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
After expressing her feelings, Ivanka stared at Hanson. He did not react.Ivanka sighed helplessly. “You don’t want to wake up because you won’t forgive me? Hanson, if you wake up, I promise I’ll be with you, okay?”Hanson remained unresponsive.Ivanka sighed desperately. “I know... you don’t want to forgive me. Uncle Frank has agreed to us being together. I didn’t cherish what we had and lost you.”The room was silent while Ivanka remained seated.She was thinking of ways to stimulate Hanson’s consciousness and compel him to wake up. Although she did not want to resort to using the threat of leaving, she could not let him stay in a coma forever.Sighing softly, she said, “I know you can hear me, so listen properly. I will stay for three days. If you’re still unconscious in three days, then it just means that you don’t want to see me and you’ve given up on me. To not affect your recovery, I’ll...”“I’ll leave and detach myself from your life.” Just as she finished speaking, Ivan
Anna nodded eagerly. “Yes! That’s right! This is good news! Great news! I-I’m just so happy! I need to call Mr. Jackson! This will cheer him up too!”“Don’t!” Seeing Anna already pulling out her phone, Ivanka stopped her. “Mr. Jackson might be with Mrs. Jackson right now. We can’t let her know about this.” Anna quickly understood. “Right, right, I got carried away.”They stood in the corridor and waited for the doctor. Ivanka glanced down slightly. She had gained a good understanding of Hanson’s condition. They could only attempt to wake him up.After a while, the doctor finally came out.The three ladies turned to the doctor. They did not want to miss any detail.“Doctor, how is he?” Anna asked eagerly.As the doctor shook his head, their expressions fell slightly.Another doctor came out behind him. “Although his fingers moved, his overall physical indicators are still the same as before; there’s no significant difference. It’s possibly just a neurological response and not