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
Ivanka smiled and nodded, “It’s all in the past now. Let’s not dwell on old matters. We’re good friends. You don’t need to sweat the small matters. I get you, and you get me.”Anna sighed in relief. She solemnly nodded and fell silent. She made a mental note that she would never act so rashly again.Being forgiven once or twice was okay, but if she continued to act like this in the future, it could still cause tension and conflict between them, even if Ivanka did not mind. She did not want to lose her good friend.With that, they chatted a little while more before parting ways. After that, Ivanka headed back.Unexpectedly, as soon as she stepped out of the elevator to get back to her floor, she saw Michael standing by her door.Ivanka frowned. Michael’s gaze was icy cold as he stared at her with a smirk.“Hey, Ivanka,” said Michael deliberately.She did not want to talk to him, let alone let him into her home. She turned around and headed back to the elevator.But before the do
Michael’s behavior was becoming increasingly erratic and left her speechless every time.He casually locked the car and turned to Ivanka.Ivanka stared at him and waited for him to speak. She wanted to see what he was up to this time!After a pause, Michael spoke in a deep voice, “What’s your relationship with Hanson?”Ivanka was stunned and looked at him in surprise. “What does this have to do with you?”Michael’s expression turned frigid. He glanced at her in cold, exasperated fury. “What does this have to do with me?”Ivanka frowned. She wondered if she had misspoke.Michael gritted his teeth. He grabbed Ivanka’s wrist and lifted it before saying, “Ivanka, have you lost your mind?”How could she be so ignorant after all that he had done?!She could not possibly not know!Ivanka frowned as she looked at him with confusion. “What are you trying to say?”Michael was acting strangely.“Grandma wants to see you.”Ivanka looked at him with a puzzled expression. This again?
Amused, Ivanka chuckled at Michael’s remark. Her annoyance was replaced by an amused smile.Her eyes lit up as she revealed a gentle smile.This made Michael stunned momentarily as her cold aura softened.He observed her silently, awaiting her response.With a faint smile, Ivanka spoke, “Michael, I know you have ulterior motives for wanting to reconcile with me. You want to cooperate with me, sure, but I didn’t know you’re someone who goes back to your ex.”“I’m not that type of person,” Michael retorted pointedly.Ivanka chuckled. “Fine, you’re not. You’re just the type who won’t mind working together with your ex.”But even those sorts of people would not get back together with their exes.Michael’s demeanor became increasingly intense.Ivanka casually chimed in, “Lane’s Group is still willing to cooperate with you, regardless of your private motives. You’ve also managed to obtain information about them while knowing they intend to keep this going for a year. You’ve given La
Michael unlocked the car and said in a deep voice, “Get out.”Ivanka’s eyes twitched. She did not like this location and was reluctant to move.She even contemplated staying in the car, even though it was Michael’s.Seeing her hesitation, Michael exited the car first and then circled around to the passenger side to open the door for her.When she still refused to move, he repeated, “Get out.”Ivanka frowned at him and asked, “Why did you bring me here?”“Don’t you want to take a look? It’s been a while since you’ve been back.”His tone was mysterious.Ivanka, still frowning, said, “I don’t need to come back. I don’t belong here.”“Get out,” Michael’s tone was heavier than before.Feeling hesitant, she understood she could not stay in his car indefinitely. She eventually got out.“So, Mr. Barkworth, what’s the deal with bringing me here? Do you think playing the emotional card will work for me? Or are you just being childish?”Despite her words, deep down, she still believed
Michael closed the door and gently set Ivanka down.She did not want to stay there at all. Instantly, she turned to leave. However, he had changed the password lock. It required a fingerprint to exit from the inside.Furiously, she looked at him and screamed, “What are you up to?!”She felt like a shrew herself.Regardless of whether she spoke to him calmly or frantically yelled at him, Michael remained unresponsive and unfazed by her actions.This made her so mad that she fell silent momentarily. She never expected Michael to have such self-restraint.However, she could not help but observe her surroundings.This was once her and Michael’s marital home, or rather, her own marital home, as Michael had never lived here.But she had once meticulously decorated this place all while tirelessly asking Rosie about his likes and dislikes.There were things she really liked but did not put up because Michael found them annoying.She had lived in this mansion for three years. Naturall
Ivanka looked at Michael in puzzled silence.She walked over to the plants and carefully inspected them. They were indeed the ones she had previously cared for. Many of the small markings and growth shapes matched perfectly.There were no surveillance cameras or servants around, so it would be impossible for Michael to have found identical plants to deceive her.If he truly had a reason behind trying to reconcile with her, why did he have someone care for the plants she had been tending to before?What was Michael really up to?This time, she looked straight at him with a calm and collected expression.“So, what exactly do you want to do? You know we’re never getting back together, right? Let’s face it, you don’t have any feelings for me either. I don’t want to be trapped in a situation like that for the rest of my life. Michael, I’m tired of feeling stuck. Doesn’t that bother you at all?”Michael suddenly laughed. His handsome face bore a faint smile as his deep-set eyes were
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