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
Sophia stopped talking. She appeared timid as she wore her emotions on her sleeves. Her expression revealed a mix of hesitation and complexity. Other secretaries became intrigued when they noticed her emotions.“What’s wrong? Why did you stop halfway?”Still holding the documents, she raised her right hand to tuck a loose strand of hair in front of her forehead behind her ear before speaking awkwardly, “I just... saw something I shouldn’t have seen...”Her behavior piqued everyone’s curiosity in the office. Her words only fueled their eagerness to hear and gossip about it.One of them could not help but ask, “What happened?”One of the male secretaries, Alex, chuckled. “Stuff you’re not supposed to see is what makes good gossip.”Olivia, another younger female secretary, persuaded, “Come on, spill the beans! What happened? We all work together and are pretty close. No one will throw you under the bus!”After all, the one who knew the secret felt the weight of it, while the oth
Even after returning to her office, Ivanka could not calm down.The earlier incident remained vivid in her mind!She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try to compose herself.She wanted to brush off all the bad things that happened earlier, but she could never let it slide. How dare he humiliate her?! If she did let it slide, she would suffocate in anger.She took a deep breath and massaged the muscle between her eyebrows.He had behaved this way more than once. She would not give in to his behavior.As she thought of that, she picked up her phone and called him.Michael was surprised to see Ivanka’s call. He picked it up with a stern face.Before he could say anything, Ivanka said, “I’m visiting Grandma tonight.”His expression darkened. “What are you up to?”She sneered, “What do you mean? You’re the one who told me to regularly visit Grandma.”Michael frowned. “Let’s go together after work “Ivanka hung up without saying anything further.She knew he was worried
Ivanka smiled as she walked up to Rosie. She looked like she was in a good mood as if nothing had happened. Rosie looked at Ivanka with a smile. When she noticed Michael coming in as well, she instantly frowned. Her smile faded away. Then, she asked him with a displeased and resentful tone, “Why are you here?”Michael was at a loss for words.Ivanka’s smile widened. She glanced at Michael before shifting her gaze to Rosie.She then said softly, “I, too, feel like his presence is unnecessary. Grandma, why don’t you ask him to leave?”Rosie was surprised. Ivanka had never talked like this to her before.Had this rascal provoked her sweet Iv again?! Rosie’s expression darkened. “You brat, did you mistreat Iv again?!”Michael remained silent.Ivanka smiled, but did not look at him. Instead, she held Rosie’s hand and said softly, “Grandma, it’s nothing.”“Nothing?” Rosie frowned. Ivanka had never said things like that before. Something definitely happened. She looked a
“Tell me! I’ll stand up to you! Who dares run their mouths off? We won’t stand for such injustice!” Rosie said firmly. Her eyes were cold. The kindly demeanor she usually had was gone. All Ivanka could sense at the moment was that cold, unyielding demeanor. She was quite surprised. Perhaps it was because she had never seen Rosie behave in such a way before and never thought that Rosie could be so awe-inspiring. She had always thought that Rosie was a proper, elegant, upper-class lady. To think that she could be so intimidating…Ivanka felt a warmth blossom in her heart as she watched Rosie behave in such a manner. After staying silent for a moment, Ivanka sighed. “Forget it, Grandma. We can’t control what other people say. Let them say whatever they want.”“No! Tell me! I want to know what they said!”A conflicted look appeared in Ivanka’s eyes. She did not say anything. Michael sized Ivanka up. Something was off about her today. She had never cared about how other peo
Ivanka pursed her lips and spoke again. “Some say that Michael can’t let go of me. That’s why he brought me to Barkworth Group and gave me such great power. But others say that Michael doesn’t care about me at all, and he’s only doing this for you. There’s been a lot of debate over this.” “So, what’s the bet?” Seemingly amused, Rosie chuckled. “The stakes are money and various difficult tasks,” Ivanka’s eyes flickered slightly. “They say I...” Ivanka’s eyes momentarily glinted with sadness and helplessness. “Sometimes I wonder if I’m too much of a failure, or if I should never have had a past with Michael. Would they stop talking about me then? Sometimes, they say these things to my face...” A look of defeat flashed in Ivanka’s eyes. At that moment, Michael also received a message from Evan. Evan: [I didn’t know about this. I’ll have someone look into it now.] He put down his phone silently. Ivanka continued, “They say I’m just a trophy wife with no real ability, and th
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