She was never his. He had been deceiving himself all along. Since the last time Anna talked to him, he had become much more clear-headed. He had been resisting the urge to reach out to Ivanka. He wanted to see if Ivanka held any feelings for him and if Anna was mistaken about it. As long as Ivanka reached out to him, he could be sure that things were not as he imagined. However, Ivanka had never once taken the initiative to reach out to him. Their relationship had even become somewhat strained. These past few days had been incredibly difficult for him. He was beginning to consider letting go. But he really could not bear to. After seeing this news, he knew it was finally time to let go. While thinking about that, Hanson instinctively took a deep breath before dialing Ivanka’s number. Ivanka, on the other hand, had already adjusted her mindset and was preparing to work for a while. Suddenly, she saw Hanson’s incoming call. She knew immediately why Hanson was callin
Ivanka’s gaze flickered with realization. She knew that Hanson had seen the trending topic.At that moment, he must be feeling very upset.However, she did not know how to tell him.If she explained, it would give him hope, but not explaining would be irresponsible.Just as Ivanka was struggling with how to handle it, Hanson suddenly said in a solemn tone, “Actually, I know. From the very beginning, when you agreed to be with me, it was because you were afraid I wouldn’t wake up.”Ivanka’s expression seemed surprised. “Hanson, you...”Hanson could not help but let out a chuckle, but if she listened carefully, she could hear the desolation in it.“Iv, actually, I had thought about that at that time, but because I loved you too much, I kept deceiving myself. I thought that as long as I didn’t say it out loud, as long as I didn’t think about it further, your wanting to be with me was real.”Ivanka pursed her lips. She was once again not sure what to say, but she also knew that sin
“Hanson, you really don’t have to do this. You don’t need to watch over me.” Ivanka finally spoke. “You need to live your own life, live for yourself, otherwise, you’re not really living.”She wanted to say that if he kept watching over her, his own life would be meaningless.However, she was afraid that saying so would make Hanson misunderstand.Yet, even though she did not say it, Hanson still misunderstood. His breath seemed to tremble. He struggled to speak, “Are you unwilling to even give me the chance to be friends? Iv, I won’t pester you. We will be just like before.”Ivanka’s expression turned concerned. “That’s not what I meant. You misunderstood. We can still be friends. You’ve always been a friend and brother to me. What I meant is that you don’t need to watch over me anymore. It’s too tiring.”Hanson breathed a sigh of relief. Being able to maintain a friendship was already enough for him.But when it came to watching over her, he would not stop. Ivanka was the most i
She pursed her lips silently.Hanson knew it was time to end the conversation. He chuckled. “All right, Iv, I won’t keep you any longer. I hope you won’t avoid me like the plague in the future, and I hope you’ll occasionally reach out to me. Let’s meet up for a meal sometime. Trust me, I’ll keep my feelings in check and remain clear-headed.”Ivanka looked conflicted. She replied, “Okay, I might be busy with work for a while. Once I’m done with that, we can meet up.”“Great, I’ll be waiting for you.” Hanson smiled. “Go ahead and get busy. Bye.”“Bye.” Ivanka replied without further hesitation and hung up the phone.However, after putting down her phone, she appeared doubtful and conflicted.How should she handle things with Hanson from now on?After hesitating for a moment, Ivanka opened WhatsApp and messaged in the group chat with Anna and Sandy.Ivanka: Hanson just called me. He talked things out with me. He knew that I didn’t really mean it when I agreed to date him.Anna: W
As Ivanka was in the elevator, she noticed the peculiar gazes from the other people in the elevator.Every single person was staring at her.Even though she tried to ignore it, she could not shake off the feeling that something was wrong. Looking at the surrounding faces, she softly asked, “Why are you all looking at me like this?”She began to wonder if there was something on her face or clothes that was drawing attention.Some people, upon hearing her question, quickly averted their gaze.However, there were others who remained silent and continued staring at Ivanka.And some people could not help but speak up, “Ms. Ivanka, are you and Mr. Barkworth rekindling the flame?” Ivanka’s eyes flickered with realization. So, was it because of the trending topic on Twitter?She simply calmly replied, “No.”She answered firmly and decisively.She had no intention of developing any relationship with Michael.The people in the elevator unconsciously turned their gazes back to Ivanka.
Amidst the various expressions of the crowd, Ivanka no longer dwelled on those thoughts. She briskly walked along the path cleared by everyone.At the moment, she only wanted to know what Michael was up to again!Along the way, Ivanka felt the piercing gaze of those people, as if they were daggers.She did not need to look to know that these were the looks from some of the girls.When she reached the company’s entrance, Ivanka’s gaze froze. Her expression turned sour!That scoundrel!No wonder these employees were still there!That was because the path was blocked. No one dared to disrupt it!Underneath the steps, every surface was covered with roses, a sea of red. In the center stood a man dressed in a black suit.Surrounding him were more roses, arranged to spell out the words “To my beloved.”How tacky and nauseating!Yet unbelievably, it was enough to make many girls envious to the point of tears.When Michael spotted Ivanka, he turned to her and said softly, “You’re fi
When Michael spoke to Ivanka, he seemed very gentle. He took the extra step of doing so many things for her.He gave people the impression that he was a warm and caring man, so much so that he deceived many people into thinking that he was an extremely gentle person.However, just now, Michael’s words were laced with razorblades. Even though it was a casual remark, it conveyed a sense of hostility.Even the aura he emitted was much more intense than before.“If you like it, I can give you this kind of romance every day in the future.” Michael looked at her softly. It was as if Ivanka was already his wife.The girls envied her so much!They thought. “How could Mr. Barkworth be so tender? How could he be so gentle? How come we don’t receive such treatment? Oh!”They were so envious of Ivanka!Ivanka frowned. With so many people watching, she did not know how many had already started recording, and people from the press were among them. If this continued, it would be a disaster.
Someone immediately refuted. “Isn’t it common? Mr. Barkworth is at the courting stage. Since Ms. Lane doesn’t want to get back together, of course she will throw a fit.”Everyone discussed among themselves as they watched Michael and Ivanka leave.Someone suddenly pointed out the problem at hand.“Oh my God, look at the roses on the floor. Now that they have left, what about… us?”The others were arguing among themselves earlier on. They quickly came to their senses.Sh*t!The roses were still left all over the floor. How were they going to get out?They could step on the stairs at the company entrance, but what about other places?What if they accidentally stepped on the roses, which was Michael’s gift, and he went berserk?At that point, no one else was in the mood to gossip about him and Ivanka. They just wanted to leave the company and go home.They could gossip at home!…Meanwhile, Michael had strong-armed Ivanka into the car. The moment the car door shut, she immedia
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