Michael coldly stared at Ivanka. “I never wanted to force you into a corner. It’s you who failed to appreciate my kindness. Don’t blame me for being harsh to you in the future!” Ivanka smiled sarcastically. “Do whatever you want.” After all, Michael would eventually be Chiara’s husband. By then, Chiara would use Michael’s power against Ivanka in the future. It was no different than Michael moving against her.Ivanka ignored him. Her gaze only grew more sardonic. Michael faltered beneath Ivanka’s piercing gaze. He usually scorned her. This time, he was at a loss for words. He looked away and left her house. For a moment, Ivanka was a little hesitant upon staring at the closed door. She felt as if she had a dream, or a hallucination. She leaned against the wall and felt like she was about to collapse. Ivanka inhaled deeply. She just had a refreshing shower. After Michael left, she felt exhausted over again. She slumped onto the bed. She felt muddled throughout that night
Theodore fell speechless. Ivanka was quick to deflect accountability. After all, Theodore and his group had long claimed Serene was more capable than Ivanka by multiple folds. Hence, if Serene failed, it was only normal for Ivanka to fail the task as well. Theodore seethed in fury. In the end, he held back his anger and nodded. “It’s okay as long as you give your best.” Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Okay.” With that, the meeting ended. Next, Ivanka headed to Sadler’s Group with a young, beautiful, and mature lady. At that moment, Serene drove the car while Ivanka sat in the passenger’s seat. Serene turned around and cast a glance at Ivanka. She faked a smile and said, “Ms. Lane, thank you for mediating between us.” Ivanka nodded. “I’m just doing my job. It’s all up to you whether you succeed.” Serene nodded in resignation. “Got it. I’ll do my best.” Serene knew that Ivanka would always have her guard up around her. Thus, Serene gave up on giving her any advice. M
Serene fell speechless. Judging from Jonah’s tone alone, she knew her presence was unnecessary. Jonah only had his eyes on Ivanka. He did not bother to glance at Serene. Serene had self-awareness. Even though she did not feel any sense of oppression surrounding Jonah, her breathing hitched. Before she came, she was rather confident of herself. At that moment, her knees shook in his regal presence. Meanwhile, Ivanka nodded and sat opposite him. Serene was stupefied. The duo got along very naturally. Serene sat beside Ivanka awkwardly. She looked at Jonah and said respectfully, “Hi, Mr. Sadler.” Jonah glanced at her coldly and nodded. After that, he turned to Ivanka. “What do you want for lunch? Do you want to have lunch together?” Ivanka fell speechless. Serene thought. “He’s ignoring me. Didn’t he notice me sitting right beside Ivanka?!” Ivanka’s lips twitched. “Let’s talk business first.” Jonah raised one of his eyebrows as he turned to Serene. “If Ivanka
Regardless, Jonah refused to listen to everything Serene said. He only wanted to date Ivanka. Ivanka tried to persuade him many times. Clearly, Jonah refused to agree to them. Instead, Serene thought that Jonah was a good-for-nothing b*stard who only wanted to collaborate with Ivanka. He did not seem to care about the profits. In the end, Serene gave up. It was noon. Ivanka took her bag and was about to leave. Jonah swiftly grabbed her wrist. “We agreed to have lunch together. Where are you going?” “I need to—” Before Ivanka finished speaking, Serene was no longer in the mood to stay around. She interrupted Ivanka. “I still have work to do. I’m leaving. Take your time.” This time, Jonah seemed content. He said to Serene pleasantly, “Safe journey.” Serene was speechless. This was Jonah’s first time looking at her squarely because she finally had some “sense”. Serene forced a smile as she nodded and turned around. Right after she turned around, her smile disappeared
Ivanka felt defeated. She nodded haltingly. “Okay, I’ll go with you.”Again, things ended up this way. Even so, they would form many partnerships in the future and would definitely spend several months together. It would not be odd to be seen with him.Jonah’s smile widened. “Let’s go check out the restaurant first, and we can go eat somewhere else if you don’t like it.”Ivanka remained silent. They walked out together. Jonah took her to the restaurant, which he had reserved as usual. When they ate together, he was a polite and considerate gentleman.Ivanka wondered for a split second if she was in a relationship with this man. If not, why would they always hang out like this?She knew that they might end up trending on Twitter again. So long as she continued keeping in contact with Jonah, things would never be simple.Also, she seemed to be used to this kind of life. Jonah figured she had something on her mind when he looked at her. He raised his eyebrows slightly, and he
“I won’t be going back yet. I have other things to do.”She needed to secure one last business partner. In any case, she had always intended to look for that person in the afternoon. Honestly, Scarlet was really “amazing” to have found so many cunning and tough people-in-charge. Naila was easier to negotiate with because she liked the proposal and it was to her tastes. She could even help her son with it, so they could negotiate about it. But the other business partner, Aalto Virtanen, was famously stubborn. He was already fifty years old and was part of the senior management in his company. He was famous for having good judgment, so he had countless business achievements and was headhunted by many companies, but he was never tempted and continued working for Hans Corporation. If he liked the proposal, then they did not need to negotiate any further. But if he did not, then Ivanka would not even have the chance to negotiate by saying that they could just look out for their
