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
Sandy immediately pulled a long face. When she stared at him, her eyes were filled with annoyance. “Get out of here! This is Iv’s home. That makes me an owner too, and I say you’re not welcome here!”Ivan was so furious that he let out an angry bark of laughter. At this point, he had already uncrossed his legs and said with clenched teeth, “Ivanka didn’t tell me to leave. Who are you to kick me out?”Sandy was flabbergasted.Furious, she refused to say another word to him. She turned around and strode into the kitchen right away.“Anger is venom!” She told herself internally. “It’s not worth getting high blood pressure because of this idiot!”It was best that she simply ignored him!Sandy had already washed her hands and taken some ingredients from the fridge. She was going to cook for herself.After all, one would not starve if they could do everything themselves. She assumed Ivan could not cook, but even if he could, she would not let him cook for her. She refused to owe him a
Sandy had just reached the bedroom door when she heard Ivan’s words. She became furious and had a strong urge to tear Ivan apart!However, she restrained herself. She chose not to stoop to the same level as that idiot. Otherwise, she would be no different!She walked straight into the room. She no longer felt hungry; Ivan truly had the effect of spoiling her appetite.Meanwhile, downstairs, Ivan was still frustrated.That damn woman! She had not eaten for such a long time. She must be starving!He stood up abruptly as he gritted his teeth.Michael looked at him coldly and mocked him, “You’re just eating her leftovers.”Ivan could not stand being mocked by his best friend. He glanced at Michael and sneered, “Speaking of which, Ivanka came out late at night. I’m sure she hasn’t eaten anything. She’s still injured. She hasn’t changed her dressing today, either. With an empty stomach, no energy, and not having changed her dressing, her wound won’t heal anytime soon.”Michael’s expr
If Ivanka went downstairs, Sandy would follow. However, if Sandy went downstairs first, Ivanka might not follow her.Michael did not reply to him.Ivan perked up and said, “Just go get them.”Michael stayed silent as his expression darkened.However, he still decided to call Ivanka.The call failed to go through because Ivanka’s phone was still switched off.Michael’s expression turned cold, and he remained unmoving.Ivan sat with his legs crossed leisurely and said, “You should just go get her. She’ll only come down if you go get her.”Michael looked at him coldly. “I have a way to get Sandy down. Ivanka will then follow.”“Bullsh*t.”“Want to bet?!”“Sure, I’m in! What’s the wager?” Ivan looked at Michael, brimming with confidence as if he was sure Michael would lose.Michael calmly replied, “If you lose, you’ll have to take Sandy away today. If you can’t manage that, you know what happens next.”“Oh, wow. I see how it is! You’re playing hardball, aren’t you? What if you
In an instant, Sandy’s appetite returned. She was sure she could eat like a horse!Ivanka, on the other hand, quietly remained by Sandy’s side.Even though she did not want to see Michael, she followed Sandy downstairs anyway because she did not want to make her best friend worry.Besides, she had to admit that eating would help her wounds heal faster.She would just ignore Michael and Ivan.Ivanka and Sandy washed their hands and sat at the dining table. As they started eating, Ivan and Sandy stood up and sat down at the same time to get more food. Sandy looked at Ivan as he continued to scoop more food. She could not help but feel appalled as she said, “Are you a pig or something? How could you eat seven or eight meals a day? Even pigs can’t eat as much as you!”Ivan’s expression darkened. He had a strong urge to kill this damn b*tch!But he lost the bet. He had to take this woman away tonight, so he could not afford to provoke her at that moment.He took a deep breath
Ivan pretended not to notice Michael’s gaze as he casually looked away.If Michael had not called a doctor, she would have contacted her own doctor herself. However, since the doctor Michael called was already on her way, she chose not to call her own doctor to avoid them running into each other.After a while, the doctor arrived.She was surprised to see that it was the same female doctor who changed her dressing yesterday.Had Michael called her over?Ivanka instinctively looked at Michael.Michael said calmly, “It’s better to have only one person handle your wound.”Sandy looked at Michael with confusion.Was Michael this caring before? Did he really have feelings for Ivanka?He seemed genuinely worried when Ivanka was not around this morning. The way he knocked on the door sounded very urgent. He even snatched her phone quite rudely. He looked extremely concerned. His behavior seemed almost instinctive.Well, she did interact with him before. He and Ivanka were married be
