Rebecca mouthed “good luck” to Ivanka.Ivanka nodded with a smile before following Patty to Chiara’s office.Chiara felt agitated and murderous the moment she saw Ivanka.Though fleeting, Ivanka could sense Chiara’s hostility.Chiara was no longer bound to a wheelchair. Did she think about how to recover faster after they returned so that it would be easier for her to get closer to Michael?She smiled at the two and asked softly, “Oh, you two are here. How can I help you?”Patty promptly handed over Ivanka’s proposal to her and respectfully said, “Ms. Chiara, Sadler’s Group has agreed to collaborate with Ms. Ivanka. However, they’ve requested Ms. Ivanka to personally oversee the project, which may require her absence for about four months. As it’s not within my purview to decide, we require your approval.”Chiara was surprised. “He agreed to an investment worth a few hundred billion dollars?!”Was he dumb and had too much money to spare?No, that could not be it. Was there som
Chiara glanced at Ivanka mockingly before continuing. “Iv, it’s not that I don’t trust you. It’s just that your expertise lies elsewhere. If you specialize in this area with loads of experience, I’d definitely be all for it. But you need to understand how crucial this project is. Even if we turned down Sadler’s Group’s request, I can’t have you in charge of this project. You guys better get back to work.”Chiara’s voice was firm yet tinged with resignation.Patty felt it was a pity that the project could not materialize. But since Chiara made the call, she could not object to her decision. She looked at Ivanka and said, “Let’s go, Ms. Ivanka.”Ivanka glanced at Chiara and smiled, “Chiara, does this decision speak for the whole company?”Patty was stunned but remained silent.Chiara did not immediately respond; she only stared at Ivanka, seemingly waiting for her to continue speaking.However, this time, Ivanka said nothing. She smiled and said, “Since you disapprove, I’ll just
The crowd began to speculate.Why did Chiara disapprove of the project?Could it be...Ivanka, on the other hand, was not in a hurry to do anything. She continued to work.As the workday drew to a close, Jonah called her again for dinner. However, she declined because Sandy was already waiting for her at home.She went straight home after work.Sandy had the keys to Ivanka’s house and had been waiting for her there for a while. When she saw Ivanka finally come home, she said, “Why are you just back now? You’re such a workaholic! Can’t you take at least a day off?”Ivanka put down her bag and changed her shoes.“I can’t slack off. Chiara is trying to pick on me now.”Sandy frowned, “I wonder when will this ever end. What’s your plan?”Ivanka shrugged helplessly, “I can’t be sure. After all, it won’t be long before I’ve to take charge of another project. It’ll take around four months. During that time, I might not be able to contribute much.”Sandy looked at her suspiciously,
Ivanka recounted today’s event to Sandy.Sandy grinned and said, “Iv, why didn’t you tell me earlier? I might not be adept at the official, fancy counterattacks, but I have the perfect rogue-style strategy! Do you want to hear it? I swear, Chiara won’t stand a chance to counter, and you’ll be making waves all around!”Ivanka’s eyes gleamed and said, “Tell me.”Sandy, an expert in such matters, had a knack for both brilliant ideas and mischief.She giggled and said, “Make a scene! Jonah wants to collaborate with you, right? Have him communicate with Lane’s Group’s people. He’s the best bet to make a splash. You can reap the benefits without much effort. No way Lane’s Group will pass up this golden opportunity!”Ivanka chuckled, “That’s a good idea, but I don’t want to ask Jonah for favors and end up further in his debt.”Propping her chin with one hand, Sandy said amusedly, “I see. Well, I have other tricks up my sleeve.”Ivanka laughed helplessly. “Go ahead.”“First, make sure
Ivanka sighed, asking, “What happened between you and your father this time?”“Ugh, it’s so irritating! He won’t quit nagging me to go back and try to convince me not to hold a grudge while giving me his spiel. But his explanation is just weak. My mom died because of him, and I’ll hate him for the rest of my life!”Ivanka’s eyes flickered as she calmly spoke to the grim-faced Sandy, “Some things you’ll have to face sooner or later, and lots of it might just be your mix-up. If you don’t believe him, why not try to investigate what happened back then?”Sandy gritted her teeth and said, “Back then, my mom straight up jumped off a building right in front of me because he cheated. It was clear as day. What is there for him to explain?”She looked up at Ivanka. “Now, he’s keeping me locked up at home. He wants me to forgive him and wants me to get married the way he wants. Why should I listen to him? Seriously, for me, he’s no longer my father! Doesn’t he have other children anyway? He h
Sandy felt sorry for Ivanka when she noticed her smirk. She sighed in resignation. “Forget it; let’s not talk about this anymore. We should go to my uncle’s place first. Bring your proposal with you.”“Okay.”And so, the two of them packed up and set off together. They arrived at Thomas’s house just in time.Thomas had prepared a variety of snacks and fruits. He looked surprised when he saw the person Sandy brought was Ivanka. “Iv?”Ivanka quickly nodded respectfully. “Hello, Mr. Thomas.”Back when her father was the chairman, she would come to the company and assist him with some matters. She had interacted with the higher-ups during that time.Naturally, they had met before.Moreover, even if they were not acquainted, Thomas would easily recognize Ivanka, as she had recently gained considerable fame.Thomas swiftly stepped aside and smiled at them. “Come in and have a seat.”Sandy chuckled, “Uncle Thomas, did you miss me?”“You little rascal.” Thomas feigned anger.They th
