Suki gritted her teeth. “It was a pity to lose your first time in such a way.”Ivanka’s eyes twitched. Her first time…It was precisely why Michael hated her.A person once drugged her and sent her to a room. During that time, she was delirious and spent the night dazed. A man was lying next to her when she woke up, and her body was sore.During that moment, she was flustered. However, she brightened up when she realized that it was Michael.She thought. “Luckily, it’s him.”But after Michael woke up, he was disgusted with her and even made sarcastic remarks.“Ivanka, do you think I’ll marry you because of this? Your father has been trying to get me to marry you, and now you tricked me into sleeping with you. Both of you are despicable!”Back then, she had panicked and explained that she had also been tricked, but Michael did not believe a word. He put on his clothes and left directly.That day, she sat on the bed and kept crying. She was too ashamed to meet anyone.But not l
Sandy was taken aback.She thought. “The lawsuit Ivan is handling?”Everyone knew of Ivan’s ability. Many people wanted him to help them with the lawsuits, but he would only accept the job depending on his mood.He might not handle a lawsuit for a long time. However, if he decided to accept a case, the lawyer of the other party would immediately give up to avoid facing Ivan.He was the legend who won every case in the rumors.Sandy was also a lawyer. However, she graduated recently, and her career had not been smooth in the past few years, so she was just an insignificant lawyer. She had no chance to watch any important cases.She grew a little interested after hearing Ivan’s words.But the next moment, her eyes flickered, and she snorted coldly. “Ivan, you don’t have to trick me! I know you’re talented, and no one is comparable to you. However, I’m not that ambitious and won’t fawn over you. Goodbye!”Ivan was extremely helpless. When he saw that Sandy was about to leave, he q
Sandy snorted. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. It’s likely to be Iris. Jonah knows very well that you’re Michael’s best friend. He would almost certainly find someone more capable than you to beat you. If he hires someone else, all his hard work will be in vain.”Ivan snorted coldly. “Even if it’s Iris, I’m confident of my chances. Besides, she has disappeared for several years, so it’s uncertain who’s better. Her reputation affects me since everyone keeps saying I’m the next Iris. I’ll never change my name. I’m Ivan York, not the next Iris!”“Do you hate being called the next Iris? When Iris was famous back then, you were not as successful as you are now. Now that you’re successful, you no longer take her seriously.”Sandy’s voice was full of disdain. Then, she said in mockery, “If you continue to be so arrogant, you’ll eventually lose to Iris. I’m going to wait for that day to happen.”“F*ck!” Ivan looked at her angrily. “You’re inhumane! Even though we’re fighting over the same it
Ivan immediately turned and saw Ivanka. He frowned slightly. He thought. “This woman used to care about Michael. She was a qualified Mrs. Barkworth.“But now, they have a tense relationship, and she’s even getting together with Jonah. This is unexpected.”Ivan did not plan to get out of the car. He simply glanced at Ivanka. After Sandy closed the door, he drove away.Sandy looked at Ivanka excitedly. “Iv, look. I bought a lot of things. Can you cook for me?”The corners of Ivanka’s mouth twitched. “Aren’t you afraid of getting fat if you eat so much?”“I’m proud of being fat! That’s the prize of eating good food. Those who want to gain weight can’t even get this prize.”Ivanka speechlessly went upstairs with her.Sandy ate many plates of delicious food. She was satisfied. However, she did not plan to spend the night here today. She was worried that Ivan was planning something, so she had to go home quickly for fear of Ivan going to her house to steal that item.The following tw
After saying that, Mindy could not help but sneer again. “They might get married before Michael.”Bang!Michael suddenly put the cutlery on the table with a gloomy expression.The others looked at him in puzzlement.Mindy returned to her senses and hurriedly said, “Son, it’s not worth being angry with her. Now that you have Chiara, you must be responsible for her. Chiara is a good girl. She is smart, thoughtful, and dignified. She is suitable to be the head lady of the Barkworth family.”Samuel nodded in agreement. “That’s right. We need to continue cooperating with the Lane family in business at a later stage, and it’s good for you to marry Chiara.”Michael frowned. “The situation is tense now, and I have a lawsuit in two days. Let’s talk about it later.”Rosie could not help but sigh. While she felt pity for their divorce, the three were determined to see this through, so there was no point in stopping them.If she forcibly stopped them from divorcing, they would worry about
The family background and ability of the head lady were crucial.Michael must not marry a useless woman like Ivanka, who only knew how to be a full-time housewife!……The next day, Ivanka went to work in the law firm as usual. However, Drury’s attitude toward her seemed to have worsened.Ivanka did not mind it in the least. After all, they were not working in the same office.After working for a whole day, she suddenly received a call.Ivanka’s expression slightly darkened when she saw the caller.This number…After hesitating, she still answered it and said politely, “Mr. Barkworth.”The other party paused and sighed helplessly. “You change the way of addressing me so fast.”Ivanka pursed her lips. She was silent for a while and asked, “How can I help you?”“Iv, no matter what happened between the two of you, I’ll always be your father since the first day you called me father. It has nothing to do with blood relationship, don’t you know that?”His voice was soft and loving
Ivanka hurriedly shook her head. “Dad, please don’t say that. It has nothing to do with you. I guess we were simply not fated to be together.”Jay shook his head. “Iv, you two are fated to be together.”Ivanka was stunned. She thought. “Did he come to persuade me to reconcile with Michael?”“You…”That was all she could say, since she did not know how to respond.Jay sighed helplessly. “Iv, I know him well. He actually has feelings for you.”Ivanka could not help but chuckle after hearing that. “Dad, although I regret wasting my love in the past few years, you don’t have to say such a white lie to comfort me.”Jay shook his head solemnly. “No, Iv. I’m not lying to you.”Ivanka said nothing.She clearly did not believe him.Jay did not force her to believe it and continued speaking.“You have known each other for many years. Before that incident happened, Michael’s attitude toward you was not bad, and you could feel it, right?”A trace of nostalgia flashed in Ivanka’s eyes.
