Michael’s icy gaze fell directly on the bed, but the sheets were neatly folded. There was no one there. He looked in the bathroom, only to find it empty!His face darkened instantly. He immediately took out his phone and tried calling Ivanka, but all he got was the female voice prompt indicating that her phone was switched off.Michael’s expression darkened even more. He immediately left the room and headed toward Ivan’s room.After ringing the doorbell, he continued knocking. Ivan irritably spoke up. “Who the hell is it? Knocking endlessly early in the morning!”He had never considered Michael doing this. Irritated by the persistent knocking, Ivan opened the door, ready to give a piece of his mind.He was surprised to see Michael standing at the door grimly.Ivan was dumbfounded. “Whoa, how come it’s you? Are you crazy? Knocking like this?”“Where is Sandy?”Ivan frowned immediately. He spoke up in a protective tone, “Sandy isn’t even up, and you want her to go accompany Ivank
“Give me my phone back!”Sandy’s voice carried a hint of displeasure. She did not like her phone being scrutinized by others, especially since it was a message from Ivanka.Thankfully, it did not mention Michael at all. If Ivanka had said something bad about Michael, would it not be her fault then?Michael did not answer. With a stern expression, he swiftly walked out.Ivan quickly stepped forward and asked, “Where are you going?”Sandy frowned as she had a bad feeling about it. Michael looked furious. Was he going to confront Ivanka?At that moment, Sandy felt a little panicked.“Is he going after Iv? Maybe Michael has some unfinished business with her. I have to go find her!”Sandy was worried that Michael might go after Ivanka, which would not be good. Hearing that Sandy wanted to leave, Ivan’s expression darkened.He immediately said, “I’ll take you back right now.”Sandy had mixed feelings about that. Just yesterday, they had a heated argument, yet today Ivan was offerin
Sandy was about to reply, but she sensed that something was off. Seeing the conflicted look on Ivan’s face, she said, “I think I shouldn’t tell you, or else you’ll relay this to Michael. Iv doesn’t want him to know where she is.”Ivan snorted in cold laughter. His eyes were filled with mockery.Sandy frowned in slight displeasure.“What are you laughing about?”“Do you take both of us for fools? Do you think Michael won’t find out where she is just because you’re keeping quiet about it? You’re hilarious, aren’t you?”Sandy was speechless.She thought. “Eat sh*t, you jerk!” She knew that he would say something mean like this.In the next second, Sandy said with gritted teeth, “Let him figure it out himself, then. At least he won’t hear it directly from me.”Ivan snorted coldly and said nothing. He had nothing to do with Ivanka, after all, so he did not care how she was doing.He did not mind if Sandy kept her whereabouts secret.In fact, even if Sandy told him, he would not te
Ivanka frowned and eventually shut the door. She stared at him coldly. “What are you here for?”Back then, if she said something like that to Michael, he would have stormed out in anger.But this time, he did not leave.Even if he stayed, his overbearing aura spread about the house. It was so menacing that perhaps even the plants in the villa shriveled in fear.Ivanka’s frown deepened. “Michael, this is unlike you to overstay your welcome at someone’s place.”“Do you think I would if it weren’t for Grandma?”Ivanka snorted coldly. She thought that he was being unreasonable, but she never doubted his excuse. After all, if it weren’t for Rosie, he would not spare her a glance.In the next second, she smiled faintly and said, “If this is your concern, then I’ll clarify things with Grandma.”Michael’s expression instantly turned icy. “How dare you!”“Why wouldn’t I?”Ivanka stared at him expressionlessly, and she seemed increasingly at ease.She no longer cared about Michael, so
At that moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze. Even Ivan and Sandy, who stood outside the door, felt the tension.It was a hot and sunny day, yet Michael’s anger gave them chills.Neither of them said anything and exchanged glances out of reflex.The look in Michael’s cold eyes was murderous, but Ivanka was not afraid. She stared him in the eye.Michael nodded with a sneer. “Good. Very well.”“Good, my foot! Can you let go?”As she spoke, she suddenly gave a jerk of her hand. Michael was unprepared, and she was able to pull herself free.Ivanka quickly strode to the door and opened it. Ivan and Sandy walked in together.Ivan looked at Michael with a grin. “Bro, you’re really fast.”He and Sandy had eaten breakfast. He was sure that Michael had not eaten anything.With that, he smiled at Michael and said, “You haven’t had anything since last night, right? Then you left to find Ivanka. You probably haven’t eaten till now. Why don’t you grab a bite?”As he said that, h
Ivanka furrowed her brows slightly, only to sneer a second later.Michael had become such a great actor. He even managed to fool Sandy.Ivanka kept her thoughts to herself, but Sandy seemed to have guessed what was on her mind. She added, “Ivan and I were the only people around. Michael didn’t have to fake it. He could have gone to work as usual.”Ivanka pursed her lips. Unwilling to discuss this matter, she said calmly, “Whatever. He can do whatever he wants. I don’t want to get involved anymore. I’m fine as long as he doesn’t control my life. As long as we maintain our boundaries, I don’t care what he is up to.”She was all alone, and he could not threaten to hurt her loved ones. Besides, she knew that Michael was not a despicable man. Even though he was overbearing and obsessive, he was a decent person.Ivanka no longer wanted to deal with him, so she said calmly, “This incident has nothing to do with me. And those two probably won’t leave just yet. Why don’t you get some rest?
