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
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