“You—!” Chiara’s chest heaved with anger.Ivanka smiled calmly. “When Michael said that he wanted me to be in charge, you guys were stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter who you chose, not only would I still have to intervene, but you would also offend either side. In such a tough spot, you came up with another plan, am I right?”Chiara clenched her fists tightly. She had a strong urge to scream and to beg Ivanka to stop talking!Sandy gritted her teeth.So cruel! Iv would not be in such a miserable state if they had not been so overbearing. Seeing her endure such pain during a time like this broke her heart!She held Ivanka’s hand. Even though she did not say anything, her gaze was filled with pain.Ivanka just smiled at her, then calmly looked at Chiara. “Later on, despite your best efforts, I only ended up with a broken rib. But Michael got freaked out over this and worried that I might die. He really liked my proposal. So, if I’m dead, he would lose a very importan
She could pass this unedited recording to Michael later on.With the engagement coming up and zero activity from Barkworth’s Group, she should probably throw in some evidenceThe next moment, Ivanka smiled. “Chiara, are you sure you want to stay and make a fool of yourself? I don’t mind waiting for you to try to attack me again.”“Ivanka, don’t be smug! Sooner or later, you’ll end up in the mud and become the world’s laughingstock!”“The world?” Ivanka narrowed her eyes. “Are you suggesting that you want to survive this time?”Chiara took a deep breath to calm herself down. She did not want to be provoked by Ivanka again. She gritted her teeth and said, “Don’t get ahead of yourself!”After saying that, she turned and left.Chiara actually came over today to try to reason with Ivanka. If Ivanka was willing to give up, it would have been a good solution. However, Ivanka clearly refused to reconcile and instead chose to confront her aggressively. This made it pointless for Chiara t
Sandy grinned widely as she stretched lazily and said casually, “I really look forward to seeing Michael’s reaction when he sees the recording. It’s a pity I won’t get to see it.”Ivanka simply smiled. Though she seemed relaxed, her fingers were gliding across her laptop’s touchpad.Sandy looked puzzled and asked, “Iv, what else are you doing?”“That’s a great recording. I can’t just show it to one person.”“Huh? Didn’t you just say you were only sending it to Michael?”Ivanka shook her head with a smile.“That was my initial plan. But I decided to put together a few more recordings and send them to someone else. It could change the current situation.”“What do you mean?” Sandy was confused by Ivanka’s words.“I’m sending Chiara the recent recordings I shared with Michael. The old ones might be helpful to us as well. If she doesn’t want those recordings to go public, she knows better than to lay a finger on us. If anything happens to us, those recordings will be made public. Ch
Did not record, huh? What was he listening to now, then?He was not surprised at all. He had known she was this kind of person from the start.“When Jonah wasn’t on board with your plan and said that it was either let me be in charge or not cooperate at all, you got flustered, didn’t you? There’s no way you would let go of such a juicy opportunity, could you? You then went to Michael and showed him the proposal. In the end, Michael was won over by the proposal, but he also wanted me to be in charge, didn’t he?“When Michael said that he wanted me to be in charge, you guys were stuck between a rock and a hard place. No matter who you chose, not only would I still have to intervene, but you would also offend either side. In such a tough spot, you came up with another plan, am I right?”Another plan...?Michael was fuming by now. When he heard the two words, he became even more furious.Chiara was definitely something else!This time, he strongly suspected that the matter was relat
At that moment, Chiara’s driver was driving her back. Suddenly, her phone rang. Feeling annoyed, she swiped it to unlock it. When she realized it was an audio file, her expression instantly changed. Chiara quickly took out her earphones from her bag. After she put them on, she played the audio file. She realized the audio file contained all the recent recordings, including everything she had said to Ivanka just now. “B*tch! Didn’t she say she didn’t record anything?! “Why did I even trust that b*tch’s words?” When Chiara read the message, she had the urge to murder Ivanka right away. Nonetheless, this time, she did not have the guts to do so. She could not do that anymore. The message was stated clearly. “If you dare lay your hands on either of us, get ready to lose your reputation. I’ll reveal to the world that you’re a hypocrite who pretends to be pure and innocent.” Chiara screamed furiously. The driver was taken aback and immediately stepped on the brake. He looked
Samuel chuckled and said casually, “Theodore, tomorrow is Sunday. Since it’s a holiday, shall we have a family lunch together?” Although surprised, Theodore agreed. “Great. Let’s gather together at noon tomorrow.” Samuel smiled contentedly and said, “Okay. My family is going with me. You and your family should come too. Don’t leave out any of them.” Theodore naturally went along with Samuel. Nonetheless, in his heart, Theodore was confused and sensed something off. He agreed to Samuel with a smile. After chatting for a while, they hung up. Theodore frowned. “Something doesn’t feel right.” Chiara’s expression turned as pale as a ghost. “Are they going to call off the marriage…?” Theodore’s expression darkened. Meanwhile, Lyla frowned deeply. Chiara muttered to herself without looking at her parents. “It’s over… It’s over!” Theodore said darkly, “Why are you so panicky? The Barkworth family needs our help. Besides, they are the ones who have taken the initiative to have