The furrow on Michael’s brows deepened. Displease was written all over his face. He shot Ivan a cold glare. It implied that he did not want to hear such a thing from his friend again.But there was no way Ivan cared about what he thought. On the contrary, Ivan continued calmly, “Perhaps even before this, a long time ago, you have begun to care for her. But there was a great misunderstanding between you. You always believed that she and her father had conspired together and coerced you into marrying her. You hated marriages that came with a price, but you ought to know that…”Here, Ivan paused on purpose. Michael stared at him grimly.“Are you done?”There were surveillance cameras in this place. Michael did not want Ivan to keep talking. But Ivan said all this while knowing full well that cameras were around. It meant that he intended for Ivanka to learn about this.Unbothered by Michael’s warning, Ivan said, “Sometimes what you see and know isn’t necessarily the truth. It could b
Ivanka chuckled and stopped offering to cook. Instead she said gently, “If you’re hungry, you can cook downstairs or order food delivery.” “Yeah, got it. But what if they refuse to leave?”Ivanka’s lips curved into a disdainful smile.“Michael’s pride and ego will not allow him to do something like this. Ignore them. They will be off soon.”She understood Michael to a certain extent. After all, she had spent three years trying to understand what he liked. She had wanted to make him the best dishes and give him the best of everything.She was once truly infatuated. She kept giving without complaint. But it was futile, and Ivanka was tired of it.“Well, there’s nothing we can do.” Since Ivanka had made her point, Sandy did not delve into this. As she got up, she said, “I’ll cook downstairs then. You get some rest. By the way, when was the last time you ate? Are you hungry?”“I’m not. I ate something shortly before you came over.”As a matter of fact, Ivanka lied. She had not eat
Still, Ivanka made a show of reaching out to help Chiara up.Her tone, however, remained clear and unmoved. “Begging me won’t change anything. I’m not Jonah. If you’re going to plead with someone, it might as well be him.”“But he listens to you.” That was why she had to ask her to do it.Ivanka frowned. “Jonah isn’t some little pet I raised. He’s not going to do whatever I say. Melanie, you’re oversimplifying everything. You should really be focusing on how to lock down your next deal and solidify your footing in the Levine family. That’s what matters now. We should order something before a server walks in and sees you like this. That wouldn’t look good, don’t you think?”With that, Ivanka let go of her hand.Chiara had never intended to actually stay kneeling anyway, especially not after Ivanka reached out to help her up. The moment had played its part.She was not going to give up just yet.“Iv, could you at least bring it up to Jonah for me? I… There’s a show at Springvale
Seeing Ivanka about to leave, Chiara quickly got up to block her path.Ivanka smiled and said, “I don’t need anything from you. I really do have something to take care of, so let’s have the meal another time.”“But your schedule is always packed. If I want to see you again, it’ll be nearly impossible. Iv, didn’t you say we’re good friends? Are we not even close enough to share a simple meal?” Chiara drew in a breath. Her voice was laced with disappointmentHer eyes were already turning red.“Hmm, I noticed this cafe serves light meals too. Let’s just eat here.” Since she had not openly fallen out with Chiara yet, and Chiara was so insistent on putting on another act, walking out at that moment would only make her seem like a bad friend.“Iv, they only serve light meals here. I was hoping to treat you to a proper dinner. I... Actually, I was wondering if you could do me another favor?” Chiara asked tentatively.The fox finally showed her tail.No wonder she had laid it on so thic
Chiara lowered her head. “Iv, things have been really difficult for me in my family. Because of your introduction, I got the chance to meet Jonah. You talked about bringing a friend along last time, but neither of them ended up working with me. If I can’t land a deal soon, I’m afraid…”Her voice filled with hesitation, grievance, and sorrow. She sighed.“Aren’t you presenting yourself as Jonah’s fiancee these days?” Ivanka replied coldly. Seeing her act so meek and pitiful, Ivanka sneered.Since she was publicly claiming to be Jonah’s fiancee, surely the Levine family would not be treating her so poorly.“I am, but it’s all fake. And now that you’re back, do you really think Jonah would still let me keep playing as his fiancee?”The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. Tears even rolled down her cheeks.Ivanka only found the sight nauseating.Chiara’s acting had really reached a masterful level. Honestly, it was such a waste of talent that she was not in showbiz.“Ev
