Sandy sneered. “I am Iv, and Iv is me! I’m not a stranger. I’m not some outsider. I’m way closer to Ivanka than you. You’ve only been a manipulative cousin to her. Back then, your whole family enjoyed exploiting her generosity, but now you’re trying to control her assets and pretend to give her challenges under the guise of fairness. Why not just let her quit and leave? Then you all can reap the rewards without lifting a finger! You know you’re shameless, don’t you?” “You—!”Chiara had always been accustomed to her high and mighty attitude outside. For years, no one dared to confront her like this. She never expected Sandy to say such things!Despite any personal dislike they had for each other in private, they had never openly clashed, unlike today!“Sandy.”Ivanka grabbed Sandy’s hand and pulled her back. She did not want Sandy to get involved. Chiara’s family was ruthless. She did not want Sandy to be dragged into this and end up getting hurt for no reason.But Sandy did not
Ivanka smiled at Chiara, She said, “I never intended to get along with Michael. So, you can rest assured about that.”Sandy sneered, “Exactly! You should focus more on Michael, Chiara. Have you been slipping up lately? It seems like you can’t maintain your lofty image anymore. Otherwise, why does Mr. Barkworth always ignore you and persistently pursue Ivanka?”Ivanka was speechless for a moment.She propped up her head with one hand. Sandy deliberately said those words to vent her frustration.“Sandy, that’s enough.” Ivanka emphasized.Sandy pouted unhappily and said, “I just couldn’t help it, okay!”Of course, she would happily confront her when an opportunity like this arose. Chiara was such a wicked person! She even started trouble in Ivanka’s place! She must be the kind of parent who would spoil her children!As Chiara clenched her fists, her eyes turned red. She could feel her whole being was on the verge of losing control and bursting with endless rage. But, she took a dee
“You—!” Chiara’s chest heaved with anger.Ivanka smiled calmly. “When Michael said that he wanted me to be in charge, you guys were stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter who you chose, not only would I still have to intervene, but you would also offend either side. In such a tough spot, you came up with another plan, am I right?”Chiara clenched her fists tightly. She had a strong urge to scream and to beg Ivanka to stop talking!Sandy gritted her teeth.So cruel! Iv would not be in such a miserable state if they had not been so overbearing. Seeing her endure such pain during a time like this broke her heart!She held Ivanka’s hand. Even though she did not say anything, her gaze was filled with pain.Ivanka just smiled at her, then calmly looked at Chiara. “Later on, despite your best efforts, I only ended up with a broken rib. But Michael got freaked out over this and worried that I might die. He really liked my proposal. So, if I’m dead, he would lose a very importan
She could pass this unedited recording to Michael later on.With the engagement coming up and zero activity from Barkworth’s Group, she should probably throw in some evidenceThe next moment, Ivanka smiled. “Chiara, are you sure you want to stay and make a fool of yourself? I don’t mind waiting for you to try to attack me again.”“Ivanka, don’t be smug! Sooner or later, you’ll end up in the mud and become the world’s laughingstock!”“The world?” Ivanka narrowed her eyes. “Are you suggesting that you want to survive this time?”Chiara took a deep breath to calm herself down. She did not want to be provoked by Ivanka again. She gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself!”After saying that, she turned and left.Chiara actually came over today to try to reason with Ivanka. If Ivanka was willing to give up, it would have been a good solution. However, Ivanka clearly refused to reconcile and instead chose to confront her aggressively. This made it pointless for Chiara t
Sandy grinned widely as she stretched lazily and said casually, “I really look forward to seeing Michael’s reaction when he sees the recording. It’s a pity I won’t get to see it.”Ivanka simply smiled. Though she seemed relaxed, her fingers were gliding across her laptop’s touchpad.Sandy looked puzzled and asked, “Iv, what else are you doing?”“That’s a great recording. I can’t just show it to one person.”“Huh? Didn’t you just say you were only sending it to Michael?”Ivanka shook her head with a smile.“That was my initial plan. But I decided to put together a few more recordings and send them to someone else. It could change the current situation.”“What do you mean?” Sandy was confused by Ivanka’s words.“I’m sending Chiara the recent recordings I shared with Michael. The old ones might be helpful to us as well. If she doesn’t want those recordings to go public, she knows better than to lay a finger on us. If anything happens to us, those recordings will be made public. Ch
Did not record, huh? What was he listening to now, then?He was not surprised at all. He had known she was this kind of person from the start.“When Jonah wasn’t on board with your plan and said that it was either let me be in charge or not cooperate at all, you got flustered, didn’t you? There’s no way you would let go of such a juicy opportunity, could you? You then went to Michael and showed him the proposal. In the end, Michael was won over by the proposal, but he also wanted me to be in charge, didn’t he?“When Michael said that he wanted me to be in charge, you guys were stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter who you chose, not only would I still have to intervene, but you would also offend either side. In such a tough spot, you came up with another plan, am I right?”Another plan...?Michael was fuming by now. When he heard the two words, he became even more furious.Chiara was definitely something else!This time, he strongly suspected that the matter was relat
