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
Theodore’s expression changed. “Miss McNeil, that’s not true.”Sandy snorted coldly. She wanted to mock him, but eventually decided against it and stayed quiet.Suki did not even bother to look at Theodore and his family. She turned to Ivanka with a gentle look on her face. “Your father has already long passed. Sometimes it only upsets you to bring them up again. Iv, why don’t we let this go?”Theodore was alarmed.Since Ivanka had come to meet him, it showed that she indeed wanted to know more about Fernando, and Theodore had made the right bet. But if people around her kept telling her to let it go, she might just give up.As expected, Ivanka nodded in agreement. “You’re right. The more I know, the sadder I’ll get. I’ll only miss him more.”Theodore and his family paled slightly. Before they said anything, Suki immediately nodded with a smile. “Yes, just let it be, and don’t dwell on the past. Your father would want you to be happy.”“Yeah! He’d have been upset to see you like
Once again, the room was theirs.Ivanka’s patience had already worn out.Seeing that Lyla and Theodore kept refuting an irrefutable fact, she ignored them, picked up her cutlery, and started eating.Ivan was speechless and wondering how she managed to have an appetite after all this time. But he, too, began eating.Naturally, Sandy and Suki picked up their cutlery as well.They were here to grab a bite, after all.Theodore’s expression darkened. All this while, he never said it was okay for them to start eating.But they did that anyway, which was highly disrespectful. Did they not realize that they were in the middle of a discussion?Inhaling deeply, Theodore controlled his emotions and raised his glass at everyone else.“Since we’re already eating together, why don’t we have a drink too?”There was a polite smile on his lips. He acted like he was drinking with his business partners.But he did not expect that after he lifted his glass, only Lyla followed suit.The people
Theodore shook his head and sighed as various emotions brewed within him. “It’s really—”“I don’t have time for your sentimentality. Just get straight to the point” interrupted Ivanka impatiently, which surprised Theodore.He thought Ivanka would resonate with him through this. He tried to stay composed but he was already simmering with anger. Lyla could sense that he was already too upset to speak. So, she quickly intervened, “Wait, Ivanka. Don’t be mad.”This time, she did not dare to waste her time beating around the bush and went straight to the point. “Before your dad passed away, he left us a message for you.”Ivanka narrowed her eyes. Before Fernando passed away, he had also spoken to Michael.Did he also say something to them?She frowned. Could Fernando also have told them to tell her not to take revenge when she learned the truth?!Ivanka’s expression turned colder. She seemed to have figured out something. Theodore and the rest had no idea what was on her mind. He
Ivanka subconsciously bit her lip. She was struggling to contain her sadness and maintain her composure.Whenever she thought of her father, she could not control her emotions because she always felt indebted to him. Had it not been for her past obsession with a love that should not have happened in the first place, she and her father would not have ended up in their current unfortunate situation.If she had prioritized her family more back then, things would not have deteriorated to such dire straits.The recording continued playing.Chiara felt satisfaction and relief seeing Ivanka distressed. Until now, Ivanka had always seemed aloof and stoic.Chiara longed to see Ivanka in pain and could finally witness it. She took a deep breath as she intently watched Ivanka. She did not want to miss any of her emotional reactions.“Iv, honestly, I hadn’t planned on leaving you this recording, but I worried you’d feel down without memories of me. So, I kept this recording with Theodore. I
Sandy felt so disgusted seeing Theodore’s pretentious facade that she let out a cold snort.“Iv, dear. Goodbye. I love you.”Those were his final words.Her heart wrenched with pain, but Ivanka tried to rein in her emotions and not show them too prominently.Lyla and the others waited, hoping Ivanka would speak up. As moments passed in silence, Lyla finally spoke with hesitation. She said softly, “Iv, I know you’re hurting inside. But your father is already gone. You...”Before she could finish her sentence, Ivanka shot her a sharp gaze. Lyla was startled. Ivanka’s intense gaze cut off her words.Ivanka’s icy gaze was filled with hostility. This terrified Lyla.Theodore, Lyla, and Chiara panicked instantly. They were unsure of what to do next.Ivanka kept looking at them before letting out a cold laugh. “My father is already gone, you say?”Lyla’s heart skipped a beat. Oh no... did she just say the wrong thing?Theodore’s expression shifted. He was about to say something, b