Michael had always believed that being so self-reliant was a way for a person to flaunt superiority.However, Ivanka never troubled him with anything. He was always the one who took initiative.He frowned as his expression soured.Sandy could not bear seeing the pain and exclaimed, “It’s really f*cking painful, isn’t it?! I’ve never experienced this level of pain, but even much milder injuries are hard for me to handle! Voicing the pain can actually help relieve it a little, you know?”The female doctor did not interrupt their conversation. It could be a distraction that could lessen Ivanka’s pain. The doctor tried to be gentle with her movements to ease Ivanka’s discomfort as much as possible.Ivanka smiled and replied softly, “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”Her voice was light and dainty. There was no sign of pain at all.Sandy sighed resignedly. “Iv...”She knew that Ivanka could endure a lot of pain. Plus, Ivanka probably did not want to worry her or become Michael’s laughingstock
Ivanka did not pay him any mind and got into the car. If Michael dared to chase after her again, she would most definitely kick him out of the car! She would do what she said she would!Michael did not catch up, but he blocked her with his arms wide open. His stance was clear: You can leave. But over my dead body! Ivanka could not possibly drive over Michael. But it was not a problem for Michael to keep blocking her way. Plus, she had just politely rejected his parents. So, it was even more impossible for her to turn back. Ivanka ran out of patience. She held her forehead and frowned. Michael had already drained her last bit of patience. She never imagined that Michael would actually cling to her to such an extent! How would she put it? All her positivity had been drained clean! “Michael, your parents are still at home. Aren’t you afraid they’ll see and laugh at you? I know Grandpa and Grandma are standing by our side now. It’s not like you and I haven’t been in
Ivanka would neither accept the carrot nor the stick approach. Michael had no choice but to persuade her with reason and win her over with affection. Ivanka snorted. “Have you ever given me a chance to have a meal with you before this? As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time for things to come to this state. Things might have passed for you but not for me!” Ivanka’s gaze was razor-sharp. Michael felt his heart clench up. At that moment, his throat was in so much pain that he did not know what else to say to her. Ivanka did not wait for his response. She pushed away his hand and headed out without hesitation. Michael did not stop her. Nonetheless, he went after her and followed behind her. Meanwhile, they heard the sound from the kitchen. Mindy prepared dinner in the kitchen, and Jay helped her out. They had heard their conversation. Out of courtesy, Ivanka went to the kitchen and greeted them. She said with a smile, “Uncle Jay, Aunt Mindy, I’m
Ivanka clenched her fists. Her gaze was filled with ferocity. She looked like she was really going to punch Michael. Michael noticed the anger in her eyes. But since the person was none other than Ivanka, he was willing to take the beating. He even took a step forward and held his head high. “Strike me if you want.” “You!” Ivanka glared at Michael. He truly annoyed her. She reminded herself to keep her composure. She sucked in a deep breath before saying, “Michael, I’ve treated you with respect. You’d better behave yourself.” Right after she finished the sentence, Ivanka left. Before she even took a step forward, Michael grabbed her. “My mom is preparing the dishes inside the kitchen. If you leave now, you’re not showing me any respect. Please stay around to have dinner. Even though we’re already divorced, and it’s impossible for us to get back together again, we’re still friends,” said Michael. Haha! He had been adamant. He was using the same approach to draw close
Mindy’s expression instantly darkened. “What’s with us being prejudiced against her? Had I ever targeted her when she married Michael from the beginning? “She knew how well Rosie had treated her. It’s her own fault for failing to bond with Mic. How could you blame us?” Mindy had always disliked Ivanka. She believed Samuel’s intervention had been the reason for their marriage. It was an arranged marriage. There was no need for the Barkworth’s family to have an arranged marriage. At the end of the day, it was all up to Samuel to choose the bride for Michael. Ever since Ivanka married Michael, aside from the deliberate arrangements, they had hardly shown up together as a couple in public. Mindy did not have any particularly hard feelings for Ivanka. She believed the two would live happily together after getting married. After they divorced, Mindy thought Michael could start all over again. But she did not expect to see their current relationship was no different from when they
