She spoke slowly and with a calm expression.She did not waste a single unnecessary word, and she did not speak any less than usual.The courtroom was pin-drop silent. Even the judge, some auditors, and the staff were taken aback.Ivan’s fists were clenched.He abruptly stopped speaking at that moment, realizing that no matter what he said, he could no longer salvage the situation.As he looked at Michael, his expression darkened. “I apologize. I gave it my all.”Michael pursed his lips and remained silent. It was a total defeat.Ivanka only smiled briefly after the judge announced the final verdict. She turned to face Jonah. “How are you going to thank me?”Jonah chuckled. “Can I give myself to you?”Their microphones had remained turned on. Ivanka spoke in hushed tones, so no one else could hear her clearly.However, Jonah appeared to have done it on purpose. Everyone had heard him with crystal clarity!Michael’s stare was so cold that Jonah would have died if looks could
Ivanka’s lips twitched. She did not want to say anything to him. She just stood up and walked outside.Suki looked at Sandy, who was still in her daze, and she pushed Sandy. “Sandy?”Sandy snapped out of her daze, and her frozen expression also immediately faded. She stared at Suki. “Suki, did I not hear it wrong just now? Is Ivanka Iris?”Suki gently coughed. “Yes.”They initially had not planned to conceal Ivanka’s identity at the court this time.Since she defeated Ivan today, everyone would have guessed that she was Iris.Instead of being tried out by people, they would better admit it in front of the crowd today, and this also saved a lot of trouble later.Sandy took a breath. “Oh my gosh! What kind of people are around me now? I know about this only now, like a fool!”The lawsuit today was a battle between two experts! It was too exciting!There were not many things that she could learn, but she felt surprised!But after she felt surprised, she felt indescribably lost.
Michael spoke no further. He simply legged it.Jonah looked at Ivanka with a smile. “Shall we have lunch together?”Ivanka’s expression was calm. “No, thanks. I’ll have lunch with my friends.”As she spoke, Sandy was already running over. Her eyes could not contain her surprise. “Ivanka! You hid it from me for so long. I didn’t know that you were Iris!”Ivanka looked apologetic. “I’m sorry.”“What are you apologizing for? I’m happy for you! You’ll be here for me now. If I need to file a lawsuit, people would not dare to oppose me when they know that you’re my friend! How awesome I am! I’ll become famous!”Ivanka smiled. She cast a glance at Jonah. “See you then, Mr. Sadler.”Jonah still wanted to take her to lunch, but it did not seem like he was going to succeed. Therefore, he nodded and left.Sandy kept talking for a while, and all her topics were about Ivanka being Iris. She was so indescribably proud.After the three of them got into the car, Sandy could not help but said,
Many people had watched the lawsuit between Barkworth’s Group and Sadler’s Group today. Even if the exact content could not be revealed today, the winner and loser would be known later, even if they were not known now.Besides, revealing Ivanka’s personal identity would not be involved with legal relationships.Therefore, Ivanka was trending on Twitter again.[Mr. Barkworth’s ex-wife is Iris the lawyer expert?!]At that moment, Sandy held her phone while pridefully said, “Haha! Ivanka, you’re on the trend again! Everyone is extremely shocked! Let me read a few comments for you!”Ivanka pursed her lips. She was actually not very concerned about these.Meanwhile, Sandy already started reading the comments.[I used to look down on Mr. Barkworth’s ex-wife the most in the past. I heard she was useless, and she was even the mistress who stole her sister’s husband. But the person whom I admire the most is Iris. She’s Ms. Iris! I didn’t expect her to be such a beautiful girl! She’s pret
Public opinions kept milling in about how Ivanka was actually Iris.The atmosphere in the Barkworth family was extremely tense.Samuel’s expression turned extremely dark!Mindy even lost her cool. “How could she be Iris? She did not need to make things so ugly even if she divorced Michael!” Samuel immediately sneered. He coldly looked at Rosie. “This is the granddaughter-in-law you really looked up to. After she divorced, she finally revealed her true colors. She struck the Barkworth family without holding back when she divorced. This time, she openly opposed our family in court!”Rosie’s expression changed slightly. “Your usual actions hurt her!“Otherwise, how was it possible for my obedient granddaughter to do such a thing? Rather than reflect upon yourself, you still intend to blame it on Ivanka?”Jay looked calm. He sat next to Rosie. He indifferently said, “The past is the past. Quarreling over it won’t do us any good. Ivanka is a good kid. Michael has gone too far.”Min
Jay calmly placed his hands on the desk as he asked, “Do you know who’s responsible for getting you to this point?”Michael put down his pen abruptly and growled. “Stop talking about it. This is all part of her karma. She should be bearing the consequences.”Jay frowned. “You’re persistently obsessed!”Jay shook his head helplessly and also felt a little disappointed, but he still asked, “So, what do you plan on doing next?”“I won’t listen to Grandpa and get married immediately, and I won’t go to Ivanka again. All of you don’t have to pester me about this.”Jay raised his eyebrows. It was good to know that Michael would not get married to Chiara.Jay paused for a while before he nonchalantly said, “There should be a limit for you to blind your heart. You abandoned the one you were supposed to cherish, yet you treasure the one you shouldn’t cherish. Michael, you have an intelligent business mind, but you also have a pair of bright eyes.”His last sentence was obviously sarcasm.
