Rosie truly felt that it was a pity, but she already knew that she could not continue persuading her. “Alright then, it’s late. I won’t keep you any longer. Go home earlier. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be safe too late at night.” Ivanka smiled and nodded. Just as she was about to say something, Michael had beaten her to it. “I’ll send her back. There’s some work matters I need to discuss with her.” Ivanka frowned. She balked at this. But at the thought of their partnership soon, he might really need to brief her as her boss. She did not say anything either. Rosie was suspicious and wanted to say something. But at the sight of Ivanka’s mood, she kept quiet and did not make a sound. Ivanka smiled at Rosie. “I’ll take my leave then Grandma” “Alright. Come over when you’re free, Iv. But you don’t need to come to visit when you’re very busy. Your work comes first.” Ivanka smiled and nodded. “Yep. I understand.” Just like that, with some small talk, Michael and Ivanka left toge
Immediately afterward, he saw a man in a royal blue suit with a slender and upright figure. He was looking straight at Ivanka. Ivanka saw him stride over once she turned to look. There was a food box in his hand too. She was stunned. Why was he here?Michael had just opened the car door when he heard that man’s soft voice. “Why are you home so late?” Michael’s expression turned absolutely chilling! Ivanka spoke with a calm expression. “I had something to do. Why have you come here?” “I’m here for you.” There was a gentle smile on Jonah’s face. Michael looked at Jonah coldly. “Do you think it’s appropriate at this late hour?” The voice suddenly rang out abruptly, but it did not surprise Jonah. After all, he knew this was Michael’s car. Jonah narrowed his eyes, as he kept smiling elegantly. “What a coincidence, you are here too, Mr. Barkworth.” Michael’s sharp gaze flashed toward him. His gaze was chilly. He had no intention of paying attention to Jonah. Jona
Michael looked at Jonah coldly. He did not want to waste time with him here. But at the thought of Jonah looking for Ivanka again once he left, he frowned. Suddenly, he stood still and did not move.Jonah seemed to have the same thought as Michael. He just smiled. “Why don’t we have supper together?” Michael frowned slightly. Clearly, he did not want to agree, much less spend time with him. However, his desire to defend Ivanka was stronger. He took a breath and said calmly, “Okay.” Jonah smiled wordlessly. The two of them each went back to their respective cars and drove off together. Ivanka went to the balcony and saw this scene until she could no longer see their cars. Then she withdrew her gaze and pulled the curtains back. She was going to take a shower and then rest. It was also kind of satisfying now that everything was going in the direction she had hoped. On the other hand, the two men were not so happy. Michael simply did not want to eat with him. However, he
Chiara understood her own mother. She would not be acting like this if something big had not happened. She could usually handle them. Moreover, whenever she ran into trouble, her mother kept trying to find ways to help her deal with all kinds of things. Her mother’s state of mind was still good, regardless of whether she succeeded or not. But now, she was completely off. Even Chiara could feel that she was holding back.“Nothing much happened. All you need to do is just to get well. You don’t need to worry about them.” Lyla forced a smile at Chiara and spoke with a calm expression.“At this point, what can’t I accept? If you don’t tell me, it’s one less person to bounce ideas off of. No matter when or where we are, we’re family. How many outsiders could be of help?”Lyla’s anger seemed to grow even more. Did they still need outsiders to do anything else? Theodore alone was enough! If not for him, how could something like this happen at home? Now that she thought about it, sh
Therefore, she was completely cut off from contact with the outside world. Every day, all she could see was trash on her phone. So, she had no idea what was happening at the company.“Where is Dad? He hasn’t come to see me lately.”She asked casually, but Lyla looked slightly annoyed as she said, “He’s been tied up with a lot of things lately. He probably doesn’t have time to visit you.”Chiara frowned again. Lyla could only sigh. “The company has a lot on its plate right now. Ivanka is still running amok. She has gained many supporters. Your dad has been worrying about these things lately. Chiara, he really doesn’t have time to come see you.”Lyla was really worried that Chiara might get too worked up again. After all, even if she did not lose it this time, she was teetering on the edge.Chiara frowned. “Was this all that was bothering you earlier?”“Yes.” Lyla sighed resignedly.Chiara continued to stare at her. She still felt that something was off.Her mother’s expression w
Lyla did not believe for a moment that Mindy had any genuine intention of visiting her daughter.As she spoke, Lyla scrutinized Mindy. She felt a level of nervousness that perhaps no one else could comprehend. While she worried, Mindy spoke up.“Nothing much.”Lyla sighed in relief. It seemed that Mindy was unaware of it, or perhaps she had no intention of holding them accountable, maybe due to lack of evidence?“I just wanted to drop by and see how you all were doing. If it’s not convenient, I’ll leave then.” Mindy’s tone was nonchalant, but beneath the calmness of her eyes lay an inscrutable depth.Lyla furrowed her brow instinctively. She wanted to ask what exactly Mindy meant by coming here, but she could not ask her directly. Saying too much might arouse suspicion, and Mindy may be here today to test her.With that in mind, Lyla decided not to engage in further conversation with Mindy. She simply nodded.“Thank you for making the effort to come, Mrs. Barkworth.”Mindy glan
He was dressed in a black tracksuit, with sunlight bathing on him. At this moment, he looked even more like a radiant youth. He was dazzling and impossible to look away from.“Hi, what a small world.”“Darn it! You scared the hell out of me!” Sandy was genuinely startled. She could not help but punch his shoulder after she said that.Ivan burst into laughter. Flashing his bright white teeth, he grinned at Sandy and said, “You’re getting rougher and rougher. But I get it, hitting is affection, scolding is love. Am I right?”Sandy glared at him angrily. “Are you insane?”“Look at you, I just said, hitting is affection, scolding is love! And now you’re scolding me again. I can tell, you truly love me.”Sandy was fuming!“You’re crazy! You keep popping up out of nowhere, saying these weird things. Aren’t you afraid this would upset your girlfriend?”Ivan casually rested his hand on the back of Sandy’s chair, which caused her to immediately shift forward as she was afraid of being p
Ivanka sensed something was off and followed Sandy’s gaze, only to find Michael already sitting beside her.Her expression immediately darkened.Seeing Michael, Ivan did not seem surprised at all. He lounged back in his chair with his legs crossed and casually rested his right hand on the back of Sandy’s chair with a demeanor of nonchalance.However, the words that came out of his mouth were prickling. “Hey, Mr. Barkworth, what are the odds of seeing you here?”Sandy snorted. “Who are you trying to fool with this act? Even an idiot could tell that you two came here together.”Ivan could not help but let out a chuckle. He leaned in toward Sandy and teased her. “Why are you calling yourself an idiot? You’re still a young girl. Don’t say that about yourself.”“Screw you!” Sandy cursed angrily. She was not one to use foul language much when she was with Ivanka and the others.However, she could not contain her rage against Ivan.This jerk had been trying to snatch that thing from h
“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