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
As Sandy spoke, her gaze turned cynical.Ivanka turned to look at her. She parted her lips to speak, but she was unsure of what to say.In fact, she knew that Sandy’s father was the reason behind Sandy’s remarks.Sandy sneered, “But hey, it’s all good. We just have to be a bit more careful from now on. If the worst comes...”Her eyes lit up and confused Ivanka.Sandy chuckled, “All men are dogs. Iv, how about we skip the whole marriage thing? We’ll adopt one or two kids and raise them together. I think we’d be pretty darn happy!”Ivanka chuckled. “You sure do have some wild ideas.”“What’s wrong with that? It’d be great!! If I spot some cute guy in the future, I can flirt with him. I’d still have you as my ride or die when I come back home! And if you see a handsome dude in the future, go for it too, haha! That’s living the dream, right?”Ivanka rubbed her temple in exasperation. “Oh, so you want to be a sl*t now?”“Come on, everyone’s got their needs! Even though I haven’t ex
Lyla was about to lose it. “Ugh, the Barkworth family has overdone it!”Theodore’s expression darkened. “How’s Chiara?”“She’s neither eating nor drinking. She’s totally ignoring me. I just checked Twitter. With what’s going on there, I decided to take her phone away.”“We have to retaliate after what the Barkworth family did!”“When you go to the police station, you know what to say, right? These matters have nothing to do with us, but the police will scrutinize you. Don’t let the pressure get to you. Don’t act all jittery. You’re not guilty of anything.”Theodore snorted coldly, “Nothing was ever related to our family. Why should I feel guilty? I’m just cooperating with the police. Besides, Chiara is not feeling well right now. Her mental condition isn’t good either. Maybe we should consider transferring her to another hospital.”“Transfer her to another hospital?”Lyla’s expression changed. However, she understood that Theodore’s words held a deeper meaning.Theodore snorted
Chiara frowned. “If you don’t hand over my phone, I won’t cooperate with this hospital transfer.”Lyla sighed helplessly. She opened her WhatsApp and tapped on the pictures her assistant had sent her. “Fine, take a look. But please remain calm. Whatever evidence the other party has won’t harm us. Your father is already on it.”Chiara did not listen to what Lyla said. She was already focused on the news on the phone.Her body trembled uncontrollably when she read the headlines. “Michael Barkworth!”A burst of anger erupted from her as she practically shouted the two words.Lyla immediately grabbed Chiara’s hand. “Chiara, calm down. Don’t get too agitated!”Chiara clutched her phone tightly as tears streamed down her face.She cried after learning the truth. After that, she did not cry or make a fuss. However, at that moment, she experienced another emotional outburst.“Why?! I wholeheartedly devote myself to him, yet why did he treat me like this? Is he really going to persona
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