A flicker of emotion flashed in Ivanka’s eyes, and she said nothing.She wanted to leave, but she could not.Meanwhile, outside the Barkworth’s family mansion, Michael had already driven off.But he did not go far. People simply could not see him from the house.He stopped his car and slowly produced a blue box from the trunk.He put it in the front passenger seat and returned to the driver seat.Michael was not in a hurry to start driving. He seemed to be waiting for the right moment.His cold expression did not betray much emotion.Suddenly, his phone started ringing. He snapped out of his reverie and answered the call.“What are you up to? Come hang out with us.” Ivan sounded rather frivolous.Micheal said calmly, “I’m busy.”Ivan immediately chuckled. “What are you busy with? I see you getting into the car, but you didn’t start driving. You call this ‘busy’?”Michael was speechless.In the next second, Ivan began chuckling again and said, “You finally know to make the
Ivan’s words felt like a venom that seeped into his heart and corroded Michael’s mind. Michael never believed that he fancied Ivanka. He simply thought they were a good match.That was all.Then, he said in a solemn voice, “If you have so much time on your hand, you might as well think about Sandy.”“Heck!” Ivan was relaxed just a moment ago. Once he heard this name, he exploded with rage.“Why do you have to mention her? What’s wrong with you?”Ignoring him, Michael snorted coldly and rolled up the car window. The glass panel raised and forced Ivan to withdraw his arm. He said with a sullen expression, “Shit, you really want to leave me here? My car broke down, and I don’t have a spare now. Let me in!”Michael frowned impatiently.But Ivan still saw him click something, and the car door was unlocked.Just as Ivan wanted to go over to the front passenger seat, Michael said in a somber voice, “Take the back seat.”Ivan halted in his tracks and did just that. He was grumblin
Ivan swaggered behind Michael. Seeing Rosie, he immediately greeted her enthusiastically, “Hi, grandma!”Only then did she notice the person behind her grandson. She quickly nodded with a smile. “You’re visiting too?”“Yeah, I miss you, so I dropped by to visit.”But as soon as he said that, Ivan realized something was off. After all, he came empty-handed…He instinctively looked over at Michael and saw the gleam of mockery in his eyes as well as the disdainful smirk on his lips.Ivan faked a cough and rubbed his nose. That was fine. If he was thick-skinned enough, there was nothing to be embarrassed about.Rosie immediately chuckled. She did not mind this at all. “You’re late though. You should have come during dinnertime.”“It’s alright. I’m just happy to see you. We can dine together some other time.”Ivanka furrowed her brows. She did not care if Ivan was around. What troubled her was the fact that Michael had indeed brought home a gift. There were surveillance cameras in t
Michael seemed like he was not paying attention to them. However, if they were to look closely, they would notice that he was observing them through his peripheral vision. “Quick, open it up and look!”Without hesitation, Ivanka lifted the lid of the gift box.When she saw what was inside it, she froze in stunned silence. Michael silently focused on Ivanka. He pursed his lips and subconsciously turned to face Ivanka to get a clear view of her.Even he was unsure if he was feeling nervous. As for Ivanka, her face was as white as a sheet.Michael sure knew how to humiliate her.She did not expect him to resort to such a method on her.She subconsciously reminisced about what had happened two years ago.On that day, they attended a banquet together. Naturally, they pretended to be a model couple in front of others.On that day, she wore a pair of uncomfortable, low-quality high heels Michael gave her.Her legs became red and swollen. She subconsciously took off her shoes
Rosie was about to ask Ivan what he meant when she saw Ivanka’s pale face.Ivan also noticed something off about Ivanka.He no longer felt like joking anymore. He looked at her and wanted to ask if she was okay, but Rosie spoke first. She asked her worriedly, “Iv, are you okay?”Ivanka had been perfectly fine earlier. Even though she had mentioned earlier that she wanted to leave, she still chose to stay for Rosie’s sake. Rosie thought she helped Michael buy enough time.But why did her expression change so drastically after seeing the gift?The gift box fell to the floor, and one of the crystal shoes tumbled out, revealing its eight-centimeter-high heel and delicate beauty.Ivanka recognized that these crystal shoes were a limited edition designed by Papaver.Back at Rosie’s birthday banquet, there was an issue with Ivanka’s shoes. Harvey told Ivanka that Michael was the one who gave her the shoes.Ivanka felt conflicted about it back then and did not believe it because she kn
Rosie looked outside as she watched Michael chase after Ivanka. She then said worriedly again, “Something’s not right! I know Iv is disappointed in Mic. But despite that, I know she’s still not over him deep down. Normally, even if they’re having issues, Iv wouldn’t leave so abruptly. But today, she walked out without a word and looked all gloomy. And what’s with those shoes anyway? You mentioned the meaning behind giving shoes to girls earlier. What is it?”Ivan became puzzled.Oh man, could it be that the meaning of the shoes caused this? Did that mean Iv still had not moved on from Michael?So, did that mean she had been deliberately stringing Michael along for such a long time?Hmm, that did not seem right either.Rosie noticed Ivan’s strange expression and asked him, “Ivan, quick, tell me already!”She had not heard about this superstition beforeIvan stopped overthinking and quickly explained, “There’s a saying that lovers shouldn’t give each other shoes because it’s belie
Ivanka had to walk away since she did not have her car with her, which allowed Michael to catch up quickly.When he noticed that she was walking ahead without looking back, he decided not to waste his breath calling out to her. He walked in front of her and grabbed her wrist. This stopped her from walking any further.She frowned and gave him a cold look. “Let go.”Her sharp gaze made him pause momentarily, but he held onto her wrist firmly. Instead, he stared at her and asked, “Why?”“Why?” Ivanka was ironically infuriated. “You said what you said and did what you did. And now you’re here asking me why?”Was he expecting her to recount the humiliation she had faced?She found it amusing.Michael frowned and did not understand what Ivanka was talking about.He suppressed his annoyance, tightened his grip on her hand and asked again, “What exactly is this fuss about?”Fuss?Ivanka scoffed as her impatience and disgust became more evident. “How could you say such a thing?”Mic
Michael remained silent.Ivan grew anxious as he frowned and urged, “Say something already!”Michael’s face clouded with gloom as he continued remaining silent.Ivan was starting to get frustrated with Michael’s silence. He said in a low voice, “Why won’t you speak up?! Did you catch up with Ivanka? Did you talk to her? What happened?!”Michael did not seem inclined to speak. As he started walking away, Ivan grabbed his arm.Michael gazed sharply at Ivan’s hand. He never liked anyone touching him.At that moment, Ivan could not care less. He pressed on, “Ivanka was in a very bad mood earlier. Something huge must have happened. Why didn’t you chase after her?”Ivan arrived late because he had to stay with Rosie. He came over because she insisted on checking the situation.But all he found was Michael standing there alone like a fool.“Damn it! Say something! Tell me what happened. Grandma is getting worried over there.”Michael’s frown deepened. He finally spoke in a low voice
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