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
Michael could not help but laugh. “Not a good idea?” Was this not what she wanted? Was this why she came today? Ivanka’s gaze fell on Michael’s face, but she did not seem embarrassed at all. Instead, she nodded naturally at him. “How could this be a good idea? How could you possibly stoop to pick nine hundred and ninety-nine roses for me? One or two roses might be manageable, but nine hundred and ninety-nine is terrifying.” Once again amused and angered by Ivanka, Michael gritted his teeth. “What’s so terrifying about it? It’s just nine hundred and ninety-nine roses. Consider it exercise. You brat, go do it now!” Ivanka lowered her head slightly and said nothing more. She came today for this reason. Since Michael dared to bully her, he had to face the consequences. Michael’s face grew increasingly darker, and he did not say a word or show any intention of moving. Seeing this, Rosie’s expression darkened. “What do you mean? Don’t want to go? Ivanka has been talked about
Michael shut down completely. He did not want to utter a single word. But Rosie’s attitude was clear. If he said no, she might push herself too hard and fall ill. Ivanka pretended to want to speak, but Rosie stopped her. “Ivanka, don’t talk. I just want to hear it from him!” With the last few words, Rosie’s gaze fell on Michael’s face again. Michael irritably tugged at his tie. Ivanka’s eyes flickered involuntarily when she saw this. She suddenly remembered how Michael looked when he loosened his tie in his office. At that moment, Ivanka quickly averted her gaze, as if she dared not look any longer. Then, she heard Michael’s annoyed and helpless voice. “I’ll go.” Ivanka immediately looked at Michael again. Her eyes were calm, but the sarcasm and the posture of a victor were all displayed, which made Michael’s face even darker and heavier. Rosie was satisfied. She took Ivanka by the hand and started walking out. As they passed by Michael, she grabbed his hand. “No dela
Michael naturally did not want to move, but he could not withstand the continuous pressure from Rosie. After Rosie repeated herself several times, Michael had no choice but to finally move. He slightly bent his tall frame and picked a rose with his slender fingers. Rosie’s mood instantly improved. She happily said, “Good job, grandson! Only nine hundred and ninety-eight more to go to complete the task,” leaving Michael speechless. Ivanka trembled with laughter while holding her phone, unable to control the smile on her lips. Rosie was so humorous, Ivanka almost burst into laughter. Helplessly, Michael continued picking. One, two, three, four... Time passed, and Michael kept picking. Although it was already dark, the lights lit up the entire backyard and clearly illuminated every part of the scenery. Ivanka felt a bit tired holding up her phone. After Michael had continuously picked about three hundred roses, there was not a single drop of sweat on him, and his breathi