Chiara immediately stood up and anxiously approached Ivanka.She quickly grabbed Ivanka’s hand when Ivanka reached for the door handle.“Iv, where are you going? Are you just going to the washroom? You don’t need so many people to go with you. I’ll just go with you!”Ivanka shook off Chiara’s hand. She ignored Chiara and deliberately opened the door.“Ivanka!” Chiara’s eyes widened with frustration. “You can’t just leave! We’re not done talking! We’ve played the recording and shown you our sincerity. At least give us a response!”Chiara was on the verge of yelling about how unreasonable Ivanka was. She felt close to exploding with anger.Ivanka continued to ignore her. Lyla and Theodore hurried to catch up to her. Chiara grabbed Ivanka’s arm tightly and refused to let her take another step. She did not care if outsiders heard them because she was not saying anything crucial.Sandy could not stand watching this anymore. She stepped forward and forcefully pulled Chiara’s hand aw
Ivanka knew why it would not work. It was because someone had already arrived at the police station ahead of her and wanted to bail out Ferris while leaving Mandy as the scapegoat. Seeing that Ivanka did not say anything, the leader was afraid of provoking the two, so he hurriedly exclaimed, “Of course we can do it! Arrange for it immediately.” The police officer looked reluctant. “About that… Ferris currently has visitors. If you want to meet him, you can only do so with all three of you together, and you may want to say something in private…” The police officer had a point. Ivanka did not force the issue either. She thought momentarily and said, “Then can I see Mandy at least?” The police officer kept nodding. In comparison, it was much easier to see Mandy. It was simple. She had no power. Ferris was the only one she depended on, and he was in prison. The two had even turned against each other. Needless to say, Mandy must be in bad shape. Although she was mentally
Ivanka subconsciously used a fork and stirred the pasta on the plate. Michael remembered her words to that day. It was a delightful meal. Ivanka ate to her satisfaction. After breakfast, Rosie finished taking her stroll. Ivanka and Michael coincidentally were about to leave the house. Rosie exercised while asking, “Where are you going? We’re going to have lunch in a while.” Michael glanced at Ivanka. She knew it was her fault, so she said nothing. Michael could have blamed Ivanka because such a chance was hard to come by. But he answered this instead, “We just finished our breakfast, so we’ll skip lunch. We’re going to the police station.” Rosie nodded in understanding. The corners of her lips curved upward. She knew everything that had happened since yesterday. So she waved her hand. “Go ahead.” Michael and Ivanka left together. Rosie and Mrs. Ruth marveled while watching their silhouettes from behind. “Look, they are so matching together. Even their backs comp
The next day, when the sunlight shone onto the bed through the gauze, Ivanka gradually woke up. She opened her blurry eyes and took her phone. She was shocked to see that it was already after 10 a.m.. It could have been due to it being a rare opportunity to relax after returning home. Perhaps it was also her overthinking that had kept her up very late last night. Regardless, Ivanka seldom woke up so late. She quickly washed up and went downstairs, only to realize Michael was sitting on the couch reading today’s newspaper. Meanwhile, Rosie and Candice were nowhere to be seen. When Michael heard a sound coming from upstairs, he turned around and saw Ivanka hurriedly walking down in heels. He frowned and said, “Slow down. Don’t be so nervous.” Upon hearing his words, she subconsciously slowed down. Michael stared at Ivanka. His gaze was filled with desire and love, and he refused to look away. Ivanka reached downstairs. She looked around and asked, “Where are Grandma a
Ivanka remembered something and turned to Michael. “Why are you here? Do you have anything to talk to me about?” “I went to your room but couldn’t find you. So, I looked around and finally found you here. Are you enjoying the night view?” After Michael finished his sentence, he looked up to see the sky. Ivanka looked up at the sky too. Michael rested his gaze on Ivanka. He glanced at her chin, then her fair and slender neck, after that her collar bone… The rest of her body was covered in clothes. Yet, the sight was very tempting. Michael gulped. “Tonight’s moonlight is beautiful.” Michael naturally said the sentence. When Ivanka heard this, she turned to him and looked stunned. Michael looked away and said somewhat unnaturally, “When I was downstairs, Candice said she had something else to handle tomorrow, so she couldn’t accompany you to the police station.” After Michael finished his sentence, he stared at Ivanka and observed her expression. He was disappointe
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