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
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. "
"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
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
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
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
"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 refused to succumb to Stanley's threat. If her client ended up with nothing from the divorce and still had to go to prison, it would mean she was incompetent. There was no way she would reconcile with him just for the sake of the case.Stanley fists clenched in frustration as he watched her walk away with resolute steps. When did she become so stubborn? Did she think he was joking?"Iris, you will regret this!" he shouted after her.Hearing him, Iris merely smirked and chuckled self-deprecatingly. The biggest regret of her life had been marrying him. Given the chance to start over, she would never do that, or even date him. In fact, she wished she had never met him at all.But there was no remedy for regrets in this world. If there were, she would take it without hesitation.The ball-less man asked cautiously. "Mr. Stein, are you really going to be my lawyer for free? You're not lying to me, are you?"His eyes still staring at Iris' back, Stanley replied, "I will be your
Iris' heart tightened, feeling both sweet and bitter, "I did it willingly. You were only in danger because you tried to help me. You went to great lengths to help me save my cousin. I'm immensely grateful."She paused, then slowly raised her head to look at him, "I can't let you die because of me. If someone has to die, I'd rather it be me, not you.""Why can't it be me?" His tone was light, but there was a subtle hint of excitement in his voice.She must loved him very much to have the courage to rush in front of him in the face of danger.Death, what a fearful word.Yet she shielded him from the gun with no hesitation."You were there to help me save someone. Therefore, you can't die," Iris answered.That was what she genuinely thought at the time.In the quiet room, the sounds of their breathing could be clearly heard. Jason gazed at her, his eyes filled with a complex emotion, "You rushed over to shield me from that gun because I helped you save your cousin? It's because yo
She asked in panic, "Who is it?""It's me."It was Jason's voice. She breathed a sigh of relief.People always felt the most insecure when they're naked."You're done eating already?"Jason wasn't very hungry because he just woke up, so he only had a bowl of soup. That's why he came back up so quickly."Yeah. What are you doing? The doctor said your wound shouldn't get wet.""I'll be careful." Iris said.Jason frowned. "Are you taking a shower?""...Yeah," Iris answered softly."I'll wash you." Jason tried to open the door, but it was locked from the inside.He raised his eyebrows. "Iris...""I can wash myself." Iris hugged herself, thinking, how embarrassing would it be if he washed her?She didn't want that.Although they had already seen each other naked, her current appearance was not pleasing, and there was a gruesome wound on her body.She didn't want him to see her in this ugly state.Yes, he had already seen her ugly side, but... she couldn't just not care.She
Perhaps the sensation was a bit itchy, as Jason stirred. Iris quickly withdrew her hand, but Jason had already woken up."What's wrong? Does the wound hurt?" Having just woken up, his voice was hoarse.Iris shook her head, "I'm fine."She felt bad. "I'm sorry I woke you up. Go back to sleep."Jason raised his head and said, "Give me your arm."She smiled and extended her arm. Jason laid his head on her arm and said, "Hug me."Iris thought he was childish.She gently patted his back like she was soothing a child.Jason closed his eyes. Smelling her scent, he soon fell asleep again. He slept for a long time, only waking up at night.Iris had also fallen asleep, but she woke up a lot earlier due to hunger. However, seeing Jason sleeping soundly, she didn't want to disturb him. Her arm was numb but she didn't dare to pull it out, afraid of waking him up."Are you awake?" Iris asked.Jason looked at her groggily, reached for his phone, and saw that it was already past two in the
Since they would be staying here for a while, someone had to handle the household chores.It was clear that neither of them nor the two bodyguards were up for the task.Donahue had always been the one responsible for hiring cleaners to clean the place, so Jason asked Lewis to contact Donahue and inquire about the cleaning staff he usually hired.Lewis immediately made the call. Donahue said he usually hired temporary housekeepers who would clean and then leave. He provided Lewis with a contact to arrange for their services.Lewis personally selected two middle-aged women. The manager said they were very experienced and proficient in cooking and household chores.He brought the two housekeepers back to the island and settled them in. After that, Lewis went upstairs to inform Jason that the housekeepers had started work and dinner was taken care of.Jason's bedroom door was slightly ajar. From the gap, Lewis saw Jason sitting on the bed talking to Iris. It didn't seem like a good
