“Iv, you’re so amazing! You managed to close a deal with Mr. Aalto! Oh, my God! I feel like going out and bragging about you for three days and nights!” Sandy’s excitement seemed to exceed Ivanka’s.Ivanka chuckled. “Won’t you get tired?”“How could I get tired?” Sandy tilted her head and beamed with excitement as she said, “At times like this, I’m proud to have a bestie like you! I want to show them how capable my bestie is. With you backing me up, I dare anyone to mess with me!”Ivanka smiled helplessly as Sandy continued, “Are you going to go for the handover next? But you haven’t fully recovered yet!”Ivanka smiled. “The deal’s closed. I don’t need to handle the handover myself. I just need to inform our department head, who’ll take care of it. The future collaboration will have to wait until all the processes are arranged. It would take time. By then, I should have recovered.”Sandy nodded in relief. “That’s good, that’s good.”...Theodore and Lyla had been at the Lane Hosp
Sandy was still in awe of Ivanka and had been chatting with her. Ivanka’s phone suddenly rang and interrupted their conversation.It was Anna. Ivanka’s eyes flickered slightly. “Ann?”Sandy was worried. “Did Hanson find out about us?”Ivanka frowned silently. She picked up her phone and put it on the speaker.“Ann?”Anna quickly said, “Chiara has been admitted to the hospital.”“Huh?” Sandy was surprised. “What happened? Did you see it? But doesn’t the Lane family have their own hospital?”“I just got off the phone with my mom, and she told me. Her men saw Chiara at Lane’s Group hospital. My mom owed Lyla a favor before, so she went to check on her today.”“What? What happened? Tell me quickly, let me have a good laugh!” Sandy’s face lit up with excitement, but then she fell silent. “Could it be another one of her acts? Did Michael and the others go?”Anna hesitated a bit. “I’m not sure. My mom said no one else was there. No one from the Barkworth family went, and as for how s
The three of them fell silent.Clearly, they had not figured out how to handle the situation.Anna sighed. “Yesterday, Hanson asked me if we were lying to him. He wondered if Iv never agreed to be with him.”Sandy took a deep breath. “Oh…”Ivanka pursed her lips and finally spoke softly, “It’s good for him to be suspicious. At least he’s somewhat prepared for the truth.”Anna’s eyes welled up with tears. She stood at the end of the hospital corridor and occasionally glanced back. She was afraid Hanson might show up.When he did not appear, she sighed. “Iv, why doesn’t he like me? Would he be happy with me?”Sandy opened her mouth, but she did not know what to say. She had mixed emotions about this.“Let’s leave it at that for now. I’ll give it more thought,” Ivanka finally said calmly.Anna and Sandy had no other options but to accept the situation.Anna took a light breath. “How are you doing now?”“I’m much better. I’ll be able to go see him at the hospital in a few days.”
The disappointment in Chiara’s eyes gradually turned skeptical. “Is that really the case?”“Yes.” Lyla smiled. “Why would I lie to you? But what happened to you? Why did you faint suddenly?”Theodore’s tensed expression finally eased a little.The door to the ward opened.Three doctors walked in together to examine Chiara.Once the examinations were complete, the doctor said, “Ms. Chiara is fine now. All her health indicators are normal, but her time spent unconscious is concerning. I advise staying in the hospital for three more days for observation. If everything is fine, she can be discharged. Is that all right?”Lyla immediately nodded. “Yes, let’s stay a few more days for observation.”The doctor nodded and provided a few more instructions before leaving the room.The three of them were once again left in the ward.Chiara said, “I don’t know what happened either. I just felt dizzy and gradually lost strength. The next thing I knew, I woke up just now. But I feel like I sl
Ivanka was startled. She was still covered in bubbles from the shower.Sandy was holding her phone. She was initially excited to share the important news, but Ivanka’s alluring figure unexpectedly captivated her.As a woman herself, Sandy could not help but swallow hard. She stared at Ivanka and remarked softly, “Iv, I think you might be turning me gay.”Ivanka was speechless.Ivanka said, “Get out, I’ll follow in a moment.”Unable to resist taking another glance at her, Sandy said, “Hurry up, I have big news for you!”Ivanka, resigned to her friend’s persistence, realized it must be something significant, especially since Sandy had never barged into her bathroom like this before.Only the two of them were at home, so Ivanka had not bothered to lock the door. This girl...Not long after, Sandy’s urgent voice came from outside.“Iv, are you done? Why are you taking so long?”Ivanka was drying her hair when she heard Sandy yelling anxiously from outside.She had no choice but
Ivanka remained calm and composed as she said, “That’s fine. If I take over in the future, I won’t have any dealings with Barkworth’s Group. It’s good to let them initiate this now and save me the trouble.”Sandy pursed her lips. She was hesitant to speak, but considering Ivanka’s reasoning, she nodded. “Tsk, I wonder how the Lane family will react to this situation.”Ivanka smiled. “It’s a pity I can’t go now. Otherwise, I would visit her in the hospital to express my concern.”“Hahaha! Right, I’ll go with you then! Maybe we can upset her to death and save ourselves some trouble!”Ivanka squinted her eyes. Honestly, she did not want Chiara to just die like this. How could she let them get away with what they did to her so easily?She wanted them to go through the rest of their lives....Theodore and Lyla remained at the hospital. They stayed by Chiara’s side the whole time. Theodore’s phone rang. He glanced at his wife and daughter before he said frustratingly, “It’s the compa
“They have already posted it. There’s no way they will delete it! Leave it for now. I’m going to check on Chiara! Let’s stop talking about this!”Lyla hurried.But when she and Theodore returned to the ward, Chiara was already looking at her phone. Her face was as white as a sheet.They, too, paled at the sight of her.Tears suddenly streamed down Chiara’s face. She turned to look at her parents and smiled miserably. “So I wasn’t overthinking it. My instinct was right.”Lyla felt her heart shattering into pieces. She quickly strode over and said anxiously, “Chiara, that isn’t true! It was Samuel. He suddenly changed his mind. I won’t let Michael call off your engagement! They won’t dare to. They can’t possibly do that!”Chiara suddenly started laughing. “Why not? They are ready to pay liquidated damages. There’s no room for negotiation…”At the moment, she was rather calm. There was no outrage or panic like a while ago. She looked like a fragile doll made of porcelain. A puff of
The Barkworths broke her daughter’s heart. Lyla would never allow them to live in peace!With that, she hurried toward the door.Theodore grabbed her arm. “Didn’t you have an idea? You were saying the other day that…”“That was before they made the announcement. What’s the use of my plan now? Watch Chiara. I’ll go to the Barkworths and demand answers!”Theodore pulled a long face, but he did not intend to stop his wife. This time, he felt utterly humiliated and powerless. They could not even throw a tantrum when everyone was watching!His phone was flooded with incoming calls. He had irritably turned it off.Lyla looked at Chiara worriedly. “Chiara, I’m heading out for a bit. Stay here and wait for my call!”Chiara did not look at Lyla or acknowledge her. Dazed, she remained in bed.She did not throw a tantrum. Instead, she just let her tears silently stream down her face.Lyla was so upset that her body was trembling. She would not let the Barkworths off the hook! Never!…
“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