Sadness flashed in Ivanka’s eyes. She mumbled regretfully, “How could I upset him again? Ann, he… he’s my friend too.” Anna was startled. She eventually nodded wordlessly.Soon enough, the medical staff transferred Hanson to the normal VIP ward.Ivanka had already called Frank on the phone and informed him that Hanson had regained consciousness.After she and her friends pulled themselves together, they entered the ward.Due to Hanson’s health condition, the medical staff had to arrange everything from diet to treatment during his stay. Hence, his friends did not have to worry about all those things.Presently, the medical staff left the ward.Only four people remained in the room.Ivanka, Anna, and Sandy looked at the man in bed.The bandage on his face was still there, but he obviously seemed much better. His complexion was no longer sickly pale.There were multiple people in the room, but Ivanka seemed to be the only person Hanson could see.There was an expectant look i
Ivanka inhaled and said softly, “It wasn’t a dream. I said it.”With that, she lowered her head and avoided Hanson’s affectionate gaze.Both Sandy and Anna were nervous. They knew that Ivanka was too sheepish to face him.But Hanson did not think that much. He thought Ivanka was shy, and the smile on his lips broadened.He refrained from staring at her with such a loving gaze. He feared that she could not take it.Anna gazed at Hanson with a longing look in her eyes. She found his eyes lingering on Ivanka instead. She inhaled and said thoughtfully, “Since… you’ve woken up, we’ll head out and leave the room to you two. We’ll be resting in the room next door. We have been looking after you all these days. It’s exhausting.”With that, Anna got up and grabbed Sandy’s hand.Sandy looked at Anna, who faked a smile. She felt terribly sorry for her. She could only pick up where Anna left off and smile at Hanson. “Yeah, we don’t want to be the third and fourth wheels. We’ll leave you two
Ivanka froze.Hanson was still holding onto her and seemed reluctant to let go.“Iv.”Some unidentifiable emotion shone in Ivanka’s eyes as she slowly turned to meet his gaze.His eyes were filled with deep affection. “Iv, I get it. You’re just saying all this to wake me up, right? You wouldn’t really tell me the truth while I’m still recovering, would you?”Ivanka’s heart skipped a beat as she felt his intense gaze upon her. She composed herself and frowned. “Do you think I’m lying to you?”Hanson hesitated speechlessly as he continued to stare at her.Ivanka inwardly sighed. She recognized that Hanson was simply grappling with insecurity. His words were a test and a way to gauge if she genuinely meant what she said, or if it was just an attempt solely to wake him up.At that moment, though Hanson was awake, an undercurrent of hope surged within him. He wished what he said was not true, yet he could not shake the fear that it was.He feared that all his recent struggles mig
Ivanka and Hanson looked toward the door simultaneously.Frank entered. Hanson greeted him with a smile, “Oh, Dad. You’re here.”Frank immediately noticed Hanson tightly holding Ivanka’s hand. He studied Hanson, who looked well and was in high spirits. His tense demeanor eased.He pretended not to see how affectionate the two looked. He simply gazed at Hanson and asked him in a softer tone than usual, “How are you feeling?”Hanson smiled and nodded. “I’m fine, Dad. No need to worry about me.”Frank nodded. On his way here, he had already talked to the doctor to make sure Hanson was fine, which made him feel relieved.However, the doctor had repeatedly emphasized that they must not stimulate Hanson’s brain. So, they had to go along with whatever he said.After all, Hanson was his son.So... he had to be okay with him being with Ivanka.As this thought crossed his mind, Hanson lifted Ivanka’s hand and smiled faintly at Frank.“Dad, Ivanka agreed to be my girlfriend.”Frank n
James stopped talking. Jonah knew what he was trying to say.It would only make it harder for Jonah to pursue Ivanka if they continued to make Michael detest Chiara. After all, the two were married for several years and had some feelings for each other. There would be no hope for Jonah if they reconciled.James could see Jonah genuinely liked her. That was why he advised him so earnestly.However, just when he thought Jonah would agree, Jonah simply said, “Just focus on finding out more about this stuff from now on. Don’t worry about the rest.”James was surprised. “Mr. Sadler, you...”He was genuinely curious. This was a very straightforward method, especially considering Jonah’s years-long rivalry with Michael, where they had used all sorts of tactics. This time, it was aimed at Michael, so there was even more reason to go ahead with it.James was puzzled.Jonah casually glanced at him and said, “Because it would hurt Iv.”James looked bewildered. “Huh?”Jonah was no lon
Ivanka sighed and shook her head slowly.“I’ve said it before, Hanson is like a brother to me. I’ve never considered him as a romantic partner. Besides, I used to have feelings for Michael, remember? Just because we divorced and I’ve moved on, it doesn’t mean... I can suddenly develop romantic feelings for someone I see as a brother.”Anna fell silent and sighed.Sandy seemed just as confused. “Anna, you like Hanson so much and are willing to do so much for him. Don’t you want to be with him?”Ivanka also glanced at Anna. She felt a great deal of admiration deep down.Truthfully, most people were selfish. The rare few were truly selfless.If they learned that other women were into him too, even if he did not reciprocate, they might feel a tad jealous. It was normal for women.But... Anna was not like that. She could make endless compromises for Hanson and go so far as to convince Ivanka to be with him... At that moment, a surge of complex emotions washed over Ivanka. But mor
Ivanka paused. She gripped the steering wheel tightly. While silent, her eyes hid a storm within. She did not know how to respond to Sandy.Sandy sighed. “Should we head to your place first? I’m thinking of just crashing there for the day.”Ivanka pursed her lips silently and started the car engine.Traffic was heavy. Their trip took more than an hour longer than usual.By the time they got upstairs, Sandy seemed utterly exhausted. She sat down at the dining table and suggested, “Let’s order some takeout.”Ivanka remained composed. “Takeout isn’t the cleanest. I’ll rustle up something quick. Won’t take long.”With that, she changed her attire and ventured into the kitchen.Sandy rushed to lend a hand, but Ivanka calmly intervened, “No need to fuss. It’s just pasta. Just sit down.”Sandy did not listen to her. She started washing some vegetables. Soon, two plates of pasta were ready.Sandy savored each bite as she thoroughly enjoyed Ivanka’s cooking. She had not had much of
Sandy sat in the passenger seat cheerily.“I’m glad to see Hanson’s condition improving day by day. It seems like he’ll be discharged soon.”Ivanka smiled. “Yes, I’m surprised by how well he’s recovering.”Sandy could not help but chuckle at Hanson’s reaction earlier. “Did you see how flustered he was just now? When he heard you were leaving, he was all frantic. He was just like a kid. He wanted to ask you to stay but had to stop himself.”Ivanka’s eyelashes fluttered as she sighed.“I don’t know what to do next. What if he still can’t accept it?”Sandy’s smile vanished instantly and was replaced by a concerned expression. “Yeah... What if he flips out like he did that one time?...”When someone’s feeling down and out, they rarely think straight.Back then, he lost his wits and wandered into traffic.What if he ended up getting drunk again in the future?Sandy sighed. “Well, let’s cross that bridge when we come to it. We shouldn’t dwell on it too much.”Ivanka pursed her lip
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