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
Sandy nodded. “That’s right. You need to stay with us. If not, you can have Michael take care of you.” Ivanka was speechless. Sandy hesitated. In the end, she could not help but say, “I more or less know what sort of person Michael is now. Based on his actions over the past few days, he has grown more humble. Although it’s because of him that you got hurt, you have explicitly shown him through your actions that you don’t need him. If he doesn’t care about you, he should be living a carefree life. He could simply get a caretaker to take care of you. Or, he could just ignore you. After all, you’ve got us.” Anna nodded. “Right. I also feel the same. Iv, it could be because you’re different from last time, so he started to pay attention to you.” Ivanka’s lips twitched. “I don’t care. He can do whatever he wants. I won’t entertain him. Everything is good so long he doesn’t interfere with my life.” “Tsk. Since you decided to stay with us, he’ll certainly have someone to keep an eye
Ivanka nodded with a smile. “Quick. Wash your hands and eat dinner.” Hanson nodded. He entered the washroom. After Ivanka picked her seat, Anna sat beside her. Sandy could see what was going on, so she sat opposite Ivanka. She deliberately saved the seat opposite Anna for Hanson. A hint of uneasiness crossed Anna’s eyes. “Sandy…” Her voice was very soft. Only the three of them could hear her. Sandy chuckled and winked at her. “Don’t be afraid. Be brave and win his heart!” Anna fell speechless. At that moment, Anna did not know what else to say. She looked forward to talking to Hanson. At the same time, she was nervous. She wondered why Hanson did not like her. After Hanson came out of the washroom, he noticed only one seat left. A hint of disappointment darted across his eyes. He was not able to sit next to Ivanka or opposite her. When he noticed he had to sit opposite Anna, he believed the trio must have arranged it on purpose. He sighed in resignation. He
A thought came across Hanson’s mind, and he asked in puzzlement, “Why didn’t you prepare wine?” “That’s because we know you drove yourself here. Besides, too much alcohol is bad for us. I have had many pimples growing on my face recently.” “Then you should reduce eating spicy food.” After he finished speaking, he noticed there was no chili on the table. He instantly laughed. “When did you guys become so concerned about your health?” “If not now, when?” Anna sighed in relief. Luckily, she had mentioned pimples as an excuse. After that, they had a good chat. The atmosphere was harmonious. Suddenly, Hanson looked at the trio and said, “Actually, I have something to say.” “Go on.” Despite saying that, Sandy was worried. She wondered why Hanson made the atmosphere so solemn all of a sudden. Anna became tense. She was worried about what he was about to say. Hanson continued, “Our friendship is no longer like it was in the past. I know it’s all because of me.” Ivanka’s
Ivanka nodded. “It’s alright.” That was it. She said nothing else. Hanson seemed relieved. Then, he laughed lightly. “I might have been too stubborn in the past. Or maybe I just loved you too much. Every day, I was only thinking about how I could get you to say yes to me. But then, I went so far as to use my injury to tie you down into staying with me. “To be honest, in the days when I was in coma, when I heard you say yes to me, I was so happy I felt like I was on cloud nine. But I was also worried. After all, you only agreed to be with me because of the accident. So, something is inevitably not right. But still, I want to be blind to it and keep lying to myself.” Hanson could not help but laugh and shake his head as he said this. Anna wanted to say something, but she did not know what to say. Instead, Sandy spoke up. “No matter what happened at the time, at least you’re awake. Do you know how upset we all were when you stubbornly stayed asleep?” Hanson nodded hasti
Hanson then smiled and said, “It’s because I was not attentive enough. I didn’t notice many things about you. Also, I even pursued Iv countless times right in front of you. In fact, I even discussed ways to pursue Iv with you. You had to endure the sadness while helping me brainstorm. I’m sorry, Ann.” Anna hurriedly shook her head again. “No, this has nothing to do with you. It’s because I didn’t mention it before. None of you knew about it.” She just did not want to trouble everyone and was afraid that they could not even be friends once she said anything. Anna took a deep breath and dipped her head. She did not dare to look at Hanson’s face. Hanson then said softly, “I’m sorry, but I know that it’ll be harder for you if I say more. Even though I’m saying that I’m giving up on Iv right now, I still can’t get into a new relationship anytime soon. It’s hard for me to get into another new relationship. Ann, can we still go back to being friends?” In fact, with these words, he h
