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
“There’s a truck behind us, Sandy! Roll down the window and tell it to back off!” Ivanka remained surprisingly calm in the face of danger.Sandy, though flustered, maintained her composure. She swiftly rolled down the window to warn the approaching vehicle.The oncoming truck was massive. The truck behind them had already sensed trouble. It attempted to reverse before Sandy could signal it.But it was too slow!Sandy’s complexion paled. “Iv, what do we do?! The truck in front is closing in, and the one behind us is too slow!”Ivanka pursed her lips and floored the gas pedal. While Sandy screamed, she steered quickly and drifted the car as it changed direction.She had reacted quickly, but there were still vehicles ahead and behind them, not to mention the dangerous road conditions.The truck driver seized the opportunity and accelerated!At the next moment, a deafening crash echoed.“Ahh!!” Sandy screamed in anguish.Their car was struck. Their rear end hung precariously over
It was silent in the office. Michael handled some documents at his office desk. The next moment, he heard his door being thrown open. Bam! Evan barged in. Michael frowned and looked up. His frown deepened when he saw it was Evan. Evan always had a good sense of boundaries. Something must have happened for him to do so today. While Michael was still in his thoughts, Evan cried out anxiously, “Mr. Barkworth, something has happened to Ms. Lane!” Michael’s heart clenched tightly. “Which one?” “Ms. Ivanka had an accident. Her car fell into a deep pit!” As if he had been struck by lightning, Michael got up in a flash. “Where is she now?!” ... Ivanka was sleeping inside the ward in the hospital. On the surface, she did not seem to have suffered any injury. However, there were countless abrasions on her body, and one of her ribs was broken. Sandy and Anna sat before Ivanka’s bed. Their eyes were filled with worry. Sandy’s face was filled with tears. She cried non
The duo turned to the door. Two tall men entered. They looked solemn. Sandy stopped sobbing. “Michael. Evan. Why are you here?”Michael ignored Sandy. He quickly strode over to Ivanka’s side. He pursed his lips and frowned when he saw her sleeping on the bed. Both Sandy and Anna had a very bad impression of Michael. Evan knew the entire story, so he hurriedly said, “We’ve learned about the accident and have informed the police. They would investigate the matter.” Finally, Sandy stopped looking so sour. She turned to them and asked, “What did the police say about the accident?” Evan was momentarily stunned before saying, “The two drivers have escaped, but there’s an arrest warrant for them.” Sandy’s expectant gaze immediately darkened. “They attempted murder! They must be Iv’s enemies! Could they be…” As Sandy was saying this, her expression changed slightly. Anna grabbed her hand. It was clear to see that Anna tried to stop Sandy from revealing the truth. They alre
Xander thought. “How could Michael give up such an excellent wife? He’ll regret it in the future!”If not for Michael still caring for Ivanka, Michael could not have possibly sought Xander’s help to examine her injury. Michael frowned and ignored Xander’s gaze. He said in a deep voice, “Did she suffer any brain trauma? Will she suffer any after-effects?” “No. She’ll be fine as long as she rests well. Since this is an attempted murder, it’s best to protect her well. If not, the culprits might come after her again in the hospital.” Michael’s frown deepened. No one knew what he had in his mind. He seemed to grow increasingly frustrated. Meanwhile, Sandy and Anna looked troubled. Anna said, “I’ll have someone protect her.” The Baldwin family was quite a powerful family. “Everyone, out.” After Michael said that, he pulled out a chair and sat before Ivanka’s bed. He looked particularly regal. It was as if he was pure-blooded royalty. Sandy frowned. “What are you doing? I’l
Sandy subconsciously nodded. “That’s right. I need to save up my energy so that I can appear before Iv as if nothing had happened!” Anna sighed and nodded. “That should be it! Take a rest now. I’ll keep you company.” “No need. I just had a minor injury. You don’t need to accompany me. You should accompany Hanson. Don’t let him get suspicious about our absence. Besides—” Sandy paused for a moment. “Based on Iv’s condition, she wouldn’t be able to visit him for some time. How are we going to hide this from Hanson?” Anna’s eyes flickered. Sandy seemed to have thought of something and said, “I got an idea!” Anna’s eyes lit up. “What is it?” “Tell him that the company sent me out of town on a business trip. The task given is a challenging one. Without Iv, I can’t handle it, so I dragged Iv with me.” “Hmm…” Anna hesitated. After giving it a thought, she nodded. “We don’t have a choice. But Iv hadn’t informed him of anything…” “You can explain to him that both of us left in
Michael said in a deep voice, “Cause Jonah some trouble.” Michael did not want to see that man again. Evan paused mid-stride and nodded. Meanwhile, Xander grinned wordlessly. Both Xander and Evan left the ward. Michael was left alone with Ivanka. In the past, Ivanka would appear uncomfortable whenever Michael appeared before her. She would try to stay away from him. However, this time, Ivanka was in a coma. While sleeping on the bed, she looked gentler than usual. Luckily, her fair and exquisite face was unscathed. Michael raised a hand and put it on her cheek. He could not help but rest his hand on her delicate and fair skin. The next moment, he recovered his senses. His expression instantly changed, and he immediately removed his hand. He frowned while staring at Ivanka coldly. “You were my wife…” His frown deepened, and he fell silent. His heart was full of complicated and inexplicable emotions. He was immensely frustrated. ... Meanwhile, at the Lan
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