The people’s hearts were racing out of nervousness. They had been thinking about what to say if they were chosen. They were all scared of being the first person.Ivanka did not think much about it. She knew that Jonah would not let her be the first pick.She took a deep breath and said softly, “I need to use the restroom.”Jonah looked at her with deep eyes and said softly, “Okay. Iv, don’t get stage fright.”He had an underlying meaning when he told her not to get stage fright. They were all people of high social status. They could keep calm and would not get stage fright.After all, they were all sociable and were used to attending this kind of occasion.However, he still told her not to get stage fright. In truth, he was telling her not to be afraid of Michael.Ivanka nodded. Then, she turned and walked to the restroom.Chiara saw Ivanka leaving and hurriedly said to Michael, “Mic, I need to use the restroom.”Michael nodded lightly and continued to drink.Ivanka was a lit
Michael looked at Ivanka coldly. “Are you satisfied after making a fuss?”“Am I satisfied?” Ivanka chuckled. “You’re the one who made a fuss.”In the past, she devoted herself to being Mrs. Barkworth and made the Barkworth family the focus of her attention. She would never do anything that would embarrass the Barkworth family. Many people praise her for being a perfect wife and daughter-in-law. However, Michael never spared her a glance and fooled about with Chiara. Now that they were getting married, she had become a laughingstock. In spite of all that, Michael was claiming that she was making a fuss.Michael’s thin lips pursed when he saw the mockery in Ivanka’s eyes intensifying. “If you leave the banquet now, this matter ends here.”Ivanka looked at him indifferently. “Will you go to the City Hall with me tomorrow to collect the divorce certificate, then?”Michael immediately sneered. “Ivanka, quit dreaming and stop testing me. I’ll divorce you sooner or later.”When Chiara
Chiara was just as surprised. What was Ivanka going to do on stage?Michael would not have planned this, so only Jonah could have set this up. What were they planning?Chiara was genuinely curious. Jonah would never help Michael and Ivanka to reconcile. If Ivanka and Jonah got together, she would reject Michael and she would not be together with him anymore. After that…Chiara eagerly waited. She hoped that Ivanka could continue being proud and never meet Michael anymore!Jonah turned to look at Ivanka with a smile. “Should I accompany you?”“I’m good.”Ivanka was calm and at peace with herself.Jonah and Michael became everyone’s center of attention. Ivanka stood beside Jonah, and everyone could see her at a glance. They stared at Ivanka as she got up on the stage.Mr. Morris sat in the head seat and looked over. He immediately frowned. “Who did this?”Adrian’s expression darkened. “I’ll ask someone to investigate.”The Morris family would never do something that would offen
Everyone was shocked.She was so bold!In other words, she was announcing to them that she had broken up with Michael!Otherwise, why else would she no longer be Mrs. Barkworth?She had become single again!Jonah had been watching Ivanka. At that very moment, he suddenly smiled, and a hint of joy shone in his dark eyes.He turned to look at Michael. Michael had a gloomy expression but otherwise did not react much.He had probably brought Chiara over today to put on a show.However, Ivanka’s actions had made his show in vain. Everyone knew their relationship had fallen apart, and Barkworth Group became the laughingstock.Michael sensed Jonah’s gaze and looked at him. They were not sitting at the same table. Many people were between them, but that did nothing to stop them from shooting murderous gazes at each other.Jonah smiled and raised his glass. Although it was champagne, he could still drink a toast to him.Michael stopped looking at him. Instead, he got up and walked ou
Jonah smiled. “I still have matters to attend to, but I’ll find a chance to make it up to you later, Mr. Morris.”One should never be angry with someone who was smiling so widely. Mr. Morris could only return the smile. “I’m flattered, Mr. Sadler. Since you have to take care of something, I’ll leave you in peace.”Jonah nodded and left with Ivanka. The other guests were still giving their speeches. However, the departures of the two important figures left the guests feeling a little empty. It was just turning out to be such a good show, but they were going to prematurely end it here.They could only follow up through the media later.The two of them walked to the car. Jonah opened the door of the front passenger seat for Ivanka, and Ivanka got into the car.After Jonah closed the door, Ivanka said, “Now that the banquet is over, when will you make the appeal?”“Let’s wait until after your divorce. I must take care of something, but it won’t take long.”Ivanka nodded and did not
Ivanka’s eyes twinkled. “No, I’m a little tired today. Some other time, maybe.” Sandy seemed to have understood something right away. “All right. Get some rest. Remember to give me a call if you’re bored. I will go and keep you company,” she could only say. “Okay.” They said nothing more and hung up. Jonah swept a glance at Ivanka without asking anything. He stepped on the gas pedal and drove all the way to the front of her building. Ivanka glanced at Jonah. “Thanks for today.” Things would not have gone so well for her if it had not been for Jonah’s arrangement. Jonah cocked his eyebrow. “We both win from this. You don’t have to thank me.” Ivanka smiled slightly. “You should go home early and have some rest too.” Jonah cracked a smile and looked at her dotingly. “Are you worried about me?” Ivanka was speechless. She had only said that out of politeness. She wordlessly responded with a smile and quickly got out of the car. Jonah had always been trying to take ad
