His hand now empty, Lester stared at Stanley, bewildered.Why did he get so emotional when he heard Iris' name?He was about to get engaged to Fiora, yet his mind was still on his ex-wife?"I'm not sure," Lester replied. He did not get a good look at the person's face. "Did you forget that today's Iris' birthday? It's only been days since you separated, and you already forgot her birthday? Looks like you..."…don't really love her that much. Lester trailed off, not wanting to say the words out loud.Stanley wasn't stupid; he could guess what Lester wanted to say. Already unhappy, Lester's words only added to his irritation. He glared at Lester. "Forgetting her birthday means I don't love her?"Lester pursed his lips, choosing not to argue with him. Stanley was clearly in a bad mood, and escalating the conversation might lead to a fight. Stanley himself knew better than anyone if he truly loved Iris. He definitely loved her, but his love for her wasn't that deep. If he truly lov
Stanley's sudden question surprised Lester."Isn't it men who like younger women?" Lester replied, scratching his temple in confusion. "Like you, for example."Wendy was a fresh graduate. She was young.Fiora, despite being older than Wendy, had a youthful appearance, making her seem like a fresh graduate too. So, wasn't it Stanley who preferred a younger partner?In fact, Lester himself also preferred younger women. There was something appealing about a woman with fair, smooth skin and a shy, innocent demeanor that made a man want to hold her close and cherish her.Stanley shot Lester a fierce glance, startling Lester into changing the subject. "Wh-who are you talking about?"Stanley's mind drifted back to the day he went to the movies with Fiora and saw Iris with a younger man. Since their divorce, she had been mingling with many men. He began to suspect that Wendy was just an excuse – perhaps Iris had long wanted a divorce. The more he thought about it, the angrier he beca
Lester's eyes widened. He cursed and rushed into the cockpit, followed closely by Henry, who had also realized the gravity of the situation.Inside the cockpit, Stanley was staring at the other yacht with bloodshot eyes like a man possessed.Lester immediately pulled Stanley away from the controls. Henry, reacting quickly, grabbed the control lever to slow down the yacht.Stanley pushed Lester's hand away. "What are you doing?!"Lester's eyes twitched. Without responding to Stanley, he turned to Henry and ordered, "Turn back.""Don't you dare!" Stanley glared at Henry.Henry was at a loss, caught between conflicting orders. "Um..." he stammered, unsure of how to proceed."Stanley," Lester said, his irritation surfacing. "What do you think you're doing?"Stanley's gaze returned to the other yacht, his eyes narrowing as he took in the sight of the man and the woman through the windshield. "She..."He had a torrent of grievances to express, but as the words reached his lips, he r
Instead, she had met Stanley, that scumbag."Miss Glover, you resemble the woman I like," Jason remarked, his gaze deep and unreadable.Surprised, Iris smiled. "What an honor," she remarked. "She must be an outstanding woman."Jason's lips curled slightly. "She has terrible judgment. She married a scumbag."Iris was at a loss for words. Not choosing Jason Just was indeed terrible judgment."It's her loss," she repeated.Jason's tone turned somber. "No, it's my loss for not marrying her."So, even someone as exceptional as Jason had been rejected before. Iris suddenly felt like the betrayal she experienced wasn't that terrible after all. Regardless of how remarkable a person may be, if they could not meet someone who could appreciate them, they would not find happiness.Suddenly, a ringtone broke the silence. Jason took out his phone and checked the caller ID. "I have to take this call," he told Iris.She nodded, and he stepped aside to answer. "Hello.""Jason, I'm calling
If Stanley could betray Iris, he could just as easily betray Fiora someday."Let her be," Jason said. He understood Fiora's temperament. She had been spoiled by their family even since she was a kid, and she was the type who wouldn't change course until she hit a wall. No amount of persuasion could change her mind. She needed to experience a setback to learn her lesson.Experiences were far more persuasive than words.Samuel opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. Fiora was indeed a stubborn girl; once she made a decision, it was nearly impossible to change her mind.After hanging up, Jason spotted a yacht nearby, which made him frown. A big reason people would take a yacht out to sea was because of the privacy it offered. It was unusual for two yachts to be so close together at sea.Stanley and his two friends were in the cockpit, so Jason couldn't see them. He could only see the women on the deck.As he turned, he saw Iris standing at the railing, her sh
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
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,
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
Wendy reached out, "Give me your phone.""Why?" The woman eyed her warily. She could sense something sinister in Wendy.Wendy explained, "I'll give you my contact so that you can reach me."The woman pulled out her phone. "What's your number?" she asked. She did not hand the phone over.Wendy withdrew her hand and recited her number. The woman saved it.Wendy had said all she came to say. The woman would investigate and find out that she was telling the truth. After that, the woman would surely cooperate with her.The woman instructed the driver to stop, and Wendy exited the car. Adjusting her baseball cap, she glanced around before briskly walking away.Along the way home, the woman's mind raced with thoughts. Upon entering, she immediately told the servant to prepare a spread of Ronald's favorite dishes. Then, she called him, telling him that her stomach was hurting and coaxing him to visit her.Ronald was still somewhat displeased when he arrived. He had only just gone with
In the car, the woman continued to scrutinize Wendy. "Why won't you take off the mask? Are you really ugly?"The woman was still wary of Wendy. After all, she was about to give birth and couldn't afford any accidents. Wendy had not recovered from her facial injuries. She replied, "I don't want to scare you. You're pregnant, so it's better if you don't see my face right now.""Then why should I trust you?" the woman challenged. She wasn't a fool. She wouldn't just trust anyone.Wendy knew the Stein family fairly well. She told the woman information about the Stein family to let her know that she had some knowledge of their situation."My name is Wendy Rain. You can investigate me to verify that I am indeed the one who caused the divorce between Stanley and Iris. Right now, Stanley is engaged to a Miss Just. Based on the intel I've gathered, she comes from a powerful background. If he marries her, your dream of entering the Stein family will become virtually impossible."In truth,