Ivanka nodded. What Rosie said was true. Rosie continued, “If Michael were the stranger, why are you resisting him and feeling helpless?” Ivanka was stunned. It was a fact. If a stranger courted her relentlessly, Ivanka would only find them annoying. But she would not resist them. Only she knew the reason she refused to accept them. But when it came to Michael, she treated him differently. From the bottom of her heart, she refused to give him a fair chance to court her. Was it because she was worried that her heart would move for him? Ivanka was startled by the thought. She shook her head as if trying to get that ridiculous thought out. When Rosie saw this, she chuckled. Ivanka was a smart woman. It was sufficient to say all that; too much would be meaningless. Rosie looked up at the moon. She could not help but sigh. “Tonight’s a beautiful moon night. Unfortunately, it’s time for me to go to bed.” After Rosie finished her sentence, she headed to her room. Ivanka
On the other hand, Ivanka had no idea her best friend had “betrayed” her. She helped Rosie into the bedroom. When they passed the garden, Rosie suggested walking inside it. Ivanka was too embarrassed to reject her. So, they came to the garden. The gardeners attended and trimmed the garden daily. It was naturally a sight to behold. There were many rare plants in the garden. Of course, there were also some rare herbal plants in the garden. Ivanka had planted them, and the herbal plants were flourishing. There was a botanical garden encircled within the garden. It contained the herbal plants used to nourish Rosie’s health. While they were walking along the path, the fragrance of flowers, the earthy smell of the soil, and the faint aroma of the herbal plants entered their nostrils. The fragrance lifted their spirits. On top of that, the fragrance could refresh one’s mind. Rosie felt more refreshed as she walked down the path in the garden. She grabbed Ivanka and shared
Within the blink of an eye, it was already 12 a.m.. Ivanka noticed that Rosie had been yawning but still refused to go to bed. Ivanka knew why. While they were chatting, Ivanka occasionally turned to Rosie. While Rosie was wiping off her basal tears, Ivanka and Michael exchanged glances. Ivanka sat beside Rosie and patted her hands gently. Rosie looked more alert, but her eyes were still a little blurry and appeared bloodshot. She had dark rings beneath her eyes. In spite of her exquisite makeup, her dark eye rings were still visible. Of course, it was only visible when Ivanka looked closer at her. Seeing this, Ivanka’s heart ached more for Rosie. Ivanka believed Rosie must have stayed up late or had insomnia when she and Michael went missing. Rosie wanted to receive first-hand information about the missing duo, but she was also worried that she would not be able to face reality. After struggling and battling with her inner conflicts for a month, Rosie’s health de
Speaking of which, this was Michael’s first time seeing Ivanka looking this helpless, and he found this a novelty. Whenever Rosie said things like that, Ivanka usually looked expressionless. She either looked calm, or she pretended to be deaf. Based on her unease and embarrassed look, did that mean her heart began to move for Michael? With that thought in his mind, Michael was eager to find out the answer. At that moment, they heard Candice’s voice. “Why are you staying outside? Did I come at a bad time? I thought I could have dinner immediately after I returned from work.” Ivanka and her group turned around and saw Candice standing not far away from them. She smiled as she looked at them. When Candice noticed Rosie’s teary eyes, she looked surprised and approached them. “Grandma has a sharp tongue, but she’s soft-hearted. She said the two of you were so cruel that you left her and a whole mess behind. She said she would teach you a lesson when you return.” While speaki
