected him coldly. “Quick! Get out of the car! I’m not joking with you. Get out now!” “Let’s go in together. After all, you’re already here. Are you worried about seeing them?” Michael was undaunted by her emotions and tone. Instead, he stretched out his hand to try to grab Ivanka. Nonetheless, she avoided him with ease. Meanwhile, Jay and Mindy saw them. They walked over to them. Mindy glanced at th
It was no wonder Jonah asked for so many details. All these were facts.Ivanka did not avoid answering his questions. She gave a light smile. “The longest will be half a year.”If the treatment was ineffective after half a year, she would go to Silvania with Vincent.After all, it was not just about her.Upon learning of Ivanka’s decision, Jonah smiled wryly. “Iv, I don’t think it’s an easy feat to treat my legs. How about you go and deal with your stuff first? You can always treat my legs afterward.”Ivanka initially planned to do it that way. But George, Florence, and Margaret had interrupted her plan.Since she had returned to Bostone, why was there a need to travel back and forth again?She might as well treat Jonah’s legs.Besides, Vincent had informed her that it would be highly uncertain whether they could still return to their home country after arriving at Silvania.Ivanka said, “No. I don’t want to make so many trips. I’ll treat your legs for half a year and see if i
It was not an overstatement to say Michael was crossing the line. Nonetheless, Ivanka could not just sit there and watch the two men get into a conflict. Hence, Ivanka pulled Michael to the side and glanced at him. “If you don’t want to be kicked out, you’d better wait here.” But Michael was undaunted by Jonah. Although Jonah had the power to rebuke him in his own territory, Michael refused to allow Jonah to get the upper hand. Ivanka saw the determination in Michael’s eyes. She was very worried that the two might get into a fight. She quickly pulled him back. “Stop making me worry about you. Just wait here! If you dare to come after me, I’ll…” Although she did not finish her sentence, her intention was clear enough. If Michael disobeyed her, she would make him a statue! Understanding this, Michael did not follow Ivanka. But when Jonah turned around and left, the provocation in his eyes was evident. Still, Michael listened to Ivanka. He did not want to offend her. He
Jonah narrowed his eyes while questioning Michael. Still, Michael did not respond to him. Ivanka pursed her lips. She looked displeased when she answered Jonah, “Jonah, there’s no need to speak so harshly. Do you still want me to treat your legs?” She had temporarily made Michael mute. She did that to stop Michael from talking endlessly about those things. Nonetheless, he had still insisted on coming along with her, only to end up being targeted by Jonah. Ivanka had no intention of making Michael mute in front of Jonah. Upon hearing Ivanka’s words, Jonah looked at where she currently stood. She stood in front of Michael. It looked like she was trying to protect him more. As the saying went, true love was portrayed in hard times. This saying was true indeed. It was true that Ivanka cared about Michael. Jonah said gently to Ivanka, “I want you to treat my legs, and I only speak harshly to specific people. I already showed him much respect when he barged into my terri
Michael remained resolute.Ivanka rolled her eyes. “Then stay stubborn. I’ll only fix it when you stop pushing me away.”After she was done speaking, she turned to leave.Michael followed.He even opened the passenger door and got in her car. He was determined to follow her.But Ivanka would not go easy on him.Once inside, she warned him coldly, “Not being able to speak is harder than you think. Follow if you want. Michael, are you sure about this?”Even after her warning, he kept staring straight ahead.She said nothing more and started the engine.Within half an hour, she arrived at Jonah’s mansion.Jonah came out to greet her personally. The moment Ivanka parked the car, Jonah immediately spotted Michael in the passenger seat.The sight of him stirred up bitterness in Jonah. Yet there was nothing he could do.Before Ivanka exited the car, she said to Michael, “Wait here.”Without glancing at him, she walked straight toward Jonah.Her attitude made Michael decide t