Rosie had no idea how to word this. She wondered if she should tell Jay at all.“Huh?” It was the first time Jay had seen his mother so hesitant.“Is it something you can’t tell me?”A glimmer of emotion flashed in Rosie’s eyes. She eventually told Jay about everything that had happened earlier on.There was a look of astonishment in Jay’s eyes. “He wants to get back together with Iv?”Rosie nodded. “But I keep feeling that he’s lying to me. Does he really like Iv? If he doesn’t, I don’t want him to hurt her again.”Jay fell into silent thought.Meanwhile, Rosie prattled on. “I’m just worried. I don’t know what to do. If I urge them to get back together like I used to, it will be unfair to Iv. But what if Michael really regrets it this time? Iv used to love him so much. Even if she has gotten over him now, her love toward him might still linger. What if…”Speaking of that, she paused. But she could not help but start talking again. “Oftentimes, I can’t make them do whatever I w
“Are you home?” Ivanka replied calmly, “Yeah, I’m going to rest.”Jonah chuckled. “Alright, let’s get lunch tomorrow?”Ivanka smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, I won’t be free.”“Tsk.” Jonah raised his brows. “Can you put a little more thought into your rejection?”Ivanka did not want to waste time chatting with him, so she said calmly, “Do you have something else to talk about?”“I do.”“What is it?” Ivanka was not in a rush to hang up.“I miss you.”Ivanka was speechless.She did not want to waste her breath talking about such a trifle subject and intended to hang up right away.But Jonah easily predicted her. Before her finger touched the hang-up button on the screen, he started speaking again.“Have you had any idea what to do with the business plan?”“Not yet. I’ve been contemplating it lately.”Most importantly, she was preoccupied lately. Besides, she could not start working on the project with Jonah anytime soon, so she was not in a hurry to work on Jonah’s plan.“It’s
The IT department staff could not help discussing this matter among themselves.“Is Mr. Barkworth using some kind of strategy? Why didn’t he intercept the hacker? Why pry on their identity?”The person who said that was a young man. Despite being in his twenties, he was one of the best hackers in the country. He had a gentlemanly demeanor. Wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, he was the type who would attract attention from girls.Just as he spoke, a man with a rough voice immediately refuted him. “That’s impossible. Are we really going to let the hacker steal our top-secret data?”The young man frowned slightly. He stared at the man and said in a deep voice, “But you know how skilled Mr. Barkworth is, and he isn’t stopping the hacker. I meant to say that he might have a plan. Perhaps he will find some clues on their identity when they get carried away.”Listening to their conversation, the others could not help nodding. “Yeah, that’s possible.”Just as they were discussing, Iv
An hour passed.Just as Ivanka continued to crack the security system unobstructed, her doorbell suddenly rang.Ivanka froze, surprised. She immediately tapped on the keyboard to secure her position within the security system before getting up and walking to the door.She was still astonished that someone would visit her so late at night.In fact, she was reluctant to open the door. Could it be Hanson?Ivanka had chatted with him for a bit earlier that day. She was not particularly enthusiastic throughout the conversation and only responded to him sporadically.However, when she walked over to the door and saw that the visitor was Michael, she pulled a long face.Panicked, she immediately rushed back to her computer and made a few clicks. After returning to the desktop, she turned off the screen.The doorbell was still ringing. Ivanka eventually returned to the doorstep and opened the door.“Why are you here so late at night?Ivanka was still a little surprised that Michael d
Michael laughed in cold fury. Ivanka was really something!Seeing him like that, a hesitant look flickered in Ivanka’s eyes.After all, she had just hacked his company to access its sensitive data. Besides, he might not believe her.With that in mind, she could only say, “Theodore has wronged me greatly. He killed my father. Her daughter ruined my marriage. His whole family is wicked and amoral. I ought to take revenge. With each layer of security I crack, Theodore pays me a hundred million. If I fail, I don’t have to compensate him.”Michael was speechless.He looked at Ivanka wordlessly.When he heard the part about her ruined marriage, he felt tightness in his chest for some reason.She was earning two billion dollars with ease.Given her skill, she could get it done in one day.Yet, she chose to do it over a few days because she intended to keep Theodore waiting.At that moment, Ivanka was stealing the most important data in Michael’s company. Oddly enough, when he found
Ivanka scoffed disdainfully as her gaze turned icy cold.After seeing the proof of the transaction, she continued hacking. She was already ignoring Michael, who was beside her.On the other hand, Michael was surprised by how casually he could interact with Ivanka at the moment.In the past, whenever they interacted with each other, they could never sit down and have a calm conversation. Even though they were not presently talking to each other, their interaction felt calm and peaceful.Meanwhile, everyone in the technical department of Barkworth’s Group was confused. The burly man from before was dumbfounded. “What the f*ck? They’re already up to the eighteenth level! Why isn’t Mr. Barkworth letting us fight back?!”The man with golden-rimmed glasses seemed perplexed, too. He then said, “Mr. Barkworth isn’t even getting involved. He instructed us not to interfere either. There might be some hidden motive behind his decision.”The other people were glued to the computer scre
“You think you know everything! The Three Musketeers are like top dogs worldwide. Barkworth Group’s hacking skills may be impressive, but the Three Musketeers are much better!” Lyla was unconvinced. “Do you think the Three Musketeers can disrupt Barkworth’s Group’s status?”“Of course!” Theodore retorted disdainfully. “You think the Three Musketeers are just amateurs?”“But...!”“We did it! We cracked it! Next up is the twentieth level!” Theodore cut her off as he eagerly looked at the evidence Ivanka sent them. Simultaneously, he texted happily, [I’ll send you the money right away!]He instructed his subordinates to transfer the money. Lyla felt close to collapsing.“You still owe them five billion dollars?! How are you going to get that back later?!”Theodore replied nonchalantly, “Hey, are you implying that my shares won’t make money in the future?”Lyla was at a loss for words.She felt something was off, but she could not help but ask, “Is it really the last level?”
If Michael left it to her, Ivanka would have been able to save time and effort.Even so, she ignored him and messaged Theodore’s message on the computer.Black-eyed Susan: [Failed]It was a concise message. She did not even use punctuation.At that moment, Michael felt slightly sorry for Theodore.After all, twenty billion dollars just went down the drain like that.When Theodore, who had been waiting all night, suddenly received a message, he exclaimed, “She did it!”Although Lyla had been scolding Theodore and thinking he got tricked, at that moment, her heart filled with anticipation. She quickly went over to check out Theodore’s phone.However, it was not the message they were looking for.Theodore was completely dumbfounded. Lyla reacted faster than him. She instantly cried out angrily and stomped on his foot fiercely.“So, this is your idea of success?! She did this purposely at the final level! Theodore, you’re an idiot! How did I end up marrying an idiot like you!”L
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