Chiara was very clever. Most of the time, she could immediately tell when something was amiss.Lyla dreaded her daughter’s perceptiveness. She could only maintain a calm demeanor and say, “Well, the place is just being renovated. I didn’t like the layout there and wanted to make some changes. After the renovation is finished, we’ll need to open the windows for ventilation. It will take at least a few months. Let’s just stay here for now.”Chiara immediately furrowed her brow again. “But that house was just newly done. You liked the design style. Why would you want to redo it?”She stared at Lyla suspiciously.However, Lyla said with a resigned manner, “It’s all your dad’s assistant’s fault! He hired workers who used poor materials for the renovations, and now, after only a short while, the walls at home are cracking.”Chiara felt skeptical. She kept sensing that something was off, but she could not quite put her finger on it.After a pause, she spoke again, “But even if we have t
Lyla snorted and indifferently said, “I’ll make something to eat. Wait here.”Chiara was surprised. “You’re cooking? Where is our maid?”Lyla remained silent.With the house sold and no money left, there was no way they could afford to hire a maid.As she washed her hands, she replied indifferently, “Considering your situation, it’s best not to interact with outsiders anymore. They might notice something amiss, and it wouldn’t be good for you. With everyone around us now unreliable, it’s risky to trust anyone new.”Chiara frowned. She acknowledged the truth in her mother’s words and said nothing more. She walked over to the sofa in the living room and sat down. Turning on the TV, she could not shake off her inexplicable frustration. “The distance between this sofa and the TV is too close!”Although Lyla could hear Chiara’s frustration from her tone, the current situation did not permit any indulgence. She pretended she did not hear that and ignored Chiara....As the evening app
He was a little stunned as he did not expect that Ivanka was really in the shower.She was wrapped in a slightly short towel that barely reached her thighs. Water stains adorned her delicate collarbone. Further down, there was a glimpse of something more.Michael’s pupils contracted slightly. His lips pressed tightly into a thin line as he remained silent.Ivanka clutched the towel tightly. She was worried that it would slip off. Her brow furrowed with impatience. “What the hell do you want?”As Ivanka shifted, a strand of hair fell across her chest, adding to the alluring mystery. Michael’s eyes flickered with lust and his Adam’s apple bobbed subtly. Without a word, he turned and walked away.Ivanka was left baffled by his sudden departure.What was that about?Without saying a word, she was going to close the door and go back to her shower, but then she heard Michael’s voice. “Get out here when you’re done!”Ivanka’s face darkened. Gritting her teeth, she said nothing. She cl
Michael’s face darkened further. “See it yourself and see if I was finding fault with you.”With that, he tossed the laptop to Ivanka.She frowned silently. Instead, she looked toward the screen.Earlier on, she had simply scanned it.But after what Michael had said, she had to regard it attentively.There was a ten-page Word document on the laptop. From the preview in the column on the left side of the screen, each page was filled with text.If it were someone else, they would feel a headache at the sight of it. After all, it was tiring to read all these words.But Ivanka read very quickly. After reading two pages, she realized that she had misunderstood Michael.Without a word, she read all ten pages of the document.At that point, Ivanka had already calmed down. Michael had not left, and he sat beside her the entire time.There was a conflicted look in Ivanka’s eyes, but she did not feel remorse. Michael had always been moody and tried to find fault with her. Even if she m
No one realized that it was already getting late.While they discussed the plan, the atmosphere in another room was a little tense.After Sandy returned to the room, she pulled a long face and kept suspecting that Ivan was up to no good.That jerk kept trying to approach her because he wanted to get something back, but she would never let him have it. It was hers!At that moment, Ivan was filled with rage. Seeing the insufferable look on Sandy’s face, he said angrily, “Woman, shouldn’t you give me a heads-up before you grabbed a bite? Didn’t you know I was waiting for you to dine together?”Sandy was so furious that she gave a bark of laughter. “Did I ask you to wait for me? Since when have we become chummy enough to dine together? You were waiting for me? Humph, I don’t trust you!”Ivan ground his teeth. “Why couldn’t I wait? You’re getting more and more unreasonable!”Sandy laughed once again and stared at him with a quizzical look.“Who are you calling ‘unreasonable’? Are we
Ivan grew even more irritated. “What? You don’t believe me?”Michael’s lips curled into a faint smile. “I will, once you get the thing you said.”Ivan was speechless.The elevator door soon opened. Ivan said with gritted teeth, “I’m only unable to get it from her at the moment. If I could bring myself to cross the line, there’s no way she manages to keep it for so long. I wouldn’t allow it!”The two of them got into the elevator. When they came out, Michael said nothing. He knew that Ivan was only venting and acting like a drunkard before he even touched the alcohol.Soon, they arrived at the bar. Ivan did not speak to Michael and instead downed a glass of wine. After a pause, he finally looked at Michael. “I questioned her earlier on. Hey, don’t you think that there’s something wrong with her? Didn’t she know that I was waiting for her so that we could dine together? What did she do instead? She went to dine with Ivanka without notifying me! I was the one who brought her here. Sh
At such a time, Ivan refused to wallow in sadness alone. He ought to make his friend suffer alongside him.As Michael drank expressionlessly and said nothing, Ivan started talking again. “I think Ivanka has really gotten over you.”The look in Michael’s eyes grew colder.Seeing that, Ivan was even more excited. “Technically, when she showed up at the party with Jonah and demanded a divorce, she had already given up on you.”Michael continued to drink in silence.Ivan clinked his glass against Michael’s. “See the things she did after that? She didn’t need you at all, let alone approach you. If you didn’t approach her yourself, she would simply disappear before your eyes.”Michael did not react, but Ivan thought that the wine glass nearly cracked in his tight grip.“Hey, look at you. Do you still refuse to admit that you have already fallen for her?”Michael immediately snorted coldly. “Does she deserve my attention?”“Doesn’t she? If not, why would you bring her out here? Is it
Seeing Michael’s grim expression, Ivan added, “So, you ought to explain everything to me!” “There’s nothing much to talk about.” Michael put down the glass. He had lost the mood for drinks.He did not want to tell anyone what happened that day, not because he felt humiliated by Ivanka’s treatment. It was because he did not want anyone to learn about their past.Ivan was speechless. He had wasted his breath for the past few minutes and learned nothing in return. Flummoxed, he said, “Damn you! I should’ve left you be. I have things to worry about myself!”Michael glanced at him expressionlessly. He had already given his take on Ivan’s situation. They did not need to discuss further.The two of them started drinking in silence.Once Ivan finished his last glass, he said through gritted teeth, “Sooner or later, I’ll give Sandy a taste of her own medicine!”“It’s not worth the effort.” With that, Michael stood up. “It’s getting late. Let’s head back.”They had drunk a lot, but ne