Chiara thought. “He’s going to talk about something unpleasant before the dishes are even served! How heartless he is!” Lyla’s expression soured. Only fools would not understand what Samuel had meant by that. Theodore’s smile faded. Apparently, they knew what was going on. Mindy saw everything. She looked down as she felt embarrassed to stare at them. Jay thought things would be simpler if Theodore and his family knew what happened. Samuel cleared his throat and said with a weary sigh, “I feel ashamed to speak about this, but this issue is reciprocal. Could you get what I meant?” Theodore, Lyla and Chiara looked stunned. They did not understand what Samuel said. The trio stared at him blankly in unison. Samuel was speechless. He thought. “Why are you three still acting dumb at this moment? What’s the point of acting tough when your deeds are already exposed? Please keep some respect and dignity to yourself, will you?” Samuel did not want to put them down, so he said
Chiara was stunned. She felt as if lightning had struck her. Although she had come with a bad feeling, she had been hopeful. However, things had changed.They had spoken to her face. The Barkworth family wanted to cut ties with her! She would become a laughing stock! “Aunt Mindy, why is it so? Do you truly believe everything the treacherous people have said to you? I hadn’t done anything!” Chiara was cautious with her words. She kept giving explanations and denying everything. Nonetheless, she did not mention what she had been denying. Samuel heaved a sigh and said solemnly, “We’re the ones who proposed to call off the marriage. If you have any grievances, tell us, and we will partially compensate you.” “Compensation, huh?” Theodore scoffed at them. “Although we’re not as reputable as your family, we are equally well-known. You dare abandon my daughter all of a sudden and still think it’s okay to brush off the matter just by compensating us?!” Meanwhile, Lyla could no
Theodore and his family’s expressions changed slightly. They knew the Barkworth family would not give up calling off Michael and Chiara’s marriage. Theodore smirked. “You can call off their marriage if you want to. Why such arrogance?” Michael indifferently glanced at Theodore. Theodore ignored him. He turned to Samuel and said in a deep voice, “Master Barkworth, since you’ve made up your mind, I regret to say that we are not destined to be part of your family. It’s fine to call off their marriage. Likewise, we’ll terminate all of our collaborations too.” Theodore had left them no room for negotiation. Lyla changed her attitude. Although the Barkworth family was great, it was equally important to collaborate with the Lane family. The Lane family could make their projects even more profitable, so she believed the Barkworth family would not easily give up on them. Lyla believed the Barkworth family would beg to make peace with them. When that happened, she wondered if the Barkw
Who would have an appetite in this situation? The attendee headed out and closed the door. Samuel said lightly, “Let’s eat. After all, we still need to finish the food before breaking up.” Theodore was furious. Who would have an appetite in this situation? Theodore had explicitly laid out everything before the Barkworth family. He had even threatened them. At that moment, he was speechless. He could not possibly take back his words. Besides, Samuel had no qualms with Theodore terminating their collaborations. The Barkworth family even took the initiative to pay liquidated damages as compensation, which was normal to have to pay for any breach of contract. They had blocked all of Theodore’s paths! Theodore thought. “So you think you guys are amazing, huh?!” He had no intention of taking his cutlery. It would be all too humiliating to eat with the Barkworth family. They had abandoned Chiara. The Lane family was about to become a laughing stock in the town. How could t
After some time, she finally snapped back to her senses. After realizing he had walked away, she chased after Michael in a panic. “Mic!” she called out in agony.Michael’s grim expression made Chiara’s body tremble. But she could not care less and ran to stop in front of him. “Why won’t you believe me? Mic, I really didn’t do it!”Michael stopped walking. He stared at her and coldly said, “I’m giving you one last chance. Get out of my way.”His cold voice struck through her heart like a jagged dagger of ice covered in thorns.Chiara gasped in pain and burst into tears. It would have worked in the past. The expression on her face would make him feel bad even if he did not feel sorry for her.But now, he was indifferent. Chiara was having trouble breathing at that point, and her brain had stopped working. Chiara watched the man walk past her. She struggled to turn to look at him before all strength suddenly left her body. Her surroundings blurred, and her eyelids grew heavier
Ivanka sat on the living room sofa. She could not help but chuckle at Sandy. “What’s wrong? Are you looking for a boyfriend?”“Yeah. I am!” Sandy pouted. “But it’ll be a hassle finding a boyfriend who’s not in our friend group. It’s our fault for having only one guy in our small friend group. We should’ve gathered more guys that time, and then I could pick a boyfriend among them. That way, we can still have gatherings together in the future, and it would be so much fun!”Ivanka chuckled and looked at Sandy with fond resignation. “Having a childhood sweetheart is nice. But with your personality, you would think that you couldn’t experience the romance of getting to know someone new this way.” After all, Sandy craved novelty. Sandy laughed as she brushed her short hair, and lazily said, “You know me so well, Bestie!”“Of course, I do.” Ivanka could not contain her smile. She put down the notebook in her hand and asked, “Do you mind if I invite someone over tonight?”“Who?”“Some
