Ivanka gazed at Naila with a faint smile. Seeing the anger in her eyes, she calmly remarked, “Business is all about making deals. Don’t you think so, Ms. Naila?”Naila frowned and stared at Ivanka.Meanwhile, two individuals were standing around the corner, one behind the other. The man standing in front pursed his lips and glanced sideways. Ivanka was looking at the woman next to her in a way that told him she was effortlessly handling the situation.He frowned. Annoyance grew in his eyes.The man behind him kept checking his watch. Eventually, he resignedly said, “Mr. Barkworth, we’re getting late for the meeting.”Michael’s frown deepened.In the end, he wordlessly adjusted his tie and headed outside.As Ivanka looked up, she caught sight of Michael, who was exuding an air of indifference and nobility. Her gaze carried a hint of surprise.She thought. “What is he doing here?”Following Ivanka’s line of sight, Naila glanced over but quickly averted her gaze.Unperturbed, Iv
Since they had not officially collaborated yet, Ivanka naturally refrained from divulging too much. It would suffice for the plan to remain unknown to outsiders and be safe from plagiarism.The plan needed to maintain a level of secrecy and potential for development.Now, it was time to meet that person.When she was about to leave, Ivanka decided to phone Suki.“Hello, Iris. You finally thought of me, huh?”Ivanka guiltily apologized. “Sorry, Suki. It’s been a busy couple of days.”“Come on, I was just teasing you. What do you need?”“How much have you learned about the last incident?”“Oh, this woman is excellent at hiding her tracks. For now, I couldn’t find anything useful. Your attacker has severed ties with his father, and his father left the Lane family several years ago. There’s a definite connection, but I can’t pin down the details.”Suki paused, then exclaimed, “I’ve been thinking about something.”“What is it?”Ivanka walked outside while holding her phone. She r
Just as Evan was contemplating that, he noticed Michael’s expression darken further.Evan was speechless.Was Michael asking about Ivanka?Just as Evan was hesitating on his answer, Michael spoke in a deep voice. “Go on.”Evan subconsciously sighed in relief and continued, “The leads are the same as last time, all cut off. This might have nothing to do with Ms. Chiara, or she might have managed to erase any traces completely.”“What about that man?”Michael was referring to the man who had pushed Ivanka.“He ran away. We’re still tracking him down. His father is in their hometown, but...”“Continue investigating through his father.”Evan paused for a moment, then nodded, “Okay, I’ve already sent someone to inquire.”Michael remained silent.However, he gave no indication for Evan to leave.Evan sensed that Michael might want to know the information about Ivanka. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued reporting.“Ms. Ivanka went to see Ms. Chiara yesterday to propose a c
Michael frowned again. The office air seemed colder than before.The atmosphere permeated through the phone and sent a shiver down Chiara’s spine.She turned a little pale. After taking a breath, she said softly, “I’ve been suspended from work.”Michael’s gaze flickered thoughtfully.However, in the next instant, he feigned ignorance. He attempted a softer tone. “What happened?”Chiara frowned. She had been against calling Michael, but her mother had been very insistent. She said this would fuel Michael’s disdain for Ivanka and pave the way for their perfect plan. But could this work?Chiara gritted her teeth. At this point, she had no choice but to continue speaking.“It involves some company secrets, so I can’t say. I just never expected Iv to misunderstand me. Mic, it seems like we’re really drifting apart. Iv has started threatening and mocking me. What should I do to mend things with her?”At this moment, Chiara played her role well. She did not come off as someone sowing
“Don’t worry too much about it. Besides, there’s no need to maintain any relationship with her. It’s unnecessary.”Chiara was speechless.She thought Mic would say something harsher about Ivanka, but was this all?“Mic, I…”“I have some matters to attend to here. I’ll visit you when I have time. Go home and take care of yourself.”Chiara parted her lips. She wanted to say something, but sensing Michael’s impatience, she chose to stop there. “All right, you go ahead. Make sure to get some rest. Don’t overexert yourself, Mic.”“Okay.”Michael’s voice was magnetic, but upon closer listening, a hint of impatience could be discerned.Chiara’s expression changed slightly. She could only say, “Well, then, I’ll hang up.”“Okay.”Chiara took a deep breath and reluctantly ended the call.The next moment, she looked furiously at Lyla beside her. “See, I told you I shouldn’t call him! Look what happened! What are you and Dad trying to achieve?”Her mother had been advising her on what
Ivanka immediately declined the call and sent a message on WhatsApp.Ivanka: I’m outside. It’s too noisy to talk. What’s up?Sandy: Oh, really? Where are you? I heard your cousin got suspended from work.Ivanka: Yes, it’s thanks to your blessing. I owe you one. I’ll make you your favorite braised beef brisket when I have time.Sandy: Hahaha! You’re the best, bestie! Where are you now? Why can’t you talk on the phone?Ivanka: I’m in a bar.Sandy: No way! Not cool, bestie! You went to a bar without me! Who did you go with?Ivanka: Just myself. I came here to handle something today. I’ll come with you next time.Sandy: Just you alone? Where are you? I’ll come and find you. If you’re handling something, I should at least be there with you. You can’t be alone!Ivanka: It’s okay. I’ll be fine.Sandy insisted several times, but Ivanka assured her that she would be fine. Unable to persuade her, Sandy could only remind Ivanka to be careful.Ivanka slowly put down her phone. She was w
The woman froze. She gritted her teeth and wanted to deliver an insult. But the moment she met his icy gaze, she dared not say another word. Holding back her anger, she left.The people around them overheard their conversation. They knew that Elio was unapproachable, so they left him alone.But those who sat further away merely assumed that Elio simply did not like that woman, so more women approached and hit on him.As a result, they faced the same treatment as the first woman did.At this point, some women seemed to grow competitive and excited to take up the challenge. One after another, they started going over to test the waters.In the end, Elio was annoyed.He produced a dagger out of nowhere and stabbed the table with it.In that instant, no one dared approach him.Everyone realized that he was short-tempered and uninterested in women.Some people could not help sneering in secret.In a corner, two men with beer bellies drank together and said with mockery.“Women the
Elio froze. This woman knew his name, so she must have known about his situation.Unlike what others had assumed, he did not plan to do anything to her. He retracted his hand from the dagger and said flatly, “I’m not interested.”The surrounding people did not hear what they were saying, but they were all baffled.“What’s going on? He didn’t attack her? Is he interested in that woman?”“Are you joking? That woman has acne all over her face! Who would be interested in her?“But Elio didn’t see it!”Everyone was staring at the two of them. At that moment, Elio suddenly became the center of their attention.It was mostly due to his striking demeanor. Besides, he had shunned and turned down so many women earlier on. Out of instinct, everybody was eager to find out if he would accept the woman before him.Ivanka did not care about Elio’s reply. She calmly gazed at him and said, “I remember that you had someone very important in your life. You once said that he was your greatest savi