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
Chiara sneered again. “That mysterious individual called me on the phone again and told me to cooperate with the media by divulging some information during the interview. Someone had recently stolen classified data from Barkworth’s Group. Everybody thought that there was a mole. That person wanted me to show suspicion and implied that the mole was Ivanka.“What does that have to do with her taking two billion from me?”“Because Ivanka’s hacker skill is as good as Michael’s! The IT team in Barkworth’s Group suspected that she was the expert who cracked twenty levels of the company’s security system! At some point, Michael simply told them to stop defending the system, get on with their daily tasks, and ignore the hacker!”Irate, Chiara told her parents everything.Theodore pulled a long face.“No, this is impossible…”Chiara snorted in laughter. “Why would it be impossible?”Theodore and Lyla turned their eyes on her. Even though they were still doubtful, the current situation wa
Hmph! Chiara thought she knew Ivanka well. She believed she had Ivanka wrapped around her finger. However, she did not expect her to be this formidable.Any of her identities had the power to put the Lane family on guard, and she could even manipulate them so skillfully. She was really something.“Ivanka!” Theodore shouted her name furiously.Lyla, beside him, finally spoke up, “If it’s really Ivanka, are we going to just let it slide?” “Of course, we aren’t!” Chiara gritted her teeth and said, “Why should we?! There’s no way we’ll let her off the hook after she played us like that! But right now, I know we shouldn’t rush into things. Otherwise, we’ll just let that b*tch win. Let’s follow the plans of the person supporting me for now. Her plans are pretty decent. We can give them a try. We’ll figure something out if there are any issues.”Lyla and Theodore remained silent. Chiara was not a fool; she was an adult with her own judgment. Her priority was to bring Ivanka down. Otherw
Zac0928: It turns out Ivanka isn’t a good person. I really liked her. How can she do such things? Aww, I’m hurt. How could my idol do this? Is it true that appearances can be deceiving? Did her beauty deceive me?Netizens kept commenting one after another. Most of them said that Ivanka was somehow connected to Black-eyed Susan. They called her all sorts of names, saying that she was really shady and not someone to sympathize with.On the other hand, some netizens stood up for Ivanka. However, the haters and internet trolls ultimately pushed down their comments.Sandy, Anna, and Hanson naturally found out about this and sent a message directly in the group chat.Sandy: @Ivanka Iv, what’s going on?! What happened in Barkworth’s Group?Ivanka: Nothing. Don’t worry about it.Sandy: Yeah, right! Look at the amount of hate you’re getting! What happened?Anna: Iv, how long are you going to keep working there? Hurry up and get out of there already! Or else, you’re going to get even more
Tears unconsciously trickled down Anna’s cheeks.She sniffed and composed herself before continuing to chat with them.... Rosie and the others were in the study room at the Barkworth family’s mansion.Her expression soured upon hearing the news. “This is absurd! There’s no way Iv is Black-eyed Susan! She wouldn’t do something so outrageous to Barkworth’s Group.”Samuel sneered at Rosie and said in a low voice, “So this is the Iv you’ve always defended, huh? Look at what she’s done! She has gone too far! She’s such a selfish, ungrateful ingrate! Always wanting more. What’s the use of being so good to her? Just look at what people are saying on Twitter!”Rosie’s expression darkened even more. “Nonsense! I’ve been good to Iv, and she’s been good to me too! If it weren’t for her, I would still be trapped in my own misery and might have died long ago! None of you know how to take care of me! All you know is how to upset me!”Michael remained silent.Samuel was about to retort in a
Samuel was furious. “If we don’t step in soon, this company will soon be Lane’s Group’s! Michael, you really disappoint me. When did you start having feelings for her?” Rosie was delighted when she heard this!This was the way! He should be inseparable from Ivanka!Ivanka was such an outstanding lady! She was even Black-eyed Susan. Black-eyed Susan’s reputation was not to be underestimated. Rosie felt fortunate to have such a talented granddaughter-in-law!She looked at Samuel and said, “Each generation has their own destiny to fulfill! You should step down quickly and stop meddling in these messy affairs!”She was elated! Previously, only she and Jay were siding with Ivanka against Samuel, Mindy, and Michael.At that moment, it was three against two! Samuel had no chance of winning!“Mom... You shouldn’t indulge Michael like that. That woman is full of tricks. Who knows how many schemes she still has up her sleeve?!”Samuel then said angrily, “That’s right! What kind of spe
Michael responded indifferently, “Do whatever you want.”He then stood up and walked away without looking at Samuel.Rosie glanced worriedly at him. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from her sight.She looked angrily at Samuel. “I’ll divorce you if I find out you contacted Iv. You’ll never see me again in your life!”“Rosie!” Samuel exclaimed in frustration.She did not even spare him a glance and quickly walked away.He slammed his hand on the table.Jay looked calmly at him and said, “You’re the head of the family. You can do whatever you want. But is exercising your authority more satisfying than potentially losing your family?”Samuel became even more furious and said, “What do you mean by that? Will you also break ties with me if I contact her?”Jay just calmly replied, “Parents tend to side with their children. Naturally, I’ll follow my son.”“You...! Cough cough!”“Dad!” Mindy swiftly moved around the table and walked worriedly to Samuel. She patted his back and
Jay looked at Michael and asked calmly, “So, what’s your plan? Are you going to remarry Iv?”“Yes,” Michael responded briefly without hesitation this time.Jay was surprised. “Have you thought this through already?”“Mm.”Jay continued to look at him intently. “Do you actually have feelings for Iv now? Or do you still see her as just a suitable match?”Michael frowned and turned to Jay. “Given Iv’s current attitude, do you think she’s emotionally available to develop romantic feelings at the moment? Without the love factor, whoever she chooses to marry later won’t be as compatible as me.”“I’m not asking about her. I’m asking about you,” Jay said seriously and waited patiently for Michael’s response.Michael’s frown deepened. “What’s the difference?”Ivanka did not have romantic feelings for him, nor did she have feelings for any other men. Consequently, marrying for love was not in the cards for her. In this scenario, he remained the most suitable choice as her original partne
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