Chapter 898 Could Not Wait

Ivan was speechless. Meanwhile, the tense scowl on Michael’s face eased up a little. He picked up his spoon and ate silently. When he had not said a word all this while, Tanya felt like a clown for no reason. She finally managed to dine with him, yet it was all thanks to Ivanka. But she was never a schemer. As someone who ran a company for years, she always saw the bigger picture. Therefore, she hid her emotions and said with a chuckle, “Mr. Barkworth.” Michael eventually looked at her. He said nothing and waited for her to continue. Tanya paused and then said with a smile, “You and Ms. Lane are collaborating lately. I wonder if you can free up some time to collaborate with Cullen’s Group? There are two excellent projects I’d like you to have a look at.” Michael glanced at Ivanka from the periphery of his vision. Cold glints flashed in his eyes. Then, he nodded expressionlessly. “Sure.” Tanya was a little surprised. She did not think that Michael would agree to it so easily. As it seemed, Ivanka was not as important as she thought in Michael’s eyes. She immediately said with a smile, “Why don’t we go over them this afternoon?” In other words, she wanted to spend time with him throughout the afternoon. She had said this to Michael, but it seemed as if she wanted Ivanka to hear that too. Ivanka was eating in silence the entire time. Their collaboration had nothing to do with her, and she was not interested in it. The coldness in Michael’s eyes grew. In the next second, he said in a grim voice, “Sure.” Deep down, Tanya was over the moon, but she only gave a smile. “Okay.” She did not show her excitement. Even if everyone knew that she liked Michael, she did not shower him with affection and stress him out, or else he would only distance himself. It was not what she wanted to see. All four people at the table were harboring different thoughts, yet the atmosphere between them was rather harmonious. Everyone ate without a word. As for the oppressive aura around Michael, the other three people simply pretended that they had not sensed it. Throughout the rest of the meal, no one said anything else. Tanya was smart enough to stay quiet. Ivanka did not want to chat with any of them. Ivan really wanted to speak, but Michael kept signaling him to keep his mouth shut. Defeated, Ivan could only zip it. Michael, on the other hand, refused to speak another word throughout the meal. Besides, he was annoyed by Ivanka’s indifferent attitude. After the meal, Ivanka did not intend to stay. She looked over at the others and said calmly, “Since you have to talk business, I shall take my leave first.” Tanya nodded with a smile. “Alright.” Naturally, she could not wait to let Ivanka leave. Raising his brows, Ivan stared at Ivanka and said, “Are you leaving alone? Let’s head back to the company together.” “I drove here myself. You probably drove here too.” Ivanka turned him down without hesitation. Ivan glanced at Michael, who remained silent. He could not help mocking his friend internally, but still, he said to Ivanka, “We didn’t. The driver drove us here. He might be on the way, but I don’t want to wait any longer. Why don’t you drive us?” Ivanka was flabbergasted. Tanya froze as well. At that point, if she offered to drive the men, she would have appeared overeager. But if she did not make any offers, it would be rude.