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
Dr. Cooper froze. This was enough proof. Of course, there was no need for Ivanka to see if he exposed himself because Suki had already told her everything. Regardless of Dr. Cooper’s attempt to cover things up, it was pointless. At that moment, Dr. Cooper was both worried and irritated. He stayed inside the car and turned to Ivanka. “What exactly do you mean? How can you accuse me of doing something that had cost someone’s life based on this prescription alone? I’ve been in the medical profession for many years. I always treat my patients and save them. I’ve never caused anyone to lose their lives. You’re so unreasonable to accuse me based on a prescription that came out of nowhere! Besides, what’s wrong with this prescription?” He did not give that prescription to Ivanka. Ivanka snickered. “Didn’t you just admit that you gave him the medicine?” Dr. Cooper frowned deeply and said coldly, “I indeed prescribed him some medicine. But it’s been some time, so I don’t remember the
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