Aalto did not find anything strange with the sudden appearance of someone else beside him, nor did he check out who the person was. This was a recreational place. Plenty of people were willing to watch something fun to be entertained. Clearly, Aalto just treated Ivanka as someone who was here for some entertainment. Ivanka stood beside him in silence.Aalto seemed to be in high spirits. However, he did not win anything over the next eight rounds. The number of coins he had left was also only enough for him to play one last round. At the sight of Aalto’s stormy expression, Ivanka smiled. “Sir, should I help you play once? If I win, it’s your win. If I don’t, I’ll play for you another ten times. And I say I’m going to win. Do you believe me?”Ivanka’s confident and clear voice made Aalto turn around. When he saw Ivanka, he was amused. “You’re young, but you’re pretty arrogant, huh?”Ivanka smiled. “Want to let me try it?”Aalto shifted to the right and said in a relaxed man
Aalto was stunned. But after some thinking, he found that she made sense. If she was that skilled, those coins were meaningless to her. He looked at her. “What sort of bet do you want?”Ivanka thought about it for a moment before she smiled. “If I win, you owe me five meals.”Aalto was flabbergasted.He gave her a puzzled look. “Are you going to ask for a fancy meal?”Ivanka smiled. “That’s right. I haven’t had dinner yet. Do you have time for a meal later?”At that moment, Aalto finally observed Ivanka properly. Something was off about Ivanka. She had approached him with a goal in mind. “Girl, why are you here?”Ivanka smiled. “Sir, I just want you to treat me to five meals. Are you scared?”Based on what she understood of Aalto, he was easily provoked. Just as she expected, Aalto scoffed. “What a joke! Why should I be scared?”Ivanka smiled. “Good, then. If I lose, what do you want me to do?”Aalto narrowed his eyes. “If you lose, tell me why you approached me.”Ivank
Ivanka nodded. What Rosie said was true. Rosie continued, “If Michael were the stranger, why are you resisting him and feeling helpless?” Ivanka was stunned. It was a fact. If a stranger courted her relentlessly, Ivanka would only find them annoying. But she would not resist them. Only she knew the reason she refused to accept them. But when it came to Michael, she treated him differently. From the bottom of her heart, she refused to give him a fair chance to court her. Was it because she was worried that her heart would move for him? Ivanka was startled by the thought. She shook her head as if trying to get that ridiculous thought out. When Rosie saw this, she chuckled. Ivanka was a smart woman. It was sufficient to say all that; too much would be meaningless. Rosie looked up at the moon. She could not help but sigh. “Tonight’s a beautiful moon night. Unfortunately, it’s time for me to go to bed.” After Rosie finished her sentence, she headed to her room. Ivanka
On the other hand, Ivanka had no idea her best friend had “betrayed” her. She helped Rosie into the bedroom. When they passed the garden, Rosie suggested walking inside it. Ivanka was too embarrassed to reject her. So, they came to the garden. The gardeners attended and trimmed the garden daily. It was naturally a sight to behold. There were many rare plants in the garden. Of course, there were also some rare herbal plants in the garden. Ivanka had planted them, and the herbal plants were flourishing. There was a botanical garden encircled within the garden. It contained the herbal plants used to nourish Rosie’s health. While they were walking along the path, the fragrance of flowers, the earthy smell of the soil, and the faint aroma of the herbal plants entered their nostrils. The fragrance lifted their spirits. On top of that, the fragrance could refresh one’s mind. Rosie felt more refreshed as she walked down the path in the garden. She grabbed Ivanka and shared
Within the blink of an eye, it was already 12 a.m.. Ivanka noticed that Rosie had been yawning but still refused to go to bed. Ivanka knew why. While they were chatting, Ivanka occasionally turned to Rosie. While Rosie was wiping off her basal tears, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances. Ivanka sat beside Rosie and patted her hands gently. Rosie looked more alert, but her eyes were still a little blurry and appeared bloodshot. She had dark rings beneath her eyes. In spite of her exquisite makeup, her dark eye rings were still visible. Of course, it was only visible when Ivanka looked closer at her. Seeing this, Ivanka’s heart ached more for Rosie. Ivanka believed Rosie must have stayed up late or had insomnia when she and Michael went missing. Rosie wanted to receive first-hand information about the missing duo, but she was also worried that she would not be able to face reality. After struggling and battling with her inner conflicts for a month, Rosie’s health de
