Ivanka did not move.Jonah’s phone was ringing.Jonah glanced at Ivanka, gave her a light nod, and picked up the call.“What’s the matter?”“Mr. Sadler, Miss Munroe is here for you. She said she’s got a project that interests you greatly.”When Ivanka heard that name, she immediately knew who it was.Miss Monroe was Athena Monroe.She was the heiress of the Munroe family. Munroe’s Group was also a well-known corporation in Bostone. Although they were not as famous as Barkworth’s Group and Sadler’s Group, they were much bigger than Lane’s Group.Besides, Athena was the only daughter of the chairman of Munroe’s Group. Adored and pampered, she was inarguably the heiress-apparent. She was smart and competent, but she was also a steadfast romantic. She had fancied Jonah for many years.Although Jonah was known for his playboy persona, he never had any intimate contact with Athena, who had both beauty and brains.They were not close, but Athena never stopped trying to win his hea
Ivanka picked up her phone and called Sandy.Sandy answered immediately. “What is it, babe? Are you done?”“Yeah, you can come over now.”“Sure!”Sandy rushed over. When she opened the door, she did not take a proper look at the people in the room and immediately said with a grin, “Hey, look how considerate I am! I was worried that I’d be too big of a third wheel and get in your way!”Ivanka was dumbfounded.Sandy, too, was speechless.She only spotted Jonah sitting in the chair the moment she finished talking. He looked at her with a slight smile. “Yeah, you’re considerate indeed. I’m glad that Iv has a bestie like you.”Sandy was even more flabbergasted.Ivanka was speechless.Embarrassed, Sandy put a hand on her forehead. “Ugh…”Jonah’s smile seemingly broadened. He looked over at Ivanka and said gently, “Let’s have dinner together?”“No, thanks. I’m a patient, and I need rest.” At that moment, Ivanka turned down his invitation without hesitation.Jonah raised his brows
Lately, she had been keeping in touch with Hanson. As she thought of him, her phone rang again. Ivanka could only answer it helplessly. “Hanson.”“Iv, are you home? Shall I visit you?”“You’re still recovering. Don’t run around and worry us. Once you’re healed, we can meet as many times as we want. I’ll visit you then.”Hanson’s eyes darkened with desire. “Iv, I really miss you.”Ivanka clutched her phone subconsciously. The ominous feelings in her heart grew.If they kept it up, Hanson’s love for her would only grow, and she would break his heart sooner or later. What should she do?“Hanson, be a little patient, okay?”She could not tell him that she would visit him. It would only make him even more obsessed with her…There was a conflicted look on Ivanka’s face. By right, she had almost recovered, and she was supposed to visit him, but…When should she reveal the truth about their relationship to Hanson?She pursed her lips and was at a loss for what to do.Since Ivanka ha
Sandy sighed helplessly. “Hanson must have assumed that he will meet you alone tomorrow. He doesn’t know we’re here either. Why don’t I post a WhatsApp update?”Anna sighed. “Although Hanson’s brain trauma has mostly recovered, he still shouldn’t get agitated and emotional. He can’t drink either. I’m worried that if we tell him the truth, he will start drinking uncontrollably. Even if he doesn’t drink, he’ll still get upset. What do we do then…”This situation stumped them.It was of great concern, or else Ivanka would not have stalled for so long.She narrowed her eyes. She did not know what to say or do.Sandy could not help sighing either. “Forget it for now. Let’s tell Hanson that we’re also at Iv’s place.”With that, she posted the pictures she took of their food to the group chat they shared with Hanson.Sandy: @Hanson. Bro, take a look at this. We were here to make Iv cook for us, then we decided to stay and look after her.Hanson: You aren’t looking after her at all. Yo
Anna furrowed her brows. “But he’s in no condition for any shock. Didn’t you hear what the doctor kept telling us?”The room fell silent again.No one said a word.But shockingly, their phones vibrated at the same time.Hanson sent another message to their group chat.Hanson: Why didn’t you invite me for dinner? I would’ve dropped by.Then, he even sent a pleading-face emoji.Ivanka pursed her lips and eventually sent a message.Ivanka: It was getting late. You shouldn’t stay up late and run around given your condition. We’ll see when you’re well again.Sandy: Yeah. Just look at yourself. Even if Iv agreed to date you, you shouldn’t be so eager and impatient. What if you scare her away?When Hanson saw this message, his heart immediately sank. Had he been holding onto Ivanka too tightly?Would she be repelled by his behavior?Lately, he sensed Ivanka being more distant than usual.After a moment of hesitation, he sent Ivanka a private message.Hanson: Iv, am I scaring you
Ivanka walked out. She was wearing a simple, light yellow casual outfit. With her hair down, she looked like a naive college student. It was a refreshing sight to behold.Hanson was mesmerized.“Iv.”Sandy was dumbfounded. She suddenly realized that she should go away and brush her teeth.Anna was speechless as well. She had been sitting on the couch for a while, but Hanson did not even see her.Ivanka nodded to him and said with a smile, “You’ve arrived. Come over and take a seat.”As she spoke, she walked over to the couch.Anna occupied the middle seat, and Ivanka went over to the seat next to hers. There was no empty spot next to Ivanka for Hanson.He did not mind. Instead, he found another spot nearest to her and sat down.“How do you feel now?”These words had seemed to become Hanson’s catchphrase. Ivanka nodded. “I’m more or less recovered.”Hanson nodded with a gentle smile on his lips and tenderness written all over his handsome face. He only had eyes for Ivanka.
