Just as Ivan finished speaking, the atmosphere around them suddenly became tense.Ivan did not know how to respond to that.Michael swiftly stood up and walked away.“Hey, hey, hey...” Ivan’s expression seemed to darken more. Giving up when he could not win, oh, his darn ego. This stubborn man might never win Ivanka back for the rest of his life.While Ivan muttered to himself, he got up and hurried after Michael. However, before leaving, he glanced back at Ivanka and Sandy and flashed a grin. “Until next time!”“Never again!” Sandy responded without hesitation, while Ivanka could not help but curl her lips. She seemed to be suppressing a chuckle.Ivan immediately pointed a finger at Sandy. Seeing Michael had already walked far ahead, he quickly caught up with him.Sandy snorted coldly. “B*stard! Always eyeing my stuff! Can’t he just give up already?”Ivanka sighed with resignation. “The relationship between you two is actually quite complicated.”“I don’t care! Even if she’s
Ivanka pursed her lips and chose to remain silent.The situation was indeed as it was: at an impasse. Neither party was willing to back down or compromise. It seemed there was no other option but to continue this way.The food arrived shortly after. Sandy took a whiff of the fragrant pasta in her bowl and smiled. “Smells so good! Let’s dig in!”Ivanka nodded and smiled. “Agreed.”They said nothing more about Ivan. After eating, Sandy could not help but look at Ivanka. “Iv, what’s going on with Michael just now? He…”Sandy did not finish the rest of her sentence. She did not know how to continue.Ivanka frowned. “He wants to remarry me.”Sandy’s eyes widened in disbelief.She exclaimed loudly. “Holy mother of God! Seriously? He actually wants to…”She stopped abruptly and covered her mouth with her hand. She was afraid she could not hold herself back and finish the rest of her sentence. Many nearby diners had already turned their attention toward them.Ivanka felt nervous fo
After saying that, Sandy felt helpless for Ivanka. It was true that she should find a way, but what solutions could there be?With Jonah, Ivanka had always been firm in her refusal, but at work, there were always personal favors and business matters involved.As for Michael, he actively sought Ivanka out and kept pestering her.It was the same with Hanson.Anyone would feel overwhelmed in her shoes.No matter how you turned them away, they still came knocking at your door. What could be done in such a situation?Sandy sighed with resignation. “I’m starting to feel sorry for you. You’re really in a tough spot.”Ivanka raised her hand and gently pressed her temples. “It’s okay. I’ll take it one step at a time and solve each issue as it comes.”There was nothing else she could do anyway.Sandy nodded. She was unsure of what to say for a moment. They sat together on the sofa. Ivanka turned on the television.But before she could play anything, her phone suddenly rang.Ivanka anx
Hanson sighed with what felt like resignation. “Actually, someone will escort me all the way there. I won’t run into any trouble. As for cooking, you’re aware of my condition. Iv, trust me. I’m not that fragile.”Sandy was a little conflicted. She opened her mouth, only to find that she was at a loss for words.Ivanka, however, said softly, “We’ll meet when you’re fully recovered, Hanson. You must take good care of your health.”A glimmer of emotions flashed in Hanson’s eyes. He eventually said in defeat, “Alright then.”They were still on the phone, but both of them fell silent.Ivanka did not know what else to say. Hanson had so much to say to her but did not know how to articulate it.Even Sandy felt rather awkward. But in the next second, an idea came to her. She hurried to a corner and raised her voice. “Iv, come help me out with this! How should I sort these things out?”Ivanka’s lips slowly curled into a smile. Her friend was most helpful at a moment like this. Hanson mus
Ivanka had been to Michael’s office before. This was almost a carbon copy.He never liked owning the same things as others, so what was he really up to? Ivanka furrowed her brows slightly, and there was a puzzled look in her eyes.In order to make her remarry him, Michael had surely made a lot of sacrifices.Ivanka did not check out the private break room. Instead, she went over to the chair and sat down. Turning on the computer, she pulled up the data from her flash drive and examined it. Once she made sure there was nothing out of the ordinary, she took out her document folder.The telephone on the desk suddenly rang, and Ivanka snapped out of her reverie. She picked up the handset.“Hello.”“Ms. Lane, we have informed the staff over here. You may now come to the meeting room on the top floor. The meeting will begin in about ten minutes.Evan’s voice was as polite as usual. Ivanka replied, “Okay.”After hanging up, Ivanka gathered her documents and went over to the meeting
Evan looked at the employees and said calmly, “Everyone, Ms. Lane will go over the plans we have for this collaboration. If there are any issues, or if you have any opinions, you may voice them after she is done.”No one said a word. Evan turned to Ivanka and nodded.She inserted her flash drive into a laptop and projected the screen.Michael’s gaze fell on her slim, fair hands. He could not help recalling the day he watched her hack his company’s security system.Ivanka did not look at Michael before immediately starting her presentation.Everyone listened closely. Some of them were increasingly impressed and surprised by her idea.They had heard that Ivanka had come up with this entire plan on her own.It caused quite a stir. Even if no one said it aloud, Barkworth’s Group and Sadler’s Group had known about this. Even the people in Lane’s Group were talking about it.But these employees only found out about the details of the plan during this meeting.Ivanka spent two hours
