Anna quickly nodded and said, “Alright, you should rest. Call me if anything comes up.”Hanson smiled. “Okay.”Anna was a little reluctant, but he had already closed his eyes. She sighed to herself and walked out while still turning back to glance at him at each step. …In Ivanka’s ward, the father and son were seated across from one another.Jay’s face was a little gloomy. He looked at Michael coldly and said, “You should handle this matter by yourself.”“Please make the trip for me,” Michael said firmly.Also, Michael seemed to imply that if Jay refused to go, then he would not stop caring.Jay paused. He gazed at Ivanka. He did not want to mention this again, so he looked at him and said, “Follow me. I have something to ask you.”Michael did not move at first, but he followed him out the room after some thought.Chiara was waiting close to the ward. She scurried over as soon as she saw them come out.Michael did not even look at her and headed somewhere else. Jay notic
Michael’s eyes flashed with uncertainty. He was clearly conflicted.Chiara believed her words had moved him. She said with a sigh of relief, “Mic, you have to believe me. When did you start having these doubts about me? Has anyone instigated this?”Chiara’s eyes were filled with desolation. Her voice trembled as she said the final sentence.It did not seem to move Michael much. He remained quite calm.Chiara started to panic when he did not react. “What to do…”“What should I do!” she thought. If she was not sure before, she was absolutely sure now!Michael must have heard that recording!If not, why would he be on guard against her?After a pause, Michael finally said in a softer tone, “You can go back first. I need to take care of some stuff. We can have lunch together tomorrow.”Chiara’s expression changed slightly. If Michael had invited her to lunch before this, she would have been overjoyed.But now, was he inviting her to a break-up meal?!Suddenly, she had no des
Michael’s face instantly fell.He looked at Jay coldly and said, “This is my business.”“Your business?” Jay scoffed as he found it ridiculous. “Do you not belong to the Barkworth family? Do you know what the company went through since you and Iv got divorced? What will the outside world say? I don’t really care about our reputation or profit, but why do you treat Iv this way? Do you even deserve her?”Jay had to be direct with his son. Michael almost scoffed angrily. Jay lightly continued, “I’ll take care of this for you this time, but you have to consider your options carefully. Divorce and marriage are no laughing matters. You should give it some serious thought.”Jay got up and walked out after saying that. Michael sat in the same position and did not look back. His expression grew more complex as he gazed at Ivanka coldly.One hour passed.Two hours passed. Sandy was awake, but she still could not enter Ivanka’s ward. She scratched her head in frustration. “What th
She said nothing, but her eyes clearly gave the answer. The temperature in the ward plummeted. Michael’s gaze got sharper as he studied Ivanka’s face.But his strong presence had no effect on Ivanka. She just stared at him in confusion and said, “Mr. Barkworth, you can leave if there’s nothing going on.”Michael scoffed. After all this waiting, he still stayed by her side, so did she just tell him to go without even offering him thanks?For the sake of his dignity, he would never be with this woman again!He got up right away and left. Sandy and Anna rushed in as soon as he left. Sandy broke down in tears the moment she saw that Ivanka had woken up.“Iv! You’re finally awake!”Sandy hurried over and held Ivanka’s hand. She took a seat where Michael had just been and gave Ivanka a guilty look.Ivanka’s lips curled into a small smile. “Idiot. Why are you crying? I’m doing okay, aren’t I?”She already knew almost everything about her situation. Tears fell from Sandy’s ey
Anna and Sandy were momentarily stunned. They quickly grew incredulous.Sandy snorted. “I bet he’s here for your project. Even now, he won’t leave you alone. He’s insane!”Ivanka’s eyes flickered with doubt.Anna, however, spoke hesitantly. “I still think Michael may have developed feelings for you.”Sandy was speechless.She pursed her lips. Anna’s train of thought struck her as odd.Ivanka chuckled lightly. She did not believe it at all.Anna could not help but speak softly. “Not long after you were taken to the hospital, Michael came. He seemed really worried. He even specifically asked Xander over to treat you. Xander only left after he confirmed that you were fine. Then, Michael kicked us all out and stayed by your bedside alone for six hours.”Ivanka did not expect to hear that.She had not expected Michael to stay for so long. He had truly gone all out for the project.After hesitating for a moment, Anna said, “During then, Chiara came to see you, but she almost immedi
Three days passed. Michael never came to see Ivanka again.It was as if he was sulking.Ivanka remained unperturbed. She completely ignored him.Michael suddenly could not hold it back anymore.Just as Ivanka was about to rest, her ward door suddenly swung open.She opened her eyes and instinctively thought Anna and Sandy had come to her with some urgent matters.After all, they had been keeping Hanson in the dark. Since she and Hanson were in the same hospital, they had to be careful.Hanson could see neither Ivanka nor Sandy.So, Sandy had been staying in the ward with Ivanka.When she saw that Michael had entered, she frowned slightly.She looked at him in silent indifference.Michael ignored her expression and sat down beside her. He asked calmly, “How are you feeling?”Surprised, Ivanka stared at him. She was slightly taken aback.Had Michael lost his mind?He was asking about her well-being!Last time, she was still suspecting his motives… Well, there was a tiny po
“Iv, my uncle’s here to see you. We’re coming in.”Michael frowned as Ivanka glanced at him indifferently before answering, “Come in.”The door opened.Sandy came in with a smile, but when she spotted Michael, her smile froze. She thought. “What is Michael doing here again? What’s wrong with him?”Besides, she had just been gone for a while. Why was he already here? Had he been waiting for her to leave?If Anna could hear Sandy’s thoughts, she would undoubtedly retort unhesitatingly.“Does Michael need to hide from you? He would simply send you away, right?”Thomas held a fruit basket with a smile on his face. His smile momentarily froze before he caught himself. “Oh, Mr. Barkworth, what a coincidence to see you here,” Thomas said with masterful lightness.Michael glanced at Thomas and said, “I didn’t expect to see you here, Mr. Thomas.”Thomas was widely known in the industry. Michael had even considered poaching him, but once he knew about his relationship with Ivanka’s fath
Why did she seem so indifferent and sometimes resentful when he came to see her?Did she not know how to feel touched?Since Thomas entered, Ivanka had not even spared him another glance. She kept engaging with Thomas and Sandy in conversation and laughter.She completely ignored him as if he were invisible.Thomas noticed the awkward atmosphere in the room and turned to Michael. He still wore his gentle smile.“Mr. Barkworth, what a surprise to see you here today.”He implied that he was supposed to be too busy to be showing up here.Michael replied indifferently, “I had some free time today.”While they were cold to Michael, he was still physically present.It would be too much to blatantly ignore him.Sandy found the situation a little awkward. After a brief pause, she smiled and said, “Um... I should go out for a walk.”Ivanka nodded in response.Three people remained in the room.Ivanka instinctively glanced at Michael. She was silent, her expression seemed to convey