Besides, if she persuaded Rosie to let her follow Samuel to the study, Rosie would surely defend her again. Then, there would be another big argument between Rosie and Samuel.It was better for her to confront Samuel directly. Let Samuel vent his displeasure on her so that it would not affect Rosie and Samuel’s relationship.Michael’s mood seemed to lighten further. Ivanka’s sharp tongue, which was usually directed at him, was now aimed at Samuel. He was relieved someone was sharing the burden with him.Samuel gritted his teeth as his gaze shifted to Michael. His eyes were filled with displeasure and insinuation. They seemed to express something. “So, this is the woman you chose? This is the woman you want to protect?”Michael looked back at Samuel calmly. His gaze held the answer. “Weren’t you the one who chose her back then?”Samuel could not deny that.Samuel immediately turned his head away and broke eye contact.Back then, the marriage alliance simply seemed inevitable beca
Rosie’s expression was cold. She would not even look at him.Meanwhile, Ivanka and Michael turned to Rosie. Ivanka spoke up directly. “Are you okay?”She reached for Rosie’s wrist. Her fingertips casually felt her pulse.Rosie patted the back of Ivanka’s hand with her other hand. Her anger from before dissipated. She looked at Ivanka with affection and said, “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.”Ivanka nodded slightly. She loosened her grip on Rosie’s wrist but did not let go. She smiled as she said, “Okay, that’s good.”Michael, on the other hand, looked at Rosie and asked, “Why is your heart acting up? You didn’t sleep well?”Rosie immediately shot a displeased glance at Samuel, who was already looking dejected beside her, and said irritably, “It’s all your grandfather’s fault!”Samuel suddenly felt extremely wronged, but he did not dare say a word to retort.At that moment, he was like a completely different person compared to his earlier aggressive self.Ivanka found it a litt
“Mr. Barkworth, we have a big problem!” Evan’s voice came through. It lacked its usual composure.Ivanka’s eyebrows twitched. She instinctively held her breath and paid attention.“What happened?” Michael’s magnetic voice remained calm.Evan seemed to regain some composure at Michael’s tone, but his nervousness was still evident as he spoke. “Our company secrets have been stolen!”Michael’s expression instantly turned icy. He said, “Look into it. Initiate the backup plan immediately.”“We’re already working on it, but the stolen information must have already been put to use.”Michael’s expression remained cold, but he did not say anything more.They had just left the old mansion and were at a crossroads. To the left led to the company, while the right led to Ivanka’s house.Michael chose to turn left without hesitation.Ivanka did not say anything. With Barkworth’s Group facing such a crisis, she would not demand him to take her home, especially since her car was the only tran
The technician was startled. His face turned pale. Why was Mr. Barkworth staring at him like that? Was he suspecting him?But he was innocent!However, before he defended himself, Evan had already walked over and said, “Give your seat to Ms. Lane.”The technician reacted out of reflex and quickly got up from his seat, even though he was still in a daze. Why did Evan ask him to give up his seat again?What was Ivanka going to do in front of the computer?With that in mind, everyone turned to Ivanka. In the next second, they saw her typing away on the keyboard.They all looked up out of reflex and saw strings and strings of white codes on the computer screen. It was a startling sight.Everyone in this office was an IT expert, and their skills were top-tier.But at that moment, when some of them saw the codes she wrote, they thought they might have wasted all those years studying and accomplished nothing. They could not even understand the codes, let alone fathom the speed at whic
Everyone’s eyes became even more conflicted. None of them spoke a word. They dared not discuss the possibility of Ivanka being Black-eyed Susan.Michael would end them.His relationship with Ivanka was complicated. Even if they had gotten a divorce, their lives were still entwined. It gave everyone the impression that they would get back together anytime soon, and Ivanka would be Mrs. Barkworth once again.Of course, the IT team already saw her as Mrs. Barkworth.As their thoughts wandered, Michael looked at them expressionlessly. “Keep maintaining the security system. If any issues arise, inform me right away.”Everyone quickly agreed. Michael glanced at Ivanka and left silently.Naturally, Ivanka would not stay behind. She followed him out of the room.They had spent more than three hours writing codes. The IT staff did not get bored during the wait. On the contrary, they were engrossed. Even if the codes confused them, they wanted to learn something new.After leaving the
When the two of them showed up together, all eyes in the restaurant fell on them. Some people already held up their phones. Everyone seemed surprised.They did not expect that they would run into Michael and Ivanka here!How lucky!Back then, these two often appeared on the TV screen, and they looked very close. Many thought that they were a match made in heaven. Even though they had split up, everyone still hoped they would get back together.Seeing them, the servers were astounded and ecstatic. They fought over the chance to serve Michael and Ivanka.The two of them picked a random table and sat down. They did not ask for a private room.They sat opposite each other. The server was holding a menu. Knowing that Ivanka would not order anything, Michael simply ordered a few dishes. The server was mesmerized by his charming, magnetic voice and thinking that her ovaries were about to explode.Ivanka pursed her lips. Out of the four items he had ordered, three were dishes she quite
