“Huh? Then why did you say hello to her just now?”Ashley was Tanya’s friend for several years. She was simple-minded but also a bit of a scatterbrain.Over the years, she had relied on Tanya’s support, and Tanya had protected her quite well. Troublemakers were often deterred due to Tanya’s influence.However, despite being by Tanya’s side for so long, her intelligence had not improved much.She was stubborn but pure-hearted.Tanya just smiled. “I simply admire her and want to have a meal with her.”“Huh? Admire? But isn’t that still wanting to be friends? But you can’t be friends. Why would you invite her to dinner then?”Tanya sighed wearily. “All right, let’s keep shopping. We’ll grab something to eat later. What do you feel like eating?”Ashley was completely confused. “Bestie, I really don’t understand what’s going on. Can you just tell me what you’re thinking?”“Nothing. I just want to get to know her. Can you understand that?”Ashley understood. “Oh... I see! You just
“In the next couple of days? Every time you say that, I feel like you’re lying again.”Rosie’s voice sounded weary and mournful.Ivanka said resignedly, “Of course not, Grandma. I’m not lying to you!”“Then do you have time tonight? Would you like to come and have dinner with me? They won’t be home. It’ll just be the two of us.”Rosie’s voice sounded particularly pitiful. She seemed afraid Ivanka would disagree.If they were talking face-to-face, Ivanka might even see her throwing puppy eyes at her.Naturally, Ivanka could not bear to see her like this. So, she smiled and said, “Sure, I’ll come over tonight to accompany you.”“Really? You’re not lying, are you?”Ivanka chuckled. “Grandma, when have I ever lied to you?”With no one else around, she felt it was okay to go have dinner and chat with Rosie. She had not wanted to do so in the past because not all members of the Barkworth family liked her.“Great!” Rosie instantly became ecstatic, then continued. “I will stay home t
“Haha, okay. I’ll be waiting for you then,” Rosie said enthusiastically. Especially after just having a good nap, she seemed even more energetic.They chatted away and exchanged words as if they were truly family. There was nothing awkward between them.They laughed and talked. Before they knew it, it was already time for dinner.“Mdm. Barkworth, Ms. Ivanka, dinner is ready. Shall we serve the food?”Rosie looked a bit surprised. “It’s already this hour? Yes, please serve the food.”“Yes, ma’am.”Rosie got up with a smile. She was still holding Ivanka’s hand as they walked.However, just as the two of them finished washing their hands and came out, they suddenly noticed the open door of the mansion.When Ivanka and Rosie both looked over and saw Michael standing there, their smiles froze on their faces.Michael raised an eyebrow slightly. “Am I not welcome here?”Ivanka’s gaze showed a hint of surprise.In the past, if she and Rosie had such expressions, his expression would
“You don’t mind, do you?” Rosie did not ask that aloud.Rosie could not bring herself to ask her, nor could she force herself to say that cheekily.Ivanka simply smiled. “Grandma, I remember this dish being your favorite.”With that, she served Rosie some food.She completely avoided talking about Michael.Rosie breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with a smile. “Yes, yes, Iv, you should eat too! I made sure they prepared plenty of your favorite dishes today!”Rosie reciprocated by serving Ivanka some food. They chatted and laughed. Michael was completely ignored. The atmosphere was so warm that Michael seemed like an outsider.Michael, surprisingly, seemed accustomed to this atmosphere and did not feel uncomfortable at all. He even found himself feeling hungry.However, due to Michael’s presence, Ivanka did not plan to stay much longer. She smiled at Rosie and said, “Grandma, I’ve been here for quite a while today, and there’s still some work I need to handle. I’ll come to see
Michael’s smile widened a bit more. “Yes.”Rosie stayed silent. She was unsure of what this little rascal was up to now.Michael did not hesitate or pause. He looked directly at Rosie and said softly, “I want to remarry her.”Rosie was surprised.She did not catch what he said. She continued to stare at Michael, who remained silent and just gazed at his grandmother.After a moment, Rosie realized what he had said. She looked at Michael incredulously, but still managed to speak with a steady voice. “Did I hear you wrong?”What did he say?Michael nodded. “No, you heard right. I want to remarry her.”Rosie’s eyes widened in disbelief. Her entire being radiated incredulity.“You want to remarry her?”Michael nodded. He knew his grandmother would be shocked and dubious. After all, his previous attitude had been so resolute that it was natural for her not to believe him.However, just as he was about to say something, Rosie suddenly stood up in anger and delivered a punch to Mich
Michael was unable to reply.Rosie’s words today were particularly harsh and left Michael struggling to respond. If it were someone else, Michael would not have tolerated it, but then again, nobody else would dare to speak to him like Rosie did.Taking a deep breath, Michael calmed down and spoke to Rosie again, “I’m willing to change for the better now, but Ivanka doesn’t want to see me. So, I hope you can help me with this. Surely, you wouldn’t want to see her become someone else’s granddaughter-in-law. You’ve seen Jonah’s new attitude towards Ivanka.”Rosie’s expression changed at Michael’s words, which hit a sore spot. That was true. How could she bear to see Ivanka marry someone else and become another family’s granddaughter-in-law? She felt a pang of jealousy.However, her grandson was just too unreliable!Rosie found herself at a loss for words for a moment. Her lips parted slightly as she struggled to form a response. Michael could see the grievance in her eyes.However
Michael was dumbfounded.While his grandmother adored Ivanka like her granddaughter, she relegated him, her actual grandson, to someone unrelated to her.He sighed with resignation.Meanwhile, Rosie began talking again. “So, not even YOU are allowed to go near her. If you can’t give me a good reason, not only will I not help you out, but I’ll even stop you!”Michael was speechless once again.If Ivanka was here, she would be very moved.Michael sighed and said in defeat, “That’s right. I like her.”In order to achieve his goal, he did not mind telling a lie.Besides, Ivanka was no longer a girl who fantasized about love and romance. They were a good match. A good match.Michael ruminated on this phrase repeatedly. He seemed to be suppressing some complex emotions.“You…”At that moment, Rosie was at a loss for words. Her eyes were filled with disbelief.Did he really like Ivanka?Michael stared at Rosie wordlessly, but he had made his answer clear.He wanted to remarry
Given the current state of their relationship, Ivanka would have walked the other way at the sight of Michael. She did not want to breathe the same air as him.If not for Rosie, Ivanka would surely not dine with him.Certainly, it was impossible for them to meet up.Michael frowned and stared at Rosie. “Grandma, I need your help with this. After we remarry, I’ll treat her as my wife, the only woman I’ll ever be with. I won’t let her suffer even an ounce of pain. I’ll be a decent husband.”He promised to be a decent spouse, but that was all.Ivanka would enjoy everything that other women had, just not his love.But Michael seemed to have forgotten that Ivanka was never short of material comfort.Apart from love, she wanted nothing else from a man. She had wealth and talent, with a wide social network. She could solve any problem she faced. Besides, she never planned to commit any crime, let alone need help to get out of trouble.Moreover, she no longer needed love.Rosie furrow