After a moment of hesitation, Tanya suddenly thought of something and smiled. “Why don’t you drive my car? I’ll get a lift from Ms. Lane. After all, I’m going to Barkworth’s Group as well.Ivan was speechless.Tanya was really something!With this suggestion, she could keep Michael away from Ivanka without forcing herself between them and painting herself in a bad light.However, Michael would not want this. Her suggestion might displease him.Ivan glanced at Michael from the corner of his eye and saw his friend’s face darken. Amused, Ivan grinned.“Hahaha… How could we do that? I’ll call the driver here instead.”Tanya was stunned.When it came to putting her in an awkward position, Ivan surely did it without hesitation.But she knew Michael would not want to take her offer.Oftentimes, Ivan spoke for him.Tanya smiled. “Alright then.”The men had turned down her offer. Considering that she and Michael were not even close, she should take a step back instead of pushing it.
One day, Michael would stay by her side and treat her gently.No one would ever take her place again!With that thought, Tanya got into her car with her eyes downcast. Soon, Ivanka also arrived in her car.As she approached the driver’s side, Ivan ran over and opened the car door. He smiled at Ivanka. “I’ll drive! It wouldn’t be right for you to drive when we’re carpooling with your car. Let me take care of that.”Ivanka was speechless. Since when did she let them carpool with her?However, Ivan did not give her a chance to say anything. He immediately got into the driver’s seat. Ivanka frowned and went to sit in the back seat.To her surprise, Michael walked over and joined her by sitting opposite her.Ivanka frowned. She had chosen the back seat for its proximity to the driver’s seat and had no intention of sitting in the passenger seat because she had noticed Michael heading in that direction earlier.However, he ended up taking the seat opposite her. She was annoy
Michael glared at her as he said coldly, “Ivanka, can you just think before you speak?”He was livid.Ivanka frowned and looked at him in puzzlement. “I didn’t say anything wrong, did I? Let me go!”He did not loosen his grip on her chin, but he did not hurt her too much either. He thought this slight discomfort would make her come back to her senses. She needed to realize what foolish things she had just said earlier.Ivan had been a chatterbox a while ago. At that very moment, he just wanted to drive in silence.There were only Ivanka and Michael in the backseat.Michael felt a strong urge to rip Ivanka’s heart out to see if she truly had one. How could she say something so ruthless?He huffed as he gritted his teeth, “You didn’t say anything wrong? What you said was way out of line!”“Who’s really out of line here?!”He disrupted her whole life and always found ways to interfere despite her repeated requests for him not to. Why did he hate her so much? She had moved on from
Ivan was shocked when he heard this.Was that lunatic out of his mind?How dare he say such things!He had feelings for Ivanka, yet he adamantly denied them and chose to utter such hurtful words instead!Why? Why would he do that?!Ivanka’s face turned pale. She was completely taken aback by Michael’s words.The next moment, she could not help but laugh, “Yeah, I don’t deserve it. I know that. That’s why I’ve been keeping my distance from you.”She no longer wanted to talk to him. Words could not express how annoyed she was at him.Michael’s expression changed as he spoke those words. It seemed as though they had slipped out without much thought.When he noticed Ivanka’s pale face, he pursed his lips and turned away without a word.Ivan, who was still driving, could feel the awkwardness in the air and couldn’t stand being there any longer.He cleared his throat and quickly intervened for Michael’s sake, “Come on, you two! What’s the big fuss about? It’s not that serious! Mic
Damn it!Ivan had had enough! He decided it was time to teach him some lessons instead!Soon after, Tanya arrived.She frowned when she noticed Ivan grumbling.Had something unpleasant happened again earlier?She greeted him silently.Ivan turned to look at her and smiled when he noticed how quickly she caught up with them.Tanya set aside her complex thoughts. They then headed toward the office building.Everything seemed normal. However, Tanya’s arrival sparked a new wave of discussions within the company.Despite Barkworth’s Group and Cullen’s Group having worked closely together, Michael and Tanya seemed well-matched in terms of age, talents, and appearance. Everyone was aware that Tanya had feelings for him, but whether Michael reciprocated those feelings remained uncertain.No one really knew whom Michael liked or cared about at the moment. Could it be Ivanka? If not, why did he sleep with her that night?Everyone sensed the ambiguity in Michael and Ivanka’s relationsh
“If you have some time, find out what her entire plan is. Otherwise, it won’t be good for us if she keeps us uninformed.” “I know. I tried asking her, but she told me not to pry on things I shouldn’t know. Knowing too much could lead to trouble.” Chiara felt increasingly frustrated as Ivanka continued to cause trouble and having to deal with the strong-tempered backer.Lyla took a moment to think before suggesting, “Let’s be flexible for now. But we shouldn’t rely solely on her instructions. We should also take the initiative and act independently.”Chiara pursed her lips and did not want to say anything anymore. It was Lyla’s birthday, after all. It was better to leave things unsaid. ... Another three days passed. It was nearing the end of afternoon work hours when Ivanka got a call from Suki. “Iv, you free after work?”“What’s up, Suki?”Ivanka knew that Suki would not directly contact her unless it was urgent and to avoid wasting her time unnecessarily.“I’ve met mos
Samson had always been a flatterer. Before meeting Theodore, he was just an ordinary doctor. Since then, he has been promoted to a high position as the third-in-command in the hospital, a role he considered a great blessing.Of course, he remembered who Fernando was.Ivanka said softly, “Did he ask you to look into anything else when he asked you for those medications?”Samson frowned and looked displeased. “I’m sorry, but I can’t disclose it. That concerns Mr. Fernando’s privacy.” Theodore owned the hospital Samson was working in. Naturally, he had to abide by his boss’s decisions. Everything had to revolve around Theodore’s interests. He might be unaware of certain things. But even if he did know, he would not disclose it.Ivanka nodded calmly. “Hmm, it’s okay if you choose not to tell me.”Samson hesitated briefly. He felt a hint of panic but quickly calmed down.After all, what could she do even if she knew some secrets?Most people would not know about medicines or unde
The next moment, Samson spoke in a deep voice. “This list was originally for Mr. Fernando’s health regimen. These are all standard medications. On what basis do you accuse me of causing someone’s death? Just because you’re a lawyer, it doesn’t give you the right to make baseless accusations. I could sue you for this! I believe in fair law. It won’t bend just because you’re Iris!”Samson’s voice carried anger but contained a hint of hidden guilt that he forcefully tried to conceal.Ivanka was so furious that her hands were shaking.The culprit was right in front of her, yet she could not rip him to shreds!She tried to restrain herself and remained silent.Suki was concerned that Ivanka might get too worked up. She looked directly at Samson and said in a low voice, “Dr. Cooper, the fact that I was able to trace you down, are you sure you’re innocent? If you tell us everything you know, you might still have a shot at a peaceful retirement. But if you keep insisting on staying silent
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