Nobody wanted to miss a chance to share a space with Michael and Ivanka.Soon, the two of them returned to the car. Neither of them said anything on their way back. Once they arrived at Ivanka’s house, Michael did not leave. He allowed her into the house instead.Ivanka frowned slightly. “You want a glass of water?”In other words, she was telling him to leave after drinking the water.But Michael said calmly, “I need to crash at your place tonight.”Ivanka was flabbergasted.Since when had he become so shameless just to protect his business interest?It was so uncharacteristic of him.However, before she said anything, Michael ignored her reaction and went upstairs right away.He even picked the bedroom next to hers.Ivanka was speechless.She felt agitated for no reason and wanted to kick him out. But Michael was way too shameless, and she had no idea what to do with him. Inhaling deeply, she eventually went back to her room, took a shower, and went to bed.When she woke
Another reporter said, “Judging from your reaction, you do know that Ms. Ivanka can write codes, yes? And she is good at it, too.”Chiara immediately said, “I don’t know what you’re saying. My cousin doesn’t know these things. What I mean when I said she is good with computers, I was referring to the basic things. She doesn’t know anything more complicated than that. I’m unaware of what is happening out there, but please don’t blame it on her.”Chiara acted like a protective older sister and refused to say anything more to the media.But her behavior had inadvertently told everyone that Ivanka was indeed an IT expert as well as a great hacker!Once the reporters got the hint, they stopped coming after her. They could tell by her facial expression. Sometimes, an ambiguous reaction was way more telling than a straight answer.They all asked Chiara a couple more questions, which sounded like traps. But she seemed wary and guarded. Her reluctance to divulge anything made the underlyin
Ivanka frowned deeply. Michael was in a horrible state. He had been poisoned and suffered gunshots. He had a strong tolerance to medicine and pain. But it was his mental condition that caused him to fall into this state. Not being fully recovered also added to the burden. Ivanka gave him a white pill which she had formulated by herself. After that, she had the security guard carry Michael into her car. Then, she sent him to the hospital. They arrived at the emergency department. Xavier had finished attending to his patients. When he walked out of his office, he saw Michael being carried into the hospital. He then saw Ivanka beside Michael. Xavier frowned. His expression became tense, and he asked solemnly, “What’s happened to him?” “He’s weak and had previously been poisoned. Since you’re around, you can look after him.” Ivanka summarized Michael’s condition. After hearing Ivanka’s brief explanation, Xavier gave Michael a checklist and put him on a drip. After that,
Since Jonah had come to this and Ivanka was not an ungrateful person, she nodded and gave her word. “Jonah, I’ll give this my all. Don’t worry. As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll help you.” Jonah had to be bound to the wheelchair at the moment. Since Ivanka had shared a similar experience when she took over Lane’s Group back then, she naturally figured out how wolfish and greedy his adversaries would be. Jonah was injured because of her. She swore to give her all to save him from whatever crisis he was facing. Jonah took advantage of this and asked, “What time are you coming tomorrow? I’ll have my assistant get ready.” Ivanka thought for a moment. “Tomorrow afternoon.” She needed to manage her company affairs during the first half of the day. Jonah was content upon hearing her answer. “Good. I’ll wait for you tomorrow.” “Okay.” Ivanka nodded before hanging up. When she returned to her office, she did not expect to see Michael sitting on the couch. She nearly jum
There was only one possibility. Ivanka was calling somebody else. Michael wondered who could strike up such a long conversation with her. Sandy and Ivan had returned to the country. Ivanka’s besties were around her. Even if Ivanka deliberately approached Chiara, she could not possibly have so much to chat with Chiara. If Ivanka’s phone call was business related, there was no need to chat this long. Michael eliminated the possible reasons one by one. In the end, he thought of Jonah. Michael’s expression instantly turned as dark as thunderclouds. His gaze was dull and cold. Evan noticed it. He also saw the call record on Michael’s phone. Evan quickly persuaded Michael, “Mr. Barkworth, Ms. Lane could be tied up with her work, so she couldn’t answer your call. We could go to her workplace now.” Michael said nothing. He gave a cold glance at Evan. Evan got a shock. The next second, Michael turned around and left his office. Looking at Michael’s fading silhouette, Evan wi