After knowing Michael would terminate his engagement with Chiara, Rosie could finally accept reality. She was content. If one had not yet faced the worst, one might think their current problems are the worst. After going through all this, they realized their experience was not that bad, after all, and it was all within an acceptable range. It was such a complicated feeling. At that moment, the nine of them sat around the table. If this was the past, Samuel and his group would certainly have Michael and Chiara sat together. Today, the two sat very far apart. On top of that, Michael looked frigid. He did not give Chiara a glance throughout the gathering. Chiara felt indescribable sorrow and fear. Nonetheless, she ran out of solutions. She did not know what to do. The bad feeling within her heart only grew stronger. Theodore inhaled deeply. He grinned as he turned to Samuel and said respectfully, “Master Barkworth, why do you want to have a lunch gathering all of a sudden? Do
Chiara thought. “He’s going to talk about something unpleasant before the dishes are even served! How heartless he is!” Lyla’s expression soured. Only fools would not understand what Samuel had meant by that. Theodore’s smile faded. Apparently, they knew what was going on. Mindy saw everything. She looked down as she felt embarrassed to stare at them. Jay thought things would be simpler if Theodore and his family knew what happened. Samuel cleared his throat and said with a weary sigh, “I feel ashamed to speak about this, but this issue is reciprocal. Could you get what I meant?” Theodore, Lyla and Chiara looked stunned. They did not understand what Samuel said. The trio stared at him blankly in unison. Samuel was speechless. He thought. “Why are you three still acting dumb at this moment? What’s the point of acting tough when your deeds are already exposed? Please keep some respect and dignity to yourself, will you?” Samuel did not want to put them down, so he said
Ivanka did not pay him any mind and got into the car. If Michael dared to chase after her again, she would most definitely kick him out of the car! She would do what she said she would!Michael did not catch up, but he blocked her with his arms wide open. His stance was clear: You can leave. But over my dead body! Ivanka could not possibly drive over Michael. But it was not a problem for Michael to keep blocking her way. Plus, she had just politely rejected his parents. So, it was even more impossible for her to turn back. Ivanka ran out of patience. She held her forehead and frowned. Michael had already drained her last bit of patience. She never imagined that Michael would actually cling to her to such an extent! How would she put it? All her positivity had been drained clean! “Michael, your parents are still at home. Aren’t you afraid they’ll see and laugh at you? I know Grandpa and Grandma are standing by our side now. It’s not like you and I haven’t been in
Ivanka would neither accept the carrot nor the stick approach. Michael had no choice but to persuade her with reason and win her over with affection. Ivanka snorted. “Have you ever given me a chance to have a meal with you before this? As the saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. It takes time for things to come to this state. Things might have passed for you but not for me!” Ivanka’s gaze was razor-sharp. Michael felt his heart clench up. At that moment, his throat was in so much pain that he did not know what else to say to her. Ivanka did not wait for his response. She pushed away his hand and headed out without hesitation. Michael did not stop her. Nonetheless, he went after her and followed behind her. Meanwhile, they heard the sound from the kitchen. Mindy prepared dinner in the kitchen, and Jay helped her out. They had heard their conversation. Out of courtesy, Ivanka went to the kitchen and greeted them. She said with a smile, “Uncle Jay, Aunt Mindy, I’m
Ivanka clenched her fists. Her gaze was filled with ferocity. She looked like she was really going to punch Michael. Michael noticed the anger in her eyes. But since the person was none other than Ivanka, he was willing to take the beating. He even took a step forward and held his head high. “Strike me if you want.” “You!” Ivanka glared at Michael. He truly annoyed her. She reminded herself to keep her composure. She sucked in a deep breath before saying, “Michael, I’ve treated you with respect. You’d better behave yourself.” Right after she finished the sentence, Ivanka left. Before she even took a step forward, Michael grabbed her. “My mom is preparing the dishes inside the kitchen. If you leave now, you’re not showing me any respect. Please stay around to have dinner. Even though we’re already divorced, and it’s impossible for us to get back together again, we’re still friends,” said Michael. Haha! He had been adamant. He was using the same approach to draw close