What he said instantly made everyone reminisce on the past.That year, no ordinary person could compare to Wisteria in terms of skills. She had already finished the entire race course for a long time before the first runner-up arrived at the finish line.To be precise, Wisteria might have even been two laps ahead of the first runner-up.The first runner-up only won the championship the following year when Wisteria did not participate.Many people discussed the incident because Wisteria never showed up. If she participated in any of the competitions, no one would have stood a chance.All of a sudden, everyone seemed to quieten down.Mr. Klein spoke again only after he sized everyone up. “So, you should also know how capable Wisteria is without my explanation!”Mr. Barnes frowned. “But Wisteria hasn’t shown her face for three years. It’s likely because something’s happened to her, or she’s gone into early retirement. Can we invite her?”Mr. Klein smiled and appeared confident whe
Mr. Klein was happy while the others were slightly taken aback.Was Mr. Klein really that lucky?Then, they heard Mr. Klein’s polite voice again.“Hi, yes, I’m Mr. Klein from Barkworth’s Group. I’m calling to ask you for a favor. Could you spare some time to participate in a race for us?”“No, I’m busy.” She did not hesitate at all.Mr. Klein and the other staff members were a little surprised.He had made it clear that he was a staff member from Barkworth’s Group, so the company definitely valued the race. Otherwise, he would not have called her. Yet, she just turned him down without hesitation?When Mr. Klein sensed that she was about to hang up, he did not waste time thinking and quickly said, “Hang on, Ms. Wisteria. What are you working on at this time? If there’s anything I can help you with, I’ll do my best, and Barkworth’s Group will lend a hand as well. If you’re able to participate in the race, you can name your price.”She just scoffed. “I’m sorry, I really don’t have
“I deserve everything that’s happening to me now. But please don’t involve my family in my mistakes…” Ethan clasped his hands together and sincerely begged everyone to spare his family. Ivanka spared him a brief glance before turning off her cell phone. Although she was helping herself to some meat, Michael could see how she felt at the moment. “Why don’t we…” Michael asked for her opinion. But before he finished speaking, Ivanka interrupted him. “Now that he’s released a video like that, if I continue to hold him accountable, I’d be the one in the wrong.” Michael immediately replied, “I can step in—” “You? It’s better if you don’t. Everyone knows your relationship with me now.” Before Michael could finish his sentence, Ivanka immediately interrupted him. Although they were not officially remarried, Michael often went out with her. If anyone else were to see this, what difference did it make? Michael understood, but he really could not bear to see Ivanka getting bulli
After they finished taking pictures, Ivanka greeted everyone politely. “After finishing your meal, go home early. It’s snowing, so drive safely. Bye…” Ivanka subconsciously reminded them. She belatedly realized she had been acting as though she was really an idol. Nonetheless, she treated them with sincerity. She had not done this for Michael’s sake. She did this mostly for the sake of the innocent, inexperienced young ladies who had yet entered the society. These young ladies raised their phones warily and asked, “Could we take a picture together?” They were so worried that their invitation would be turned down, so much so that when they talked, they almost bit the skin off their lips. Ivanka could not bear to reject them. It had not been easy for her to finally reach the private room. Michael teased her, “Our celebrity finally arrived. It looks like you’d best wear shades wherever you go in the future.” Ivanka glared at him and said gruffly, “Stop teasing me.” She paused
After that, Ivanka politely bowed to the people who had been watching the drama in the main hall. She smiled at them. “Sorry for making a fool of ourselves. We encountered two tricksters who wanted to eat the meals for free by calling themselves the friends of the restaurant owners. It happened that I know the restaurant owner, so we easily uncovered their tricks.” By saying that, Ivanka was able to save the hot pot restaurant’s and the Barkworth family’s reputation. Her statement could result in a win-win situation, and the reason was acceptable. Ivanka continued, “Sorry for causing a stir and affecting your dining mood. I’ll foot the bill for everyone who dined on the first floor. How does that sound?” She was not trying to curry favor with the people or to show off her wealth. She simply did not want the people to hate the wealthy. One could not deny that this method worked. Right after Ivanka made her statement, the crowd thanked her. The commotion was no more than ju
