“Why is it a suite? There’s no way I’ll share a room with you!” Sandy’s expression soured. She was clearly reluctant.“Since it’s a suite, we’re not exactly sharing a room!” Ivan’s expression also soured considerably. This woman always spoke her mind without restraint. She had said such things in front of so many people with no regard for his dignity!The receptionist stood behind the counter in awkward silence.Sandy ignored Ivan and turned directly to the receptionist. “I’d like to book another room, please.”The receptionist repeated the same explanation given to Ivanka. It was the truth.“I’m sorry, ma’am. Our rooms require a booking in advance. There are no spare rooms at the moment.”Sandy’s expression soured further. She turned to Ivan. “Did you know we were coming here today?”Ivan scoffed. How would he know?When Michael thought of a plan, he just executed it right away. He would never give advance notice.“We keep a suite reserved here year-round. Got it? If you don’
Ivanka sighed wearily. “You have work to do. You didn’t have to come here to accompany me. Even though I’m here with Michael, at the very least, for the sake of the company’s interests, he would keep me safe.”“I know that. I just came to relax. You just happened to be here too. We can take a look around when you’re free.”Sandy sounded enthusiastic, but Ivanka could see through her friend. Through her eyes, Ivanka could sense Sandy’s reluctance.She knew that keeping her company was not what troubled Sandy. Before Ivanka could think further, Sandy looked at her and asked, “Iv, which room are you in now? How about I stay with you?”Ivanka’s eyes flickered thoughtfully. “I’m staying in Michael’s suite.”“Damn it! Another suite! Why do these people do such disgusting things?” Sandy could not help but want to vent her frustration, but as soon as she said it, she regretted it.Ivanka stared at her. “Ivan made you stay in the same suite with him?”She figured out why Sandy was feel
Chiara was very clever. Most of the time, she could immediately tell when something was amiss.Lyla dreaded her daughter’s perceptiveness. She could only maintain a calm demeanor and say, “Well, the place is just being renovated. I didn’t like the layout there and wanted to make some changes. After the renovation is finished, we’ll need to open the windows for ventilation. It will take at least a few months. Let’s just stay here for now.”Chiara immediately furrowed her brow again. “But that house was just newly done. You liked the design style. Why would you want to redo it?”She stared at Lyla suspiciously.However, Lyla said with a resigned manner, “It’s all your dad’s assistant’s fault! He hired workers who used poor materials for the renovations, and now, after only a short while, the walls at home are cracking.”Chiara felt skeptical. She kept sensing that something was off, but she could not quite put her finger on it.After a pause, she spoke again, “But even if we have t
Lyla snorted and indifferently said, “I’ll make something to eat. Wait here.”Chiara was surprised. “You’re cooking? Where is our maid?”Lyla remained silent.With the house sold and no money left, there was no way they could afford to hire a maid.As she washed her hands, she replied indifferently, “Considering your situation, it’s best not to interact with outsiders anymore. They might notice something amiss, and it wouldn’t be good for you. With everyone around us now unreliable, it’s risky to trust anyone new.”Chiara frowned. She acknowledged the truth in her mother’s words and said nothing more. She walked over to the sofa in the living room and sat down. Turning on the TV, she could not shake off her inexplicable frustration. “The distance between this sofa and the TV is too close!”Although Lyla could hear Chiara’s frustration from her tone, the current situation did not permit any indulgence. She pretended she did not hear that and ignored Chiara....As the evening app
He was a little stunned as he did not expect that Ivanka was really in the shower.She was wrapped in a slightly short towel that barely reached her thighs. Water stains adorned her delicate collarbone. Further down, there was a glimpse of something more.Michael’s pupils contracted slightly. His lips pressed tightly into a thin line as he remained silent.Ivanka clutched the towel tightly. She was worried that it would slip off. Her brow furrowed with impatience. “What the hell do you want?”As Ivanka shifted, a strand of hair fell across her chest, adding to the alluring mystery. Michael’s eyes flickered with lust and his Adam’s apple bobbed subtly. Without a word, he turned and walked away.Ivanka was left baffled by his sudden departure.What was that about?Without saying a word, she was going to close the door and go back to her shower, but then she heard Michael’s voice. “Get out here when you’re done!”Ivanka’s face darkened. Gritting her teeth, she said nothing. She cl
Michael’s face darkened further. “See it yourself and see if I was finding fault with you.”With that, he tossed the laptop to Ivanka.She frowned silently. Instead, she looked toward the screen.Earlier on, she had simply scanned it.But after what Michael had said, she had to regard it attentively.There was a ten-page Word document on the laptop. From the preview in the column on the left side of the screen, each page was filled with text.If it were someone else, they would feel a headache at the sight of it. After all, it was tiring to read all these words.But Ivanka read very quickly. After reading two pages, she realized that she had misunderstood Michael.Without a word, she read all ten pages of the document.At that point, Ivanka had already calmed down. Michael had not left, and he sat beside her the entire time.There was a conflicted look in Ivanka’s eyes, but she did not feel remorse. Michael had always been moody and tried to find fault with her. Even if she m
