They were eager for these two to appear together more often. It would give them material to write about.It would be even better if Michael could be dragged into the mix.However, after they followed Jonah’s car to Barkworth’s Group, the journalists had already begun to speculate wildly. They were all feverishly typing away on their keyboards for tomorrow’s articles.Ivanka alighted as they arrived. Jonah followed suit. He smiled at her. “You go ahead and take care of things. I’ll wait here for you.”Ivanka immediately responded, “It’s not necessary.”“Oh?” Jonah narrowed his eyes slightly. “Do you want Michael to drive you home instead?”Ivanka furrowed her brows slightly and said, “I won’t get into his car. Besides, I’m not sure how long I’ll be working. You should go home first.”Jonah’s lips curled into a smile as he gazed at her with his charming eyes. “Do you really think I would leave?”Ivanka frowned again. “Jonah.”She uttered his name in a serious tone. Her tone was
The atmosphere in the office was brooding. Ivanka felt uneasy. Despite this, she walked over to Michael’s desk and gazed at him. She asked curtly, “What’s the matter with the project?”Michael’s expression was dark. He did not even spare Ivanka an icy gaze. He clicked the mouse with his right hand. The previously dark computer screen lit up once more. Through the glass behind Michael, Ivanka could glimpse the data table displayed on the screen, though the mirrored reflection partially impeded the view.“Come and see for yourself.”Michael’s voice was icy. He remained seated in his chair without budging an inch.Ivanka could tell that there really was a problem with the project. She frowned slightly. This was a project she had put a lot of effort into researching, and now that it was operational, she absolutely would not allow the company to encounter such issues!She immediately walked over to the computer. She stood by Michael’s left side. They were very close. Ivanka’s full atte
Ivanka knew that she could not struggle her way out Michael’s arms, so she gave up. It was mostly because she was already feeling exhausted. She stared at Michael in disbelief, as if asking, “How could you say such a thing?”The look in her eyes irritated Michael for a moment.After a pause, Ivanka shook her head and asked, “Michael, how did you end up like this?”There was a grim look in Michael’s eyes.“Why would you throw away your dignity for business interest? You have made Barkworth’s Group a big, successful company, yet it still doesn’t satisfy your appetite? You would even try to control me. Where’s the Michael who used to be proud and aloof?”Michael suddenly felt suffocated.“You think I’m doing this out of business interest?”Ivanka immediately snorted. “Didn’t you say that yourself? You said we were a fitting match.”Michael was speechless.At that moment, he was suddenly at a loss for words, but he could not vent the rage within him. Ivanka’s words somehow acted
”Iv… I know that you’re no longer in love with that brat Michael. But you’re young, and you should remarry. You need someone to keep you company when you grow old.”Michael’s face darkened further. The look in his eyes became sharper than ever before.But Rosie was on the other end of the line, so she had no idea Michael was next to Ivanka. Rosie continued anxiously, “But that Sadler boy isn’t a good suitor. He is too much of a playboy. Who knows how many women he has been flirting with? I’m worried that he isn’t truly in love with you! Iv, you must find someone you can depend upon for the rest of your life, not someone like him.”Even though Rosie wanted Ivanka to be her granddaughter-in-law again, Michael did not pull his weight!Under such circumstances, Rosie could only help Ivanka scour for potential suitors so that she would not be tricked by awful men.Ivanka pursed her lips. When she saw that Michael’s face was dark and on the verge of exploding with rage any second, she s
Michael did not let her go. Instead, he stared at her coldly, “What are you up to this time?”Ivanka frowned and eventually said grimly, “It’s nothing against you, and it’s none of your business even if you find out.”Michael was so furious that he let out a bark of laughter. “You can choose to keep it secret. Let’s see how long we can remain in this position.”Ivanka was flabbergasted.She immediately looked at Michael in disbelief. “What’s wrong with you?”If she heard him correctly, he had implied that if she refused to come clean, he would keep holding her in his arms and refuse to let go.When Michael remained silent, Ivanka guffawed furiously. “Since when have you become so shameless? Michael, are you supposed to act this way? Where’s your pride?”Michael snorted coldly, “If one lies down with dogs, they will get up with fleas. With you around, pride has lost its meaning to me.”In other words, he was implying that she had been pestering him for the past three years.Her
Ivanka was startled. She glanced at him with astonishment.She wondered why Michael sounded that way.It even gave her the illusion that Michael was casting away his pride.A strange emotion glimmered in Ivanka’s eyes. She did not say a word.Michael did not let go of her wrist. Instead, he said in a cold voice, “What are you really up to this time?”Ivanka was puzzled.She knew it was an illusion. His tone and attitude were as bossy as ever. She might have been mad to think otherwise. Eventually, she snorted coldly. “Why would I tell you? Mr. Barkworth, when you’re planning something big, won’t you hide it from outsiders?”Outsiders.She did not emphasize this word, but it still grated on Michael’s nerves.How dare she say this?! Very well!Ivanka wanted to wrest herself free, but his clutch remained tight.At that moment, she became irritated again. “Michael, I don’t know what I should do to make you let go. Even if you really want to remarry me, do you assume that I’ll
Ivanka gave a faint smile. “Mr. Barkworth, from the way you acted, I’d have thought you couldn’t get over me, and that you have fallen for me. This does not look good on you.”Michael’s expression instantly turned grim. He looked at Ivanka icily. “Call off your collaboration with Jonah and work with me. I won’t treat you like how I treated you in the past.”“No, sorry. You snatched the previous project from Jonah a while ago, so I owed him once. Besides, I…”As she said this, she paused and kept the rest of her sentence to herself.She had meant to say that she would never work with Michael for the rest of her life.But if she said this aloud, it would only anger him and do her no good.She struggled with all her might.Michael gritted his teeth and released her. “Get lost! Ivanka Lane, get out and never think of setting foot in this place again. Don’t ask for my help ever again!”Ivanka forced another smile. “Don’t you worry. I won’t bother you from now on.”Michael was speec
The doorbell dinged.Sandy opened the door for Ivanka.Sandy smiled and said, “Are you here for me? I came over for dinner just now.”Before Ivanka replied, Thomas’ laughter rang out from behind Sandy. “Hahaha, move aside, kiddo. Let Iv in.”Sandy stepped aside with a chuckle. Ivanka closed the door, changed into slippers, and entered the living room.“Uncle Thomas, sorry for bothering you at this hour.”“Don’t be sorry, kiddo. You can come to me anytime. It’s never too late or too early.”Thomas genuinely admired Ivanka’s character and capability.If she visited, she must have something important to tell him, or else she would not have come over so late at night.Ivanka smiled. “As a matter of fact, I want to collaborate with Sadler’s Group soon, and I still need your help. We will hold a meeting tomorrow.”Thomas was a little confused. “What meeting? Let’s discuss it in my study.”With that, Thomas led Ivanka into the study. Sandy stayed outside because they would be talki
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