Speaking of which, this was Michael’s first time seeing Ivanka looking this helpless, and he found this a novelty. Whenever Rosie said things like that, Ivanka usually looked expressionless. She either looked calm, or she pretended to be deaf. Based on her unease and embarrassed look, did that mean her heart began to move for Michael? With that thought in his mind, Michael was eager to find out the answer. At that moment, they heard Candice’s voice. “Why are you staying outside? Did I come at a bad time? I thought I could have dinner immediately after I returned from work.” Ivanka and her group turned around and saw Candice standing not far away from them. She smiled as she looked at them. When Candice noticed Rosie’s teary eyes, she looked surprised and approached them. “Grandma has a sharp tongue, but she’s soft-hearted. She said the two of you were so cruel that you left her and a whole mess behind. She said she would teach you a lesson when you return.” While speaki
Everything had been fine just a moment ago.Why had she suddenly started to distance herself from him?It was probably true that a woman’s mind was unpredictable. Even a strong woman was no exception.Soon, they arrived at the Barkworth family’s mansion.Michael wanted to get out first and open the door for Ivanka, but she stopped him by tapping her soft hand on his shoulder.He looked down at her hand and then looked at her.“Don’t get out yet. I’ll grab a coat for you from inside and come back.”Michael wanted to refuse, but Ivanka had already exited the car.He watched her walk away. He then leaned back against the seat and felt a wave of relaxation.It felt as though he had finally found someone who had his back.He could not help but find it funny when he thought about it. He glanced at the spot where Ivanka had touched his hand and chuckled quietly.In the front seat, the driver felt so awkward about what he had just witnessed that he wished he could hide behind the st
The motorcycle approached them with no sign of slowing down.Michael’s expression turned grim. He quickly pulled Ivanka to the side and turned to shield her with his back.Ivanka felt a sudden spin. By the time she regained her balance, she found herself in Michael’s arms.His embrace was warm and strong. She could smell his familiar scent.It felt as if everything around them had slowed down.Then she heard the sound of water splashing on Michael. She pulled away from his embrace.Michael felt his arm grow light and stared at the empty space where she had been. He could still feel her warmth lingering.He shifted his gaze to Ivanka.Before she could speak, he quickly asked, “Are you okay? Did you get splashed?”She blinked and shook her head.“I’m fine. What about you?”He shook his head, but she did not buy it. She was sure the sound of the water splashing had been loud. There was no way he was not wet.Without hesitation, she grabbed his arm and turned him around.His b
Both Ivanka and Michael walked side by side as they maintained just the right distance between them. They looked great together, and their presence naturally attracted many gazes.It was worth mentioning that it was difficult to tell whether Michael did this on purpose or if it was just a coincidence.Both of them wore black trench coats that day. The styles were quite similar. This made them look even more like a couple in matching outfits.Ivanka’s wavy hair and red lips were striking. The beauty mark by her eye was the perfect finishing touch, which made her look stunning.Despite her beauty, Michael standing beside her did not go unnoticed either. He seemed to be a perfect complement to her.They looked like a perfect match.Ivanka noticed it but said nothing.Michael broke the silence and asked about Ferris and Mandy.“What are you going to do about Ferris and Mandy?”Ivanka did not answer right away.Michael continued, “Just having them arrested seems like getting off t
Mandy was rushed to the hospital.She fainted, but Ferris was not as fortunate.It seemed that he could not accept the fact that he had kicked his own child. He kept shaking his head and muttering, “This can’t be. How could this happen?”He looked like he was losing it.However, the law would not overlook his actions just because of his mental state.Ivanka had seen enough of their mess and was no longer interested in watching them tear each other apart. She asked the police to explain why they were there.“Mr. Clark, Ms. Ivanka has filed a report requesting a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding her fall into the water. Following our preliminary inquiry, both you and Ms. Mandy are now considered suspects. We are required to take you both in for further questioning.”Ferris did not respond. He was still unable to process what had just happened.The police followed protocol and arrested him.Ferris was led away with his hands cuffed. He was completely dazed.N
Still, Ferris kept quiet. However, the others in the room did not.A portly shareholder stood up, smacked his lips, and forced a flattering smile. “Isn’t it obvious? Ferris wants to take your place, Ms. Ivanka. Everyone can see it. He’s nothing but a complete traitor!”Once he spoke up, the rest quickly chimed in.“Yeah, he’s a traitor!”Ferris looked around the room. He already knew these people were untrustworthy, but he had not expected them to turn on him so easily.Ivanka, on the other hand, did not seem surprised.She had not taken any action on Ferris and Mandy because she wanted to watch the chaos unfold. These shareholders had sided with Ferris when she was gone, and they switched back just as quickly when she returned.Ferris was no fool. He knew that too. But the sense of isolation he felt at that moment drove him into despair.Still, he was not one to back down easily.He spat in the portly shareholder’s face.“And who the hell are you?” Ferris sneered. “You were