Fiora wanted to gloss over the situation, but Stanley had no intention of letting up.He looked at Brad before moving his eyes back to Iris, his gaze intense. "What’s the matter? Feeling guilty? Or are you ashamed?""Stanley," Fiora said. She did not understand why Stanley was doing this.Iris didn't approach them to engage in conversation. Couldn't he just pretend he hadn't seen her? Why did he have to talk to her?She bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. Why did he have to get tangled up with his ex-wife again? Couldn’t he be more considerate of her feelings?Ignoring Stanley completely, Iris turned to Brad. "What are you waiting for? Open the door.""Oh. Okay," he replied, taking a look at Stanley before opening the door.Iris walked in briskly, never looking back at Stanley, treating him as if he were a total stranger.Brad closed the door behind them."Is that man your ex-husband, Iris?" Brad asked, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.He didn't dare to as
Fiora looked up at him. "Your body smells really good."Stanley frowned. "Are you a pervert?"Fiora playfully punched his chest with her tiny fist, saying coquettishly, "It's because I like you."...Ding dong...The elevator came to a stop.Stanley pushed Fiora away and stepped out.Fiora stomped her foot in frustration. But as she looked down at the height below, her face paled, and she walked out in a hurry.In truth, she was genuinely scared. Being 2600 ft. above the ground was intimidating.Stanley took a window seat. He scanned the area for Iris but did not see her. His expression darkened.Fiora sat across from him. She complained, ignoring his foul mood, "You could have waited for me."Losing patience with her, Stanley massaged the top of his nose bridge. "Do you want to eat or not? If not, then let's leave.""I want to eat." Fiora bit her lip. "What do you want to eat...""Anything."He interrupted her before she could finish, clearly annoyed.Fiora held back te
Iris' mocking gaze bruised Stanley's ego."How dare you look at me like that?!" His words dripped with anger, each one aimed like a burning bomb at Iris."Now that you have a man backing you up, you think you can look down on me?" He suddenly grabbed her chin. "Have you forgotten how you used to be madly in love with me, how much you loved having sex with me? And now you give me the cold shoulder?"Iris clenched her hand into a fist and pushed his hand away, inadvertently striking his injured arm.Although the cast had been removed, his arm was not fully healed yet and was still wrapped in bandages. He had taken off the cast early because it was uncomfortable and inconvenient.He winced in pain from the blow.Furious, Iris slapped him across the face. "Can you be any more disgusting?"She slapped him so hard that her palm was numb; she shook it at her side.Stanley was stunned. Then, he glared at her, rage boiling in his bloodshot eyes.A man's face represented his dignity!I
Fiora glared at Iris with malice in her eyes.She wished she could kill Iris! Iris raised her eyebrows, finding it amusing that Fiora would turn on her own kind over a scumbag."Step aside," Iris said coldly.Fiora clenched her hands into fists. "You're gonna pay for this!""Quite the temper you have there, Miss Just," Brad commented as he walked over and pushed Fiora aside.Fiora frowned, indignant. "This has nothing to do with you! Mind your own business!""It has nothing to do with you either," Brad sneered. "You should mind your own business too.""This bitch is shamelessly seducing my man. Of course it has something to do with me," Fiora shot back, her tone filled with venom. "You'd better watch out, Brad Vassell. Even your father has to show my brother some respect. Crossing me won't end well for you."Her words carried a threatening undertone, but Brad was unfazed. He always made his father mad anyway.Who does she think she is?Just because she had money and power,
Iris smiled, thinking, it would be nice if they could truly disappear from her sight forever. Out of sight, out of mind."Come, Iris, try this. It's delicious," Brad said, offering her a piece of roasted goose liver with black truffle."Thank you," Iris replied with a smile.Brad rested his chin on his hand, unable to resist the urge to gossip. "Did you divorce your ex-husband because he cheated on you with Fiora?"The smile on Iris' face turned stiff."I'm just curious," Brad added, blinking innocently.Iris sighed. "No.""Oh, I thought Fiora was the homewrecker," he said, feeling disappointed for some reason. He believed it wasn't beneath Fiora to do something like that."Then why did you divorce?" he asked.Looking at Brad's curious face, Iris smiled helplessly. "You really like to dig deep, don't you?" She put down her utensils. "We divorced because he cheated on me with a woman named Wendy, who is now in prison. You must be wondering why she's in prison, right? It's bec
Stanley's lips curled into a complicated smile.Iris had once loved him too, but she had left him decisively, ignoring his plea to reconcile."Really? You'll never leave me?" he asked. When he turned his head, his lips brushed against Fiora's face.It made Fiora's petite body tremble in his arms. Her cheeks blushed.She snuggled closer and replied, "I'll never leave you. I'll love you forever."A lifetime is so long; how can something like that be decided so hastily? Little did she know, things were about to change very soon.She asked timidly, "Can we not break up? I want to marry you."Stanley nodded. "Okay."Fiora immediately beamed with joy. "I'll take you to the hospital," she offered, supporting him.Stanley draped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. Fiora's heart raced with excitement as she tiptoed and planted a kiss on his cheek. Stanley's lips twitched, forming a smile that wasn't quite a smile....Fiora took Stanley to the hospital.After t