No one realized that it was already getting late.While they discussed the plan, the atmosphere in another room was a little tense.After Sandy returned to the room, she pulled a long face and kept suspecting that Ivan was up to no good.That jerk kept trying to approach her because he wanted to get something back, but she would never let him have it. It was hers!At that moment, Ivan was filled with rage. Seeing the insufferable look on Sandy’s face, he said angrily, “Woman, shouldn’t you give me a heads-up before you grabbed a bite? Didn’t you know I was waiting for you to dine together?”Sandy was so furious that she gave a bark of laughter. “Did I ask you to wait for me? Since when have we become chummy enough to dine together? You were waiting for me? Humph, I don’t trust you!”Ivan ground his teeth. “Why couldn’t I wait? You’re getting more and more unreasonable!”Sandy laughed once again and stared at him with a quizzical look.“Who are you calling ‘unreasonable’? Are we
Ivan grew even more irritated. “What? You don’t believe me?”Michael’s lips curled into a faint smile. “I will, once you get the thing you said.”Ivan was speechless.The elevator door soon opened. Ivan said with gritted teeth, “I’m only unable to get it from her at the moment. If I could bring myself to cross the line, there’s no way she manages to keep it for so long. I wouldn’t allow it!”The two of them got into the elevator. When they came out, Michael said nothing. He knew that Ivan was only venting and acting like a drunkard before he even touched the alcohol.Soon, they arrived at the bar. Ivan did not speak to Michael and instead downed a glass of wine. After a pause, he finally looked at Michael. “I questioned her earlier on. Hey, don’t you think that there’s something wrong with her? Didn’t she know that I was waiting for her so that we could dine together? What did she do instead? She went to dine with Ivanka without notifying me! I was the one who brought her here. Sh
Ivanka understood everything just by looking at Stella’s expression.The drinks and pastries had to be the problem. The weakness and fatigue people were experiencing must have come from consuming them. She tested them with a test strip right away.As expected, they had been poisoned.She had not eaten anything, so she was fine. But she was unsure about Vincenzo, so she checked on him immediately. Thankfully, he was unharmed.Stella let out a deep breath.Before she could say anything, Vincenzo scolded her. “You ran back here and left Njord alone? Hurry up and get back there!”“Yes, Boss!”Stella responded quickly and ran off.Ivanka was about to speak when Michael and Evan rushed in.Michael looked anxious and was breathing heavily.Just like Stella, he was panicking.“Come here. Let me check.” Ivanka nodded at him. She knew how stubborn he was.Michael pursed his lips together and hesitated.But Ivanka had already stepped forward and checked on him. His pulse was weakenin
Vincenzo immediately noticed Michael putting some distance between them.It was not out of fear but respect for Vincenzo’s status. After all, he was Ivanka’s only family.Ivanka walked straight to Vincenzo without sparing Michael a glance.Michael could only stand there and watch her leave.Back at their spot, Vincenzo remained silent. Ivanka, however, felt uneasy.She had only gone to the restroom and had not expected to run into Michael.After some thought, she decided to explain.“Uncle, I didn’t go looking for him.”“You don’t need to explain. Even if you did, that’s your choice. I’ve said what I needed to. The decision is yours.”His tone was calm, but to Ivanka, it sounded like he was upset.She wanted to say more, but Vincenzo spoke first. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m not angry. Once the banquet is over, take a few days to rest. Then we’ll head out.”“Alright.”Since he had already said that, there was nothing more to say.Caeser had hosted the banquet to trigger inte
Ivanka saw the grin on Michael’s face and immediately let go of his arm. Her expression darkened with displeasure.Michael looked like he was enjoying her frustration.“I’m not,” he denied at once, quickly adding, “I’m happy because you pulled me away. It shows you care.”Ivanka was speechless.She looked at his smiling face and shook her head. “I just didn’t want you getting into a fight with Mr. George right now. If something happened to you while I was there, I couldn’t just leave. And if I didn’t, that would make me responsible for you.”Michael frowned. “Do you really think I’m that useless?”He had fought Mr. George before and never even saw him as a threat. There was no way someone like that could take him down.“That’s not the point. Mr. George isn’t alone, but you are. This isn’t your territory, Michael. And don’t forget, the drug in your system hasn’t fully cleared, and your gunshot wound—”He cut her off before she could finish.“That injury was a long time ago. I’m