Ivanka turned to face her and asked, “What happened?”“It’s the Cullen family!” That was all Sandy said as she continued to scroll through her phone. At that moment, all her attention was on her phone. The Cullen family? Ivanka was a little confused.She recalled the time she and Michael went to Springvale for a banquet, during which they had met Tanya Cullen and even talked to her. At first glance, the woman appeared very purposeful, but she also exuded nobility. Although she distanced herself from most people, she did not go too far in doing so.But of course, that was only Ivanka’s first impression of Tanya that day.“Oh my god! An official announcement has been made!” Sandy exclaimed after reading another tweet. After saying that, Sandy was already walking over to Ivanka’s side and handed her the phone. “Look! The whole Cullen family is going to move here!”Ivanka was a little surprised. “They are doing fine over there. Why move here suddenly?”“They still have a company
“You were doing fine last time. How did you end up in a car accident? How is your recovery going?” Aalto asked while looking across at Ivanka. He did not hurry to pick up his spoon.Ivanka smiled and said, “Two trucks drove at me. There was no way to avoid it.”Aalto’s expression immediately changed.“You’re the one that drove into the chasm?!”Even though the incident went viral online, the identity of the person involved in the accident remained unknown to outsiders.Sandy tilted her head and added, “Not only that, Mr. Aalto. I was there too!”Aalto’s expression changed slightly, and he said, “Someone was trying to kill you.”Ivanka just shook her head and said in resignation, “I hope that’s not the case.”Aalto frowned. “People are getting more and more unhinged these days. How is the police investigation going?”“They’re still looking into it. The two drivers who caused the accident have been found but, so far, no evidence has been found against them. It was only reported
Ivanka nodded. What Rosie said was true. Rosie continued, “If Michael were the stranger, why are you resisting him and feeling helpless?” Ivanka was stunned. It was a fact. If a stranger courted her relentlessly, Ivanka would only find them annoying. But she would not resist them. Only she knew the reason she refused to accept them. But when it came to Michael, she treated him differently. From the bottom of her heart, she refused to give him a fair chance to court her. Was it because she was worried that her heart would move for him? Ivanka was startled by the thought. She shook her head as if trying to get that ridiculous thought out. When Rosie saw this, she chuckled. Ivanka was a smart woman. It was sufficient to say all that; too much would be meaningless. Rosie looked up at the moon. She could not help but sigh. “Tonight’s a beautiful moon night. Unfortunately, it’s time for me to go to bed.” After Rosie finished her sentence, she headed to her room. Ivanka
On the other hand, Ivanka had no idea her best friend had “betrayed” her. She helped Rosie into the bedroom. When they passed the garden, Rosie suggested walking inside it. Ivanka was too embarrassed to reject her. So, they came to the garden. The gardeners attended and trimmed the garden daily. It was naturally a sight to behold. There were many rare plants in the garden. Of course, there were also some rare herbal plants in the garden. Ivanka had planted them, and the herbal plants were flourishing. There was a botanical garden encircled within the garden. It contained the herbal plants used to nourish Rosie’s health. While they were walking along the path, the fragrance of flowers, the earthy smell of the soil, and the faint aroma of the herbal plants entered their nostrils. The fragrance lifted their spirits. On top of that, the fragrance could refresh one’s mind. Rosie felt more refreshed as she walked down the path in the garden. She grabbed Ivanka and shared
Within the blink of an eye, it was already 12 a.m.. Ivanka noticed that Rosie had been yawning but still refused to go to bed. Ivanka knew why. While they were chatting, Ivanka occasionally turned to Rosie. While Rosie was wiping off her basal tears, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances. Ivanka sat beside Rosie and patted her hands gently. Rosie looked more alert, but her eyes were still a little blurry and appeared bloodshot. She had dark rings beneath her eyes. In spite of her exquisite makeup, her dark eye rings were still visible. Of course, it was only visible when Ivanka looked closer at her. Seeing this, Ivanka’s heart ached more for Rosie. Ivanka believed Rosie must have stayed up late or had insomnia when she and Michael went missing. Rosie wanted to receive first-hand information about the missing duo, but she was also worried that she would not be able to face reality. After struggling and battling with her inner conflicts for a month, Rosie’s health de
