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
“Okay,” Tanya said. The two of them continued eating. Maeve kept trying to start a conversation, but Tanya was absent-minded the entire time and only replied once in a while. Maeve could not help thinking that perhaps she would make a move soon. Tanya had always been proud and aloof in the past, but she was willing to take drastic actions for a man she liked.Maeve sighed.“It is what it is.” She thought. After they finished eating, they walked around in the streets until the time for the meetup came around. They rushed to the location that Chiara had told them.…Two days later, when Ivanka was about to go on breaks, her phone suddenly started ringing. She recognized the number.Confusion glimmered in her eyes, and she answered the call.“Ms. Cullen.”“Ms. Lane, you know my number?” Tanya sounded surprised.Ivanka did not answer her question. She continued calmly, “Ms. Cullen, do you need anything from me?”“Are you free later? Let’s have lunch together.”Ivanka froze. S
Of course, Tanya did not intend to learn more. The question was perfunctory, and she simply wanted to start a topic with it.She nodded in reply. Seeing how calm and distant Ivanka was, Tanya knew that she was drawing boundaries between them and did not plan to make friends.Certainly, it would be awkward if they became friends.Everyone knew that she fancied Michael, and that Ivanka was his ex-wife. Also, the both of them were still involved with each other.Tanya suppressed the conflicting emotions in her heart. She looked at Ivanka and said, “Actually, I asked you over because I just wanted to chat. We won’t talk about work, so you don’t have to be so guarded.”Ivanka raised her brows. “Ms. Cullen, I trust that you won’t cross the line when it comes to business. I never intend to keep my guard up in front of you.”She did not know what Tanya wanted to do, but she did not trust her in the slightest. Naturally, she would be wary of her.Tanya sighed resignedly. “I actually just
Ivanka sat with her back facing that door’s direction, so she did not see the newly arrived customers. Meanwhile, Tanya kept her head down, as if she was pondering over something.Neither of them had noticed the two figures at the door.But those two people spotted Tanya and Ivanka seated opposite each other right away.Ivan was amused. He pointed to them. “Look who I’ve just seen?”Michael pressed his lips together. Naturally, he had seen what Ivan saw.Ivan smiled. “Why don’t we share a table with them?”Michael immediately frowned. He disliked butting in on the women’s conversation. It was ungentlemanly.But even with this thought in mind, he did not move. His instinct obeyed his desire, as if waited for Ivan to talk him into it.Ivan was speechless. He forced a faint smile. Michael always managed to drive him speechless. Ignoring his friend, Ivan made a beeline in Tanya and Ivanka’s direction.“Hey, what a coincidence. I didn’t think we’d run into each other here?”Ivan
When Ivan noticed Michael sulking again, he immediately said, “Why are you two here? I never saw you interacting with each other before. Are you going to collaborate?”A strange emotion glimmered in Tanya’s eyes, and she smiled. “If so, I would’ve booked a private room. I used to stay in another city, so I didn’t have a chance to talk to Ms. Lane. I admire her very much.”After all, Tanya was the heiress of the Cullen family. The Cullens’ influence could even rival that of Barkworth’s Group. Like Michael, she was the future head of the family. Therefore when she spoke, she would place herself in a higher position and put the other party down.She said she admired Ivanka. It did not mean that Tanya liked her and wanted to be her friend. Tanya was not buttering her up. She was patronizing Ivanka.Her status and influence allowed her to do this. As she spoke, her every word and expression had not implied that she was putting Ivanka down. She was composed and at ease.Ivanka smiled fa
Ivan was speechless.Meanwhile, the tense scowl on Michael’s face eased up a little.He picked up his spoon and ate silently.When he had not said a word all this while, Tanya felt like a clown for no reason. She finally managed to dine with him, yet it was all thanks to Ivanka.But she was never a schemer. As someone who ran a company for years, she always saw the bigger picture. Therefore, she hid her emotions and said with a chuckle, “Mr. Barkworth.”Michael eventually looked at her.He said nothing and waited for her to continue.Tanya paused and then said with a smile, “You and Ms. Lane are collaborating lately. I wonder if you can free up some time to collaborate with Cullen’s Group? There are two excellent projects I’d like you to have a look at.”Michael glanced at Ivanka from the periphery of his vision. Cold glints flashed in his eyes.Then, he nodded expressionlessly. “Sure.”Tanya was a little surprised. She did not think that Michael would agree to it so easily.
