Michael’s expression turned colder. He silently looked at Mindy. There was a questioning look in his eyes.Even though Samuel was the company’s chairman, he was not truly taking charge at the moment. Michael was the one in control now.However, Mindy always tended to approach Samuel for specific matters, such as Michael’s marriage, much to the latter’s annoyance.Under the scrutiny of Michael’s questioning gaze, Mindy frowned and stepped closer. “Why are you staring at me like that? You’re not getting any younger, and you still don’t have any kids. How long are you going to keep dragging it out?! Chiara saved your life, and instead of appreciating her, you repeatedly hurt her. I really feel like cracking your head open right now to see what’s going on inside!”Michael frowned. “Now is not the time to get married.”“Then, when is it?” Mindy retorted sternly.If outsiders were to witness this, they would inevitably be surprised. No one would dare to reprimand their own son, let alo
Michael thought. “Ivanka is vain and conniving. She has been plotting against me from the beginning. She and her father have caused so much trouble. I must’ve been so disgusted with her that I thought of her just now!”He tried his best to restrain himself.Samuel looked at him coldly. “So, what’s going on? When are you going to get engaged? Give me a specific time. Don’t keep the Lane family hanging.“Everyone knows you and Chiara are a done deal, but you’re dragging your feet. Do you know how it’s going to end up if this goes on? We will lose our dignity! You can afford it, but I can’t! I’ve been known to be wise all my life; I don’t want you ruining my reputation by doing such appalling things!”Michael then said, “But Grandma is unwell.”Samuel snorted and continued, “So, you care about her health now? Grandma wishes for you and Ivanka to remarry, but you don’t want to fulfill it because you refuse to marry that vain woman. And here you are, saying you’re concerned about her h
Samuel, Mindy, and the executives stood in the lobby. Their conversation left the receptionists and some passing employees utterly flabbergasted.“Michael and Chiara are finally getting engaged?”“Yes! It’s happening on the tenth of next month.”This time, Ivanka would be completely out of the picture!“Alright, alright. I need to go back and prepare the invitations,” Samuel said contentedly.The executives quickly agreed. “Sure, go ahead. Feel free to ask if you need any help.”“Hahaha, okay,” Samuel said and left. His down-to-earth attitude shocked many people today.As soon as they departed, the company erupted into a commotion!The receptionists spread the news throughout the entire company.Barkworth’s Group was not the only one aware of this matter.... Time was passing quickly, and soon, it was already the end of the workday.Ivanka held her bag as she walked towards the exit. Unexpectedly, she spotted a familiar figure. Jonah was dressed in an exquisite blue suit.
“Seriously?! That’s crazy! What charm does Ivanka have?!”“Charm? Go get a gender transformation surgery, then you’ll know. They say opposites attract, so why don’t you try it?”“Screw you!”While everyone was discussing fervently, Jonah opened the passenger door for Ivanka. She immediately took her seat. She still held the bouquet of roses in her hands.Jonah chuckled. “Should we put the flowers in the back first?”Ivanka silently handed the flowers to him. She just wanted to get into the car quickly and leave this place. Now, she looked like she wanted to hold on to the flowers. Gosh!Jonah looked at her knowingly. He chuckled as she blushed.She refused to look at him. She promptly shut the door and looked away.Jonah put the flower in the backseat and went to the driver’s seat.Ivanka turned to the window. At that moment, she felt really awkward.Jonah’s smile widened. “Are you angry?”Ivanka pursed her lips. “No.”Jonah chuckled again and asked, “What do you want to ea
Jonah paused before softly speaking. “Michael will be engaged next month.”He watched Ivanka closely. Ivanka froze for a moment, then smiled, “Finally, I understand why people in the office are looking at me that way today.”Her gaze carried a tinge of mockery, while her voice remained casual. There was no trace of sadness.He smiled. “So, you’re not upset?”“Why should I be upset?” She remained composed and seemingly unaffected.Knowing that this news did not harm her, she hurried. Belle would probably reach out to her soon.Jonah chuckled lightly. “It looks like you’ve truly moved on. Since you have, why not consider me?”“... Mr. Sadler.”“Call me Jonah.”Ivanka said nothing more.They had not become that close yet.Observing her nonchalant demeanor, Jonah decided not to dwell on the topic. He chuckled and said, “How’s the collaboration talks between Sadler’s Group and Lane’s Group going?”“They’re trying to figure out how to make you agree to work with someone else,” sh
Puzzled, Ivanka stared at Jonah.Jonah was no longer smiling. He looked at her seriously. “Iv, I’ve always meant it whenever I bring this up to you. But you never once believed me. It’s true that you’re the only woman who won my heart.”His eyes were loving and focused.Ivanka looked calm. She gradually pulled her arm out of his grasp and looked at him as she said, “Jonah, it’s not that I did not believe every word you said. Even if everything that you said is true, I won’t ever be with you.”A hint of sorrow darted across Jonah’s eyes. He sighed resignedly. Within an instant, he resumed his relaxed demeanor and chuckled. “It seems that my time hasn’t come. Go back now and rest early tonight.”He let go of her hand without hesitation and in a carefree fashion. Ivanka was speechless.She hesitated. Then, she said, “Jonah, stop wasting your energy on me. I’ve been through a failed marriage and don’t want to spend any energy in a relationship anymore. You’re not destined to be my hu
Ivanka was frustrated. Only Michael would behave so violently! “Why is he here again?!” Ivanka walked to the entrance and saw that it was truly Michael. She inhaled sharply and begrudgingly opened the door. “If he continues banging the door like this, my neighbors won’t be able to sleep!” Michael’s expression grew darker when Ivanka glared at him in frigid disgust. He entered her house. Ivanka immediately closed the door and turned to him. “Are you crazy?!” Michael shot her a razor-blade glance and said in a bone-chilling voice, “Ivanka, you think you’re so great, huh?!” Ivanka frowned. The next moment, she recalled the headlines on Twitter. She grinned. “Mr. Barkworth, am I being too narcissistic? Did you read the news about Jonah courting me? Is that why you’re here?” Michael wished he could skin her alive. He grabbed her wrist. “I warned you to stay away from him!” Ivanka flung her hand away from Michael’s grasp. She chuckled in a manic rage. “Who do you think yo
Michael’s expression blanched. He immediately released her while retreating. It had been effective. Ivanka’s gaze was still. “I’ll kick him in the nuts if he holds me like this again!” Ivanka snorted. “In the past, I was blinded and had trusted the trio. My father was too kind to know he had let three hungry wolves into our house. When I see you, it only reminds me of the stupid things that I’ve done. Michael, I never really wanted to hate you. After all, I chose it. However, it doesn’t mean you’ll forever remain blameless in my eyes! “The surveillance cameras and microphones inside my house have recorded everything tonight. If you don’t want to let Chiara know that you’re still bothering me, please leave. Since you’re about to marry her, you should be a responsible husband. Didn’t you say she’s your savior, after all?” Ivanka’s gaze was mocking. If not for her plans involving Chiara, Ivanka thought the two should get together. With that, the duo would stay in love and stop bot
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