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
Ivan’s expression darkened. “Why do you want to stay?”He tried to restrain his anger as he silently mouthed, “Are you planning to keep being a third wheel here? If you stay, their relationship will only become more strained!”He did it slowly enough for Sandy to catch most of it and understand enough.She hesitated and felt conflicted for a moment.Should she stay?It did not feel right.But if she left, Ivanka would be alone. What if Michael did something extreme to her?Ivanka was still injured. Michael seemed very strong and capable. There was no way Ivanka could stop him.Ivan thought there might be hope when he noticed Sandy hesitated. But before he could speak, Sandy said firmly, “I’m not leaving. I’m staying here tonight! Since Ivanka is injured, it’s inconvenient for you two big guys to stay here. Obviously, I should stay to take care of her!”Ivan’s expression turned grim. Sandy was being reasonable, but the way she said it sounded absurd. He gritted his teeth and re
The next moment, Ivanka came back to her senses. She smiled sarcastically and said indifferently, “You really don’t have to go to such lengths for me. I’ll be fine. Grandma won’t blame you for any of this. You can leave.”It was obvious that Ivanka did not want him around. Michael’s face turned pale with anger. He even had to restrain himself from strangling Ivanka. He headed upstairs wordlessly.Ivanka frowned irritably as she watched Michael go upstairs. She just could not drive him away.After hesitating momentarily, she decided not to bother with that jerk anymore and went back to her room. The two of them were like strangers living under the same roof.If Ivan and Xander found out how awkward Michael was, they would definitely mock him, especially Ivan. Xander might be a little more understanding.Soon, it was nighttime.Michael could not sleep at all and was plagued by persistent coughing throughout the night. He frowned in discomfort but chose to remain silent. He took a
Ivanka frowned. She stared at Michael unhappily. Despite not having said a word, she had explicitly shown what she really meant through her behavior. Michael, on the other hand, acted as if he had not noticed anything. He sat on the couch and read the documents. Ivanka fumed silently. She stared at Michael coolly. “What’s the point of doing this? Why are you doing this?” Michael sneered, “What do you think?” “I think you’re no different from common thugs! It’s almost as if I’m the only one for you. Stop making me have such illusions about you! I’ll only find you to be disgusting! Please leave now.” The veins on Michael’s forehead throbbed. He stared at Ivanka coolly. His eyes were filled with mockery. “You’d better stop having such an illusion about me. You’re not worthy.” “Get lost, then! Can’t you see I feel extremely irritated seeing you now?!” Apparently, Ivanka was furious at Michael’s words. Hence, she sounded cold and harsh. If one listened carefully, one could se
Michael opened the door without hesitation, but he could not find Ivanka inside the room. Michael’s expression darkened. He checked every room inside the house but could not find her. That meant she had left the house from upstairs. She had jumped out of the house. Michael thought. “Damn her!” At that moment, the veins on Michael’s forehead bulged. Clearly, he did not expect Ivanka to do that. He seethed in anger. Ivanka did not even leave him a message. It was clear to see that she hated him to the core. Through her actions, she had explicitly warned him not to interfere with her life. At that moment, Michael even had the urge to strangle Ivanka! He contacted Ivan. Right after Ivan answered his call, Ivan heard his bone-chilling voice. “Find out Ivanka’s whereabouts now.” Ivan was stunned. He became stupefied. He wondered. “Hasn’t she been staying in his house? “Did she sneak out? “If Mr. Barkworth is at home, he would certainly know if Ivanka has left th
A hint of bitterness flashed in Anna’s eyes. “I haven’t seen him for a long time. After he learned that I had a crush on him, he has been intentionally avoiding me. Perhaps he doesn’t want to give me hope.” Sandy frowned. “You can’t go on like this. The three of you are in a complicated love-hate relationship, but we’ve been best friends for a very long time. Shall we ask Hanson over and have dinner together tonight?” Complicated emotions flashed in Ivanka’s eyes. She recalled Hanson’s words. He had asked her not to ignore him. However, at that moment, he avoided Anna. Human relationships were complicated. Ivanka thought about it before nodding. “Okay. I’m fine with that.” Anna was eager to see Hanson, so she said, “Me too.” Sandy nodded. “Good. I’ll inform Hanson now.” Anna was extremely nervous. Soon, Sandy’s call was picked up. “Hello, Sandy.” “Hello. What are you doing now? Am I interrupting you?” Hanson chuckled. “No. To what do I owe the pleasure?” “I miss