Fiora's eyes widened as she absorbed the revelation. "Stanley tried to send his ex-wife to prison?"Until now, she had only known that they were divorced. She assumed it was due to a lack of love.So Stanley wanted to send his ex-wife to prison?Then he must not love her anymore!Hahaha...Fiora actually had a strong dislike for Iris, especially after witnessing her interaction with Stanley earlier. She had even considered hiring people to teach Iris a lesson, but now, after hearing what Jason said, she found that she did not hate Iris that much anymore.She even felt a bit of sympathy for Iris.After four years of marriage, her husband wanted to send her to prison? Tsk tsk..."You didn't know that?" Jason frowned. It made her think that his sister was a fool. "Luckily, it's not too late to break up with him.""I don't want to," Fiora replied, biting her lip. "Jason, you know what it feels like to love someone but not being able to have them. So, please don’t stop me. So what
Fiora followed Jason down the stairs. "Jason, you're not young anymore. It's normal for Mom to be anxious." They were the main branch of the Just family, and Jason was the only son; it was understandable for their family to be anxious."Mind your own business," Jason replied curtly.Fiora rolled her eyes and watched her brother get into the car before taking out her phone to call Samuel. The call was quickly answered. "Can you come over?" she asked."Yes," he responded.…At the Golden Path Law Firm, Iris met with the client.The situation was actually more complicated than what was written on the case files."The woman my husband had an affair with—her husband is a soldier, and now they want to sue him for destroying a soldier's marriage," the client said, her eyes hollow, dark circles betraying her exhaustion. She must not have been sleeping well.Iris raised an eyebrow, thinking the man deserved to be sued."They're suing him; it doesn't concern you," Iris stated matter-o
"Okay. Good night, Mr. Just," Iris said."See you tomorrow," he said."See you tomorrow."…Iris was jolted awake the next morning by her phone ringing. Groggy, she reached for it. "Hello...""My husband changed his mind. He refuses to settle or drop the case now."The client's voice sounded anxious.Iris was instantly wide awake.Why would he change his mind overnight? She was going to handle all the procedures today to avoid further complications too."What happened?" Iris sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Take your time and explain in detail.""I don't know either. He just messaged me saying he regrets signing the settlement agreement and he won't drop the case. But he already signed the agreement. He can't change his mind anymore, right?" The client still held a glimmer of hope.Iris replied, "He can still change his mind."Under normal circumstances, changing one's mind after signing would be difficult. However, since she had half-tricked him into signing the agreement, if
Iris nodded helplessly. "You shouldn't have answered the phone." She felt a headache coming.She wasn't blaming Jason; it's just impossible to explain to her mother now.Since Jason answered her phone this late at night, her mother naturally assumed that Jason had been with her all evening.That was indeed the case today, but it wasn't in the way her parents thought."I can go meet your parents with you," Jason offered.Iris was surprised. Huh?Does he even know what he's saying?"Do you know who my mom thinks you are?" she asked.How could he suggest that without knowing anything?"She thinks I'm your boyfriend, right?" Jason smirked mischievously. "If you don't take me to see them, they'll definitely ask you even more questions. Wouldn't that be troublesome for you?""Besides," he added, "We worked so well together earlier. We're very in sync, right?"Iris was speechless."Actually, all I have to do is explain to them...""What if they set you up on a blind date?" Jaso
After hanging up, as Jason was about to leave the car, he heard a phone ringing. He traced the sound to Iris' phone lying on the passenger seat. She had left her phone in his car.Picking it up, he noticed "Mother" displayed on the screen and smiled, recalling the enthusiastic woman he had met the other day. It seemed he had a reason to look for Iris now.He exited the car and took the elevator to the ground floor, then headed to the building across the street.While waiting for the elevator in Iris' building, Iris' phone rang again. Jason wondered if he should answer. Iris' mother was calling repeatedly in the middle of the night, so there might be an emergency. After some hesitation, he decided to answer.Before he could speak, Cassie's voice came through the line. "Iris, happy birthday! Your dad and I are so busy today that I only have time to call you now. When are you free to visit us for dinner? Call me before you come; we'll skip work that day and stay home to spend the