At that moment, Chiara’s driver was driving her back. Suddenly, her phone rang. Feeling annoyed, she swiped it to unlock it. When she realized it was an audio file, her expression instantly changed. Chiara quickly took out her earphones from her bag. After she put them on, she played the audio file. She realized the audio file contained all the recent recordings, including everything she had said to Ivanka just now. “B*tch! Didn’t she say she didn’t record anything?! “Why did I even trust that b*tch’s words?” When Chiara read the message, she had the urge to murder Ivanka right away. Nonetheless, this time, she did not have the guts to do so. She could not do that anymore. The message was stated clearly. “If you dare lay your hands on either of us, get ready to lose your reputation. I’ll reveal to the world that you’re a hypocrite who pretends to be pure and innocent.” Chiara screamed furiously. The driver was taken aback and immediately stepped on the brake. He looked
Samuel chuckled and said casually, “Theodore, tomorrow is Sunday. Since it’s a holiday, shall we have a family lunch together?” Although surprised, Theodore agreed. “Great. Let’s gather together at noon tomorrow.” Samuel smiled contentedly and said, “Okay. My family is going with me. You and your family should come too. Don’t leave out any of them.” Theodore naturally went along with Samuel. Nonetheless, in his heart, Theodore was confused and sensed something off. He agreed to Samuel with a smile. After chatting for a while, they hung up. Theodore frowned. “Something doesn’t feel right.” Chiara’s expression turned as pale as a ghost. “Are they going to call off the marriage…?” Theodore’s expression darkened. Meanwhile, Lyla frowned deeply. Chiara muttered to herself without looking at her parents. “It’s over… It’s over!” Theodore said darkly, “Why are you so panicky? The Barkworth family needs our help. Besides, they are the ones who have taken the initiative to have
“I deserve everything that’s happening to me now. But please don’t involve my family in my mistakes…” Ethan clasped his hands together and sincerely begged everyone to spare his family. Ivanka spared him a brief glance before turning off her cell phone. Although she was helping herself to some meat, Michael could see how she felt at the moment. “Why don’t we…” Michael asked for her opinion. But before he finished speaking, Ivanka interrupted him. “Now that he’s released a video like that, if I continue to hold him accountable, I’d be the one in the wrong.” Michael immediately replied, “I can step in—” “You? It’s better if you don’t. Everyone knows your relationship with me now.” Before Michael could finish his sentence, Ivanka immediately interrupted him. Although they were not officially remarried, Michael often went out with her. If anyone else were to see this, what difference did it make? Michael understood, but he really could not bear to see Ivanka getting bulli
After they finished taking pictures, Ivanka greeted everyone politely. “After finishing your meal, go home early. It’s snowing, so drive safely. Bye…” Ivanka subconsciously reminded them. She belatedly realized she had been acting as though she was really an idol. Nonetheless, she treated them with sincerity. She had not done this for Michael’s sake. She did this mostly for the sake of the innocent, inexperienced young ladies who had yet entered the society. These young ladies raised their phones warily and asked, “Could we take a picture together?” They were so worried that their invitation would be turned down, so much so that when they talked, they almost bit the skin off their lips. Ivanka could not bear to reject them. It had not been easy for her to finally reach the private room. Michael teased her, “Our celebrity finally arrived. It looks like you’d best wear shades wherever you go in the future.” Ivanka glared at him and said gruffly, “Stop teasing me.” She paused
After that, Ivanka politely bowed to the people who had been watching the drama in the main hall. She smiled at them. “Sorry for making a fool of ourselves. We encountered two tricksters who wanted to eat the meals for free by calling themselves the friends of the restaurant owners. It happened that I know the restaurant owner, so we easily uncovered their tricks.” By saying that, Ivanka was able to save the hot pot restaurant’s and the Barkworth family’s reputation. Her statement could result in a win-win situation, and the reason was acceptable. Ivanka continued, “Sorry for causing a stir and affecting your dining mood. I’ll foot the bill for everyone who dined on the first floor. How does that sound?” She was not trying to curry favor with the people or to show off her wealth. She simply did not want the people to hate the wealthy. One could not deny that this method worked. Right after Ivanka made her statement, the crowd thanked her. The commotion was no more than ju