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
She said to Ivanka in dissatisfaction, “Ms. Ivanka, please go out. I have something to say to Jonah alone right now.”Ivanka did not respond. However, the way she moved out already said everything.Jonah did not make a statement but silently agreed.He also did not want Ivanka to be present to see his embarrassment.“You’re being an ingrate. You never raised me like that! Since you’ve already spoken such, why are you still holding it against Iv? Is being a divorcee her sin?” Jonah’s expression was as dark as the storm clouds. Those eyes were locked on his mother. He felt that Ivanka had been deeply wronged.However, Margaret replied blandly, “Have you seen anyone wealthy choosing to marry divorcees? Are there really no other women out there?”“You are a woman too.” Jonah frowned.However, Margaret brought up a very realistic question. “I am indeed a woman. But no parent in the world would ever settle for anything less than the best option.”Those words infuriated Jonah.“Mom,
At Margaret’s rebuke, Ivanka was annoyed. “If you say so.”Whatever Margaret wanted to think was her own business. She would not interfere.Margaret immediately choked out in response, “You!”“You don’t have to target me. You know very well that I won’t get together with your son. I’m only here to administer treatment for your son.”Ivanka gave Margaret a bland look. Even her tone was bland.Margaret burst out laughing coldly. “It’s what you should do!”“I didn’t say that I shouldn’t,” Ivanka shot back indifferently. She no longer bantered with Margaret. She kept looking at her cell phone.In Margaret’s eyes, Ivanka was playing with her cell phone, and was playing intently too!There was a parasol over her head as she was leaning on a rattan chair. Most importantly, there were also refreshments on the round table to Ivanka’s left.Sheesh!“Ivanka, are you here to treat Jonah’s leg, or are you here to enjoy yourself?” Margaret chided Ivanka in dissatisfaction.When someone di
Jonah was concerned about Ivanka. But before he could finish speaking, he automatically lowered his voice.He was not the same as before.Call for him. With his weak legs, what could he do for her?Ivanka heard his tone but did not expose or console him. She only followed suit and said, “Rest well. I know my place.”“Alright.”Jonah answered half-heartedly. Ivanka turned around and left her back to him.On the terrace, there was a parasol and a rattan chair.She had only laid down on top of the rattan chairs for a few minutes when she heard footsteps from behind her. As the footsteps drew closer step by step, she subconsciously turned around.She only saw the servant who had just helped her carry a tray of food and walked towards her slowly.“Ms. Ivanka, the young master asked me to prepare some refreshments for you.”Ivanka nodded wordlessly.She was here to treat Jonah’s legs, not to enjoy the sunshine and eat. She did not eat anything. Her gaze was on the phone screen.S
As he said that, Jonah turned his wheelchair and moved closer to Ivanka.The delight on his face was hard to hide. Margaret did not see it. She was still in the hospital. It would have been better if she did not see her, but Ivanka also understood very clearly what Margaret meant by this. If she really wanted to have a long-lasting relationship with Jonah, they would have become a couple already. Why wait until that moment? As long as she agreed, it was not impossible, and that was what Jonah thought: he thought she would say yes.Ivanka gently laughed and shook her head. “Jonah, why are you still lying to yourself and others?”Even she understood it, so how could Jonah not know about it?However, Jonah was not willing to dwell on the matter. In the next second, he changed the topic. “It’s better to go to my room. The second floor has plenty of fresh air.”Ivanka saw that he was not willing to talk about it, so she did not say anything more. She nodded. Then a servant came
“If it’s my fault, you can always vent out your anger on me.” Michael made himself clear. It was not his fault, so he refused to accept being treated unfairly. Ivanka sneered, “It seems like you’ve forgotten that you were the cause of everything. If not for the fact that you refused to give up on me, I wouldn’t have invited Jonah for a roleplay. I don’t want to get into the details with you.” In the face of Ivanka’s mockery, for a moment, Michael felt as if something had stuck in his throat, and he did not know what else to say. Ivanka was utterly furious. It was pointless to speak any further to her. But he refused to become a punching bag on Jonah’s behalf for free. “You need to calm down. No one can get in the way of your choices. But I’ll never give up,” said Michael in a low voice. “I see. Since you refuse to give up, are you planning to steal the bride at her wedding as well?” Ivanka raised one of eyebrows. She felt amused. Michael blurted out a single word with
“Michael, I just didn’t want to upset Grandma. If you want to keep her posted on our progress, you might as well find someone else and get married so that there’s no more possibility between us. She will also stop thinking about me and you.” Ivanka had blurted it out without hesitation. Her tone was serious. She really meant it. Michael did not expect Ivanka to say this to him. Rosie had told Michael that Ivanka agreed to let him be her bodyguard because of her. At that time, Michael was over the moon thinking that Rosie had caused another miracle. But based on the situation, it looked like Ivanka did not plan to take other people’s concerns into account anymore. Michael’s mood turned foul. He could not say anything about Ivanka’s decision. “Iv, I refuse to accept this.” After a moment of silence, Michael said that to Ivanka. At that moment, he looked serious. Even though Ivanka could not see his expression, she could imagine his demeanor through his tone. “I know y