The ladies said nothing else and silently agreed to Ivan’s decision. Ivan started the car engine once again. Ivanka was characteristically calm. Although she did not discover anything about that person, she remained composed. Even though Ivanka had not been able to locate her target from the given clues, she believed as long as she followed Chiara’s trail and as long as she herself remained alive, that person would be unable to hold back herself for long and would come to Ivanka soon. After all, Ivanka’s presence must have affected the culprit behind the curtains. The culprit was going all out to get rid of her. The ladies said nothing else. Ivan sent them back to their home or office. The last stop was Sandy’s. Sandy felt inexplicably irritated the moment she saw Ivan. She said, “You don’t need to send me back, I’ll call a cab on my own.” After all the time spent with Ivan, Sandy thought he always mistreated her or found ways to set her up. Ivan’s expression grew dar
“No. I’m not stopping the car. Unless you turn my steering wheel.” Ivan was not angry with Sandy anymore. Instead, he was happy that he could maneuver her. “You…” Sandy sucked in a deep breath to hold back her anger. Then, she said coolly, “With this poor attitude of yours, I won’t thank you even after you send me back!” Ivan sneered. “I didn’t expect you to thank me. Do you even have a heart of gratitude?” After saying the sentence, Ivan seemed to become angry again. Sandy was furious and instantly refuted him. “I never show my gratitude to an ungrateful ingrate!” Ivan said through his gnashed teeth, “Damn you, woman! It’s no wonder you remain single to this day!” At this, he stepped on the gas pedal even harder, and the car accelerated. Sandy was worried and immediately held her seatbelt tightly. “We’re in a hustling and bustling area, don’t overspeed!” “Don’t worry. Overspeeding won’t get you killed. I don’t want to be sent to jail either.” Ivan lost interest in
“I purposely mentioned all this to make you anxious. You act as if you don’t care about Ivanka, but when she’s in apparent danger, you would rather give up your work and even stop driving me out of your office. Michael, please be true to yourself.” Ivan had no intention of keeping Michael in suspense. He only wanted Michael to face the truth that he liked Ivanka. Ivanka grew increasingly outstanding. Many men were attracted to her and eager to get into a relationship with her. Jonah was one of them. There could be many more young and talented men who were interested in Ivanka in the future. If Michael failed to cherish her or still tried to annoy her, it would only be more difficult for him to win her heart back. Michael frowned deeply and stared at Ivan coldly. “What exactly do you want?” “I’m trying to save your relationship with Ivanka.” Ivan felt speechless. His expression darkened as he said, “I’m worried that you won’t have a chance again. You clearly like her, but you
Michael frowned again. He said nothing, but his gaze was icy cold. Any child with a heart of flesh would certainly find ways to avenge their father’s death after knowing that their father was killed unless they could not do so. Ivanka was far more capable than Theodore and had equally great influence. It was only natural for her to attack Theodore. Michael sat in stunned silence. Ivan said, “After we left, Ivanka began to monitor Chiara and listen to their conversations. Still, she couldn’t find out the culprit’s exact location. That culprit is quite powerful. Are you sure you don’t want to protect your future wife?” Ivan used a different tone when he said the last sentence. Michael glanced at him coolly, “If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.” “F*ck! I told you everything and you asked me not to say anything at all?! God must have made me blind to treat you as my brother!” Michael ignored him. He began to consider things to protect Ivanka. He paused
Chiara sucked in a deep breath and said, “Yes. I’ve thought it over. I admit that we’re the ones who did it.” She was cautious enough not to mention the words “… killed Fernando.” Even if that person recorded their conversation, she could not use it against Chiara. But, Chiara did not expect that person to ask, “I want the details. How did you kill Fernando? Tell me the details.” Chiara’s expression instantly changed. “Why must you know about that?” That person snorted glumly, “How can I save you without you telling me the details?” Chiara panicked. “I just need to pass you the evidence she presented to the court. I—” “Do you know the exact evidence that she presented to the court? As far as I’m concerned, she presented some documents. Do you really think that she only presented things that were mentioned during the court without including other crucial evidence? Why does she have to beat around the bush when she can hit you with a single blow?” Chiara’s expression turned
Chiara’s eyes lit up. “Do you mean…” “If you lose the case, I can give you a new identity.” Chiara looked disappointed. How could this be?! She wanted to be who she was. She wanted to carry on with her identity as the eldest lady of the Lane’s family. She held her phone tightly and said anxiously, “I—” Before she finished her sentence, that person said glumly, “Wait for my news.” After that, that person hung up. Chiara smashed her phone furiously. “Ahh! B*tch!” She called Ivanka a b*tch, and she also called the mysterious person b*tch too. Lyla was in a bad mood after quarreling with Chiara. Lyla noticed something was off about Chiara and immediately rushed over to her. She did not expect to see her daughter in her current state when she opened the door. Lyla’s expression instantly changed. She went to Chiara and held her shoulders. “Did you call that person again? Did you tell her everything?” Chiara snapped out of her daze. The next moment, she shook Lyla off and
She finally learned what happened to her father. At that moment, she could only take her revenge one at a time. She could not take all three of that family down at the same time. However, with this incident, she could definitely kick Theodore out of this company. “It’s your call. I’ve already taken care of things at my side and can take over anytime. But what are you going to do after you’ve taken care of Theodore’s family?”Ivanka’s gaze sharpened. She did not give an immediate response. She knew what Jonah meant. Theodore’s family of three could not possibly be eliminated at the same time. They would surely come back with new tricks.“We’ll solve the problems as they come.” In the end, Ivanka just said this and did not want to elaborate.However, in the next moment, her doorbell rang.Ivanka was a bit puzzled. “I have guests, it seems. Let’s talk later.”Jonah chuckled. “Okay.”His response was so casual that she could feel how relaxed he was. Ivanka thought for a split
Ivanka immediately looked up at him. But in the next moment, she noticed something was up. Jonah had made such a fuss. The few times he pursued her, they all ended up trending on Twitter, so how could his family not know? Jonah sighed. “If I brought you back to my home and you still think I’m using you, then I might actually be going about it the wrong way.” Ivanka frowned as she stared at the defeated-looking Jonah. She was a bit surprised. Jonah was never like this. He was always well-composed and calm. His cheerful eyes were tender and loving. So, many women could not stop themselves from falling in love with him. But it was also because he was this way that brought rise to a strange sense of aversion toward him in her heart. What was more, she had been hurt by love before. She probably did not want to be in any sort of relationship again for the rest of her life. However, she had repeated this to Jonah so many times. Even if he was not tired of hearing this, she 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