Speaking of which, this was Michael’s first time seeing Ivanka looking this helpless, and he found this a novelty. Whenever Rosie said things like that, Ivanka usually looked expressionless. She either looked calm, or she pretended to be deaf. Based on her unease and embarrassed look, did that mean her heart began to move for Michael? With that thought in his mind, Michael was eager to find out the answer. At that moment, they heard Candice’s voice. “Why are you staying outside? Did I come at a bad time? I thought I could have dinner immediately after I returned from work.” Ivanka and her group turned around and saw Candice standing not far away from them. She smiled as she looked at them. When Candice noticed Rosie’s teary eyes, she looked surprised and approached them. “Grandma has a sharp tongue, but she’s soft-hearted. She said the two of you were so cruel that you left her and a whole mess behind. She said she would teach you a lesson when you return.” While speaki
Everything had been fine just a moment ago.Why had she suddenly started to distance herself from him?It was probably true that a woman’s mind was unpredictable. Even a strong woman was no exception.Soon, they arrived at the Barkworth family’s mansion.Michael wanted to get out first and open the door for Ivanka, but she stopped him by tapping her soft hand on his shoulder.He looked down at her hand and then looked at her.“Don’t get out yet. I’ll grab a coat for you from inside and come back.”Michael wanted to refuse, but Ivanka had already exited the car.He watched her walk away. He then leaned back against the seat and felt a wave of relaxation.It felt as though he had finally found someone who had his back.He could not help but find it funny when he thought about it. He glanced at the spot where Ivanka had touched his hand and chuckled quietly.In the front seat, the driver felt so awkward about what he had just witnessed that he wished he could hide behind the st
The motorcycle approached them with no sign of slowing down.Michael’s expression turned grim. He quickly pulled Ivanka to the side and turned to shield her with his back.Ivanka felt a sudden spin. By the time she regained her balance, she found herself in Michael’s arms.His embrace was warm and strong. She could smell his familiar scent.It felt as if everything around them had slowed down.Then she heard the sound of water splashing on Michael. She pulled away from his embrace.Michael felt his arm grow light and stared at the empty space where she had been. He could still feel her warmth lingering.He shifted his gaze to Ivanka.Before she could speak, he quickly asked, “Are you okay? Did you get splashed?”She blinked and shook her head.“I’m fine. What about you?”He shook his head, but she did not buy it. She was sure the sound of the water splashing had been loud. There was no way he was not wet.Without hesitation, she grabbed his arm and turned him around.His b
Both Ivanka and Michael walked side by side as they maintained just the right distance between them. They looked great together, and their presence naturally attracted many gazes.It was worth mentioning that it was difficult to tell whether Michael did this on purpose or if it was just a coincidence.Both of them wore black trench coats that day. The styles were quite similar. This made them look even more like a couple in matching outfits.Ivanka’s wavy hair and red lips were striking. The beauty mark by her eye was the perfect finishing touch, which made her look stunning.Despite her beauty, Michael standing beside her did not go unnoticed either. He seemed to be a perfect complement to her.They looked like a perfect match.Ivanka noticed it but said nothing.Michael broke the silence and asked about Ferris and Mandy.“What are you going to do about Ferris and Mandy?”Ivanka did not answer right away.Michael continued, “Just having them arrested seems like getting off t
Mandy was rushed to the hospital.She fainted, but Ferris was not as fortunate.It seemed that he could not accept the fact that he had kicked his own child. He kept shaking his head and muttering, “This can’t be. How could this happen?”He looked like he was losing it.However, the law would not overlook his actions just because of his mental state.Ivanka had seen enough of their mess and was no longer interested in watching them tear each other apart. She asked the police to explain why they were there.“Mr. Clark, Ms. Ivanka has filed a report requesting a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding her fall into the water. Following our preliminary inquiry, both you and Ms. Mandy are now considered suspects. We are required to take you both in for further questioning.”Ferris did not respond. He was still unable to process what had just happened.The police followed protocol and arrested him.Ferris was led away with his hands cuffed. He was completely dazed.N
Still, Ferris kept quiet. However, the others in the room did not.A portly shareholder stood up, smacked his lips, and forced a flattering smile. “Isn’t it obvious? Ferris wants to take your place, Ms. Ivanka. Everyone can see it. He’s nothing but a complete traitor!”Once he spoke up, the rest quickly chimed in.“Yeah, he’s a traitor!”Ferris looked around the room. He already knew these people were untrustworthy, but he had not expected them to turn on him so easily.Ivanka, on the other hand, did not seem surprised.She had not taken any action on Ferris and Mandy because she wanted to watch the chaos unfold. These shareholders had sided with Ferris when she was gone, and they switched back just as quickly when she returned.Ferris was no fool. He knew that too. But the sense of isolation he felt at that moment drove him into despair.Still, he was not one to back down easily.He spat in the portly shareholder’s face.“And who the hell are you?” Ferris sneered. “You were