This current situation made her feel terrible. She felt very annoyed at being used. However, no matter what happened, they both wanted the same thing. There was no telling who was using who. When she thought of it this way, she felt a lot better. … For five consecutive days, everything was peaceful. However, on the sixth day, there was a ruckus in Barkworth’s Group. This time, everyone in the IT Department seemed even more panicked. Evan swiftly reported this matter to Michael. Michael’s expression immediately turned exceptionally chilling. However, this time, the other party did not seem to manage hacking through. The IT Department’s staff looked terrified. However, when Michael was not around, they still could not help but silently discuss it in places out of earshot. “I have a feeling something is not right,” a plump man said after looking around and scratching his ear. Those glowing, shifty eyes told of his hesitancy to participate in the gossip.
Barkworth’s Group’s fiasco had surprisingly spread again. The thin man was really good with his tongue. He simply added on to what the plump man said and repeated it multiple times over. The more he talked about it, the better he was at spreading it. He could recite the story like it was a love and grudge-filled epic. Everyone’s opinion of Ivanka was getting worse by the day. Everyone was talking about her. It almost seemed like the entire Barkworth’s Group could not tolerate Ivanka anymore. For these past few days, Ivanka had not once defended herself in regards to the ruckus at all. Seeing that the new program was about to get cracked, Michael wrote a new program to replace it. It was only then that the hacker stopped. The IT department had obviously come up with new deductions about Michael’s action as well. “Is Mr. Barkworth suspicious of Ivanka as well?” “I think so. Otherwise, why didn’t Mr. Barkworth write the program with Ivanka this time? Ivanka is also high
After being by Michael’s side for a long time, there were times when he could guess some of Michael’s reactions. At that moment, everyone looked at Ivanka. The woman who had just spoken said in a deep voice, “Ms. Ivanka, do you have anything to say for yourself in this matter?” Michael did not say a single word. In the past, Michael would definitely not allow these people to say anything. But Michael just looked at Ivanka indifferently. He wanted Ivanka to speak for herself. Since she did not want to offer an explanation, he was going to force her to give one. The conference room suddenly became silent. It was obvious that everyone was waiting for Ivanka’s response. Ivanka paid no attention to Michael’s actions. Her gaze fell on the attendees. “All of you are the executives of Barkworth’s Group. I imagine you’ve been heavily tested to be able to come in and work here. All of you should know individuals can’t just speak without any proof.” The attendees were dumbstruck
Ivanka’s expression was indifferent as she looked at the girl who spoke and said calmly, “You can speak, but you’ll have to bear the consequences of your words.” Many people looked at Ivanka with immense dissatisfaction. Did she think that being a lawyer made her superior to them all? She was even specifically threatening people with what she was good at. The nerve! Ms. Lynch glared at her. “Ms. Ivanka, we’re just discussing this matter within the company. There’s no need for talks of legal actions for this. We just want you to explain yourself about this. If you can’t defend yourself…” Ms. Lynch left her statement hanging. The attendees tensed, and some were inexplicably excited. They wanted her to say all these words. Ivanka’s relationship with Michael had already made some girls who liked Michael jealous. Although Michael was not a celebrity, people treated him as an object of affection. Sometimes, if their idol had a girlfriend, many girls would get very upset. Some m
After Ivanka finished talking, she had no intention to say anything else. Her implications were clear. Michael frowned. His expression grew increasingly sullen. He stared at Ivanka. Then, he finally spoke in front of everyone. “Why do you think I should believe you?” Ms. Lynch was a bit shocked. The employees in the conference room were also surprised. But the next moment, everyone was happy! If Michael questioned Ivanka like this, then it proved that Michael was also suspicious of Ivanka. It would be even harder for Ivanka to stay in this company! That was good for them!Ms. Lynch’s mood was so much better. Her confidence was no longer faltering like before. Instead, she looked at Ivanka and sneered. “Ms. Ivanka, the best thing to do now is to explain yourself properly. If you continue to keep being stubborn and acting holier-than-thou, then this might not end well for you.” If not for the fact that this was not the right place to do so, she wanted to just say, “Stop
All the previous efforts to ease tensions were completely shattered by Ivanka’s words.Yet, Ivanka remained unaware of what was in Michael’s mind. She simply said calmly, “Do you all accept this explanation?”The crowd remained silent.The explanation was utterly flawless. It left no room for rebuttal.Michael gave off such a grim and bone-chilling glare that it sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the conference room.To whom was Michael’s fury directed toward?Was he displeased with Ivanka, or enraged by their targeting of her?As everyone squirmed in anxiety, Michael suddenly spoke in a deep voice, “Carry on with the meeting.”The crowd felt speechless.They finally realized at the moment. Michael believed Ivanka and chose to keep her.Their prior words were like waving a red cloth in front of a raging bull. Michael was upset!They remained on edge until the end of the meeting. It was not until Michael had left for quite some time that they were able to breathe a s
What’s so funny?”“So what if she’s Black-eyed Susan?” The voice on the other end dripped with disdain.Chiara was a little surprised by her reaction, but she did not seem to take Black-eyed Susan’s capabilities seriously. Yet, for some reason, Chiara could not relax.But since she had said so, Chiara could not refute her. She could only say, “So what do you want me to do next?”“Well, it’s time for you to make your move.”Chiara’s eyes flickered with expectation. Just as she thought, the mystery person was asking her to act.“What do you need me to do?”...For the next three days, everything remained calm and peaceful.However, the storm within Barkworth’s Group intensified even more than the previous days.That was because, after Michael changed the system, no one could crack it anymore. However, things were different when Ivanka first learned that the company’s secrets were leaked.This led to more and more discussions among the company’s employees about Ivanka.Every t
“I understand your feelings. I know you don’t want to hurt anyone. I didn’t see you to ask you to harm Ivanka. I simply refuse to accept their remarriage. If it can’t be me by his side, then I hope it’s you, not Ivanka! Do you know that she doesn’t really love Michael? It’s all just...”Chiara paused intentionally. As she expected, leaving the rest of the sentence hanging piqued Tanya’s curiosity.Tanya gazed at Chiara and waited for her to continue.Chiara sighed with resignation. “Ivanka is getting close to Michael with an ulterior motive. Why do you think we fell out? Why do you think I wanted them to divorce?”Tanya furrowed her brow and asked with a calm expression. “Why?”Chiara snorted. “When Ivanka’s father was still alive, I once overheard them plotting in a room.”Tanya’s expression froze slightly as she stared at Chiara silently.Chiara scoffed. “Do you really think they had good intentions? They were scheming from the start. After Ivanka married Michael, they planned
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