“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!…
Lyla was so furious that she barked in laughter.She glared at them and said angrily, “What do you mean by that? Don’t you know what you’ve done? You broke your promise and turned us into the biggest laughing stock!”She was shouting with all her might. Her breathing had become ragged. Her face was red with emotion.Rosie looked at her. “Keep going. Let it all out.”Lyla sneered and continued speaking.“After the engagement was called off, everyone would assume the Lanes are at fault. You, however, are able to get out of this in one piece. You even might have found another business partner, or you started your own company to supply the materials you need. You used this chance to get rid of us!”Mindy’s expression turned grim. She opened her mouth and wanted to retort, but Rosie stopped her with a glance. A second later, Lyla’s wrathful voice rang out again.“Our enemies are probably laughing at us now! Even ordinary people would think that there’s something wrong with the Lanes,
Lyla had uttered her last few words in loud determination.Samuel was furious. He sneered. “Lyla, we tried to save your family’s dignity, but you don’t seem to appreciate the gesture. Go home and reconsider the meaning of your words. If the Lanes move on us, don’t blame us for retaliating!”“You! You people…”Lyla was so furious that she nearly lost her mind. Her whole body was shaking. “Are you even human? My daughter was weak and frail all these years. We had to look after her. Not only did you not feel bad, you even called off the engagement without our permission. My daughter almost couldn’t wake up from her coma! She was so upset that she has become mentally unstable. You’ve done this to her! Her heart is broken, and she wants to kill herself! If she does, I’ll make you pay for this!”Lyla’s voice was sharp. She seemed to be threatening the Barkworths and venting her anger at the same time.However, none of the Barkworths believed her. After all, the Lanes were great actors.
Theodore pondered silently. Something was off, but…If he did not retaliate, what should he do then?As he was deep in thought, he received yet another call.Frustrated, he said, “When are you coming back?”“Twenty minutes.”“Be quick then. I’m going to ask my people to watch over Chiara. I keep getting calls on my phone. I have to return to the company for a meeting.”“It’s an important matter. You have to step up and deal with it, after all. Go then. I’ll be back soon. Tell the people watching Chiara to take good care of her.”“Alright.”With that, Theodore hung up in a hurry.…An hour later, he showed up in the meeting room at Lane’s Group.The executives were sitting in their chairs with darkened expressions.Theodore rubbed the spot between his brows. He was reluctant to say another word.Thomas glanced at the others and said flatly, “Now that this has happened, we can’t complain and pin the blame on others. If anyone has any ideas, out with it. We’ll figure out what
Sandy had just finished washing the dishes and planned to play with her phone for a bit. She did not expect to stumble upon the trending post on Twitter.“Iv! Big news! Your aunt dropped a bombshell! Hahahah! I wanted to see their reaction!”Her voice was filled with excitement. There was an indescribably expectant look in her eyes.Ivanka was holding her phone at the moment, so she opened Twitter.The top trending post was Lyla’s.Ivanka clicked on it and immediately saw the righteous rant she wrote.Lyla: “Hi, everyone. I’m Lyla, wife of Mr. Lane, chairman of Lane’s Group. I’m also the mother of Chiara Lane, who is the victim of this incident.”Here’s what happened.”A few years ago, to save the CEO of Barkworth’s Group, my daughter was injured and fell into a vegetative state. After learning about this, the Barkworths were grateful and swore they would repay her kindness. Later on, the marriage between Michael Barkworth and my niece Ivanka was on the rocks. He intended to
Sandy’s expression changed slightly, and she looked at Ivanka with sympathy. “Iv…”Ivanka smiled. “Don’t worry about me. Regarding this matter, I’m already certain about something, and I’ll avenge my father. But I have also accepted my current situation. I won’t wallow in sorrow over this matter like I used to.Sandy looked at Ivanka’s expression and was certain that she was telling the truth. Ivanka simply mentioned her father’s murder to take a jab at Theodore. Sandy nodded and said with relief, “Yeah, and we’ll always support you!”She said “we”.Naturally, it included Hanson and Anna.Ivanka smiled again and took her hand. “I know. You’re the best.”“Then… we can sit back and watch how everything unfolds? The conflict has become so heated. The Barkworths no longer want to work with the Lanes. Are you sure you don’t plan to intervene?”“I don’t plan to, but there is still this project collaboration…”A glimmer of emotions flickered in Ivanka’s eyes. Due to this sudden incide
“What the hell! Iv may be your girlfriend, but I’m your childhood friend! We practically grew up together! You only have eyes for her. What about me?! Ever since Iv became your girlfriend, you’ve been showing favoritism! You used to at least hide it well, but now, you don’t even bother pretending! Hanson, don’t you think you’re in the wrong here?”Anna burst into laughter. Even Ivanka could not help but chuckle.Hanson cleared his throat and smiled wryly. “You always say the most surprising things.”“Seriously?! You really weren’t keeping us in your mind at all?! We both pulled an all-nighter last night and didn’t even get a wink of sleep. We rushed to see you as soon as we got off the plane today! We should just break ties with your sorry *ss!”Anna’s eyes flickered. Sandy sure was a quick-witted lady!With that said, they would not have to wait much longer.Hanson obviously caught on. He looked at the two of them with surprise. “How long has it been since you two rested?”Ivan
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