It was Jay and Mindy. When Ivanka saw them, a thought came across her mind. She took out a syringe and inserted it into Michael’s arm to unmute him. Michael felt like he had been stung by a bee. It was as though he had been put in jail, only to be freed all of a sudden. Ivanka took away the syringe and gave him a glance with displeasure. “Get out of the car now. Your parents are here—” “Aren’t you entering the house?” Before Ivanka finished her sentence, Michael interrupted her. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with sincerity and seriousness. But Ivanka rejected him coldly. “Quick! Get out of the car! I’m not joking with you. Get out now!” “Let’s go in together. After all, you’re already here. Are you worried about seeing them?” Michael was undaunted by her emotions and tone. Instead, he stretched out his hand to try to grab Ivanka. Nonetheless, she avoided him with ease. Meanwhile, Jay and Mindy saw them. They walked over to them. Mindy glanced at th
It was no wonder Jonah asked for so many details. All these were facts.Ivanka did not avoid answering his questions. She gave a light smile. “The longest will be half a year.”If the treatment was ineffective after half a year, she would go to Silvania with Vincent.After all, it was not just about her.Upon learning of Ivanka’s decision, Jonah smiled wryly. “Iv, I don’t think it’s an easy feat to treat my legs. How about you go and deal with your stuff first? You can always treat my legs afterward.”Ivanka initially planned to do it that way. But George, Florence, and Margaret had interrupted her plan.Since she had returned to Bostone, why was there a need to travel back and forth again?She might as well treat Jonah’s legs.Besides, Vincent had informed her that it would be highly uncertain whether they could still return to their home country after arriving at Silvania.Ivanka said, “No. I don’t want to make so many trips. I’ll treat your legs for half a year and see if i
It was not an overstatement to say Michael was crossing the line. Nonetheless, Ivanka could not just sit there and watch the two men get into a conflict. Hence, Ivanka pulled Michael to the side and glanced at him. “If you don’t want to be kicked out, you’d better wait here.” But Michael was undaunted by Jonah. Although Jonah had the power to rebuke him in his own territory, Michael refused to allow Jonah to get the upper hand. Ivanka saw the determination in Michael’s eyes. She was very worried that the two might get into a fight. She quickly pulled him back. “Stop making me worry about you. Just wait here! If you dare to come after me, I’ll…” Although she did not finish her sentence, her intention was clear enough. If Michael disobeyed her, she would make him a statue! Understanding this, Michael did not follow Ivanka. But when Jonah turned around and left, the provocation in his eyes was evident. Still, Michael listened to Ivanka. He did not want to offend her. He
Jonah narrowed his eyes while questioning Michael. Still, Michael did not respond to him. Ivanka pursed her lips. She looked displeased when she answered Jonah, “Jonah, there’s no need to speak so harshly. Do you still want me to treat your legs?” She had temporarily made Michael mute. She did that to stop Michael from talking endlessly about those things. Nonetheless, he had still insisted on coming along with her, only to end up being targeted by Jonah. Ivanka had no intention of making Michael mute in front of Jonah. Upon hearing Ivanka’s words, Jonah looked at where she currently stood. She stood in front of Michael. It looked like she was trying to protect him more. As the saying went, true love was portrayed in hard times. This saying was true indeed. It was true that Ivanka cared about Michael. Jonah said gently to Ivanka, “I want you to treat my legs, and I only speak harshly to specific people. I already showed him much respect when he barged into my terri
Michael remained resolute.Ivanka rolled her eyes. “Then stay stubborn. I’ll only fix it when you stop pushing me away.”After she was done speaking, she turned to leave.Michael followed.He even opened the passenger door and got in her car. He was determined to follow her.But Ivanka would not go easy on him.Once inside, she warned him coldly, “Not being able to speak is harder than you think. Follow if you want. Michael, are you sure about this?”Even after her warning, he kept staring straight ahead.She said nothing more and started the engine.Within half an hour, she arrived at Jonah’s mansion.Jonah came out to greet her personally. The moment Ivanka parked the car, Jonah immediately spotted Michael in the passenger seat.The sight of him stirred up bitterness in Jonah. Yet there was nothing he could do.Before Ivanka exited the car, she said to Michael, “Wait here.”Without glancing at him, she walked straight toward Jonah.Her attitude made Michael decide t