Veta asked this question for the sake of the project as a whole.Ivanka glanced at Michael from the corner of her eye and noticed that he did not intend to say anything. He wanted her to solve this problem herself.If she was not aggressive in this situation, her job would become much harder afterward.If this project had nothing to do with Ivanka, she might not care much about the question. She could push the responsibility to someone else and say that it was Michael who invited her over, and there was nothing she could do about it.But if this project brought them a ton of revenue, Ivanka could secure her position in Lane’s Group.Under everyone’s gaze, she said calmly, “Ms. Lopez, do you doubt my ability to lead the team because you have never heard of my experience in this regard?”“George McClellan, for example, was one of those generals who looked ‘good on paper’, so everybody said. But when it came to the actual battle, things would inevitably go wrong. Our project is a hu
Checkmate!Veta was indeed in charge of this aspect of the project.Earlier on, when she brought this matter up, she had meant to challenge Ivanka a little. But since Ivanka had pointed out this fact, Veta could not keep pushing, or else it would reflect badly on her ability. It was her job, after all.Veta nodded. “Yes, good point. Let’s move on to the second question.”No one else said a word. Deep down, they were excited to see what happened next.They thought. “Indeed, Ivanka is competent.”She was a prodigy in every aspect.Ivanka nodded without a word.Veta cleared her throat and said, “I notice that the late stage of the project requires many talents. We need at least over two hundred people, the best from each industry. Although our company is never short of talented people, we still need those with different expertise. I wonder what you do about this issue?”“When it comes to talent acquisition, I’ll take care of it myself. Those who meet the requirements will be hi
Egbert stormed off in fury, but Sandy’s rage had not cooled in the slightest. She even lashed out at Ivan. “You shouldn’t have stopped me just now! If I’d given him a good scolding, or even a beating, maybe it would’ve finally knocked some sense into him. Otherwise, he’ll keep coming back. He’s always trying to use me for his own purposes!”She was so angry she was practically grinding her teeth. Ivan pressed his lips together and let out a long sigh. “With the way you looked like you were ready to kill someone, what did you expect me to do? Just stand there and watch you commit murder?”He was really worried when he saw how Sandy was losing control. “What’s the point of that old b*stard still being alive anyway?” Sandy said coldly. If she could really get rid of that old man, she would do it so she could avenge her mother and let go of that grudge she had been holding on.Ivan shook his head and said in a low voice, “Then think about it, how hard did you work to get to where yo
Sandy exploded. “Eighty million? Why don’t you go rob a bank? Or better yet, see if that wrinkled old face of yours is worth anything as collateral!”Sandy was fuming.Egbert had not expected Sandy to be so vulgar. He turned back, enraged.His black eyes shot daggers like he could rip her apart on the spot. Sandy did not flinch. Instead, she lifted her chin and gave him a cold, mocking smile. “What? Are you so mad that you’re thinking about hitting me? Do you want me to remind you of the law? We have no legal ties anymore. If you so much as touch me, that’s assault. And let’s not forget, you barged into my workplace to cause a scene.”“Sandy, I don’t know what kind of twisted morals your birth mother and adoptive mother taught you, but just look at yourself now! Do you even resemble a proper human being?”Egbert was extremely disappointed in Sandy. The one thing Sandy hated most was when people brought up her birth mother and adoptive mother. Those two women were the most import
Egbert snapped at Sandy coldly. His gaze was pressing.However, that had no effect on Sandy. Her lips even curled into a mocking smile as she said, “I’m not one of your McNeil pets. That look, your words, they cannot intimidate me at all.”At the mention of “pets,” Egbert was so furious that he slammed his cane against the floor with a loud crack. “Listen to yourself! Is that any way for a lawyer to speak? Do you even understand the meaning of respect, decency, and manners? Is that how your mother raised you?”Sandy had been mean and harsh on purpose to kill whatever sliver of hope he held onto.Just as she wished, he was angered.Watching him lose his composure, Sandy even felt a flicker of satisfaction rise within her. Her mother and herself were thrown out and lived a tough life while her father stood by uselessly. Who else was to blame, if not this old man standing before her?“My mother raised me to be a decent person. She taught me never to push away what’s rightfully mine,