Jason's condition was that Kaden must ensure he and his people left the country safely.After discussions with the other two families, Kaden agreed to Jason's condition. With the three families working together, it wouldn't be hard to ensure the safe departure of Jason and his people.Holding Luna hostage gave them leverage over the Morris family. This deal was mutually beneficial. Jason made the deal to allow Iris to leave the country as soon as possible. After agreeing on a departure time, he left the rest to Kaden and Lewis to figure out.Jason stayed by Iris' side.Two days later, they boarded a plane to Fiji. The earliest direct flight home from Northern Burrma was the day after tomorrow, but staying in that country for another day meant another day of danger, so Jason and Iris decided to go to Fiji first. She would recover from her injury there.Iris didn't want her parents to worry, so she thought it would be a good idea to stay in Fiji for a while. She needed time to rec
When he withdrew his hand from under her, it was stained with blood.Anxious and flustered, his heart felt like it had stopped beating."Iris..." His voice was hoarse and unsteady.Iris' wound was not life-threatening. The bullet had hit her lower back.Luna did not intend to kill Iris. She just wanted to keep Iris from escaping.Iris could feel the pain now. Her body trembled uncontrollably. She felt incredibly cold despite the warm weather."I... I'm fine..." she spoke weakly, her pale lips quivering.Jason held her hand tightly, "Don't worry, Lewis will be here with a doctor soon.""Are you... okay?" she asked hoarsely."I'm fine," Jason assured her.Iris' tense heart finally relaxed a little.She had never experienced such a nerve-racking ordeal before.It all felt like a dream.Scenarios seen only on TV had become reality. She was scared out of her wits earlier, but she tried to put on a brave face. She didn't want to be a burden to them.But in the end, as a powerle
When Iris looked up, she saw Luna standing behind Jason with a gun aimed at him.Her eyes widened, pupils shaking."Look out!"She rushed forward.Luna could have pulled the trigger as she had a clear shot at Jason, but when Iris shouted that warning, she saw through Iris' intention.In that split second when Jason turned with the gun, Iris hugged him and shielded him from Luna's gun.Luna's father had told her that Jason was off-limits. Harming him could lead to endless complications and may even result in the eradication of the Morris family!However, according to their investigation, Iris had no background, so they could use whatever means necessary to capture her. Even if she got injured, it didn't matter. Therefore, the instant Iris shielded Jason from the gun, Luna aimed at her back and fired a shot.At the moment of being hit, Iris felt no pain. Her whole body was paralyzed, unable to move.She slumped in Jason's arms.Jason held her falling body. "Iris!"He fiercely
"Let go!" Frustrated that she missed him with her attack, Luna grabbed a chair leg and swung it at Jason.Jason caught the chair leg and disarmed her, then flung her away with his other hand.Luna staggered several steps back and her waist hit a sharp object. She grimaced in pain.Blood seeped through her thin outer garment.Enraged, she exclaimed, "Catch Jason Just's woman! A reward of ten thousand for whoever catches that woman!"Her men, who were starting to be suppressed, began to fiercely resist again, reigniting the intense conflict!Gunfire rang out. The sound of objects being pierced mixed with screams created a battlefield-like atmosphere!Lewis rushed out of the hotel with Iris and headed for the car. Jason followed closely behind them after getting rid of Luna.However, due to Luna's words, her men rushed at them desperately.These people were desperados. They weren't afraid to die for money.The fight for profit among the families had always been fierce!Kaden's
"The back door is blocked," Lewis informed Jason. He was outnumbered. Facing the rain of bullets outside, he couldn't break through.Although Luna was a woman, she had years of experience. She wasn't a fool. She had already stationed guards at the back door.Holding a machine gun, she said, "If you surrender, I might let you live!"Jason and Iris were trapped in a hallway, with no way out!Clearly, it would be difficult to escape from the back door. Kaden's men were at the front entrance, so if they rushed out from the front, there might be a chance to escape amidst the chaos.Jason instructed Lewis to protect Iris. Seizing the opportunity, he fired several shots at Luna.Luna had to dodge."I'll draw their attention. Lewis, when you see the chance, escape with Iris," Jason said."Got it!" Lewis responded.He still had to be wary of the shots coming from the back.It was actually very difficult to rush out.Two bodyguards suddenly rushed in, attracting the fire of Luna and h