Ivanka had great doubts. She thought. “Michael probably didn’t investigate the incident and thought I was behind it.“If Jay knows the truth, why didn’t he tell him?“Or, Jay had told him, but he didn’t believe him.“If someone tricked Michael, that person would definitely suffer, but why is nothing wrong with that person until now?“Is that person being dealt with privately?”While Ivanka was thinking, she kept looking at Jay. She saw him lose his calm for a second, but he returned to normal immediately.“You don’t know that person. It’s someone from the business world. He wanted his daughter to sleep with Michael, but you two accidentally got together. That company has vanished.”Ivanka’s lips twitched.If Michael speedily acted and wiped that company out, he would not have had so many misunderstandings of her.Of course, he might hate her, but according to Jay, Michael had feelings for her.So, of the two things Jay told her, he had lied about the first one.Michael had n
Ivanka understood everything just by looking at Stella’s expression.The drinks and pastries had to be the problem. The weakness and fatigue people were experiencing must have come from consuming them. She tested them with a test strip right away.As expected, they had been poisoned.She had not eaten anything, so she was fine. But she was unsure about Vincenzo, so she checked on him immediately. Thankfully, he was unharmed.Stella let out a deep breath.Before she could say anything, Vincenzo scolded her. “You ran back here and left Njord alone? Hurry up and get back there!”“Yes, Boss!”Stella responded quickly and ran off.Ivanka was about to speak when Michael and Evan rushed in.Michael looked anxious and was breathing heavily.Just like Stella, he was panicking.“Come here. Let me check.” Ivanka nodded at him. She knew how stubborn he was.Michael pursed his lips together and hesitated.But Ivanka had already stepped forward and checked on him. His pulse was weakenin
Vincenzo immediately noticed Michael putting some distance between them.It was not out of fear but respect for Vincenzo’s status. After all, he was Ivanka’s only family.Ivanka walked straight to Vincenzo without sparing Michael a glance.Michael could only stand there and watch her leave.Back at their spot, Vincenzo remained silent. Ivanka, however, felt uneasy.She had only gone to the restroom and had not expected to run into Michael.After some thought, she decided to explain.“Uncle, I didn’t go looking for him.”“You don’t need to explain. Even if you did, that’s your choice. I’ve said what I needed to. The decision is yours.”His tone was calm, but to Ivanka, it sounded like he was upset.She wanted to say more, but Vincenzo spoke first. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m not angry. Once the banquet is over, take a few days to rest. Then we’ll head out.”“Alright.”Since he had already said that, there was nothing more to say.Caeser had hosted the banquet to trigger inte
Ivanka saw the grin on Michael’s face and immediately let go of his arm. Her expression darkened with displeasure.Michael looked like he was enjoying her frustration.“I’m not,” he denied at once, quickly adding, “I’m happy because you pulled me away. It shows you care.”Ivanka was speechless.She looked at his smiling face and shook her head. “I just didn’t want you getting into a fight with Mr. George right now. If something happened to you while I was there, I couldn’t just leave. And if I didn’t, that would make me responsible for you.”Michael frowned. “Do you really think I’m that useless?”He had fought Mr. George before and never even saw him as a threat. There was no way someone like that could take him down.“That’s not the point. Mr. George isn’t alone, but you are. This isn’t your territory, Michael. And don’t forget, the drug in your system hasn’t fully cleared, and your gunshot wound—”He cut her off before she could finish.“That injury was a long time ago. I’m
Ivanka had never revealed her identity as Violet Cress. How did Mr. George figure it out just from her treating Caeser?“Mr. Ali, I only gave Mr. Hicks a few herbal prescriptions. It was nothing special.”“Caeser has plenty of skilled doctors, yet none of them could fix his condition. You did so effortlessly. That says a lot. Anyone who can earn his trust must be exceptionally capable. Ms. Ivanka, the Ganoderma Nebula is not something just anyone can use properly, nor does everyone have your level of confidence.”At first, Mr. George had not suspected anything. But after learning about the legendary medical expert, Violet Cress, he started making connections. She was well known by reputation, yet no one had ever seen her face. He had looked into her background and found that she was probably not elderly.There was also the Ganoderma Nebula.So, he made an educated guess.Looking at Ivanka’s calm reaction, he was even more convinced. When he first mentioned it, there had been a fl