Ivanka nodded and said, “Well, I’m not planning to keep this a secret from you. The original proposal requested Sandler’s Group to cough up all the funds while Lane’s Group plays along. I didn’t change the core requirements of the plan or the technological direction; I just revamped the entire implementation and reshaped it based on the original outline.”Thomas’s eyes widened with astonishment. “You wrote all of this?!”Ivanka nodded. “I’ve also revised the projects I collaborated on with Sadler’s Group before.”He looked at Ivanka delightfully. “Haha, great job! If your father sees you right now, he’d be thrilled, wouldn’t he?”Ivanka’s gaze dimmed slightly.Her deepest regret at the moment was that, because of her relationship with Michael, she was not able to spend time with Fernando. If only she had realized it earlier, he would not have died. It was the most regrettable and helpless moment of her life.Thomas sensed it and immediately explained, “Kiddo, the past is past. Do
Ivanka nodded. “I did follow the normal procedure. However, my cousin is worried that I’ll mess things up and ruin the company’s reputation.” Thomas snorted. “Theodore and his family are gaining power.” Ivanka pursed her lips silently. Meanwhile, Sandy said furiously, “Indeed! Uncle Thomas, are you aware of the incident during Mdm. Barkworth’s birthday banquet? Chiara tried to outshine Iv. She thought Iv had bought a rosary for Mdm. Barkworth, so she bought many rosaries to overshadow Iv.” “I’ve heard about that incident.” Thomas nodded. He turned to Ivanka and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll be in charge of the matter. I’ll hold a meeting in the company tomorrow. You and Chiara will come and attend the meeting.” Sandy’s eyes lit up. “Uncle Thomas, are you going to help Iv to get back in?” “Of course!” Thomas smiled gently. “Although Theodore learns things quickly, he’s short-sighted and isn’t tolerant. He’s only able to keep the company running to this day purely because of its fou
Ivanka frowned deeply. Michael was in a horrible state. He had been poisoned and suffered gunshots. He had a strong tolerance to medicine and pain. But it was his mental condition that caused him to fall into this state. Not being fully recovered also added to the burden. Ivanka gave him a white pill which she had formulated by herself. After that, she had the security guard carry Michael into her car. Then, she sent him to the hospital. They arrived at the emergency department. Xavier had finished attending to his patients. When he walked out of his office, he saw Michael being carried into the hospital. He then saw Ivanka beside Michael. Xavier frowned. His expression became tense, and he asked solemnly, “What’s happened to him?” “He’s weak and had previously been poisoned. Since you’re around, you can look after him.” Ivanka summarized Michael’s condition. After hearing Ivanka’s brief explanation, Xavier gave Michael a checklist and put him on a drip. After that,
Since Jonah had come to this and Ivanka was not an ungrateful person, she nodded and gave her word. “Jonah, I’ll give this my all. Don’t worry. As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll help you.” Jonah had to be bound to the wheelchair at the moment. Since Ivanka had shared a similar experience when she took over Lane’s Group back then, she naturally figured out how wolfish and greedy his adversaries would be. Jonah was injured because of her. She swore to give her all to save him from whatever crisis he was facing. Jonah took advantage of this and asked, “What time are you coming tomorrow? I’ll have my assistant get ready.” Ivanka thought for a moment. “Tomorrow afternoon.” She needed to manage her company affairs during the first half of the day. Jonah was content upon hearing her answer. “Good. I’ll wait for you tomorrow.” “Okay.” Ivanka nodded before hanging up. When she returned to her office, she did not expect to see Michael sitting on the couch. She nearly jum
There was only one possibility. Ivanka was calling somebody else. Michael wondered who could strike up such a long conversation with her. Sandy and Ivan had returned to the country. Ivanka’s besties were around her. Even if Ivanka deliberately approached Chiara, she could not possibly have so much to chat with Chiara. If Ivanka’s phone call was business related, there was no need to chat this long. Michael eliminated the possible reasons one by one. In the end, he thought of Jonah. Michael’s expression instantly turned as dark as thunderclouds. His gaze was dull and cold. Evan noticed it. He also saw the call record on Michael’s phone. Evan quickly persuaded Michael, “Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane could be tied up with her work, so she couldn’t answer your call. We could go to her workplace now.” Michael said nothing. He gave a cold glance at Evan. Evan got a shock. The next second, Michael turned around and left his office. Looking at Michael’s fading silhouette, Evan wi