The man was startled, but he dared not overthink. Evan stepped aside. The man walked out of the office.Michael’s gaze fell on Evan, who closed the door and stepped forward. He said with a somber expression, “Mr. Barkworth, Mr. Hanson is at Ms. Ivanka’s house.”Michael’s expression darkened further.He stared at the person before him coldly and said in a grim voice, “Just the two of them?”“No, Miss Baldwin and Miss McNeil are around, but Mr. Hanson is there as Ms. Ivanka’s boyfriend.”As soon as he said that, Evan sensed Michael’s sharp gaze landing on him. It felt as if he was cut by a knife.“Mr. Hanson was in a critical condition a while ago, so everyone fed him a lie. Due to his brain trauma, he could not afford to get emotional. That’s why they haven’t told him the truth. But I’m worried that if they keep this on, Mr. Hanson might just win over Ms. Ivanka with persistence and devotion.”Michael tightened his grip on his pen.In the next second, he let go of it right away.
“What do you want?”“Mic, you have to believe me! I didn’t do it!”Michael frowned. “Do you really think I’d believe you?”“You have to! Mic, I swear I didn’t do it!” Chiara’s voice cracked frantically. The next moment, he heard Lyla say helplessly, “Mr. Barkworth, Chiara has been really manic ever since that incident. Every day, she’s either moping around in silence or insisting on talking to you to explain herself. Mic, Chiara has a good heart. She could never bring herself to do such a thing. You need to know this.”At this point, Michael lost his patience. “Don’t bother me anymore. My patience is limited.”With that, he hung up.He was fed up and did not want to deal with Lyla and Chiara’s act anymore.As he put down his phone, he found himself thinking about Ivanka again. His expression turned sour as he started imagining Ivanka and Hanson being intimate.Michael massaged his temple in frustration and tried to immerse himself in work again.However, he quickly realize
Instead, she remained standing in front of Jimothy and studied the group of men with a smile.“He works at our company. Since I’ve run into him, I’m obligated to come over and check on him. Pray tell, what has happened between you and why do you feel the need to resolve it with violence?”Jimothy stared at Candice while she stood with her back facing him. The look in his eyes was conflicted.The men exchanged glances with each other and saw a hint of astonishment in one another’s eyes.The man at the front of the group, who was likely their leader, said, “We just get paid to do this, lady. You should stay out of it.”When Candice heard his advice which also sounded like a threat, she did not intend to back down at all. Instead, she asked him, “Oh? How much did you get for this? I’ll pay you double. I just told you that this guy works for us, so I have to intervene.”The leader started laughing, and so did the men behind him. They did not even bother to hide the mockery in their t
Candice ordered some food she liked, and the dishes arrived soon after.Sandy suggested that they all took a picture together.The others did not object.Sandy gave her phone to the waiter.Then the five of them moved their chairs to sit in a row.Michael and Ivan each took the outermost seats.Naturally, Ivanka was seated next to Michael while Sandy, who paid for the dinner, was right beside her.Next to Sandy was Candice, who sat awkwardly in her chair. Ivan was beside Candice.The second the waiter took the picture, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances inadvertently. Meanwhile, Ivan stared past Candice, and his eyes fell on Sandy.Sandy and Candice were the only people who looked into the camera.But each and every one of them had a genuine smile on their face.Once they had taken a picture, they started eating together.It was a nice, relaxing dinner. They did not talk about work or how annoying Coco had been.They mostly chatted about the fun anecdotes they had he
The call was soon answered, but the person who picked up was not Rosie. It was Mrs. Ruth.“Ms. Lane, you finally called! Mdm. Barkworth will be over the moon when she wakes up!” Mrs. Ruth sounded quite excited as she spoke.Ivanka smiled and asked, “Is Grandma resting now?”“Yeah, she hasn’t had a good rest after learning that you’d be kidnapped. Once you were safe, she finally allowed herself to rest.”Ivanka nodded and told Mrs. Ruth to take good care of Rosie. She later said that she and Micheal would visit Rosie soon.With that, she hung up the phone.Meanwhile, she also reflected upon herself.Rosie had gotten old, yet Ivanka always made her worry. From that moment on, Ivanka would consider the consequences before making any decision. It was not only for the sake of herself, but the important people in her life, who also cared about her.As she contemplated this, Ivanka inevitably thought of the gathering. It would be quite fun.Before they were about to get off work, San
Coco practically ran out crying.Candice glanced at Ivanka worriedly and asked, “Will something bad happen to her?”Ivanka was not concerned at all. “What could possibly happen? She is an adult. Even if something bad happens, she has to bear the consequences of her own action.”Hearing that, Candice no longer fretted over the matter.She was not really worried about Coco. She was just afraid that something would happen to Coco, and Ivanka would be blamed for it.But Ivanka had made a good point. Candice did not want to trouble herself with Coco’s matters. It would only be an unnecessary emotional burden to her.Everyone in the office began discussing the progress of their project.Perhaps it was because Ivanka had made an example of Coco, the other employees became especially energized and diligent during their discussion.They were even more focused than before, since they were all afraid that Ivanka would treat them harshly as well.Hence, they were particularly efficient.