The young lady did not know what to do, so she turned to the restaurant manager. The restaurant manager nodded in approval. It was only then that the young lady left the restaurant. Before she left, she glared at Coco. Coco glared back at the young lady and pointed at her viciously. Coco shouted, “Come back! I’m not done with you yet! Who permitted you to leave now?!” The young lady’s body shivered a little. Still, she gnashed her teeth and left. Ivanka watched the young lady’s back as she drifted away. Ivanka stood in Coco’s way because she did not want Coco to chase after the young lady. Ivanka did not want to make a big deal out of the situation. Otherwise, the Barkworth family would be the one who suffered disgrace. After all, Coco stayed in the Barkworth family’s mansion, and everyone knew that Rosie doted on her. If it continued, Ivanka was worried about Rosie’s later years… Ivanka rubbed her temples in resignation. It looked like she needed to resolve the issue as
The restaurant manager thought for a moment before saying, “Ms. Fishbourne, the restaurant has its own rules. Only three types of VIPs could reserve our private rooms while the rest could only enjoy normal seats. I have reasons to believe that our front desk told you the same when you called. We may not have empty seats now, but we’ll have one shortly after.” Coco recalled the situation and remembered that it was exactly like what the restaurant manager had mentioned. So what? Things have changed these days. Coco was no longer an ordinary woman. Her words could even move the earth. With that thought in her mind, Coco chuckled. She kept her tyranny and mockery to herself before locking her little finger with the young lady’s at the front desk. The young lady at the front desk looked down at her finger before glancing at the restaurant manager helplessly. The restaurant manager himself, too, was caught in trouble, so he could not do anything else to defend the young lady. C
Little did Coco know that her behavior was no more like a clown in the crowd’s eyes. Ivanka felt disgusted. Although she could not put herself in Coco’s shoes, she could understand the thoughts of a sensitive person. Ivanka could sympathize with a sensitive and cowardly person. But she could not find herself sympathizing with Coco. Coco’s low self-esteem should not be the reason for her to behave like a crook. Michael, on the other hand, already finished discussing with the restaurant manager and entering the private room. Ivanka lagged behind him. She had no intention of entertaining Coco, much less inviting her to eat together. No doubt that the private room was able to accommodate four people. But based on their relationship, Ivanka thought she had been kind enough to not find fault in Coco, much less eating together. Meanwhile, Coco continued to argue with the restaurant manager. She argued until her face reddened. Although the restaurant manager already made hims
The temperature was above freezing point, so the snowflakes melted before they even reached the ground. The trees were covered in snow. At a glance, they looked like a blanket of pristine snow. The big trees looked as if they had been covered in snow-white new clothes. Ivanka was a little surprised at such a scenery. Even though she often went for business trips in the north and had experienced snow, skied, and various other experiences, it was a rare sight to experience snow in their city. Instead of snow, they looked more like an ice sheet. The snow there was different from the cities in the north. They easily fell on their hair. In just a while, their hair turned snowy white. Ivanka took out her phone and took a photo. Then she shared it with her friends in her WhatsApp group. Meanwhile, Michael took photos of Ivanka. Michael hardly posted anything on Twitter. After a moment, he uploaded a photo of Ivanka taking photos of the scenery.The caption was: Experiencing
Michael glanced at Ivanka.Ivanka kept her eyes lowered and focused on nothing in particular. Both of them tacitly agreed not to bring it up.“Let’s go out to eat,” Michael said. Ivanka agreed without hesitation.If they got ready and left at this time, they would be just in time for lunch.She went upstairs to freshen up. Michael did not rush her. He just smiled, as if he was telling her to take her time.Ivanka felt a little embarrassed and touched the tip of her nose. Truthfully, she was the one in a hurry because she was the one starving.Five minutes later, she came back down.She had changed into a long black down coat that reached her ankles. It was practical and warm.But the weather was still unbearably cold. This winter was harsher than usual.“Let’s go.” She rubbed her hands together and looked at Michael.Michael was on his phone. He was smiling and looked relaxed. With just a glance, Ivanka could tell he was probably making a reservation.Their long-standing
Ivanka slept in the next day. By the time she woke up, the sun was already streaming through the window, casting light across her bed and face.In a way, the sunlight had forced her awake.She frowned slightly before slowly opening her eyes. The brightness left spots in her vision, so she instinctively raised a hand to shield herself before getting out of bed.It was already past 10 a.m.She had no idea how she managed to sleep so much, especially after napping all afternoon the day before.Then again, maybe she was just that exhausted. So much had been going on lately.Fortunately, it was Saturday, so she did not have to go to the office.That was probably why her internal clock had not woken her at seven as usual.Come to think of it, her body’s internal clock was quite accommodating.On workdays, no matter how tired she was, she always woke up at seven sharp. But on weekends, that never happened. She could sleep in as much as she wanted, which was pretty great.She lay in