“Okay.” Anna uttered affirmatively and took her lunch. They went to the single room next door and ate their food. Nonetheless, the trio seemed to find their food tasteless. They ate their food like machines. Anna’s tears streamed all over her face while she ate her food.Sandy looked up and saw Anna’s tears fall into her lunchbox. “Ann…” Anna blinked and quickly turned her head sideways. Ivanka heaved a sigh. The sense of guilt in her heart only grew heavier. Sandy hurriedly said, “Ann, don’t cry. We need to be strong for this. Besides, it doesn’t mean that Hanson’s fate is sealed. He’ll wake. He’s the luckiest star among us. He always overcomes problems.” Anna was already very worried about Hanson. The moment Sandy comforted her, Anna put down her cutlery, covered her face, and sobbed. “I’m scared. Hanson is still very young. He has a bright future ahead. He—” Ivanka looked down. At that moment, she was at a loss for words. Sandy slowly put down her cutlery. Her e
Ivanka nodded without hesitation. “Yes. I won’t consider him to be my boyfriend.” Jonah kept bothering her. Even Michael started to go nuts as he, too, bothered Ivanka. If she got together with Hanson, she would only cause him trouble.“I genuinely treat him as my biological brother.” Ivanka slowly added. Hanson was especially upset when he heard this that day. Sandy’s lips parted to say something, but no words came out. She thought she was in no position to express herself. Both Ivanka and Anna were her good friends. They were as close as siblings. However, the duo and Hanson were involved in a love triangle. Sandy was confused about whom to advice. Anna inhaled deeply. “Alright. If he passes the critical stage and is safe and sound, I’ll confess to him. I know he’ll reject me, but I’d have expressed my feelings to him.” Sandy pursed her lips silently. Although both Ivanka and Anna were her best friends, she thought Ivanka and Hanson were a better match. Perhaps, this was
Ivanka looked at Jonah while struggling to find the right words. There was no longer any point in her asking him why he was here; she knew he was doggedly pursuing her. She would only be asking the obvious. Jonah smiled gently. “I thought you might need company while caring for him.” “No need!” Ivanka quickly refused. She feared Jonah’s presence would upset Hanson, who was currently very fragile. “I still need to go to the hospital. I’d prefer if you kept your distance for now.” “Do you care about him that much?” Jonah asked through narrowed eyes. “He’s like family,” Ivanka said. Ivanka emphasized the word “family” to show how important Hanson was to her. Jonah laughed. “So, you see him as family, not a lover?” Annoyed, Ivanka frowned. Jonah seemed pleased and said, “I came to give you something. I won’t disturb you for a few days. But if you don’t care for yourself, you can’t look after your cherished ones. After all…” He leaned in closer. Ivanka’s expressio
Ivanka nodded, “He’s probably getting close to me for his benefit.”Sandy was doubtful. “I don’t think so. With his prestigious status, there’s no reason for him to do that. While many want to curry favors with you, someone of his stature would only need to avoid antagonizing you. Why would he need to... win you over?”Anna agreed. “I agree. After all, he’s at the very top of the social hierarchy. If he wasn’t sincere about you, why would he try so hard?”Slightly exasperated, Ivanka forced a smile. “I’m divorced. Given his high status and the fact that I'm his arch-rival’s ex-wife, he has no reason to want me.”Going after a woman Michael Barkworth had turned his back on—would only make him look pathetic.Ivanka did not believe Jonah Sadler had any real feelings for her.In her eyes, it was all for personal gain.“Let’s see what he got for you,” Anna urged.With no other choice and knowing her friends wanted to lighten the mood, Ivanka opened the envelope.“This envelope is q
The group looked at Jonah’s bold words in the album.[My Princess: Knowing you’re a lawyer, I didn’t infringe on your portrait rights. I made all these photos myself without anyone’s help. I won’t share them; they are our private memories. Do you like them?]“How romantic!” Sandy exclaimed enviously. “If a man did this for me, I would definitely marry him.”Anna had a bittersweet smile. Deep down, she hoped Ivanka and Hanson Jackson would end up together.Yet, she harbored selfish feelings for Hanson and was secretly relieved that Ivanka would not reciprocate Hanson’s feelings.This contradiction tormented Anna. She knew she should prioritize Hanson’s happiness over wanting him for herself. It gave her an unbearable headache.Unable to stop herself from thinking about Hanson’s recovery, Anna turned away and pretended to get a drink with reddened eyes.Ivanka closed the album and put it back in the envelope.Sandy softly asked, “Ivanka, you’re not returning this album to him, ar
Theodore Lane rubbed his forehead in frustration while speaking sternly, “Do you think I want her to get involved? At this point, do you think I have any control over the situation?“The project is completely public now. Everyone knows what’s happening. If I stop Ivanka from getting involved, they’ll call us petty ingrates. How would you handle that?”Lyla inhaled deeply. She frowned in frustration, but could not find the words.After a pause, she said firmly, “What do we do then? We can’t let Ivanka keep this up. Eventually, she might completely ruin us. After all, she’s already suspicious of us; if she finds out anything more, our whole family won’t be spared!”Theodore’s expression changed, but he still spoke firmly. “Without proof, what can she find out? Stop being irrational. The collaboration is basically official. I’m just not sure yet whether to let her collaborate with Sadler’s or Barkworth’s.”“Not Barkworth’s!” Chiara immediately objected fearfully. “Her ties with Micha
“Then what exactly do you plan to do?” Theodore asked while frowning.“Don’t worry about this. I’ll figure it out on my own,” Lyla replied. She hung up without waiting for Theodore’s response.Chiara looked at Lyla worriedly. “Mom, what are you going to do?”Lyla frowned. “Other than going after her well-being, do you see a better way? As long as Ivanka lives, we won’t ever have peace.”Chiara’s expression changed slightly. “Y-you plan to kill her?”“How can we kill her now?” Lyla looked worried.“Then do you plan to make her ill first?” Chiara asked skeptically while frowning. “But what’s the use of a minor illness?”“We can’t delay this. The company will pressure your father to decide. We must be prepared in five days.”Chiara frowned in disbelief at her mother’s desperation. It was highly risky. If discovered, they could end up in jail. But she realized this was the only way to force Ivanka back.Chiara was agitated.…The critical twenty-four-hour mark was approaching fa
Frank sighed helplessly and nodded. “Alright then.”Ivanka lowered her head silently.Frank sighed again and turned to Ivanka. “Since that’s the case, Ivanka, tonight...”Ivanka nodded. “Yes, I’ll stay here. Uncle, you have other matters, and Auntie doesn’t know about this. You should go home early. Don’t worry, we’ll take good care of him.”Frank sighed resignedly. Past a certain time, only single visitations were allowed.After staying for half an hour, Frank left the room. He looked at Ivanka with a dejected, fatigued expression. “He won’t wake up anytime soon. Thank you both.”Ivanka nodded determinedly. “I’ll go in and see him now. I’ll stay with him all night.”Frank nodded and left silently.Ivanka carefully muted her phone and took all necessary precautions before stepping in.Sandy looked at Anna’s swollen, tearful eyes and held her hand firmly. “Anna, he’ll get better. He has to. You have to believe in Ivanka.”“And believe in Hanson’s feelings for Ivanka.” She thou
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