Tears spilled down Ivanka’s cheeks. She could not stop them. Although memories of her father’s death remained fresh in her mind, she thought she had managed to keep her emotions under control. She did not expect to still hear her father’s voice at the moment. Her father must have realized Theodore and his family’s wild ambitions and was deeply disappointed with them. Nonetheless, Ivanka’s father did not want her to take revenge for him. He did not want her to get too involved in their family’s mess. On the other hand, he wanted her to beware of the trio, as he was worried that the trio would lay their hands on her.Ivanka’s father was called Fernando Lane. Fernando knew her daughter was smart. The moment he said that, he knew she could instantly figure out what had happened. But he did not want her daughter to take revenge for him, hence he could only say this much. “Iv, I hope you’ll listen to this recording. I do, however, pray that you never have to. In any case, I only
Ivanka’s eyes flickered with some emotions. She pursed her lips silently. Michael did not believe everything Fernando had said. He did not take him seriously. At the moment, after all that Michael had been through, he believed there was something fishy with Theodore and his family. Michael stared at Ivanka as she gradually calmed herself down. For once in a blue moon, he said softly. “I’ll take revenge on the Lane family on your behalf.” Ivanka looked up at him. “As long as I remarry you, right?” Michael said nothing. He thought it was inappropriate to ask for that. Yet, he had no words to refute her. Ivanka smirked. “No need. I want to take revenge on the Lane family on my own.” Jonah had offered his help, but she rejected him. She wanted to crush those people with her own hands. She wanted them to experience true retribution. Michael frowned. He did not know what Ivanka had in her mind. He thought she deliberately went against him. Seeing that Ivanka’s tears wer
Fernando’s eyes flickered with some emotions. The next moment, he said with a smile, “Iv is a good girl. You may have many misunderstandings about her, but I still hope that you can try to understand her. She’s truly a good young lady.” Michael stared at him indifferently. “Did you look for me only to say this?” Fernando heaved a sigh and gave Michael a recording. “This is my recording. After I pass away, you’ll be Iv’s only closest family member in this world. I hope you can keep this recording. You don’t need to inform her about this recording under any unnecessary circumstances. However, if something really happens, please let her know about it.” Michael frowned. His eyes were filled with impatience. Fernando said again, “I’m the cause of your misunderstandings toward her. She’s innocent. Michael, I beg you. Please keep this recording. Let this man die in peace, okay?” Michael looked at him coolly. Fernando’s eyes were filled with genuine pleading. Fernando inhaled deepl
Ivanka kept her emotions under control. Michael frowned and said in a deep and charismatic voice, “I said rest here tonight.” Ivanka paused and turned to him. He sounded as if he was ordering her about. Despite this, Ivanka had no qualms with his tone. After all, he was an arrogant man. Instead, she wondered why she needed to stay. “You’re aware of our relationship. Why do you still want us to stay under the same roof? As I mentioned, I won’t get back together with you.” Right after Ivanka finished saying, she immediately headed out as she did not want Michael to chase after her. She said, “I’ve asked my friend to pick me up.” Michael stared at her silhouette coldly. Ivanka thought she could finally walk out at ease because she did not hear any sound behind her. But Michael grabbed her wrist all of a sudden. She frowned and said wearily, “Michael, you—” Before Ivanka finished her sentence, Michael interrupted, “You never set foot in the master bedroom even to this day. Wh
When Ivanka saw the caller, she answered the call. “Hi, Naila.” “It’s me. How are you recovering?” Naila had visited Ivanka when Ivanka was resting at home. They had been keeping in touch. Ivanka smiled. “Never been better. I started work today.” Naila frowned. “With your current health, are you sure you’re able to work?” “Yes. I’m fine. I’m ready to handle your case. Just give me a call,” said Ivanka in a relaxed fashion. Naila sighed. “The opposition is still finding chances to drag the case. They even stopped me from submitting the evidence. The trial will continue after seven days.” Ivanka nodded. “No problem.” “Iv, I’m counting on you. I can’t afford to lose my son’s custody.” “Got it. Don’t worry.” The duo exchanged some pleasantries before hanging up. Ivanka entered the company again. The company’s plans in various aspects were executed because of her presence at work. Chiara was still trapped in the mental asylum. It served as both a haven and jail f
Ivanka and Bryan turned to the door. A waitress stood at the door. She raised her hand and smiled at the man behind her. “This way, Sir.” Fabian nodded and strode in with his slender, long legs. He wore a bespoke black suit with a matching royal blue necktie. His hair had been styled simply. He had deep features, angular jawlines, and a prominent nose. His sexy lips curved upward as he said, “It’s been a while.” Ivanka smiled. “Yes. It’s been a while.” Fabian had only addressed Ivanka. After all, Bryan and Fabian lived closer to each other, and they often played games together. The duo occasionally went out to have meals together. It was far more inconvenient to meet Ivanka. Moreover, she decided to quit the job. Hence, she seldom contacted them. After Fabian sat down, Bryan turned to the waitress. “Serve the dishes when they are ready.” “Okay. Please wait for a moment.” After the waitress finished talking, she went out and closed the door. Fabian sized Ivanka up
Ivanka frowned. Sometimes, she did not know what to say or do. They were all the same. Ivanka thought she had finally married her true love, only to suffer because of her love for Michael. Ivanka, Fabian, and Bryan preferred to carry themselves as they did. They did not want to be bothered by love for the rest of their lives. After all, humans do not survive by love alone. Ivanka paused for a moment before grinning. “It’s good to see you guys like this. You don’t need to endure the pain. Human desires are a burden.” Fabian smiled. “Forget about it. We have a new order today. It looks interesting.” Ivanka felt puzzled. “What order is that?” She had been busy with work today, so she had not seen the orders from the website. Bryan raised one of his eyebrows and rested his gaze on Ivanka. “It has something to do with you. Do you want to take it?” Ivanka took out her phone in puzzlement. “Something to do with me?” Ivanka clicked on the website as she asked. The hacker
“Are you really going to take up this job?” Bryan stared at Ivanka. “Yep. I am.” Ivanka just smirked. She looked exceptionally relaxed. They chatted for a bit more before leaving. Before they parted ways, they even told Ivanka not to handle everything on her own. After all, they were practically family. Ivanka smiled and nodded. “Alright.” They were truly Ivanka’s brothers. They were not interested in women romantically. Of course, they were not interested in men romantically either. They just did not care much about them. After they left, Ivanka went back to her office. She opened up the hacker’s backend system. When she saw the commission, she accepted it. … Back in Theodore’s office, his eyes lit up the moment his cell phone alerted him that his commission had been picked up! He immediately said, “They agreed!!!” Lyla looked at Theodore, shocked. “Agreed? The one you’re going to hack is Barkworth’s Group. Are they really agreeing to it?” “Of course,
“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