Jonah was the Sadler family’s primary heir.If he was incapable, how could he and Michael have made it onto the list of Bostone’s most sought-after elite bachelors?Hearing him say such things, Ivanka felt horrible.“Jonah, I’m really not as great as you think I am. With everything you have going for you, it’d be very easy for you to find a beauty who loves you. I’ve got things to take care of today. I have to go.” As she said that, she pushed Jonah away.If she kept talking to him like so, it would only make things worse. His emotions were already unstable. If he really did something reckless, it would become a scar neither of them could ever erase.She was set on leaving. Jonah had no way to stop her.He could only ask about her plans for the next day. “Will you be coming by around the same time?”“I’ll come in the afternoon.”Since she was back in Bostone, some matters at Lane’s Group needed her attention.At that point, there was no way she could ask Jonah to move in wit
Realizing Jonah was losing control, Ivanka quickly removed the medication from his body.Her voice was calm. “Jonah, your emotions are very unstable right now. You need to rest. I’ll carefully consider the next step of your treatment.”She turned to leave, but how could Jonah possibly let her go?The moment he reached out to grab her, Ivanka swiftly stepped aside.However, Jonah did not give up.In a moment of desperation, he pushed himself off the bed, only to crash to the floor with a heavy thud.The sound froze Ivanka in her tracks.When she turned around and saw Jonah on the floor, she rushed to his side. “Why would you do this to yourself, Jonah? Please calm down and think about it. Everything I’ve said to you is the truth. Even if we could get married without caring what they think, what about later? What about our future children? Would they have to grow up being treated differently too?”She had seen the end of her marriage to Michael long before it arrived. That was wh
Margaret let out a disdainful laugh. The corners of her mouth curled in contempt. Coupled with the look of disdain in her eyes, her contempt for Ivanka was as clear as day.Ivanka could tell Margaret was trying to provoke her, but she did not take the bait. “I don’t need to go crying in front of Jonah. If I really wanted something, do you honestly think you could stop him from giving it to me?”People in love usually lost all reason.Jonah had proven how stubborn he could be when it came to her. If she so much as hinted at something, he would do it without hesitation. In fact, he would get it done immediately if it meant proving his love to her.She just did not want Jonah to be rejected by his own family. Plus, she had no real expectations when it came to love. If she had cared that much, she would have made her move long ago.To Margaret, Ivanka’s words sounded like clear provocation, so she was not about to back down. “As long as I’m still alive, you really think I’d let so
In the face of Laura’s meltdown, Ivanka’s words seemed a bit smug.She was doing it on purpose.“You! Ivanka, how can you be so shameless as to say such things? Are you still a woman?” Laura’s hand, which was pointing at her angrily, trembled uncontrollably.Laura’s tears fell like a snapped pearl necklace. Ivanka laughed in a low voice. “Of course I am, otherwise how did I become the one Jonah wakes up to every day? Laura, since things have come to this, you’d better hurry home and stop embarrassing yourself here.”“What’s the point of chasing after someone who doesn’t like you like this?”She acknowledged Laura’s persistence toward Jonah. But insisting too much would turn into clinginess. Jonah’s dislike and disdain for Laura was clear. He never once gave Laura a chance. Even so, Laura refused to give up.Sometimes she did not think thoroughly before doing things. “Whether there’s a point to it is not for you to say!”Laura was still persistent.But the next second, Iva
It would not have been nice for Ivanka to be present during Jonah’s conversation with his mother. The Sadler family’s house was large. She went directly to the grass field outside.Margaret had a Golden Retriever. When Ivanka saw the maid bring it out to play, she immediately squatted in front of the Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever was very gentle and did not bite. Margaret saw the Golden Retriever wagging its tail at Ivanka. The gesture was clearly a sign of fondness and affection for Ivanka.Even the dog liked Ivanka, and she still did not like her. Could she really be the problem?Margaret began to contemplate and reflect on herself. As she was trying to approach Ivanka, someone had already walked up to Ivanka first.This person was no other than Laura, who she had once hated.When Laura saw the cozy scene of a person and a dog. She instantly rushed to Ivanka. “Ivanka, you’re so despicable. You won’t even spare a dog. Are you planning to drug it too?!”Ivanka kept
However, Jonah seemed to have heard some hilarious joke. “Do you really mean well? Do you mean well by trampling on my feelings?“You said everything started because of Ivanka. Why don’t you say it all started because of you?”Jonah let out another rhetorical question.He was extremely emotional.Margaret could not bear to watch him like this. She roared, “Enough, don’t think that I’ll compromise and stop interfering with you guys if you are like this!”Jonah laughed slowly. “Then what you said before was nonsense. Since I can’t get what I want, what else is left if I cure these legs?“You really don’t get it. You think that I’m driving you to your grave when it’s the opposite. Then what kind of mother-son bond is there between us to speak of?”At the end of Jonah’s speech, the mockery at the corner of his was extraordinarily obvious. His eyes even seemed determined.Margaret sensed it.“Are you going to cut ties with me for Ivanka?” Margaret found it incredulous. When she ask