The woman was surprised by Iris' refusal."Don't you regret getting divorced?" she asked, genuinely puzzled. In her view, marrying into the Stein family was a significant achievement for Iris. There were many beautiful women in the world, but not all of them could marry wealthy men. She thought Iris was incredibly lucky.If she were the one who married Stanley, she would never divorce him no matter what. She would be fine with Stanley cheating on her as long as he gave her money. There used to be a popular discussion on the internet. The question was: if your husband is never home, but you get $20,000 every month, are you okay with that?She would be more than okay with that.It would be great if she had money and her husband was never home.She genuinely could not understand Iris' decision.Instead of answering, Iris said, "Illegitimate children also have inheritance rights nowadays. As long as you give birth safely, you will get what you want. I already gave you my contact, a
As a lawyer, despite her limited experience handling cases, Iris understood the importance of maintaining a clear, objective perspective. She recognized that allowing emotions to cloud her judgment could compromise her ability to provide effective representation.Her refusal to take on the woman's case stemmed from a desire to avoid digging deeper into the potentially painful truth. She could analyze the case objectively, but deep down, she was still apprehensive about facing the darker aspects of human nature and the emotional turmoil experienced by the victim which led to her taking her own life.The woman's face sank. "Oh, I see."Iris nodded."Okay, I'll think about it," the woman said as she stood up.Iris followed suit and opened the door for her."Thank you for your advice," the woman said politely."You're welcome," Iris replied, watching the woman leave."Wait."Suddenly, Iris called out to her.The woman turned back, and Iris approached her."Take my phone number.
"I hope, through your conversations with your father, you can discover part of the truth."What does your father mean by 'becoming closer'? How did he attempt to do that? What was your sister's reaction? How many times did this behavior occur, and under what circumstances? "Finding out these things will help you gain a clearer understanding of the truth. From there, you can assess how serious your father's actions might be – whether they constitute indecent behavior or rape. Once you've had a good grasp of the situation, you can thoughtfully consider whether to support your sister or your father."As it stands, the reason your father was allowed to be released on bail is due to a lack of evidence at this point in time, but that doesn't mean he'll definitely be fine."From our conversation, you seem to be conflicted, but lean towards supporting your father. Your stepmother was aware of the situation before the suicide happened. With all the witnesses, alongside the victim's testimo
It would be hard not to develop an introverted personality growing up in that kind of family environment, thought Iris."On the day of the suicide attempt or the day before, did she experience any direct triggers? What date was the suicide note written?" she asked."She had the note prepared well in advance, revising it multiple times. The police report indicates that the last revision was made on the 25th of last month," the woman explained."So it's a digital document?""Yes, it's a notepad document. She also wrote one by hand, but that's a much simpler version."Iris pressed further, "During the period leading up to her suicide attempt, did she encounter any specific triggers?""I'm not sure; I just got back from abroad," the woman replied."What stage is the case currently in?""It's in the investigation phase.""How long has the investigation been ongoing?""About a week.""Has your father met with a lawyer?""No, he has been released on bail.""What is your father's
"She only wrote that it's been happening since she was a child. Because she was so young back then, she only has vague memories of someone touching her and holding her down," the woman explained.Iris asked, "Did you just find out about these incidents?""Yes. After my parents divorced, I lived with my mother. I then went abroad at a young age. I only came back because of this," the woman replied.Iris nodded. "Do they all live in the same house?""Yes, and my sister has her own room. Supposedly, when her mother was away, my father entered her room and did inappropriate things to her... My stepsister has always been a bit introverted. Her mother has a foul temper, so she's always been a bit scared of her family. The suicide note stated that from childhood through 10th grade, my father has molested her multiple times. In 10th grade, he raped her for the first time – the first time she was aware of it, at least.""So, she had an impression of these incidents as a child but wasn't en
Iris fastened her seatbelt and said, "I left the medicine inside, so I went back to retrieve it. On the way back out, I ran into my former father-in-law and exchanged a few words with him."Jason responded with a silent stare.What a small world. She had just been harassed by her ex-husband, and now she ran into her former father-in-law."He brought his mistress here for a prenatal check-up. Looks like my ex-husband is about to have a sibling," Iris continued.Jason was speechless."Does infidelity run in their family or something?" he asked, a hint of mockery in his voice.Iris paused, then laughed. "Probably."As they drove off, Jason's eyes reflected his disdain.Iris tilted her head and remarked, "You seem unhappy."Jason kept quiet.With Fiora marrying a Stein, he could see potential troubles ahead.The Just family had always maintained a low profile, avoiding scandals. But in the future...Iris did not continue the conversation. She sat quietly."I'll take you home.
Jason examined his palm and said, "It's already healed."Iris served him some food, cautioning, "You can't be too careful."The wound was really deep, so it's best to see a doctor to make sure.After they finished their meal, Iris cleaned the dishes and tidied up before they left for the hospital together.The doctor assessed Jason's hand, which had healed well. He removed the stitches and prescribed medication for scar removal, instructing him to apply it to the wound every morning and evening for optimal healing. He assured Jason that it would heal well since it was a new scar.As they left the hospital, Jason's phone rang. It was Fiora calling, prompting him to step aside to take the call."Jason, when are you bringing your girlfriend over for dinner? Mom said you're already living together, so don't even think about lying to me," Fiora said.Jason glanced at Iris. "If you have so much free time, why don't you check on your fiancé? Ask him what he's been up to lately.""Why