Many people gave Thomas puzzled looks. He would not mention this person without a reason; there must be some business collaboration or potential partnership at play.Thomas had always been a sensible man. He would not exaggerate or speak about things unlikely to happen.As business-minded individuals, they naturally prioritized profit. When Thomas mentioned it, some began to anticipate potential outcomes. However, they did not want to raise their hopes too high.After all, everyone knew who Papaver was. Many have tried to curry favor with her but failed. Even Barkworth’s Group and Sadler’s Group were interested in cooperation, but there was no news about it, let alone collaborative products being developed. As for smaller companies, they could only dream about collaborating with Papaver.Someone in the meeting could not help but sigh inwardly and said helplessly, “Papaver is completely out of our league, Mr. Thomas. Why did you suddenly bring her up?” What he actually meant was t
As they pondered this, someone could not help but ask aloud, “Is Ms. Ivanka involved in this collaboration?”Otherwise, why would she be here?Jillian also realized this and immediately looked at Ivanka.Chiara was seated beside Ivanka. When she heard this, jealousy and anger brewed in her eyes as she looked at Ivanka. She was about to lose her composure.Why? Why did this have to involve Ivanka?!Ivanka’s presence in this meeting must be connected to what Thomas mentioned!That damn b*tch!! Ivanka calmly replied, “That’s correct. I’m part of this.”Thomas looked at everyone and smiled, “Everyone, let’s calm down.”One of Fernando’s supporters could no longer stand it and said, “Calm down? Papaver is someone beyond our reach, okay?! Both Michael and Jonah have tried to meet Papaver in person but have not succeeded. We still don’t know who she really is. She’s never out in public. We don’t even know if she’s a man or a woman. Did Ms. Ivanka really contact her? And don’t even t
What nonsense was Thomas spouting?!At that moment, everyone speechlessly stared at Thomas.Theodore, on the other hand, smiled and said, “What do you mean by that, Mr. Thomas?”Thomas chuckled. “You’ve been staying with the Lane family for years. You and Mr. Fernando have been under the same roof. Ivanka practically grew up right under your nose. Yet, you know nothing about this important matter?”Chiara was puzzled.Something was definitely not right! What was Thomas talking about? Why did she keep getting even more uneasy?!Theodore felt the same way. He looked at Thomas and said in confusion, “What do you mean? I’m confused right now.”“Hahaha...” Thomas was in a good mood. It seemed like what he said earlier was just a joke. While everyone was still baffled, he chuckled and said, “Initially, everyone thought Ivanka was just an ordinary girl. But now, with her true identity being revealed bit by bit, aren’t you shocked, Mr. Lane?”Was he shocked?!He was so angry that he w
In an instant, everyone looked at Ivanka and waited for her response.Thomas smiled silently.Ivanka remained calm and gave a short and sweet reply. “Yes, I am.”The room fell silent.She was Papaver?!How could this be possible?!Chiara widened her eyes, on the verge of losing her composure.That stupid b*tch! There was no way she was Papaver!She was going insane.Theodore was also dumbfounded. He could not believe Ivanka was Papaver.No, this could not be true. It must be a scheme concocted by Ivanka and Thomas!With that in mind, he immediately glanced at one of his trusted shareholders, Henry Kennedy. Henry instantly understood what Theodore was conveying.He adjusted his middle-parted hair, looked at Ivanka, and said, “Ms. Ivanka, you are a lawyer yourself. You must know that lying and deception come with consequences, especially when it involves such a significant collaboration for our company. Impersonation is not a good thing.”Ivanka looked at him calmly. “You don
Thomas then spoke as if making an announcement, “I wouldn’t bring this up today if I were trying to fool anyone or pull a gimmick. We’re all in this together, working for mutual benefit. There’s no need for discord. It’s an honor to collaborate with Papaver. Since Iv is Papaver, we should be even happier because she’s one of us.” He spoke calmly, but his words carried a deeper meaning.He subtly warned others not to harbor malicious doubts or suspicions to prevent them from overthinking the situation. He wanted to ensure that they would accept the situation as it was.However, everyone was still in disbelief.How could Ivanka be Papaver?How could someone so young know so much?Was she even human?The crowd looked at Ivanka as if she were a monster, though Ivanka seemed unfazed. Using this identity to collaborate with other companies was inevitable.Ivanka had more important things to do that day.These were just the beginning. Once this prelude passed, it would mark a new be
