“Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane, it’s all my fault. I failed to keep my subordinates in line. But… I already told her to get her pay from the finance department. I did not expect her to cause a scene in the company. I’ll bear responsibility for her actions, Mr. Barkworth.”The manager had a regretful expression on his face. His voice was filled with remorse. “I will take responsibility for the impact she brought to the company. I’m willing to bear all the consequences…”The HR manager was genuinely sorry.Chelsea pulled a long face.She immediately looked over at Michael and said, “Mr. Barkworth, I want to report him. He fails to exercise fairness and plays favoritism. I was handling this situation according to protocol, yet I was fired in the end. I think he does not deserve to hold the position of the HR manager.”Ivanka’s thin brows were slightly furrowed.Obviously, she was annoyed by the ruckus.She turned to look at Michael and said calmly, “How are you going to handle this matte
Chelsea was still following Michael, but she dared not catch up to him. She did not want to give up, so she tailed him all the way to the elevator and saw him entering it with Ivanka.“Mr. Barkworth…” She still called after him stubbornly, as if Michael would open the door for her.At that moment, everyone stared at her with varied emotions in their eyes.The HR manager looked at her coldly and said in a solemn voice, I hope you’ll take responsibility for your actions today. Don’t make me waste my breath on you. You know what Mr. Barkworth will do.”With that, the manager did not spare her another look or wait for her response. He turned around and left right away. All around her, one of the employees who disliked Chelsea already began sneering. “Back then, I almost did not pass the interview because of you. If I must be fair and honest, you are certainly problematic. If you were to stay in Barkworth’s Group, you’d only ruin the company’s reputation. Some of my friends who didn’t
“Of course there is.” The sales director curled her lips slowly. She was in her forties, but looked much younger due to her self-care routine.She was also wearing office attire, and she had a great figure. However, there was a striking tattoo on her left cheek. It was a very tiny rose.No one knew why she would tattoo that on her face, but it made her even more charming rather than tacky.“Is there a way to fix this?”Chelsea stared at the woman before her. They had talked to each other once or twice in the past, but outside of those occasions, they mostly did not interact with one another when they met. All they did was exchange nods as a way of greeting. Yet, this woman was willing to help her?This puzzled Chelsea, but she also felt strangely emotional. Those who were close to her did not defend her when she needed them. The only person who gave her a hand was an acquaintance.“Hah.” She thought. How ironic.As she waited for the answer, the sales director, Moana Lemmings, s
Ivanka frowned silently.She thought Michael wanted to assign her work.She followed him all the way into his office. After he closed the door, he looked at her grimly.Ivanka had a puzzled expression on her face. She remained where she was and waited for his instruction.But Michael strode up to her and said in a cold voice, “How long are you going to keep stirring up trouble?”“Stir up trouble?” Ivanka was confused. “What are you saying such weird things?”She thought that she had not once done that in front of him since before they got married.She did all she was supposed to do in her daily life. Even when they were still a lawful couple, she had not fought with Michael because he left to keep Chiara company. She would certainly not do that after the divorce.Seeing Ivanka’s calm yet baffled expression, Michael felt as though he was the one starting a fight unprompted. He suddenly snorted in laughter. “Very well.”Ivanka was even more confused.She knew that Michael never
Ivanka was baffled.She had no idea how to react to Michael.Seeing that there was no important matter to discuss, she immediately said in a somber voice. “You may consider this matter thoroughly. I shall head back to my office and keep working. I’m ready to stop whenever you want to cancel the project.”With that, Ivanka did not say another word to Michael and turned to leave.But Michael seized her arm quickly and did not allow her to get out.Ivanka frowned slightly and turned her eyes on him. “What else do you want?”Michael clenched his teeth. “Do you think I won’t call off this project because of the profits?”Ivanka instantly laughed sarcastically. “Barkworth’s Group is rich and established. Why would you care about the meager profit?”“Very well.” Michael gripped her arm tightly. Before she even knew how to respond, he flung her onto the couch.Ivanka was flabbergasted the whole time. She looked at Michael, who was approaching her, with confusion. “Which one of us is s
Ivanka furrowed her brows tightly and stared at Michael grimly. He was being ridiculous. What did he mean by “play along”?What happened between them? What was she even obliged to “play along” with?Meeting his sharp, unwavering gaze, Ivanka’s patience gradually wore out. At last, she said in a somber voice, “What on earth do you want?”At that moment, Ivanka was lying on the couch with Michael on top of her. She could not free herself from his grip.The look in Michael’s eyes became even colder. Seeing her genuinely clueless expression, his rage grew and seethed for no reason. Michael himself was astounded. Since when did Ivanka manage to affect his emotions? This did not look good.But he could not help saying icily, “What do you think? Now the whole company is talking about us. Ivanka, I have asked you the same questions so many times. Are you that forgetful?”Ivanka said, “What… are you trying to say?”She was genuinely clueless, and the impatience in her eyes only grew, w
Michael had longed for Ivanka’s lips.At that moment, a rush of thoughts flooded his mind.He could smell her familiar scent. Even in the past, he was never averse to her scent. Evan, who was always by Michael’s side, knew his preference. He knew that Michael disliked women with strong perfumes, but Ivanka’s natural scent was comforting to him.Being close to her, Michael could even hear her rapid breathing in his ears. He knew that it was not because she was falling in love with him, but rather, this was her initial reaction born from a mix of panic, fear, and anger. She raised her hand to push Michael away. Michael managed to quickly and skillfully grab her hands, and it left her no chance to struggle. Despite being skilled in taekwondo, Ivanka was subdued by him. She was completely powerless.Her face quickly became pale. What he did was humiliating. She was fuming because she knew that he was doing this on purpose.Yet, with her arms pinned, she could not fight back an
Michael’s expression darkened as his urge to punish Ivanka grew stronger. This was not her first time scolding him like this.This time, while she was scolding him, he interrupted her. “Ivanka, this is what you get for not listening to me.”He deepened his kiss with Ivanka and held her head. This made it harder for her to struggle. He suddenly pulled back his hand and slipped it into her clothes. Ivanka was shocked and turned pale as she felt his touch on her bare lower abdomen. She trembled.At that moment, she stopped resisting and said, “Michael, you really know how to humiliate me, don’t you?”She mumbled because Michael was still kissing her, but he heard her loud and clear. He stopped and subconsciously looked at her.He stiffened when he saw how pale and desolate Ivanka looked.His expression changed as he instantly came back to his senses.What had he done?He quickly let go of her. How could he let her anger him to the point of losing his composure?!While he was da