She finally reached the mansion after an hour’s drive. The looks in the servants’ eyes were unusually odd as she walked in. Even though it was a closed party and no press could sneak in, there was still a large crowd. The guests at the party could also take videos. Even if no one dared to post it online, word must have spread in private. Besides… With Chiara around, there was no need to be concerned about people not knowing. Mindy was sitting on the sofa. Even her dark green casual outfit could not hide her fury. She had been holding in her anger for Ivanka’s arrival. The moment she saw Ivanka in person, she said coldly, “How dare you show up here!” Ivanka looked up at her. Mindy was still as smartly dressed as ever. She exuded a more aggressive aura. If it was in the past, Ivanka might have worried about what she could do to please her mother-in-law, but she looked extremely calm at the moment. “I dare not decline your request to show up, Mrs. Barkworth.” Rosie moved
Ivanka curled her lip. “Thank you, then, Mrs. Barkworth. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave.” Mindy’s expression slightly changed. Her rage was about to burst forth! She thought. “So, Ivanka really wants a divorce?” However, she snorted the next second. “Ivanka, you are doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You are aware that if you divorce Michael at a time like this, it will jeopardize Barkworth’s Group’s negotiation of the project. The project is worth at least ten billion. You want to get something out of it, don’t you? Or perhaps you would like to take advantage of the divorce settlement negotiations to get some shares? Ivanka snorted with rage. She finally knew who Michael took after. He was just as arrogant as his mother. She thought. “It’s true that the Barkworths are rich, I have plenty of money too!” Her lip slightly curled. “You are overthinking it, Mrs. Barkworth. I’m not taking a single penny from your family, as is written plainly in the settlement a
“One more thing, these are my team members. They’ve seen firsthand how you’ve tried to suppress me all the time. A little payback from them isn’t exactly unjustified, don’t you think?”Before Mandy could say anything, Candice turned to the employee and instructed firmly, “Call security. Have them escort her out of the building. Make sure she doesn’t take anything that doesn’t belong to her. Thoroughly check her devices for any company files.”Mandy completely lost her composure and started yelling.“Who do you think you are to treat me like this? You’re just riding on Ivanka’s coattails! Everyone knows how someone so young became CEO. And you? Are you sticking by her? You’re no better than… Argh!”Before Mandy could finish her tirade, Candice delivered a resounding slap across her face.Not far away, Ivanka, who had come out after hearing the commotion to see if she needed to step in, slowed her steps. While leaning casually against a nearby column, she watched Candice handle the
“I understand what you mean now.” Candice’s cheeks flushed with excitement. The gloom that had previously clouded her was swept away.Her joy was genuine. She said, “In three months’ time, I’ll secure this position and prove to you and the board that your decision was the right one.”With that, Candice stood, gave Ivanka a respectful bow, and left the office.Ivanka watched her leave with a smile.All was good.While the two of them were in good spirits, someone else’s mood was far from pleasant.Mandy returned to her office, humiliated, to pack her belongings.If she could turn back time, she might have chosen not to come at all. The shame she endured was beyond anything she could have imagined.Somehow, word of what happened in the conference room had leaked. Perhaps Ivanka had orchestrated it.When she arrived at her office, she was not surprised to see all her belongings stuffed into a tattered, broken box.The box had been placed right outside her office door. It was a
“Mr. Clarke, if you don’t like my decision and want to change it, you’ll have to take my position first to do so. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”With those words, Ivanka coolly left the meeting room.Candice, though initially taken aback by the sudden turn of events, quickly adjusted to her new role. Turning to Mandy, she said, “Ms. Cruella, please ensure your office is cleared in three days, as I will be moving in.”With that, she too left the room.After they left, the meeting room erupted into chaos, with arguments flying back and forth. However, the outcome was already sealed. Ferris was powerless to change it.Though he still had cards to play, he was not about to waste them on Mandy.Sure enough, by the afternoon, employees spotted Mandy packing her belongings and leaving in disgrace.Candice, though initially satisfied, could not help but feel uneasy. After thinking it over, she decided to speak with Ivanka. And so, at that moment, she was standing in front of the door to t