A teasing voice broke the moment, interrupting Ivanka and Michael.They turned to look.Standing before them was none other than Mr. George. It had been a while since they last saw him.Michael narrowed his eyes. He had not expected him to show up at Caeser’s banquet.“What? Didn’t learn your lesson last time?” His tone was cold and sharp.As he spoke, he stepped forward. He simultaneously shielded Ivanka behind him.They knew they were in Mirvania, and Vincenzo was nearby. No matter what Mr. George was planning, he would not dare make a move under Vincenzo’s watch.Still, Michael’s reaction was instinctive.“No hard feelings, right? Isn’t this how friendships start?” Mr. George replied indifferently. He stepped to the side and looked at Ivanka.“Friends?” Ivanka let out a sharp laugh. “Be honest, Mr. George. Do you really think we could ever be friends?”She had taken the Ganoderma Nebula. He had tried to steal it by sending his men. She had turned five of them against him a
Ivanka tried to step aside, but Michael blocked her path.The acrid smell of smoke hit her.She instinctively covered her nose and mouth.Michael saw her reaction and put out his cigarette.“If I talk through a third party and they can’t get my point across to my subordinates, wouldn’t it be better to handle it myself?”Ivanka frowned. “Is this really the time to talk about this?”She thought about pushing him away, but she decided against it.“I know it’s not. I also know you did all that to make me give up. But I won’t. It will just hurt.”His voice was hoarse and tinged with sorrow.He looked heartbroken.If this had been before, she might have felt bad for him. But at that moment, she felt nothing. She said calmly, “That’s your problem, not mine. If you want to keep getting knocked out and run around like this, be my guest.”She stepped forward and pulled out her phone.Michael knew exactly what she meant. If he kept blocking her way, she would call Njord, Stella, and t
“Alright, go back to the casino and wait for my order.”The fight between Tanya and Blake had revealed how fragile their relationship was. If Tanya thought the stranger she met at the party was reliable, she would try to leave Blake.She would have thought that she had gotten her freedom. But in fact, it was just another circle of hell awaiting her.By then, Tanya would suffer a worse fate than death.That was what Ivanka wanted to see.After all, Tanya had disguised herself as Ivanka and put a stain on her reputation for a time. Moreover, Tanya was still planning to come after her and Michael.Ivanka would not intervene in the feud between Tanya and Michael, but since she had run into Tanya at the party, she would like to settle the score between her and Tanya.“That’s your plan?”As Ivanka hung up, Vincent could not help frowning.He knew what she was up to when she had asked Njord to assign the job to a man.But the progress was too slow!Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Yeah
Tanya was not a fool.Seeing Tanya’s reaction, the man smiled calmly and said, “Seriously? He’s just your boyfriend. He can’t possibly stop you from making friends, right?”Tanya ignored him and kept walking.She reached a junction and took out her phone to book a ride. But the Hicks family’s mansion was on the hillside. Moreover, Caeser had contacted the Ministry of Transport to impose traffic control in the area. Apart from those who attended the party, no one else’s vehicle was allowed to enter.Seeing that there was not a single car around, Tanya had no choice but to walk down the hill.Blake had told her to get lost, so she would not go back to the mansion to ask for his help.She walked for about five minutes. High heels were not made for long-distance walks, and she was in a long evening gown. She held a little purse that contained her phone, lipstick, a small packet of tissues, and nothing else. Worse still, she could not tear off the long hem of her gown.Tanya had no c
What Blake said struck a chord with Tanya.Her expression was cold, and the look in her eyes was vicious.She did not even love Blake, so everything he did had nothing to do with her. She did not care if he was involved with other women.“Do you have anything else to say? I don’t think I need to be at this party for long.” Tanya averted her gaze so that she did not have to look Blake in the eye.She had made her point clear. If he did not need her around, she would take her leave for the night.Naturally, Blake knew what she meant to say.“Get lost then!”He yelled at Tanya right away. She did not even spare him a look before lifting the hem of her dress, turning around, and walking away.Blake’s voice was filled with disgust, hatred, and rage. But Tanya could not care less about how he felt.She had come to the party with Blake, who arranged their ride. The Hicks, who organized this party, had prepared a parking lot for the guests. There were cars arranged neatly across the p