Ivanka had never revealed her identity as Violet Cress. How did Mr. George figure it out just from her treating Caeser?“Mr. Ali, I only gave Mr. Hicks a few herbal prescriptions. It was nothing special.”“Caeser has plenty of skilled doctors, yet none of them could fix his condition. You did so effortlessly. That says a lot. Anyone who can earn his trust must be exceptionally capable. Ms. Ivanka, the Ganoderma Nebula is not something just anyone can use properly, nor does everyone have your level of confidence.”At first, Mr. George had not suspected anything. But after learning about the legendary medical expert, Violet Cress, he started making connections. She was well known by reputation, yet no one had ever seen her face. He had looked into her background and found that she was probably not elderly.There was also the Ganoderma Nebula.So, he made an educated guess.Looking at Ivanka’s calm reaction, he was even more convinced. When he first mentioned it, there had been a fl
A teasing voice broke the moment, interrupting Ivanka and Michael.They turned to look.Standing before them was none other than Mr. George. It had been a while since they last saw him.Michael narrowed his eyes. He had not expected him to show up at Caeser’s banquet.“What? Didn’t learn your lesson last time?” His tone was cold and sharp.As he spoke, he stepped forward. He simultaneously shielded Ivanka behind him.They knew they were in Mirvania, and Vincenzo was nearby. No matter what Mr. George was planning, he would not dare make a move under Vincenzo’s watch.Still, Michael’s reaction was instinctive.“No hard feelings, right? Isn’t this how friendships start?” Mr. George replied indifferently. He stepped to the side and looked at Ivanka.“Friends?” Ivanka let out a sharp laugh. “Be honest, Mr. George. Do you really think we could ever be friends?”She had taken the Ganoderma Nebula. He had tried to steal it by sending his men. She had turned five of them against him a
Ivanka tried to step aside, but Michael blocked her path.The acrid smell of smoke hit her.She instinctively covered her nose and mouth.Michael saw her reaction and put out his cigarette.“If I talk through a third party and they can’t get my point across to my subordinates, wouldn’t it be better to handle it myself?”Ivanka frowned. “Is this really the time to talk about this?”She thought about pushing him away, but she decided against it.“I know it’s not. I also know you did all that to make me give up. But I won’t. It will just hurt.”His voice was hoarse and tinged with sorrow.He looked heartbroken.If this had been before, she might have felt bad for him. But at that moment, she felt nothing. She said calmly, “That’s your problem, not mine. If you want to keep getting knocked out and run around like this, be my guest.”She stepped forward and pulled out her phone.Michael knew exactly what she meant. If he kept blocking her way, she would call Njord, Stella, and t
“Alright, go back to the casino and wait for my order.”The fight between Tanya and Blake had revealed how fragile their relationship was. If Tanya thought the stranger she met at the party was reliable, she would try to leave Blake.She would have thought that she had gotten her freedom. But in fact, it was just another circle of hell awaiting her.By then, Tanya would suffer a worse fate than death.That was what Ivanka wanted to see.After all, Tanya had disguised herself as Ivanka and put a stain on her reputation for a time. Moreover, Tanya was still planning to come after her and Michael.Ivanka would not intervene in the feud between Tanya and Michael, but since she had run into Tanya at the party, she would like to settle the score between her and Tanya.“That’s your plan?”As Ivanka hung up, Vincent could not help frowning.He knew what she was up to when she had asked Njord to assign the job to a man.But the progress was too slow!Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Yeah
Tanya was not a fool.Seeing Tanya’s reaction, the man smiled calmly and said, “Seriously? He’s just your boyfriend. He can’t possibly stop you from making friends, right?”Tanya ignored him and kept walking.She reached a junction and took out her phone to book a ride. But the Hicks family’s mansion was on the hillside. Moreover, Caeser had contacted the Ministry of Transport to impose traffic control in the area. Apart from those who attended the party, no one else’s vehicle was allowed to enter.Seeing that there was not a single car around, Tanya had no choice but to walk down the hill.Blake had told her to get lost, so she would not go back to the mansion to ask for his help.She walked for about five minutes. High heels were not made for long-distance walks, and she was in a long evening gown. She held a little purse that contained her phone, lipstick, a small packet of tissues, and nothing else. Worse still, she could not tear off the long hem of her gown.Tanya had no c
What Blake said struck a chord with Tanya.Her expression was cold, and the look in her eyes was vicious.She did not even love Blake, so everything he did had nothing to do with her. She did not care if he was involved with other women.“Do you have anything else to say? I don’t think I need to be at this party for long.” Tanya averted her gaze so that she did not have to look Blake in the eye.She had made her point clear. If he did not need her around, she would take her leave for the night.Naturally, Blake knew what she meant to say.“Get lost then!”He yelled at Tanya right away. She did not even spare him a look before lifting the hem of her dress, turning around, and walking away.Blake’s voice was filled with disgust, hatred, and rage. But Tanya could not care less about how he felt.She had come to the party with Blake, who arranged their ride. The Hicks, who organized this party, had prepared a parking lot for the guests. There were cars arranged neatly across the p