Michael had been staying in Ivanka’s house and never left her house. Evan touched the tip of his nose in embarrassment. He wondered how he should convey Sandy’s words to Michael. If he conveyed Sandy’s words to Michael bluntly, it would only make Michael feel even worse and directly affect everyone’s lives. But if he did not, it would mean lying to him. Hence, Evan was in a dilemma. He hesitated for a while before saying, “Mr. Barkworth, I called Ms. Sandy. She said Ms. Lane is staying with her. Ms. Anna is with them too. The three of them are together, so nothing will happen to Ms. Lane.” Michael’s expression turned icy cold. He said nothing. Evan was embarrassed. For a moment, he was lost for words. Since the situation had reached this state, he continued, “Ms. Sandy said she can take good care of Ms. Lane, so you don’t need to look after her. She doesn’t want you to have your work affected because of you taking care of Ms. Lane.” At that moment, that was all Ivan could
Egbert stormed off in fury, but Sandy’s rage had not cooled in the slightest. She even lashed out at Ivan. “You shouldn’t have stopped me just now! If I’d given him a good scolding, or even a beating, maybe it would’ve finally knocked some sense into him. Otherwise, he’ll keep coming back. He’s always trying to use me for his own purposes!”She was so angry she was practically grinding her teeth. Ivan pressed his lips together and let out a long sigh. “With the way you looked like you were ready to kill someone, what did you expect me to do? Just stand there and watch you commit murder?”He was really worried when he saw how Sandy was losing control. “What’s the point of that old b*stard still being alive anyway?” Sandy said coldly. If she could really get rid of that old man, she would do it so she could avenge her mother and let go of that grudge she had been holding on.Ivan shook his head and said in a low voice, “Then think about it, how hard did you work to get to where yo
Sandy exploded. “Eighty million? Why don’t you go rob a bank? Or better yet, see if that wrinkled old face of yours is worth anything as collateral!”Sandy was fuming.Egbert had not expected Sandy to be so vulgar. He turned back, enraged.His black eyes shot daggers like he could rip her apart on the spot. Sandy did not flinch. Instead, she lifted her chin and gave him a cold, mocking smile. “What? Are you so mad that you’re thinking about hitting me? Do you want me to remind you of the law? We have no legal ties anymore. If you so much as touch me, that’s assault. And let’s not forget, you barged into my workplace to cause a scene.”“Sandy, I don’t know what kind of twisted morals your birth mother and adoptive mother taught you, but just look at yourself now! Do you even resemble a proper human being?”Egbert was extremely disappointed in Sandy. The one thing Sandy hated most was when people brought up her birth mother and adoptive mother. Those two women were the most import
Egbert snapped at Sandy coldly. His gaze was pressing.However, that had no effect on Sandy. Her lips even curled into a mocking smile as she said, “I’m not one of your McNeil pets. That look, your words, they cannot intimidate me at all.”At the mention of “pets,” Egbert was so furious that he slammed his cane against the floor with a loud crack. “Listen to yourself! Is that any way for a lawyer to speak? Do you even understand the meaning of respect, decency, and manners? Is that how your mother raised you?”Sandy had been mean and harsh on purpose to kill whatever sliver of hope he held onto.Just as she wished, he was angered.Watching him lose his composure, Sandy even felt a flicker of satisfaction rise within her. Her mother and herself were thrown out and lived a tough life while her father stood by uselessly. Who else was to blame, if not this old man standing before her?“My mother raised me to be a decent person. She taught me never to push away what’s rightfully mine,
Thomas stated his purpose.Sandy’s reaction, however, was full of repulsion. She frowned. Even her tone was curt. “Uncle, I made it very clear about seeing him the last time we spoke. He never once considered me part of the McNeil family. If it weren’t for my mother taking me in, I wouldn’t be where I am today. Now that I’ve grown up and suddenly seem useful, he wants to claim me back? I was abandoned by the McNeil family the moment I was born. I’m not stupid enough to become a pawn for your family!”Sandy was furious.She had always treated Thomas with a certain courtesy, but at the moment, that line had clearly been crossed.Thomas, though only the messenger, could feel the weight of her resentment. “It may not be as bad as you think. If you won’t go, Dad will come find you himself.”That was the truth. Yet Sandy did not spare the old man a shred of respect. She scoffed. “He might be your dad, your head of the family, but he’s nothing to me. From the moment I was abandoned, th