Thomas stated his purpose.Sandy’s reaction, however, was full of repulsion. She frowned. Even her tone was curt. “Uncle, I made it very clear about seeing him the last time we spoke. He never once considered me part of the McNeil family. If it weren’t for my mother taking me in, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Now that I’ve grown up and suddenly seem useful, he wants to claim me back? I was abandoned by the McNeil family the moment I was born. I’m not stupid enough to become a pawn for your family!”Sandy was furious.She had always treated Thomas with a certain courtesy, but at the moment, that line had clearly been crossed.Thomas, though only the messenger, could feel the weight of her resentment. “It may not be as bad as you think. If you won’t go, Dad will come find you himself.”That was the truth. Yet Sandy did not spare the old man a shred of respect. She scoffed. “He might be your dad, your head of the family, but he’s nothing to me. From the moment I was abandoned, th
Sandy was really surprised to see Ivanka. “When did you get back?”“Today,” Ivanka answered honestly.“You have quite a packed schedule for just one day.” Sandy teased her.When they had planned to take down Coco last time, Ivanka was not around. Then Michael returned. From what Sandy could tell, they were always either together or closely following each other.Ivanka did not respond to her teasing. “I’ll only be here for a day or two, then I would have to leave again.”Sandy was speechless. She rolled her eyes at Ivanka. “Are you going to become a full-time jet setter?”“She can’t help it,” Anna answered for Ivanka. Just as she finished saying that, Anna’s phone rang. It was another case to follow up on. She had to step away to take the call.Only Ivanka and Sandy remained in the office. “You look exhausted. If you keep going like this, I’m worried you’ll wear yourself out!” Sandy shook her head and expressed her concern for Ivanka. Ivanka chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that fa
When she heard what Anna said, Ivanka immediately teased. “Why, can’t I even come to the firm?”“Well, of course, you can come. You are an important partner; why can’t you come?” Anna laughed and looked at Ivanka, annoyed. Immediately after, she made a cup of tea for Ivanka.The tea was also of fine quality. She had bought it.Ivanka also remembered how she, Anna, and Sandy, the three of them, used to work hard together in the firm after she divorced Michael. Originally, she wanted to live on her own. However, one thing happened after another, and her plans got delayed. “I don’t see Sandy. Has she gone to handle cases?” Ivanka sipped a mouthful of tea, and immediately after, she asked Anna about Sandy’s whereabouts.Anna told Ivanka truthfully. “Sandy recently took over a very tricky case. She wants to make a not-guilty defense for that person. But the father of the deceased is the Groethe family, a rather prestigious family in Bostone. How could a commoner fight with a rich ki
But as time went on, things happened one after another. While they were in contact with each other, she also slowly understood Jonah’s personality.The most important thing was that Jonah was also honest with her later on.When Jonah mentioned this again, Ivanka could not help but scrutinize Jonah again.He was starting to become unhinged!“Jonah, you need to stabilize your emotions. Sometimes, when you feel impatient, you should just close your eyes and take a good rest. You should not have such emotions.”Ivanka spoke solemnly toward Jonah and advised him. When he saw Ivanka’s serious expression, Jonah instantly also realized that he had lost himself.Ivanka was not like Chiara, who could accept him losing control. If he lost control in front of Ivanka, it would affect Ivanka’s mood. That would make him courting death too! This would put a halt to all his opportunities!Jonah also realized this problem. He was very distressed. He could not even explain why his emotions had
When Ivanka said this, she pressed her hand on Jonah’s shoulder. There was no other meaning, she wanted Jonah to calm down.But this instead gave Jonah an opportunity. He grabbed Ivanka’s wrist. Then he tugged forward forcefully… Ivanka was caught off guard, and her whole body fell on top of him.He then took advantage of the situation and held Ivanka in his arms.The faint scent entered his nose, Jonah was intoxicated for a moment.But at that moment, he felt like he was waking up from a dream.Ivanka could not be so intimate with him. The sensations of touch and warmth in front of him were so real again. It was not an illusion, it was his compulsion!After realizing this, Jonah hurriedly pushed Ivanka away. He even more quickly apologized to Ivanka. “Iv, I’m sorry. I lost control. I didn’t mean to…”“I know.”Ivanka uttered softly, but her tone was cold.She knew. Neither did she blame him. But why was she using that tone, with that look on her face?“No, Iv. you’re blami
“Jonah, I don’t like you. I told you, I only see you as a friend. When I’m unwilling to do something, no amount of moral coercion would work on me.”Ivanka spoke up bluntly. She did not want Jonah to cling to something impossible.Jonah was silent.This was where Jonah and Michael were different.“Look, you still have so many things to do. By the time you remember me, we have already missed the best time. This time when you leave, did Michael go with you?” Jonah raised his eyes to meet Ivanka’s. He wanted to hear Ivanka’s answer from her mouth.Ivanka did not reply. But the look in her eyes already said it all.Her silence confirmed it all.Jonah felt that his heart grow incredibly heavy at the moment. He had a crazy thought: Was it true that if Michael died, Ivanka would be able to focus all her attention on him?However, he was an invalid and did not even have a chance to get close!“The way you treat Michael and the way you treat me has always been so different. I know. A