The young lady did not know what to do, so she turned to the restaurant manager. The restaurant manager nodded in approval. It was only then that the young lady left the restaurant. Before she left, she glared at Coco. Coco glared back at the young lady and pointed at her viciously. Coco shouted, “Come back! I’m not done with you yet! Who permitted you to leave now?!” The young lady’s body shivered a little. Still, she gnashed her teeth and left. Ivanka watched the young lady’s back as she drifted away. Ivanka stood in Coco’s way because she did not want Coco to chase after the young lady. Ivanka did not want to make a big deal out of the situation. Otherwise, the Barkworth family would be the one who suffered disgrace. After all, Coco stayed in the Barkworth family’s mansion, and everyone knew that Rosie doted on her. If it continued, Ivanka was worried about Rosie’s later years… Ivanka rubbed her temples in resignation. It looked like she needed to resolve the issue as
The restaurant manager thought for a moment before saying, “Ms. Fishbourne, the restaurant has its own rules. Only three types of VIPs could reserve our private rooms while the rest could only enjoy normal seats. I have reasons to believe that our front desk told you the same when you called. We may not have empty seats now, but we’ll have one shortly after.” Coco recalled the situation and remembered that it was exactly like what the restaurant manager had mentioned. So what? Things have changed these days. Coco was no longer an ordinary woman. Her words could even move the earth. With that thought in her mind, Coco chuckled. She kept her tyranny and mockery to herself before locking her little finger with the young lady’s at the front desk. The young lady at the front desk looked down at her finger before glancing at the restaurant manager helplessly. The restaurant manager himself, too, was caught in trouble, so he could not do anything else to defend the young lady. C
Little did Coco know that her behavior was no more like a clown in the crowd’s eyes. Ivanka felt disgusted. Although she could not put herself in Coco’s shoes, she could understand the thoughts of a sensitive person. Ivanka could sympathize with a sensitive and cowardly person. But she could not find herself sympathizing with Coco. Coco’s low self-esteem should not be the reason for her to behave like a crook. Michael, on the other hand, already finished discussing with the restaurant manager and entering the private room. Ivanka lagged behind him. She had no intention of entertaining Coco, much less inviting her to eat together. No doubt that the private room was able to accommodate four people. But based on their relationship, Ivanka thought she had been kind enough to not find fault in Coco, much less eating together. Meanwhile, Coco continued to argue with the restaurant manager. She argued until her face reddened. Although the restaurant manager already made hims
The temperature was above freezing point, so the snowflakes melted before they even reached the ground. The trees were covered in snow. At a glance, they looked like a blanket of pristine snow. The big trees looked as if they had been covered in snow-white new clothes. Ivanka was a little surprised at such a scenery. Even though she often went for business trips in the north and had experienced snow, skied, and various other experiences, it was a rare sight to experience snow in their city. Instead of snow, they looked more like an ice sheet. The snow there was different from the cities in the north. They easily fell on their hair. In just a while, their hair turned snowy white. Ivanka took out her phone and took a photo. Then she shared it with her friends in her WhatsApp group. Meanwhile, Michael took photos of Ivanka. Michael hardly posted anything on Twitter. After a moment, he uploaded a photo of Ivanka taking photos of the scenery.The caption was: Experiencing
Michael glanced at Ivanka.Ivanka kept her eyes lowered and focused on nothing in particular. Both of them tacitly agreed not to bring it up.“Let’s go out to eat,” Michael said. Ivanka agreed without hesitation.If they got ready and left at this time, they would be just in time for lunch.She went upstairs to freshen up. Michael did not rush her. He just smiled, as if he was telling her to take her time.Ivanka felt a little embarrassed and touched the tip of her nose. Truthfully, she was the one in a hurry because she was the one starving.Five minutes later, she came back down.She had changed into a long black down coat that reached her ankles. It was practical and warm.But the weather was still unbearably cold. This winter was harsher than usual.“Let’s go.” She rubbed her hands together and looked at Michael.Michael was on his phone. He was smiling and looked relaxed. With just a glance, Ivanka could tell he was probably making a reservation.Their long-standing
Ivanka slept in the next day. By the time she woke up, the sun was already streaming through the window, casting light across her bed and face.In a way, the sunlight had forced her awake.She frowned slightly before slowly opening her eyes. The brightness left spots in her vision, so she instinctively raised a hand to shield herself before getting out of bed.It was already past 10 a.m.She had no idea how she managed to sleep so much, especially after napping all afternoon the day before.Then again, maybe she was just that exhausted. So much had been going on lately.Fortunately, it was Saturday, so she did not have to go to the office.That was probably why her internal clock had not woken her at seven as usual.Come to think of it, her body’s internal clock was quite accommodating.On workdays, no matter how tired she was, she always woke up at seven sharp. But on weekends, that never happened. She could sleep in as much as she wanted, which was pretty great.She lay in