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
This way, it would make Tanya appear as if everything she did was for the sake of justice. Any action she took was merely a response to Ivanka’s excessive behavior.However, Chiara was not concerned about these appearances. As long as Tanya was willing to act, that was all that mattered to her.The next moment, Chiara spoke calmly, “I can assure you, I do have evidence to support my words. I’ll send it to your phone later. And if, after seeing the evidence, you still feel like turning a blind eye, then I won’t bother you again. If you don’t cherish Mr. Barkworth, I will do nothing more.”Tanya’s gaze flickered with mixed emotions as she watched Chiara silently.Suddenly, Chiara seemed unwilling to say much more to her. She put her mask and sunglasses back on.Seeing Tanya still staring at her, she simply said with an indifferent expression, “I’ve said all I needed to. I’m sure you don’t want to waste any more time on me, so I’ll take my leave. If fate allows, we’ll be in touch aga
Ivanka looked at the photos in stunned silence. She felt a myriad of emotions swirling inside her, but she could not articulate any of them.Suki sighed softly. “When I stumbled upon this, I was quite shocked too. You’ve been in the dark about your mother all these years, and I thought this might be of some help to you.”Ivanka had never seen her parents’ marriage certificate or divorce papers.Despite her best efforts over the years, this had been intentionally obscured. She could not find any traces at all.She did not expect Suki to find these photos.It was possible that the person behind the cover-up was not aware of the existence of these photos.Suki gazed at Ivanka, who had a solemn expression, and sighed softly. “For now, these are the only leads I could uncover. Your father’s affairs remain a mystery.”Ivanka’s eyes flickered thoughtfully. “It’s not exactly a mystery. Jonah gave me some leads regarding my father.”Suki looked surprised. “What leads?”Ivanka’s lashes
Suki sighed wearily. “Yes, he might lie to you for his own interests. He may be leading you into a trap.”Ivanka sneered. “Forget it, let’s put this matter aside for now. I’ll take my time to investigate it.”She had never seen her mother before. Although her obsession with her mother ran deep, at the moment, there were many things she needed to do. She needed to investigate all of it.Suki nodded. “All right.”Ivanka said, “It’s getting late. I’ll head back now. You should get some rest.”Suki watched as Ivanka stood up. She quickly followed suit to see her off.After Ivanka went home, she kept staring at the printed old photos.... The next day, Tanya was having a meal with her friend Maeve in a private room.Maeve noticed that Tanya was distracted. Tanya was pushing around her food with her fork and not eating much. Maeve asked with puzzlement, “What’s going on with you?”Tanya snapped out of her thoughts. “Nothing.”Maeve set down her spoon. She stared at Tanya and said
“Is Ivanka’s plot against Michael very serious?”Tanya looked at her with an indifferent expression. “Barkworth’s Group’s secrets have been stolen several times. Does that sound serious to you?”“Oh my goodness!” Maeve exclaimed, “So Ivanka really is Black-eyed Susan!”“She’s so amazing!” Maeve thought to herself.If it were not for Tanya being present, she might have blurted it out.Black-eyed Susan had always been her idol. She had such advanced hacking skills. How could she not admire her?Seeing Tanya’s silence, Maeve naturally understood what was on her mind. She said, “Since you’re already certain that Ivanka is planning something against Michael, and you’ve liked Michael for so long, how can you allow Ivanka to keep doing that?”As she said that, Maeve felt somewhat speechless. “I’m thinking, Michael is such a clever person, he shouldn’t be deceived by Ivanka, right? Could it be that he’s planning to outsmart Ivanka and those behind her, and take them down once and for al
These words tugged at Tanya’s heartstrings. She pondered momentarily and said somberly, “I’ll consider it.”When Tanya said this, Maeve knew that she had decided to take action.But Maeve could not predict what Tanya was going to do exactly.In the next second, Tanya’s phone started ringing.Maeve looked over reflexively and saw that the caller was Chiara.A strange emotion gleamed in her eyes, and she looked away. She remained seated, picked up her cutlery, and kept eating.Tanya answered the call wordlessly. Before she said anything, Chiara’s voice rang through the speaker. “Ms. Cullen, you must have seen the message I sent you. Have you fact-checked it?”Tanya said calmly, “And what are you up to?”Chiara chuckled. “I want to help you, of course.”Tanya furrowed her brows and said nothing.But Chiara went on with a chuckle. “You know what I’d done in the past, so I lost my chance with Michael. Now, I just want to stop Ivanka from hurting him.”Tanya remained silent, as if
