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
Sandy quickly looked up. Hanson’s expression had turned serious. His gaze was fixed on the Barkworth family’s Twitter post.Flustered, she handed her phone to Ivanka. Ivanka lowered her head to read it. In just a glance, two sentences caught her attention. Her expression subtly changed as well.Anna, on the other hand, speechlessly held her phone.Hanson did not bother looking at Anna and Sandy. He gazed concernedly at Ivanka. “Iv, you were the one at the scene that day?!”Ivanka’s eyes flickered as she remained silent.The Barkworth family had already made the situation very clear. There was no use for her to refute it.Hanson grabbed her hand. “How are you now? Why didn’t you tell me? You haven’t fully recovered, have you? Why did you come to visit me, anyway? You even came up with such a lame excuse!”He had sensed something was off when he heard what Sandy said earlier. He felt something off when Ivanka did not show up recently. He had never seen Sandy so busy before.Now,
The posted recordings included some that Ivanka provided and others that the Barkworth family discovered themselves.Ivanka was surprised to see them. She did not expect Michael to have gathered evidence even against the person who pushed her into the water during the Springvale banquet.She pursed her lips and said, “Michael really is resourceful.”Hanson instinctively glanced at Ivanka. He felt somewhat concerned. “Iv, are you...”Sandy and Anna also looked at her. Ivanka looked back at them strangely. “Why are you all staring at me?”Hanson sighed. “Nothing.”Anna chuckled. “Hanson is afraid you might have a change of heart about Michael. After all, he protected you and helped you solve the case.”Ivanka snorted coldly, “You’re giving me too much credit.”Hanson frowned. “Don’t say that.”Ivanka smiled wordlessly. She was sure Michael deemed her worthless. She knew that this time, the Barkworth family just wanted to expose the Lane family’s true nature to more people.Afte
Ivanka twitched her lips and ignored her.Sandy could not help but laugh out loud as she continued to read the comments, “Oh damn! That’s so vivid! Iv, if that day really comes, you’ll have to slap him hard! Make him kneel and beg for you. Did he think wooing his wife back was that easy?! Hahaha!”“Enough already.” It was starting to get on Ivanka’s nerves.Michael would never try to coax her back.She found this whole thing laughable.Sandy, on the other hand, was smiling. “I didn’t do anything wrong, okay? I’m just telling the truth. Haven’t you noticed how much more attentive Michael has been to you lately? He used to ignore you. But now, he’s here protecting you himself.”“He has his reasons.” Ivanka smiled sarcastically. She would rather believe that Jonah was sincere to her than think Michael had feelings for her. Even if he was willing to help her, it was for Rosie.She had already seen through it. She would not be as naive as before. She would not let anyone trample on h
“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