It was why Ivanka still came for Jonah in spite of her unpleasant experience with Margaret in the hospital last time. Jonah had been injured because of Ivanka. She came for him only. The other people did not matter to her. Jonah’s heart sank upon hearing her words. His expression tensed up. He could imagine the indifferent look on Ivanka’s face right at that moment. She had that expression on her face simply because he was never really important to her. Jonah was upset precisely because of her indifference to him. He wanted to say something to her but did not know how to begin. He was also not in the position to say that. It did not take long before Ivanka’s gentle but rather indifferent voice rang in his ears, “Jonah, don’t worry. I’ll treat your legs until they recover. Don’t run into any conflicts with your mom because of me.” Her words pulled Jonah’s wandering mind back into the present moment. He felt a heavy weight on his heart. “Iv, I trust you. You don’t need to
Margaret became frustrated and grabbed Ivanka. She could not understand why Ivanka was fine while Jonah ended up in such a bad situation after the accident.Then, Jonah defended Ivanka. There was also all the talk about Ivanka’s treatment. Margaret was curious to see what kind of miracle medicine Ivanka could develop.In the end, Ivanka’s treatment did not work. Moreover, her relationship with Jonah, which had finally started to improve, was once again ruined because of Ivanka.Jonah scoffed. “Mom, I’m not an eight-year-old anymore. You’re saying all this because you want me to go along with your plans for an arranged date, right?”Margaret had not expected Jonah to guess her thoughts. She was about to insist on her point when Jonah spoke first. With a mocking smile, he said sarcastically, “Do you think anyone would date someone like me?”He had a point. But Laura might be one such person.However, Margaret did not like her. She would do anything to keep Laura from becoming her d
“That’s because you want him to fall in love with you!” Margaret snapped.Ivanka chuckled softly. Her tone was edged with sarcasm. “Love? Does it really matter that much?”Margaret felt humiliated and furious. She pointed a finger at Ivanka’s face with a hostile expression. “If it doesn’t matter, why are you doing all this? Stop pretending, Ivanka!”Ivanka let out a bitter laugh. “Pretending? What am I pretending for? Is being divorced a crime? Margaret, you’re a woman too. How would you feel if someone accused you like this?”She hoped Margaret would take a moment to reflect. After all, she was Jonah’s mother, and Ivanka did not want their conflict to escalate.But Margaret was unmoved. Her glare turned colder, sharper, and filled with hatred.“You think I’ll just let this go?” Margaret said sharply. “If it weren’t for you, Jonah wouldn’t be in this mess! I meant every word I said, and nothing will change that.”To her, Ivanka was nothing more than someone scheming to use Jonah
“Ivanka,” Margaret took a deep breath while trying to compose herself. When she looked at Ivanka again, her expression was calm. She said, “I don’t know how deep Jonah’s feelings for you run. What I fear most is that once he becomes fixated on you, that’s it. When he falls for someone, his heart won’t make room for anyone else. In that way, he’s just like his father.”Ivanka’s gaze wavered. She bit her lip and was unsure of what to say.“I beg you, don’t hurt Jonah anymore!” Margaret’s voice carried a note of desperation.Ivanka’s expression turned extremely complicated.There was a time when Jonah came to her only to use her. Back then, they were both using each other. It made things simple.But later, Jonah unexpectedly started talking about marriage. Perhaps it was to provoke Michael, or perhaps he simply wanted to keep her close because she was useful to him.At some point, though, it seemed Jonah had become serious about her. She could not pinpoint when it happened. Perhaps
Jonah frowned in clear disagreement, but he stayed silent. Ivanka’s confident smile reassured him and made him trust her.Eventually, he let go of her wrist.Ivanka noticed Margaret putting on her shoes. She quickly followed, stepping outside just as Margaret was about to get into her car“Margaret,” she called out.Margaret frowned slightly and stood still.Since Jonah had not come out with Ivanka, she decided she could spare a moment to speak with her.She turned and looked at Ivanka coldly.Ivanka softened her tone. “Let’s take a walk.”Margaret did not respond, but her silence was enough of an agreement.They walked slowly around the edge of the mansion. The surrounding area was all part of the Sadler family estate.Margaret suppressed her anger and glanced at Ivanka before speaking in a composed tone, “Alright. What do you want to say?”Ivanka met her gaze briefly before looking ahead and said, “Do you know what will happen if Jonah’s coughing continues?”Margaret’s he
Margaret glared at Ivanka and scoffed, “If there’s an issue, I’ll get another doctor to handle it. It’ll be anyone but you, Ivanka. Haven’t I made myself clear enough? I’ve told you this before.”She hated how Ivanka ignored her warnings and kept coming back to visit Jonah time and again. What if Jonah got too close to her and ended up ruining his reputation? If Jonah had not been here, Margaret would have been even harsher.Ivanka frowned as she met Margaret’s sharp gaze. “I’ve never tried to get close to Jonah like that. We’re just friends. I know I’m not good enough for him, so I’ve never even thought about it.”“You might not have, but he has!” Margaret snapped, raising her voice.“Mom!” Jonah’s expression darkened.Jonah was usually calm and polite. This was the first time Ivanka saw him looking so upset and was about to lose his temper.Ivanka’s eyes flickered with hesitation. She was unsure of what to say.Explaining Jonah’s coughing would do no good. Margaret would not