It was why Ivanka still came for Jonah in spite of her unpleasant experience with Margaret in the hospital last time. Jonah had been injured because of Ivanka. She came for him only. The other people did not matter to her. Jonah’s heart sank upon hearing her words. His expression tensed up. He could imagine the indifferent look on Ivanka’s face right at that moment. She had that expression on her face simply because he was never really important to her. Jonah was upset precisely because of her indifference to him. He wanted to say something to her but did not know how to begin. He was also not in the position to say that. It did not take long before Ivanka’s gentle but rather indifferent voice rang in his ears, “Jonah, don’t worry. I’ll treat your legs until they recover. Don’t run into any conflicts with your mom because of me.” Her words pulled Jonah’s wandering mind back into the present moment. He felt a heavy weight on his heart. “Iv, I trust you. You don’t need to
Margaret became frustrated and grabbed Ivanka. She could not understand why Ivanka was fine while Jonah ended up in such a bad situation after the accident.Then, Jonah defended Ivanka. There was also all the talk about Ivanka’s treatment. Margaret was curious to see what kind of miracle medicine Ivanka could develop.In the end, Ivanka’s treatment did not work. Moreover, her relationship with Jonah, which had finally started to improve, was once again ruined because of Ivanka.Jonah scoffed. “Mom, I’m not an eight-year-old anymore. You’re saying all this because you want me to go along with your plans for an arranged date, right?”Margaret had not expected Jonah to guess her thoughts. She was about to insist on her point when Jonah spoke first. With a mocking smile, he said sarcastically, “Do you think anyone would date someone like me?”He had a point. But Laura might be one such person.However, Margaret did not like her. She would do anything to keep Laura from becoming her d
“That’s because you want him to fall in love with you!” Margaret snapped.Ivanka chuckled softly. Her tone was edged with sarcasm. “Love? Does it really matter that much?”Margaret felt humiliated and furious. She pointed a finger at Ivanka’s face with a hostile expression. “If it doesn’t matter, why are you doing all this? Stop pretending, Ivanka!”Ivanka let out a bitter laugh. “Pretending? What am I pretending for? Is being divorced a crime? Margaret, you’re a woman too. How would you feel if someone accused you like this?”She hoped Margaret would take a moment to reflect. After all, she was Jonah’s mother, and Ivanka did not want their conflict to escalate.But Margaret was unmoved. Her glare turned colder, sharper, and filled with hatred.“You think I’ll just let this go?” Margaret said sharply. “If it weren’t for you, Jonah wouldn’t be in this mess! I meant every word I said, and nothing will change that.”To her, Ivanka was nothing more than someone scheming to use Jonah
“Ivanka,” Margaret took a deep breath while trying to compose herself. When she looked at Ivanka again, her expression was calm. She said, “I don’t know how deep Jonah’s feelings for you run. What I fear most is that once he becomes fixated on you, that’s it. When he falls for someone, his heart won’t make room for anyone else. In that way, he’s just like his father.”Ivanka’s gaze wavered. She bit her lip and was unsure of what to say.“I beg you, don’t hurt Jonah anymore!” Margaret’s voice carried a note of desperation.Ivanka’s expression turned extremely complicated.There was a time when Jonah came to her only to use her. Back then, they were both using each other. It made things simple.But later, Jonah unexpectedly started talking about marriage. Perhaps it was to provoke Michael, or perhaps he simply wanted to keep her close because she was useful to him.At some point, though, it seemed Jonah had become serious about her. She could not pinpoint when it happened. Perhaps
Jonah frowned in clear disagreement, but he stayed silent. Ivanka’s confident smile reassured him and made him trust her.Eventually, he let go of her wrist.Ivanka noticed Margaret putting on her shoes. She quickly followed, stepping outside just as Margaret was about to get into her car“Margaret,” she called out.Margaret frowned slightly and stood still.Since Jonah had not come out with Ivanka, she decided she could spare a moment to speak with her.She turned and looked at Ivanka coldly.Ivanka softened her tone. “Let’s take a walk.”Margaret did not respond, but her silence was enough of an agreement.They walked slowly around the edge of the mansion. The surrounding area was all part of the Sadler family estate.Margaret suppressed her anger and glanced at Ivanka before speaking in a composed tone, “Alright. What do you want to say?”Ivanka met her gaze briefly before looking ahead and said, “Do you know what will happen if Jonah’s coughing continues?”Margaret’s he
Margaret glared at Ivanka and scoffed, “If there’s an issue, I’ll get another doctor to handle it. It’ll be anyone but you, Ivanka. Haven’t I made myself clear enough? I’ve told you this before.”She hated how Ivanka ignored her warnings and kept coming back to visit Jonah time and again. What if Jonah got too close to her and ended up ruining his reputation? If Jonah had not been here, Margaret would have been even harsher.Ivanka frowned as she met Margaret’s sharp gaze. “I’ve never tried to get close to Jonah like that. We’re just friends. I know I’m not good enough for him, so I’ve never even thought about it.”“You might not have, but he has!” Margaret snapped, raising her voice.“Mom!” Jonah’s expression darkened.Jonah was usually calm and polite. This was the first time Ivanka saw him looking so upset and was about to lose his temper.Ivanka’s eyes flickered with hesitation. She was unsure of what to say.Explaining Jonah’s coughing would do no good. Margaret would not