“Why don’t we leave now so that you can deal with this matter, Ms. Ivanka?”The director of the project department, who was perceptive and shrewd, planned to leave right then. Ivanka shook her head and signaled everyone to sit down.They were all uneasy, and they kept giving Coco weird looks.Two people had dared speak to Ivanka like that in the past—Ferris and Mandy.But those two were no longer with the company.At the thought of those people, the project department staff began looking at Coco with pity.However, Coco could not care less. All she wanted was to make a fuss.She wanted to see how shameless Ivanka could be.Unruffled, Ivanka stared at her. She did not get angry and seemed rather affable as she asked, “Tell me what upset you. Have we falsely accused you of something you didn’t do?”Before Coco said anything, Ivanka added cruelly, “Oh, I forgot that you aren’t familiar with the protocol here, so you have no idea what you did wrong, right?”Coco paled. Undoubte
Candice was momentarily stunned by his answer. She was a little offended.“Then why did you come to my office for this conversation?” Jimothy’s grin was mischievous. “To prove your company’s HR is blind, and you just lost a great talent. That’s all.”With that, Jimothy stood up, dusted off his sleeves dramatically, and turned to leave.“Your resume!” Candice called after him.Jimothy waved dismissively without looking back. “Keep it. Enjoy reading it. And don’t let an incompetent HR handle your interviews again.”Candice stood there for a moment and processed the scene before an involuntary chuckle escaped her lips. This one had personality.Regardless, the incident served as a wake-up call for Candice.It became glaringly clear that Coco was not only incompetent but also prone to overestimating her abilities.Before the task was assigned, she had the chance to decline. Candice had given her the opportunity and explicitly asked if she could handle it. Yet, Coco confidentl
The college student finally believed her and walked toward Candice.On the other hand, Coco seemed guilty and was desperate to prevent it. “He has no respect for our company! Are you really going to hire someone like him who won’t follow orders?” Coco’s tone was sharp. Her finger trembled as she pointed at the young man.She scanned the room for backup in hopes that the people who had been flattering her earlier would speak up in her defense.Unfortunately, no one stepped forward.Those who flattered Coco only did so out of respect for Ivanka. Yet Candice had a close relationship with Ivanka and was the company’s vice president.The gap between a vice president versus an intern was as vast as night and day.Anyone with common sense knew where to align themselves.Coco felt a mix of despair and resentment.Candice ignored her entirely. Why Ivanka was so wary of someone as clueless as this was beyond her comprehension.Coco was simply dumb.Without wasting another thought o
However, reality proved she had worried for nothing.Candice had called her over merely to ask if she had the most basic professional knowledge and whether she could handle the afternoon’s interview.Coco let out a deep sigh of relief before patting her chest confidently and assuring Candice she was more than capable.Knowing Coco came from the mountains, Candice was naturally skeptical, so she asked again, “Are you sure?”Coco thought to herself that it was just an interview. All she needed to do was just ask the candidates some questions. They could just choose someone who wrote the resume well.Not wanting to embarrass herself in front of Michael’s cousin, Coco pretended to be confident and accepted the task.Candice was half-doubtful, yet she still gave her instructions and let her go.However, Coco’s firm assurance eventually led to trouble....“Your company must be a joke to hire someone like you for HR. You’re offended? You’re not even a real professional. What? You ca
Word quickly spread within the HR department. After learning about Coco’s connection to Ivanka, some colleagues were vying to curry favor with her.Although some observant individuals noticed that the relationship between Coco and Ivanka was not as harmonious as it seemed, it did not deter the opportunists. Relentless flattery and attention poured in.One moment, a male coworker would offer to grab her food while placing his own lunch order. Next, a female coworker would ask if she wanted to order some coffee too.At first, Coco was caught off guard and politely declined. However, as she realized their intentions were purely self-serving, she began to accept their gestures without hesitation.By midday, Coco had become the department’s little queen. Ironically, as an intern, she should have been the one fetching coffee, running errands and collecting mail. Instead, she had colleagues practically lining up to do those tasks for her.Coco quickly assembled her own little e