Stanley was furious. He felt as if all the blood in his body was flowing to his head. If he had held onto any hope before, it was gone now. He realized that Iris was genuinely leaving him and had no intention of returning to his side.No!He could not accept that!Inside the car, Iris fastened her seatbelt, unfazed by Stanley's roar. Jason glanced at her, noticing her calm demeanor, and a slight smile tugged at the corners of his lips.He started the engine, and the car roared to life. He turned the steering wheel and pressed the gas pedal, and they drove away .Once they had left Riverside Pier, Iris said, "Thank you for acting with me."Jason's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Don't you think we have great chemistry?"Iris considered this for a moment. "Indeed. I always thought you were a very serious person. I didn't expect you to...""To what?" he asked, glancing at her.Iris brushed her hair. "Just now, when you called me 'babe', I got goosebumps. I can't believ
"I'll take you home," Jason offered.Iris nodded. Stanley couldn't stand it any more. Disregarding how bad it made him look, he rushed forward and grabbed Iris' wrist. "Iris..."Iris turned around, her expression cold. "Can I help you, Mr. Stein?"Her tone was icy, causing a pang in Stanley's chest. "H-happy birthday." His voice was hoarse. "Iris, I made a mistake. Let's get back together..."Jason instinctively tightened his grip on Iris' shoulder.Iris sneered, tilting her head with eyes full of coldness. "Since you wished me a happy birthday, let me make a wish: I hope you never appear before me again. I hope my wish will come true.""Iris," Stanley's voice cracked with emotion.Iris raised her eyebrows and said fiercely, "Let go of my hand!"Instead of releasing her, Stanley tightened his grip, the veins in his hand bulging.That hurt Iris' arm."Mr. Stein," Jason interjected, prying Stanley's hand away. "Stop bothering her. This is unbecoming of you.""She's my wife
On the shore, Yvonne urged Iris to leave.The other yacht was drawing closer to the dock, and if Iris lingered any longer, she would inevitably run into Stanley. It had truly been an unlucky day for Yvonne. Nothing was going smoothly. First came Jason, an unexpected guest, and now came Stanley, a harbinger of bad luck."Iris, why is the day of your birth so unlucky?" Yvonne complained. Iris looked perplexed. Right then, the other yacht docked. Henry was the first to jump off. He hurried over to Yvonne. "Hey! You're here too? Why didn’t you call me to join you? We could have come together."Yvonne glanced at the three women who followed him down from the yacht. All of them were flaunting their legs, their skirts barely covering their bottoms, and their cleavages were on full display with their low necklines. Yvonne scoffed, "Come together? That would have ruined your fun.""C'mon, I'm not serious with them," Henry replied. He approached Yvonne and reached for her sleeve. "
Actually, it wasn't that the parents absolutely couldn't afford to raise her, it was more because they wanted a son, but with the family planning policy, they couldn't afford the payment to give birth to one more child, so they left the girl to be raised by the grandparents.The little girl passed away without ever having been registered in the household registration; she was considered undocumented. Getting her registered would require money the family simply didn't have. Or, perhaps, they felt that it wasn't necessary since she was just a girl.The girl's aunt – her uncle's wife, who also lived with the girl's grandparents – was unhappy because there was suddenly an extra mouth to feed. The aunt treated the girl very poorly. According to neighbors, the girl was often beaten and denied food. The grandparents didn't dare speak up, fearing they would upset their daughter-in-law.According to the villagers, the aunt had attacked the girl that day because the girl had stolen some bread
Jason remarked, "In this world, there is no such thing as absolute fairness."He thought Iris' view was still overly idealistic. There was a large gap between the things taught in law school and the cases that happened in the real world. Sometimes, bending the rules was necessary to achieve certain objectives, not just for the sake of making things fairer. The world has never been fair, no matter in which country.Iris fell silent. She knew that the world had never truly been fair. Many individuals were constrained by circumstances from the moment they were born. Some emerged from impoverished rural areas, needing relentless perseverance to change their fates, while others were born into wealth and luxury, their starting point already an unattainable goal for many. How could this not be seen as unfair? Fairness was absent from the moment of one's birth.Yet, wasn't her initial aspiration to study law rooted in the pursuit of fairness? If not, what was the point of law?"Mr. Just,
His now wide open collar revealed his sexy, slender neck. His Adam's apple moved as he spoke, his voice slightly hoarse, "Are you really okay?"Iris nodded, avoiding his gaze; she didn't dare meet his eyes directly. His gaze felt too affectionate. Earlier, he mentioned that she resembled the love of his life. Maybe he saw her as a substitute for his unrequited love?Yes, it must be so; otherwise, he wouldn't have looked at her with that kind of expression.Phew~She assured herself that Jason couldn't possibly have feelings for someone like her. It was fortunate she had realized this in time, avoiding any presumptuous thoughts. She felt relieved that she hadn't embarrassed herself in front of him."Um..." Just then, Denise approached, intending to inform them that Yvonne wanted to leave. Upon reaching the sun deck, she immediately spotted Jason hugging Iris.She realized she was intruding.Quietly, she turned to leave.However, Iris had seen her. "Denise," Iris called out