Thomas’s words sounded pertinent, but Theodore’s expression darkened upon hearing them.“Are you implying that there’s a problem with how I’m managing this company?”As the chairman, he held a higher status. So, he felt no need to hold back in speaking his mind.Everyone in the meeting had a complex expression, but Thomas simply smiled at Theodore.“I’m just stating facts. Our company can’t currently operate independently. Persisting in our current approach would only lead to a significant decrease in sales for Iv’s designs and tarnish her reputation.”Theodore frowned and signaled to his supporters.One of his supporters coldly remarked, “You can’t put it that way. Papaver being part of our team means she should contribute to the company. We can also perform well on our own. Plus, who knows the outcome before we advertise? If sales are dipping, is it the company’s fault, or is Papaver not living up to the hype?”He was clearly trying to shift the blame to Ivanka.Ivanka smirke
Theodore forced a smile and said, “Iv, your achievements are beyond my expectations. I’m genuinely happy for you.”He implicitly agreed to the collaboration as well.Seeing him agree to it, his supporters naturally followed suit. Soon, it became a unanimous vote.Ivanka felt ironic about it.Thomas chuckled. “Yes, I’m happy for Iv too.”Ivanka truly surpassed expectations. He felt proud of Fernando for having such an outstanding daughter.Thomas continued, “Well, since everyone agrees unanimously on this point, let’s discuss the previous question: Iv, do you have anyone in mind to collaborate with?”All eyes turned to Ivanka once again.This time, they were not as dismissive as before.Although Ivanka had been impressive before, with identities like Iris and Black-eyed Susan, it did not directly affect how everyone viewed her. They did not show her much respect.But this time was different.She was Papaver!Papaver was a renowned jewelry and fashion designer. She would brin
But it was a huge joke. Ivanka may well be laughing on the inside. They were cousins, but there was a huge difference in their abilities. Even though they grew up together and received the same levels of education, Ivanka was amazingly talented. Meanwhile, Chiara was just mediocre. Chiara was so angry that she was about to lose her mind. Theodore inhaled sharply. He kept his composure and smiled. “Iv, well done. I’m so proud of you. You’ve kept your abilities so well hidden that no one knows about it. I also have to learn this from others.” Although Theodore made it sound like he was joking, Ivanka clearly got the hint through his sentence. He was implying that she was cruel for not treating them as her family. Ivanka said calmly, “I didn’t want to reveal it because I don’t want others to stab me in the back.” The audience instantly understood her. A lady from Thomas’s group said in agreement, “That’s right. Regardless of which identities you have, be it Iris, Black-eyed
After Ivanka realized this, she turned around and said to the nurse, “I got it. You can do your work now.” When the nurse saw Ivanka reacting like this, she knew Ivanka would take care of Theodore. So, the nurse said nothing else and left. After the nurse left the ward, Ivanka pulled the chair and sat in front of Theodore. “I wondered why you set my phone number as your first contact person. Are you doing this to warn yourself about me? It’s simply ridiculous that they called me. They may not know about our current situation, but you know it well, don’t you? I won’t take care of you, but I won’t watch you die either. Based on your current state, I’ll conduct several drug tests on you.” Ivanka stared at Theodore and sneered. She deliberately said that to Theodore. If her guess was correct, he could hear what she said. Moreover, Chiara had been to the hospital with Ivanka not long ago. Chiara had also disappeared within her sight for a short period of time. Theodore remaine
In other words, if Ivanka ignored this, as Theodore’s first contact person in his phone as well as his relative, Ivanka still needed to bear the full responsibility when the police arrived. Ivanka was undaunted. She was about to say something when Xavier interrupted, “What’s the purpose of this hospital? It’s to save people’s lives. When you find out the contact of the patient’s family in his phone, you contact them. But if not, is the hospital an institution that forces them to pay the bill?” When the nurse came in, she did not notice Xavier standing by the side. Xavier originally did not understand the context of their conversation. After listening to it, he finally figured it out. Moreover, he became aware of Theodore’s case after it became a headline on Twitter. Ivanka was a strong-headed woman. If she refused to do something, no one could force her to. When the nurse saw Xavier, she stuttered, “M-Mr. Quinn.” Xavier dismissed her. “Go and do your work. Since he has aw
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