Sandy was really surprised to see Ivanka. “When did you get back?”“Today,” Ivanka answered honestly.“You have quite a packed schedule for just one day.” Sandy teased her.When they had planned to take down Coco last time, Ivanka was not around. Then Michael returned. From what Sandy could tell, they were always either together or closely following each other.Ivanka did not respond to her teasing. “I’ll only be here for a day or two, then I would have to leave again.”Sandy was speechless. She rolled her eyes at Ivanka. “Are you going to become a full-time jet setter?”“She can’t help it,” Anna answered for Ivanka. Just as she finished saying that, Anna’s phone rang. It was another case to follow up on. She had to step away to take the call.Only Ivanka and Sandy remained in the office. “You look exhausted. If you keep going like this, I’m worried you’ll wear yourself out!” Sandy shook her head and expressed her concern for Ivanka. Ivanka chuckled. “I wouldn’t go that fa
When she heard what Anna said, Ivanka immediately teased. “Why, can’t I even come to the firm?”“Well, of course, you can come. You are an important partner; why can’t you come?” Anna laughed and looked at Ivanka, annoyed. Immediately after, she made a cup of tea for Ivanka.The tea was also of fine quality. She had bought it.Ivanka also remembered how she, Anna, and Sandy, the three of them, used to work hard together in the firm after she divorced Michael. Originally, she wanted to live on her own. However, one thing happened after another, and her plans got delayed. “I don’t see Sandy. Has she gone to handle cases?” Ivanka sipped a mouthful of tea, and immediately after, she asked Anna about Sandy’s whereabouts.Anna told Ivanka truthfully. “Sandy recently took over a very tricky case. She wants to make a not-guilty defense for that person. But the father of the deceased is the Groethe family, a rather prestigious family in Bostone. How could a commoner fight with a rich ki
But as time went on, things happened one after another. While they were in contact with each other, she also slowly understood Jonah’s personality.The most important thing was that Jonah was also honest with her later on.When Jonah mentioned this again, Ivanka could not help but scrutinize Jonah again.He was starting to become unhinged!“Jonah, you need to stabilize your emotions. Sometimes, when you feel impatient, you should just close your eyes and take a good rest. You should not have such emotions.”Ivanka spoke solemnly toward Jonah and advised him. When he saw Ivanka’s serious expression, Jonah instantly also realized that he had lost himself.Ivanka was not like Chiara, who could accept him losing control. If he lost control in front of Ivanka, it would affect Ivanka’s mood. That would make him courting death too! This would put a halt to all his opportunities!Jonah also realized this problem. He was very distressed. He could not even explain why his emotions had
When Ivanka said this, she pressed her hand on Jonah’s shoulder. There was no other meaning, she wanted Jonah to calm down.But this instead gave Jonah an opportunity. He grabbed Ivanka’s wrist. Then he tugged forward forcefully… Ivanka was caught off guard, and her whole body fell on top of him.He then took advantage of the situation and held Ivanka in his arms.The faint scent entered his nose, Jonah was intoxicated for a moment.But at that moment, he felt like he was waking up from a dream.Ivanka could not be so intimate with him. The sensations of touch and warmth in front of him were so real again. It was not an illusion, it was his compulsion!After realizing this, Jonah hurriedly pushed Ivanka away. He even more quickly apologized to Ivanka. “Iv, I’m sorry. I lost control. I didn’t mean to…”“I know.”Ivanka uttered softly, but her tone was cold.She knew. Neither did she blame him. But why was she using that tone, with that look on her face?“No, Iv. you’re blami
“Jonah, I don’t like you. I told you, I only see you as a friend. When I’m unwilling to do something, no amount of moral coercion would work on me.”Ivanka spoke up bluntly. She did not want Jonah to cling to something impossible.Jonah was silent.This was where Jonah and Michael were different.“Look, you still have so many things to do. By the time you remember me, we have already missed the best time. This time when you leave, did Michael go with you?” Jonah raised his eyes to meet Ivanka’s. He wanted to hear Ivanka’s answer from her mouth.Ivanka did not reply. But the look in her eyes already said it all.Her silence confirmed it all.Jonah felt that his heart grow incredibly heavy at the moment. He had a crazy thought: Was it true that if Michael died, Ivanka would be able to focus all her attention on him?However, he was an invalid and did not even have a chance to get close!“The way you treat Michael and the way you treat me has always been so different. I know. A