In the courtroom, everyone’s expressions were strange. It was as if they had just watched a thrilling drama but had not received the ending. It left them itching for more.However, with the judge gone, they were at a loss.Ivanka stood up. She knew well that today would not end here.Seeing everyone else rising, she had no intention of staying longer.Sandy and Suki also stood up. Their excitement was evident as they hurried toward Ivanka.Sandy, in particular, was visibly energized. She was eager to find out what was written on the documents Ivanka had just submitted.At the same time, she was genuinely curious about how it would end for Chiara and her family.However, Sandy could not directly ask about it here. She merely urged Ivanka to leave quickly.As they took only a few steps, they heard a voice behind them, simmering with suppressed anger but pretending to be calm.“Ivanka.”Ivanka halted. She turned to face the person addressing her.Sandy also glanced over. She co
Ivanka paused. She turned to look at him.Seeing an opportunity, Theodore felt relieved and said, “Come on, let’s eat first. It’s just dinner. You don’t have to worry about being poisoned.”Sandy glanced at Ivanka with concern. Seeing that Ivanka seemed to consider going, she turned to Theodore with a cheerful smile and said, “Oh, Mr. Theodore, I’m feeling hungry too. Since you’re treating Ivanka, you wouldn’t mind if I join, would you?”Suki chuckled. “That’s right, I’m feeling a bit hungry too. Why not bring me along?”Theodore’s expression darkened slightly. He only wanted to speak to Ivanka alone.Just as he was about to refuse, another voice came from behind them.“You girls are right. I’ve been starving all day too. Mr. Theodore, would you mind if I tag along?” Ivan’s tone was nonchalant and roguish. Theodore’s expression carried mixed emotions.He could easily refuse Suki and Sandy, but this person... He did not dare to turn him down at all. It seemed there was no room fo
Though there were some grudges between them, they all knew how it started.Ivanka knew Ivan would not actually harm Sandy.She and Suki kept walking forward.Seeing them getting farther away, Sandy suddenly felt anxious. “Come on, man! Can’t this wait? Iv and I have to go to dinner now! Didn’t you just say you were starving too?”Ivan snorted. “Relax! They haven’t gone far! Besides, Theodore is the one inviting Ivanka to dinner. He won’t urge her. So, what are you worried about?”Sandy snorted. “She’s my bestie, how can I not worry about her? Also…”At that, she shot Ivan a cold sneer. “Aren’t you and Michael best friends? Didn’t you volunteer to join Theodore for dinner for Michael’s sake? What now? How are you going to protect Iv if she walks too far away from you? Careful that Michael will settle scores with you about this later!”Ivan’s expression was already grim. After hearing what Sandy said, he was so furious that he could hardly catch his breath. In the next moment, he
Suki was instantly amused. “It’ll take time.”Sandy clenched her teeth and said, “It’s because Theodore and his family have really crossed the line. They treated human lives with such callousness. They did it all in the name of their interest! I can’t wait to expose them and let everyone know what kind of people they are! I hope they will be ashamed and get the legal punishment they deserve. I’m pissed that they managed to live worry-free for so long!”Sandy’s eyes were filled with rage. She wanted so badly to destroy Theodore and his family that instant.Suki nodded in agreement. “Don’t worry. They will never escape the law, and karma will get them soon.”Ivanka was sitting in the front passenger seat with a hint of a smile on her lips. Seeing that her best friend was concerned and furious on her behalf, Ivanka comforted her in a soft voice. “Don’t overthink it. I’ll make them suffer. At that point, they can’t do anything to me anymore.”“I know they can’t, but I worry that they
Ivan drove off immediately.Sandy rolled her eyes at the car as he drove away and said angrily, “What’s wrong with him today?”Ivanka pursed her lips and did not plan to say anything. Sometimes, the more she tried to mediate a situation, the more likely she would upset the people involved. She might as well let Sandy and Ivan sort this out themselves.“Let’s head in.” With that, Ivanka dragged Sandy and Suki into the restaurant.When they entered, Theodore and his family were already there. They all were pulling long faces. As it seemed, they must have had a discussion and argued about it.Seeing Ivanka and her friends, Theodore frowned slightly and immediately asked, “Mr. York isn’t coming?”Ivanka answered calmly. “He went to park the car. He’ll join us in a bit.”As she spoke, she pulled out a chair and sat down. Sandy and Suki settled in by her sides.They seemed to be protecting her. Ivanka felt a rush of warmth in her heart. Naturally, she knew that her friends did this o
Ivanka looked at Chiara with a hint of a mocking smile on her lips.“Do you think I heard her?”Chiara’s eyes widened. But she was not shocked. She was too furious to speak.Was there something wrong with Ivanka’s ears? How could she not hear Lyla?Earlier on, Chiara had simply reminded her to reply.But Ivanka dared to ask her a question instead. How could she be so shameless?Just as Chiara wanted to say something, Lyla quickly chuckled. It sounded like a reminder to her daughter.Deep down, Chiara was furious. But she gave a cold snort, suppressed her emotions, and fell silent.Lyla tried to channel some emotion into her speech, and she said to Ivanka with resignation, “Iv, don’t overthink it. I know that you need to consider this matter. But the situation is a little urgent. Why don’t we resolve this in private?”Theodore was pulling a long face the entire time. He remained in his seat without a word. He could not bring himself to beg for Ivanka’s mercy. He could only rely
At that moment, Theodore could not describe his anger in words.But he still chose to suppress his anger. Once the server came in, he immediately ordered some food and sent them away.He, his family, and his guests were the only people left in the private room.Their conversation was interrupted earlier on. Theodore had to bring back the topic, or lest this meeting would be a waste of time.Besides, even though there were so many people in the room, they formed only two sides.Ivan and Michael were best friends, so he naturally sided with Ivanka. Sandy and Suki would of course defend her as well.Therefore, there was no need for Theodore and his family to hide things from these people. Ivanka would tell them everything after this meeting, anyway.After a moment of hesitation, Chiara turned to Ivanka and could not help saying, “Iv, no matter what happened between us, we were relatives, and blood is thicker than water. What happened this time has caught us by surprise. We have bee
Lyla could not let this situation worsen. Besides, she ought to start the topic she wanted to discuss.If she could not clear their names, her family would not be able to execute their plan. She knew this. But everything should happen in order. Even if they did not bring up the subject, Ivanka eventually would.Lyla nudged Chiara’s foot under the table to remind her not to be impulsive.Back then, when their life was smooth sailing, Chiara could mask her emotions. However, ever since her family started facing a series of troubles, her temperament had changed drastically. She would have a meltdown every time something did not go her way.Lyla decided to lecture her daughter about this later.Inhaling deeply, Lyla looked at Ivanka again and said with concern, “Iv, the agreement will affect the fate of our whole clan. So we can’t do whatever you want us to do. But you mentioned that we hurt your father. That’s impossible!”There was mockery in Ivanka’s eyes. She said nothing. It was
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