Ferris was panicking at the moment. He shot Mandy a disappointing and furious glare.It was one thing for her to embezzle funds, it was another for her to get caught.How foolish!Feeling the weight of Ferris’s gaze, Mandy instinctively lowered her head.That only made Ferris more enraged.She had caused all this trouble, and he had to clean up the mess.Ivanka ignored them and turned to the other shareholders. She sharply said, “Tell me, how can someone like her hold the position of project director in our company, yet Candice can’t even be promoted to team leader?”Mandy had been personally hired by Ferris, so Ivanka criticizing her in front of everyone was effectively a direct slap to his face.That naturally made Ferris extremely uncomfortable.His expression turned even darker.“In my opinion, it’s true Mandy shouldn’t have done that, but she’s been in this position for so long. While she doesn’t have achievements, she’s at least put in the effort. How about this, let’s
However, her smile did not reach her eyes.Mandy stood frozen. She was too scared to drink the water or take a seat. Just like that, she was ignored. The atmosphere was awkward. She could only cast a pleading glance toward Ferris for support.Ferris, who was standing near her, cleared his throat and said, “That’s right. Ms. Ivanka, Ms. Cruella is right. This isn’t in line with proper procedures.”Ivanka maintained her enigmatic smile. Her index finger tapped lightly on the table. It was impossible to guess what was going through her mind.She glanced around the room. “What do the rest of you think?”She sounded like she was seeking opinions, but the weight of her presence was intimidating. No one dared to answer.Just as Ferris was about to say something, Ivanka picked up Mandy’s report and tossed it onto the floor.It happened too fast. Everyone was stunned by her action. Even Ferris was caught off guard.Mandy’s face turned pale.“Rules are made by people. Besides, Cand
“Please start.” Ivanka nodded. Mandy glanced at Ferris and then at Ivanka. She did not dare to speak.It was obvious that she did not want to offend either side.But she had received a lot of favors being under Ferris over the years, so naturally she did not dare to disobey him.Ferris felt like he was getting the upper hand again, and he was a lot more cheerful. His expression seemed to say, “Look, this is my staff. Look at how they listen to me and not you. You’re nothing much as the chairman. Who are you here, Ivanka?”The anger from before had completely disappeared. He said calmly, “You really don’t get the hint. If Ms. Lane lets you speak, you should just speak.”Although he sounded like he was scolding her, anyone could hear from Ferris’s tone that he was not complaining. He was gloating.Some shareholders did not want to be caught up in the mess and lowered their heads.Others wanted to see where things went.In a way, he was asserting dominance over Ivanka. Everyone wa
Ivanka suggested to Candice to go home and rest.But Candice still refused.She said, “The contract will be done soon. I’ll be able to rest properly and have peace of mind sooner when it’s finalized.”Ivanka relented. She only said that if she felt discomfort in any way, she must tell her immediately.Candice nodded her head and took note.Ivanka gripped the steering wheel tightly. She felt guilty.Candice was already in such a state, but she still insisted on working. Her reason there was not only to repay Ivanka but also to realize her own self-worth.But Ferris kept getting in the way of that report.It was really upsetting.Ivanka also secretly made it a point to get the report passed on that day.The car reached the company. Ivanka went upstairs with Candice together. Ivanka also personally helped Candice to her workstation.Despite Candice’s repeated refusals, Ivanka was very insistent.She wanted to demonstrate to everyone that she had Candice’s back. If anyone wante
Ivanka noticed that the distance between the both of them were a little too close. She moved a little to the side as a form of silent resistance to Micheal’s behavior.Michael only felt lonely for a moment. But he then quickly returned to normal as if nothing had happened.“Candice hasn’t finished giving her statement yet. I know you have to keep her company today, but I don’t agree that you should just sleep here. I’ve booked a hotel in the neighborhood. In a moment, I’ll explain to the people from the police station and send the two of you there.” Ivanka seemed to be a little hesitant.Michael said, “It’s just nearby. It’s about a kilometre away. I’ve reserved two rooms. So, if we need to rush over at night, we can just come over together again. Besides, if you sleep in the lounge for the night, both of you will catch a cold.”Ivanka hesitated and finally nodded.She thanked him and turned to go into the lounge to wake Candice up.Michael’s voice called out from behind her.
The two looked at each other and spoke a name. “Ferris Clark.”“Ferris Clark.” Michael laughed first. Ivanka followed suit. “Speaking of which, it actually has something to do with me. When Candice came, everyone knew I brought her in. When she first came in because she did not have any experience, she was only offered a position as an intern team leader. She thought that she would be transferred to a permanent position after she did a good job. But her report never passed after that. It was stuck in Ferris’s hands. “I will go to the board of directors tomorrow and continue to submit the report. This time it will have to be passed no matter what. I will also take the opportunity to find an excuse to test Ferris. If it’s really him…” Ivanka did not finish speaking, but the ferocity in her eyes made Michael silently pray for Ferris in his heart.Ivanka changed her tone. “But if it’s not someone from Bostone, then we have to consider someone else.”The tacit understanding betwe