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
Michael glanced at Evan coldly. “Why are you following me?”Evan was confused.Should he not follow Michael around?But in the next second, he realized what his boss meant and finally said in defeat, “Alright, I’ll wait for you here.”Michael said nothing. He glanced at the clueless woman, who was still sitting comfortably in her seat, and kept walking.As for Evan…He went over to a corner and sat down with a resigned gaze. Mr. Barkworth’s behavior had become increasingly odd. His actions kept contradicting his words. Michael had needed Evan’s help today, but now Evan had to stay here to watch over Ivanka.Michael was getting worse at hiding his motives, and he always betrayed his intentions so easily.Evan had no idea what to do with him or Ivanka. He could only sit still and watch her from afar.…Ivanka focused on Elio the entire time and did not notice what happened between Michael and Evan.She calmly stared at Elio and said, “Can you spare Naila Kirk’s son?”Elio
Evan froze. He quickly pulled himself together and hid his thoughts, but he felt somewhat sheepish.He was not sure if Michael knew he had all those speculations about his marriage.Ivanka left the pub. She was not in a hurry to go home. Instead, she wandered the streets nearby.She seemed to be waiting for someone.She appeared to be going on a night stroll on her own.People walked in and out of the pubs.The streetlights were dazzling.Ivanka occasionally looked at the doors of the pubs. Her gaze seemed heavy with endless thoughts.Soon, her phone started ringing abruptly.Bryan: It wasn’t him.Ivanka: Alright, thanks.She was about to put her phone away.But Bryan sent her a sticker of a figure punching someone. The other person in the group chat sent something similar.Bryan: Can you change your bad habits? Must you thank me? @IvankaFabian: What’s with you, Ivanka?Ivanka: Sorry…Fabian: Are you planning to make a comeback?Ivanka was startled. She did not know h
Ivanka slowly smiled as she watched the person approach. She smiled. “Ms. Kirk, nice to see you here.”Naila had said this to her before.Naila looked her up and down, but the previously piercing look in her eyes had softened. She gazed at Ivanka calmly and said, “Are you free? Let’s grab some supper.”Ivanka’s eyes crinkled in a smile. “Sure.”Soon enough, they entered a restaurant’s private dining room.“What do you want to eat?” Naila passed her the menu.Ivanka smiled. “I’m fine with anything. I’m not picky. You may order first. I’m going to use the bathroom.”Their private dining room had a bathroom of its own.Naila silently started ordering.After all, the meal was just an excuse. They were here for business.After Ivanka took off her mask, she removed the fake acne on her face. Her lovely face was revealed.The server left the two of them alone in the room.Naila stared at Ivanka and said in surprise, “How did you do it?”She had expected trouble today.But her so
Ivanka did not move.Naila looked at her phone. She stared at the caller ID on the screen and frowned slightly. She looked up at Ivanka. “Excuse me, I have to take this call.”Ivanka nodded.Naila answered the phone.Ivanka could not hear the person on the other end of the line.But Naila pulled a long face. Ivanka raised her brows and thought. “Did something happen to her son again?”Things should be fine on Elio’s end by now. What else had gone wrong?“Got it.”With that, Naila hung up.Ivanka looked over at her subconsciously. There was a hint of confusion on her face. “Is it about… your son?”“No.”Ivanka sighed in relief. After all, she could not fully guarantee that Elio would listen to her.Naila looked at Ivanka and said awkwardly, “Ms. Lane, I… might need your help with something.Even though she was straightforward and decisive, it did not mean that she felt entitled to ask for someone’s help.Ivanka was a little surprised. “Tell me what happened. I’ll do anythi
Naila silently stared at Ivanka as she left. Ivanka went straight home. Her journey was smooth, and no one got in her way.The next day, Ivanka went to work as usual. She handed in the signed agreement to Rebecca, who said in shock, “Oh my god, Iv. You got Naila to sign this?”Rebecca was genuinely surprised.She was usually poised and composed.In fact, the project Ivanka had been handling was one of the hardest feats. No one in their department, including Rebecca herself and even their department manager, Patty, could guarantee that they would succeed. It had only been a short while since Ivanka joined them, yet she had already completed four projects. Each had been wrapped up so quickly and nicely!Everyone in the office was dumbstruck. Their eyes were filled with shock and disbelief. They could not quite believe their ears.However, it actually happened right before their eyes. They were stunned.“Is it true? She convinced Naila? That lady is known to be incredibly diffi
Lyla’s eyes flickered maliciously. She said helplessly, “I... probably shouldn’t bring this up, but avoiding talking about it might cause some issues for everyone down the road.”Mindy paused for a moment. She looked at her understandingly and sighed. “It’s not that I’m not worried. I barely get a chance to talk to him because he always locks himself in the company; we hardly see each other in a day.”Lyla’s expression changed slightly. She spoke resignedly, “But if this drags on... Chiara genuinely likes Michael. I can’t let her keep pining after Michael. It’s fine for men to get married in their thirties, but it’s not the same for girls.”Mindy became anxious when she heard Lyla reconsidering the wedding. “Oh, come on, Lyla. We’ve agreed to be in-laws. You can’t let someone else snatch my future daughter-in-law away!”Lyla sighed resignedly. “I just want Michael to be my son-in-law, but with the way things are now...”She seemed unable to finish her sentence.However, when Mind