As soon as she finished speaking, Lyla’s phone suddenly rang.It was a call from her assistant, and Lyla answered it.“Ivanka came here with her friend and said that she wants to see Ms. Chiara, Madam.”Lyla’s face immediately fell. She was about to say something unpleasant when she realized that Ivanka was most likely standing next to her assistant. As a result, she eventually spoke quietly.“I understand. You can let them in.”“Alright.”Chiara and Theodore still looked annoyed. They also heard what the assistant said. Chiara had already turned to face her mother and was frowning a little.“Why did you let that b*tch in?! I don’t want to see Ivanka and I’m done acting.”The whole internet was now criticizing her for going too far and for being a cruel and ungrateful person to have the audacity to attack her own cousin.Though the police were unable to draw any firm conclusions due to the lack of clear evidence, everyone was clearly aware of the situation and thought she ha
Ivanka sneered. Sandy’s gaze was contemptuous. This woman was hypocritical! She had quite the skill for lying with a straight face!“Oh, I had no choice. Your cousin is still young. If she stays like this forever, what is she going to do in the future?”Ivanka sat down on the chair next to Chiara’s bed and stared at her. She simply grinned and uttered, “Chiara.”Chiara’s eyelids twitched. Had Ivanka not been recording? Why else would she call her like this?However, the next moment, she understood. After all, so many recordings had already been leaked online. Ivanka did not bother to keep up with the facade anymore, did she?While Michael was the one who released the recordings, they had also tarnished Ivanka’s reputation somewhat. Perhaps Ivanka had not wanted them released in the first place? Sensing Ivanka’s scrutiny, Chiara quickly pulled her drifting mind back and stopped dwelling on it.Ivanka chuckled and said, “A lot of times, people need to give themselves a sense of s
She was clearly there to mock and upset her daughter!How could she tolerate this?Ivanka simply smirked and glanced at Lyla.“Aunt, Chiara turned out like this because you have always indulged her. She is always yearning for treasures beyond her reach. How could this go on?”“You...” Lyla was furious. She wanted to retort, but she was afraid that Ivanka might be recording. If the recording was released, everyone would blame their family for being ungrateful!Darn it!This vile girl!Theodore’s expression darkened, but thinking of the matter concerning the company, he had to control himself. He looked at Ivanka and spoke softly, “You came just in time. There’s something I need to discuss with you.”Ivanka nodded. Even though she knew what he was about to say, she responded calmly. “Please, go ahead.”Theodore took a deep breath to restrain his emotions before speaking indifferently, “The company has decided to collaborate with Barkworth’s Group. From now on, you will personall
Chiara’s pupils contracted slightly, but she kept her face down and out of view.Ivanka did not bother to glance at her. She knew full well what Chiara was thinking.When Chiara remained silent, Ivanka simply smiled. “If you truly wish to wallow in self-pity like this, by all means.”It sounded like she was deeply disappointed at her, but to the three of them, her words carried a different weight.It was highly likely that this was Ivanka’s genuine intention. She wanted Chiara to spend the rest of her life in this state.Lyla’s expression grew grimmer. She took a deep breath. “Iv, how could you say such things? You two are sisters!”Ivanka smiled indifferently and replied, “That’s just how the world works. It’s survival of the fittest. If you don’t have the ability, you’ll be eliminated. If Chiara chooses to wallow in self-pity and melancholy like this, then it’s better for her to stay here. It could become her refuge, where she can isolate herself in her own world and perhaps fi
Chiara bit her lip and exclaimed angrily. “I know! But that woman is despicable!”She was confident of outsmarting even police interrogations, but Ivanka easily got under her skin!She harbored deep-seated resentment and hatred toward Ivanka!Her restraint from the recent encounter was already commendable!There was intense anger in Theodore’s eyes. “I’ll teach her a lesson one day!”Lyla glanced at him wordlessly. Ivanka had changed. She often led them by the nose.Several times, she left them unable to resist. How could they possibly teach her a lesson next?...Ivanka and Sandy laughed heartily as they left. “Iv, you really have a knack for this! I nearly died from laughter! But Chiara really knows how to disguise herself. You can’t tell anything’s wrong with her at all.”Ivanka sneered. “If she gave herself away that easily, the police would have already noticed something by now.”“Are we just going to let this slide then? Would she keep pretending to be crazy?”“No way.
She finally spoke after some hesitation. “Where are you?”“I’m heading out of the airport. Let’s meet up somewhere nearby. Just find a place and wait for me.”Jonah must be aware of the current situation’s development, yet he had not intervened. He had always respected her decisions. Ivanka was grateful for this.If Jonah had interfered, the situation could have become much more complicated, or their plans could have been thwarted.“Okay.”With that, they hung up.Sandy’s lips curled up. “Wow, looks like you’ve got another admirer knocking on your door.”Ivanka lightly tapped Sandy’s forehead with a hand. “What’s going on in that head of yours every day?”“I think about important matters, of course! But seriously, have you never considered Jonah? He’s handsome, powerful, wealthy, and he’s at the top of the pyramid.”Ivanka sighed. “I’ve said it before, I’m not considering him. I’m meeting him later, so let’s find a restaurant nearby.”“All right. I’ll go with you, but I’ll wa
“Iv, do you know why Barkworth’s Group was able to snatch your proposal so easily?”Ivanka pursed her lips. “Yes.”Jonah handed her a spoon and spoke softly, “Lane’s Group is your biggest priority, so I’m willing to help you, but I won’t let you rekindle things with him.”Ivanka looked calmly at Jonah. “I’ve said this before. We will never go back together.”Jonah sat opposite her. His gentle smile remained, but the danger in his eyes was palpable. It would frighten others.Well, except for Ivanka, of course.Sandy, who was sitting in the adjacent room, suddenly felt a chill in the air. Puzzled, she looked outside. It was a bright, sunny day and most definitely not winter....Jonah narrowed his eyes silently.Ivanka looked at the dangerous man before her and said, “Nothing will ever happen between Michael and me or between you and me. Jonah, if possible, we can be friends.”“Friends,” Jonah murmured.After saying that, he chuckled and smiled faintly. “Seems like I’ve made s
Ivanka never liked playing games or leading men on. It was a matter of integrity.“All right, I understand.” Jonah chuckled. He did not seem uncomfortable at all. He even seemed oddly pleased.Previously, she used to address him as Mr. Sadler, but now, whether it was out of guilt or for some other reason, she was calling him by name. It was already a significant improvement. He was very satisfied.Ivanka frowned slightly. She was unsure of what he was thinking. However, she had made herself clear. If she emphasized further, she would be overreacting.She dropped the matter and spoke calmly, “I’ll come up with a project within ten days. What aspects are you interested in, and when do you want to execute it?”“We can wait until you have some free time to execute it, and it can also involve substantial investment. However, it must be kept confidential. I don’t want anyone to sabotage our collaboration.”Jonah implied that he did not want Michael to know.Ivanka did not object to th
“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