Mindy’s expression instantly darkened. “What’s with us being prejudiced against her? Had I ever targeted her when she married Michael from the beginning? “She knew how well Rosie had treated her. It’s her own fault for failing to bond with Mic. How could you blame us?” Mindy had always disliked Ivanka. She believed Samuel’s intervention had been the reason for their marriage. It was an arranged marriage. There was no need for the Barkworth’s family to have an arranged marriage. At the end of the day, it was all up to Samuel to choose the bride for Michael. Ever since Ivanka married Michael, aside from the deliberate arrangements, they had hardly shown up together as a couple in public. Mindy did not have any particularly hard feelings for Ivanka. She believed the two would live happily together after getting married. After they divorced, Mindy thought Michael could start all over again. But she did not expect to see their current relationship was no different from when they
It was Jay and Mindy. When Ivanka saw them, a thought came across her mind. She took out a syringe and inserted it into Michael’s arm to unmute him. Michael felt like he had been stung by a bee. It was as though he had been put in jail, only to be freed all of a sudden. Ivanka took away the syringe and gave him a glance with displeasure. “Get out of the car now. Your parents are here—” “Aren’t you entering the house?” Before Ivanka finished her sentence, Michael interrupted her. When he looked at her, his eyes were filled with sincerity and seriousness. But Ivanka rejected him coldly. “Quick! Get out of the car! I’m not joking with you. Get out now!” “Let’s go in together. After all, you’re already here. Are you worried about seeing them?” Michael was undaunted by her emotions and tone. Instead, he stretched out his hand to try to grab Ivanka. Nonetheless, she avoided him with ease. Meanwhile, Jay and Mindy saw them. They walked over to them. Mindy glanced at th
It was no wonder Jonah asked for so many details. All these were facts.Ivanka did not avoid answering his questions. She gave a light smile. “The longest will be half a year.”If the treatment was ineffective after half a year, she would go to Silvania with Vincent.After all, it was not just about her.Upon learning of Ivanka’s decision, Jonah smiled wryly. “Iv, I don’t think it’s an easy feat to treat my legs. How about you go and deal with your stuff first? You can always treat my legs afterward.”Ivanka initially planned to do it that way. But George, Florence, and Margaret had interrupted her plan.Since she had returned to Bostone, why was there a need to travel back and forth again?She might as well treat Jonah’s legs.Besides, Vincent had informed her that it would be highly uncertain whether they could still return to their home country after arriving at Silvania.Ivanka said, “No. I don’t want to make so many trips. I’ll treat your legs for half a year and see if i
It was not an overstatement to say Michael was crossing the line. Nonetheless, Ivanka could not just sit there and watch the two men get into a conflict. Hence, Ivanka pulled Michael to the side and glanced at him. “If you don’t want to be kicked out, you’d better wait here.” But Michael was undaunted by Jonah. Although Jonah had the power to rebuke him in his own territory, Michael refused to allow Jonah to get the upper hand. Ivanka saw the determination in Michael’s eyes. She was very worried that the two might get into a fight. She quickly pulled him back. “Stop making me worry about you. Just wait here! If you dare to come after me, I’ll…” Although she did not finish her sentence, her intention was clear enough. If Michael disobeyed her, she would make him a statue! Understanding this, Michael did not follow Ivanka. But when Jonah turned around and left, the provocation in his eyes was evident. Still, Michael listened to Ivanka. He did not want to offend her. He
Jonah narrowed his eyes while questioning Michael. Still, Michael did not respond to him. Ivanka pursed her lips. She looked displeased when she answered Jonah, “Jonah, there’s no need to speak so harshly. Do you still want me to treat your legs?” She had temporarily made Michael mute. She did that to stop Michael from talking endlessly about those things. Nonetheless, he had still insisted on coming along with her, only to end up being targeted by Jonah. Ivanka had no intention of making Michael mute in front of Jonah. Upon hearing Ivanka’s words, Jonah looked at where she currently stood. She stood in front of Michael. It looked like she was trying to protect him more. As the saying went, true love was portrayed in hard times. This saying was true indeed. It was true that Ivanka cared about Michael. Jonah said gently to Ivanka, “I want you to treat my legs, and I only speak harshly to specific people. I already showed him much respect when he barged into my terri
Michael remained resolute.Ivanka rolled her eyes. “Then stay stubborn. I’ll only fix it when you stop pushing me away.”After she was done speaking, she turned to leave.Michael followed.He even opened the passenger door and got in her car. He was determined to follow her.But Ivanka would not go easy on him.Once inside, she warned him coldly, “Not being able to speak is harder than you think. Follow if you want. Michael, are you sure about this?”Even after her warning, he kept staring straight ahead.She said nothing more and started the engine.Within half an hour, she arrived at Jonah’s mansion.Jonah came out to greet her personally. The moment Ivanka parked the car, Jonah immediately spotted Michael in the passenger seat.The sight of him stirred up bitterness in Jonah. Yet there was nothing he could do.Before Ivanka exited the car, she said to Michael, “Wait here.”Without glancing at him, she walked straight toward Jonah.Her attitude made Michael decide t