Still, Ivanka made a show of reaching out to help Chiara up.Her tone, however, remained clear and unmoved. “Begging me won’t change anything. I’m not Jonah. If you’re going to plead with someone, it might as well be him.”“But he listens to you.” That was why she had to ask her to do it.Ivanka frowned. “Jonah isn’t some little pet I raised. He’s not going to do whatever I say. Melanie, you’re oversimplifying everything. You should really be focusing on how to lock down your next deal and solidify your footing in the Levine family. That’s what matters now. We should order something before a server walks in and sees you like this. That wouldn’t look good, don’t you think?”With that, Ivanka let go of her hand.Chiara had never intended to actually stay kneeling anyway, especially not after Ivanka reached out to help her up. The moment had played its part.She was not going to give up just yet.“Iv, could you at least bring it up to Jonah for me? I… There’s a show at Springvale
Seeing Ivanka about to leave, Chiara quickly got up to block her path.Ivanka smiled and said, “I don’t need anything from you. I really do have something to take care of, so let’s have the meal another time.”“But your schedule is always packed. If I want to see you again, it’ll be nearly impossible. Iv, didn’t you say we’re good friends? Are we not even close enough to share a simple meal?” Chiara drew in a breath. Her voice was laced with disappointmentHer eyes were already turning red.“Hmm, I noticed this cafe serves light meals too. Let’s just eat here.” Since she had not openly fallen out with Chiara yet, and Chiara was so insistent on putting on another act, walking out at that moment would only make her seem like a bad friend.“Iv, they only serve light meals here. I was hoping to treat you to a proper dinner. I... Actually, I was wondering if you could do me another favor?” Chiara asked tentatively.The fox finally showed her tail.No wonder she had laid it on so thic
Chiara lowered her head. “Iv, things have been really difficult for me in my family. Because of your introduction, I got the chance to meet Jonah. You talked about bringing a friend along last time, but neither of them ended up working with me. If I can’t land a deal soon, I’m afraid…”Her voice filled with hesitation, grievance, and sorrow. She sighed.“Aren’t you presenting yourself as Jonah’s fiancee these days?” Ivanka replied coldly. Seeing her act so meek and pitiful, Ivanka sneered.Since she was publicly claiming to be Jonah’s fiancee, surely the Levine family would not be treating her so poorly.“I am, but it’s all fake. And now that you’re back, do you really think Jonah would still let me keep playing as his fiancee?”The more she spoke, the more aggrieved she sounded. Tears even rolled down her cheeks.Ivanka only found the sight nauseating.Chiara’s acting had really reached a masterful level. Honestly, it was such a waste of talent that she was not in showbiz.“Ev
Jonah was the Sadler family’s primary heir.If he was incapable, how could he and Michael have made it onto the list of Bostone’s most sought-after elite bachelors?Hearing him say such things, Ivanka felt horrible.“Jonah, I’m really not as great as you think I am. With everything you have going for you, it’d be very easy for you to find a beauty who loves you. I’ve got things to take care of today. I have to go.” As she said that, she pushed Jonah away.If she kept talking to him like so, it would only make things worse. His emotions were already unstable. If he really did something reckless, it would become a scar neither of them could ever erase.She was set on leaving. Jonah had no way to stop her.He could only ask about her plans for the next day. “Will you be coming by around the same time?”“I’ll come in the afternoon.”Since she was back in Bostone, some matters at Lane’s Group needed her attention.At that point, there was no way she could ask Jonah to move in wit
