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 shook her head with a smile. “No.” Thomas could stop Chiara from showing up in the meeting. By then, everyone would be unprepared to confront Ivanka, and his effort would instantly allow her to succeed. However, this would be a dishonorable victory for Ivanka. The attendees would question her. Things would be different if Ivanka confronted Chiara. If Ivanka won, the attendees would not question her abilities. “Good! You’re a rising talent. Hahaha! Since you’re here, let us chat for a while longer. Are you two tired? You can stay overnight at my place.” Sandy let out a bark of laughter. “No, thank you. It’s still early. Uncle Thomas, if you’re not tired, we can continue chatting.” Thomas nodded. Indeed, he did not want them to go back yet. He still had a lot to ask them. Ivanka did not reject Sandy’s idea. Thomas turned to her and asked softly, “Ivanka, what’s your opinion about the company’s current development?” Ivanka was a little puzzled. “Huh?” “Just say it
Ivanka chuckled. “Yes. I’m ready.” Sandy could not help but heave a sigh. She then said resignedly, “Sigh. Iv, I feel like I’m still a child compared to you. Even though we’re the same age, you’re more like my older sister.” Ivanka could not help but giggle. “Just follow and listen to everything I say, then.” Sandy said gruffly, “Darn it! How dare you take advantage of me!” Ivanka could not help but smile. “Okay. We’ll take a rest now. I’ll prepare breakfast for you tomorrow.” “That’s great! I’ll go to bed now so that I’ll have the spirit to enjoy breakfast tomorrow!” Ivanka smiled silently. The duo returned to their room. After they washed up, they went to bed. The next day, after taking their breakfast, Sandy went to work with contentment. Ivanka went to the company as usual. She looked spirited. Rebecca was a little puzzled when she saw Ivanka. Rebecca could not help but say with admiration, “Iv, you’re looking great! I was worried that you’re in low spirits becaus
Several people arrived at the meeting room. “Iv?” Some people were puzzled. The meeting had been impromptu. They did not know what exactly was going on. Moreover, it was Thomas who called the meeting. Thomas was regarded highly in the company. They wondered why they would bump into Ivanka at that moment. Hence, the audience stared at her. Ivanka smiled. “Hi, everyone.” Despite their puzzlement, the audience nodded at her politely. Ivanka walked into the meeting room and sat down by the corner. She sat at the most inconspicuous seat. One could say that it was the seat where only the people with the lowest ranking would sit. The audience looked at her. A hint of complication flashed in their eyes. After all, they were aware of Ivanka’s identity. “Sigh. Her current situation is different from what she was before.” Soon, everyone walked into the meeting room and sat at their respective places. Ivanka’s corner seat faced the entrance. The moment they entered thro
Chiara’s heart skipped a beat. Although the wrinkles between her eyebrows had faded, she was so angry that she gritted her teeth. She did not realize Ivanka could be so annoying! Chiara gnashed her teeth and tried to calm herself. She inhaled deeply and controlled her emotions. She then said softly to Ivanka, “Iv, do you think you can win just like this? Regarding the incident last time, I truly spoke from my heart.” Ivanka nodded. “I know. You’re bent on doing this for the company’s sake. However, many things have their pros and cons. There’s risk in everything we do, don’t you think so?” Chiara was so furious that she laughed. “So it’s true that you did this because of that incident!” Ivanka smiled wordlessly. Chiara did not want to talk to Ivanka anymore. She immediately figured out a way to solve the problem. Since it was Thomas who looked for Ivanka, that meant he supported her proposal and that Chiara’s word was not good enough. At that moment, Chiara already
Thomas said with a smile, “This meeting is mainly focusing on the collaboration between Lane’s Group and Sadler’s Group.” Chiara tightened her fists under the table. She stole a glance at Ivanka through her peripheral vision. Chiara gnashed her teeth. “I knew this has to be that b*tch’s dirty tricks!”Chiara immediately turned to Theodore, only to find that her father was still looking puzzled. Chiara fell speechless. “F*ck! He hasn’t read my message!” Theodore asked in a daze, “Collaboration with Sadler’s Group?” The rest of the audience stared at Thomas dumbfoundedly. One of them asked, “Mr. Thomas, do you mean we have the intention to collaborate with Sadler’s Group, or do we already have a project collaboration with them?” The collaboration with Sadler’s Group would certainly involve a big project. While everyone did not need to be informed about everything, they would definitely be informed about the collaboration with Sadler’s Group. The audience speculated that
Thomas noticed the audience had been staring at the screen for some time. They showed various expressions. Thomas grinned, and then he showed them Ivanka’s proposal once again. He smiled softly at Ivanka. “Iv, you may take a seat first.” Ivanka nodded obediently as she returned to her seat. Chiara stiffened. She stared at Ivanka. If not for the audience around, she would have questioned Ivanka furiously if Ivanka had deliberately done so at the meeting. “This is the most perfect proposal I’ve ever seen. We can certainly collaborate with Sadler’s Group. Have the people from Sadler’s Group read the proposal before?” Thomas nodded with a smile. “Yes. They wanted to collaborate with us.” The audience looked surprised with a flash of understanding. Their eyes beamed. Thomas said, “But Mr. Sadler has a request.” They turned to Thomas. “What is it?” Chiara frowned. ‘Thomas, you really got me this me.’ She swore to kick him out of Lane’s Group someday! Nonetheless, Thomas w
Seeing Ivanka’s composure, Chiara did not dare reveal too much. She faced everyone and awkwardly said, “I’m sorry, Ivanka only showed me the general outline of the document. She did not elaborate much, and I had no way to know the details.”Just as Chiara was about to blame Ivanka again, Thomas smiled and said, “Was Ivanka unwilling to give you an explanation, or did you not want her to continue talking?”Everyone gave Chiara increasingly complicated looks.Chiara’s expression changed slightly. Ivanka’s eyes flashed with mockery. She was a hypocrite? A conniving little b*tch?Sorry to say, but everyone knew how to pin blame on someone else.Learning how to be good was hard, but learning how to be bad was easy. “You can’t blame Chiara for this,” Ivanka said remorsefully before Chiara could come up with anything to say. “I was inexperienced at the time, so I didn’t consider telling her these things. Mr. Thomas, I only realized that I need to provide an explanation because you to
“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