Everything had been fine just a moment ago.Why had she suddenly started to distance herself from him?It was probably true that a woman’s mind was unpredictable. Even a strong woman was no exception.Soon, they arrived at the Barkworth family’s mansion.Michael wanted to get out first and open the door for Ivanka, but she stopped him by tapping her soft hand on his shoulder.He looked down at her hand and then looked at her.“Don’t get out yet. I’ll grab a coat for you from inside and come back.”Michael wanted to refuse, but Ivanka had already exited the car.He watched her walk away. He then leaned back against the seat and felt a wave of relaxation.It felt as though he had finally found someone who had his back.He could not help but find it funny when he thought about it. He glanced at the spot where Ivanka had touched his hand and chuckled quietly.In the front seat, the driver felt so awkward about what he had just witnessed that he wished he could hide behind the st
The motorcycle approached them with no sign of slowing down.Michael’s expression turned grim. He quickly pulled Ivanka to the side and turned to shield her with his back.Ivanka felt a sudden spin. By the time she regained her balance, she found herself in Michael’s arms.His embrace was warm and strong. She could smell his familiar scent.It felt as if everything around them had slowed down.Then she heard the sound of water splashing on Michael. She pulled away from his embrace.Michael felt his arm grow light and stared at the empty space where she had been. He could still feel her warmth lingering.He shifted his gaze to Ivanka.Before she could speak, he quickly asked, “Are you okay? Did you get splashed?”She blinked and shook her head.“I’m fine. What about you?”He shook his head, but she did not buy it. She was sure the sound of the water splashing had been loud. There was no way he was not wet.Without hesitation, she grabbed his arm and turned him around.His b
Both Ivanka and Michael walked side by side as they maintained just the right distance between them. They looked great together, and their presence naturally attracted many gazes.It was worth mentioning that it was difficult to tell whether Michael did this on purpose or if it was just a coincidence.Both of them wore black trench coats that day. The styles were quite similar. This made them look even more like a couple in matching outfits.Ivanka’s wavy hair and red lips were striking. The beauty mark by her eye was the perfect finishing touch, which made her look stunning.Despite her beauty, Michael standing beside her did not go unnoticed either. He seemed to be a perfect complement to her.They looked like a perfect match.Ivanka noticed it but said nothing.Michael broke the silence and asked about Ferris and Mandy.“What are you going to do about Ferris and Mandy?”Ivanka did not answer right away.Michael continued, “Just having them arrested seems like getting off t
Mandy was rushed to the hospital.She fainted, but Ferris was not as fortunate.It seemed that he could not accept the fact that he had kicked his own child. He kept shaking his head and muttering, “This can’t be. How could this happen?”He looked like he was losing it.However, the law would not overlook his actions just because of his mental state.Ivanka had seen enough of their mess and was no longer interested in watching them tear each other apart. She asked the police to explain why they were there.“Mr. Clark, Ms. Ivanka has filed a report requesting a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding her fall into the water. Following our preliminary inquiry, both you and Ms. Mandy are now considered suspects. We are required to take you both in for further questioning.”Ferris did not respond. He was still unable to process what had just happened.The police followed protocol and arrested him.Ferris was led away with his hands cuffed. He was completely dazed.N
Still, Ferris kept quiet. However, the others in the room did not.A portly shareholder stood up, smacked his lips, and forced a flattering smile. “Isn’t it obvious? Ferris wants to take your place, Ms. Ivanka. Everyone can see it. He’s nothing but a complete traitor!”Once he spoke up, the rest quickly chimed in.“Yeah, he’s a traitor!”Ferris looked around the room. He already knew these people were untrustworthy, but he had not expected them to turn on him so easily.Ivanka, on the other hand, did not seem surprised.She had not taken any action on Ferris and Mandy because she wanted to watch the chaos unfold. These shareholders had sided with Ferris when she was gone, and they switched back just as quickly when she returned.Ferris was no fool. He knew that too. But the sense of isolation he felt at that moment drove him into despair.Still, he was not one to back down easily.He spat in the portly shareholder’s face.“And who the hell are you?” Ferris sneered. “You were