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
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