Realizing Jonah was losing control, Ivanka quickly removed the medication from his body.Her voice was calm. “Jonah, your emotions are very unstable right now. You need to rest. I’ll carefully consider the next step of your treatment.”She turned to leave, but how could Jonah possibly let her go?The moment he reached out to grab her, Ivanka swiftly stepped aside.However, Jonah did not give up.In a moment of desperation, he pushed himself off the bed, only to crash to the floor with a heavy thud.The sound froze Ivanka in her tracks.When she turned around and saw Jonah on the floor, she rushed to his side. “Why would you do this to yourself, Jonah? Please calm down and think about it. Everything I’ve said to you is the truth. Even if we could get married without caring what they think, what about later? What about our future children? Would they have to grow up being treated differently too?”She had seen the end of her marriage to Michael long before it arrived. That was wh
Margaret let out a disdainful laugh. The corners of her mouth curled in contempt. Coupled with the look of disdain in her eyes, her contempt for Ivanka was as clear as day.Ivanka could tell Margaret was trying to provoke her, but she did not take the bait. “I don’t need to go crying in front of Jonah. If I really wanted something, do you honestly think you could stop him from giving it to me?”People in love usually lost all reason.Jonah had proven how stubborn he could be when it came to her. If she so much as hinted at something, he would do it without hesitation. In fact, he would get it done immediately if it meant proving his love to her.She just did not want Jonah to be rejected by his own family. Plus, she had no real expectations when it came to love. If she had cared that much, she would have made her move long ago.To Margaret, Ivanka’s words sounded like clear provocation, so she was not about to back down. “As long as I’m still alive, you really think I’d let so
In the face of Laura’s meltdown, Ivanka’s words seemed a bit smug.She was doing it on purpose.“You! Ivanka, how can you be so shameless as to say such things? Are you still a woman?” Laura’s hand, which was pointing at her angrily, trembled uncontrollably.Laura’s tears fell like a snapped pearl necklace. Ivanka laughed in a low voice. “Of course I am, otherwise how did I become the one Jonah wakes up to every day? Laura, since things have come to this, you’d better hurry home and stop embarrassing yourself here.”“What’s the point of chasing after someone who doesn’t like you like this?”She acknowledged Laura’s persistence toward Jonah. But insisting too much would turn into clinginess. Jonah’s dislike and disdain for Laura was clear. He never once gave Laura a chance. Even so, Laura refused to give up.Sometimes she did not think thoroughly before doing things. “Whether there’s a point to it is not for you to say!”Laura was still persistent.But the next second, Iva
It would not have been nice for Ivanka to be present during Jonah’s conversation with his mother. The Sadler family’s house was large. She went directly to the grass field outside.Margaret had a Golden Retriever. When Ivanka saw the maid bring it out to play, she immediately squatted in front of the Golden Retriever. The Golden Retriever was very gentle and did not bite. Margaret saw the Golden Retriever wagging its tail at Ivanka. The gesture was clearly a sign of fondness and affection for Ivanka.Even the dog liked Ivanka, and she still did not like her. Could she really be the problem?Margaret began to contemplate and reflect on herself. As she was trying to approach Ivanka, someone had already walked up to Ivanka first.This person was no other than Laura, who she had once hated.When Laura saw the cozy scene of a person and a dog. She instantly rushed to Ivanka. “Ivanka, you’re so despicable. You won’t even spare a dog. Are you planning to drug it too?!”Ivanka kept
However, Jonah seemed to have heard some hilarious joke. “Do you really mean well? Do you mean well by trampling on my feelings?“You said everything started because of Ivanka. Why don’t you say it all started because of you?”Jonah let out another rhetorical question.He was extremely emotional.Margaret could not bear to watch him like this. She roared, “Enough, don’t think that I’ll compromise and stop interfering with you guys if you are like this!”Jonah laughed slowly. “Then what you said before was nonsense. Since I can’t get what I want, what else is left if I cure these legs?“You really don’t get it. You think that I’m driving you to your grave when it’s the opposite. Then what kind of mother-son bond is there between us to speak of?”At the end of Jonah’s speech, the mockery at the corner of his was extraordinarily obvious. His eyes even seemed determined.Margaret sensed it.“Are you going to cut ties with me for Ivanka?” Margaret found it incredulous. When she ask