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,
Lyla was afraid that Theodore would not read it carefully. So, she read it out directly.“This software has 20 layers of encrypted security. Each layer has nine digits, with payment required for each layer. No refunds if you can’t break through! Click to pay and agree to the terms to continue.”Lyla gritted her teeth. “Look, they are clearly out to scam you!” “20 layers. That’s two billion dollars. What would you do if she purposely stopped at the 19th floor?” Lyla insisted and persuaded again. “You know what kind of company Barkworth’s Group is? Aren’t you afraid she has some connection with Barkworth’s Group?!” “I’ve checked. They haven’t worked with Barkworth’s Group before.” Theodore sneered. His eyes were full of disdain. Lyla was so angry at this idiot that she laughed outright. “You have to know that they are hackers. How would you find out?” “What would a woman like you know! It’s better to do things discreetly, and not out in the open like you. Stay out of my busines
After clearing out the layer, she sent proof directly to Theodore. Theodore was delighted and made another payment for the second tier in the link Ivanka gave. After about another hour of waiting, the second layer was done. He was so stoked that he paid for the third layer! This afternoon, he had already given Ivanka $500 million! And Ivanka was still taking it easy. In fact, she did not even need that long to crack it. However, she wanted to let Theodore wait anxiously while not letting him know how easy it was to crack it.In the evening, Ivanka gave more evidence that she had successfully broken through this layer. Then she added some captions to it. [That’s all for today. We’ll continue tomorrow. Have your money ready. No credit allowed.] Theodore’s face changed slightly. No credit allowed. He had already made payments for these. He did not have two billion dollars on hand… The main thing was that he did not expect Ivanka to be this fast in the first place. Where
“How long does it take to fix it?”The technicians did not dare to say anything. Only the leader wiped his sweat and confessed, “The other party just cracked the code and did not continue to dig deeper. There was no intention to destroy it. It was as if they were just coming in for a stroll.”Michael did not say a single word. His bony hand tapped lightly on the table. However, everyone was uncomfortable like they were sitting on pins and needles.The irregular tapping kept their hearts pounding non-stop. It was like their hearts would pop out the next minute and they would die. Michael’s icy face did not have a hint of a smile. His eyes were icy and dark. No one dared to peek.The next moment, he suddenly laughed.That light voice made everyone want to jump to their deaths. That feeling was just too torturous. “Give me a time frame on how long it will take to fix it.”“Tonight. We’ll try to fix it by tonight!”“Try?” Michael sneered.The technicians were on the verge of
This person… was truly an expert!Michael took half a day to crack this, but all he could see was this message.Evan was at a loss for words. When Michael started working again, Evan did not take his eyes off the computer at that moment and kept staring at the screen.Meanwhile, the person that Michael was frantically searching for was carrying a plate of fruit salad while sitting on the sofa. She was enjoying the food while watching TV.It was like she did not even remember anything she had done in the afternoon.A sudden ring from her phone diverted her attention.Sandy: [Dear, shall we go out shopping tomorrow?]Ivanka: [Tsk, are you not afraid that I’ll get hurt this time?Sandy: [Hahaha, I’m not afraid anymore. You’ve recovered very well now. Besides, Aren’t I helping you avoid it now? Don’t forget that Hanson is off tomorrow. You’ll be able to get rid of him if you come out on a date with me in advance].Ivanka instantly reacted. She replied in a hurry.Ivanka: [You’r
“Theodore!!!” Lyla’s chest was heaving from anger. “You. Are you trying to piss me off?”Theodore was not in the mood to continue this. He took a breath and said coldly, “I’m going to stay in the company tonight. So calm down. Remember to accompany Chiara.”After saying that, Theodore left. He did not care about how much Lyle ranted and fussed. Theodore did not turn back and walked determinedly away.At that moment, Lyla felt their marriage coming to an end.But… Theodore had taken all of her savings. What was she to do? …The next day, Ivanka then followed the agreed time and arrived at Sandy’s downstairs at eight.Sandy yawned and walked downstairs. One hand still covered her mouth as if she was a bit tired. “Goodness, Ivanka, how are you on time at 8 a.m. as promised? I’m still in my dream playing poker with a hottie!”Ivanka scoffed. “You’re a lady, behave.”“I’m telling the truth! That hottie is the most handsome star I’ve ever seen! I wonder if this is a prophetic dream
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