Brad finished the coffee in one go. Iris frowned as she observed him. Something appeared to be on his mind. After setting the cup down, he expressed his gratitude. "Thanks," he said, grabbing his coat and standing up. "Shall we have breakfast together?" he invited."I've already eaten. I'm waiting for someone," Iris replied."Okay, never mind then," Brad shrugged. He draped his coat over his shoulder and walked away unsteadily.After checking the time, Iris said, "I can keep you company though." However, right after she said that, the woman arrived. "Looks like I can't," she said apologetically.Brad suddenly walked back and asked, "Can I join you?"While Iris was hesitating, he explained, "My father said he would send me abroad if I don't show results at the law firm. I don't want to go abroad."Iris smiled at the woman and said, "Let's go to the reception room."She then instructed Brad, "Go make two cups of coffee and bring it over."Meeting her gaze, he understood her m
After that, the man eagerly asked, "Do I have a chance?"Iris pondered for a bit and replied, "You do, if everything you said is true...""Everything I said is true," the man hastily interjected.Iris raised her eyes, her gaze cold and firm. "Let me finish?""Okay, okay," he nodded, listening intently as she continued. "The first time you sexually assaulted her, she was still young, so she can't remember it clearly. Without direct evidence, it's difficult to prove what you did. She can only be certain about the sexual assault that occurred when she was in 10th grade. However, at that time, she was no longer a minor. The most crucial point is that there is a huge time gap between that incident and her recent suicide, so it would be challenging for the prosecution to link the two events together. However, if they have enough evidence, you will be convicted for sexual assault."The man's expression dimmed. "Oh, I see. If her suicide cannot be directly linked to my actions and I'm onl
"Contribute to the country?" Brad leaned on the table and teased, "You're quite patriotic, aren't you?"Iris asked, "Don't you love your country?""Of course I do," Brad responded.Iris walked out of the reception room. "I hope that's a truthful answer," she remarked, glancing back at him."I wouldn't deign to tell lies..." His voice trailed off as his stomach rumbled loudly, prompting an awkward cough.Iris chuckled. "I'll treat you to breakfast."Brad rolled his eyes. "Boss, it's already ten o'clock. Are you sure it's breakfast and not lunch?"Iris packed her things. "Don't call me 'boss.'"Brad stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. "You care about that kind of thing?""Of course," she replied. "'Boss' makes me feel old. I'm still young."Suddenly, Brad leaned in close. When Iris looked up, she was startled to see his face right in front of her."You scared me," she said, glaring at him.He laughed heartily. "Haha...""Let's go," Iris said, heading ou
They moved to a private room for their meal. Fiora's eyes were swollen from crying; her breakup with Stanley had hit her hard. Jessica, on the other hand, was pretty happy about the breakup. "Hmph, what's there to cry about? Pathetic."Despite the situation, Fiora retorted stubbornly, "Have you never been in love, Mom?"Jessica was momentarily taken aback. "Who knows if what you feel is really love?" she sneered.Perhaps Jessica had never lacked love and therefore couldn't relate. She and her husband had grown up together and had matching backgrounds. After marriage, they had a son and a daughter, and their relationship was stable. Their relationship, while not as passionate as those depicted on screen, had endured through the years. Her husband, despite his wealth and status, did not fool around outside or have an affair. He was devoted to his family and was a responsible and caring husband. Wasn't that a relationship to be envied? Passionate love was rare in this world; it w
After the waiter finished serving the food, he exited the private room and closed the door.Iris retreated to the wall. The door was shut tight, isolating the sounds within. She stood frozen. Jason and Fiora were siblings? And Jason only liked her because she looked like the woman of his dreams?A bitter chuckle escaped her at the thought. No wonder. With Jason's qualities, there was no reason for him to be interested in her.Thank goodness. Thank goodness she hadn't allowed herself to believe that he liked her because of her qualities. Thank goodness she hadn't invested too much emotionally. Thank goodness she had found out early, so it's not too late.Taking a deep breath, she went back to Brad, who was slumping in his chair, looking unwell. He looked up at her, his face a picture of discomfort. "Iris, I feel terrible," he said pitifully.Iris sighed. "I'll go buy you some digestive pills. Wait here."Brad nodded obediently. "Okay."Iris quickly searched for a nearby pharmac
On the day Iris Glover was prosecuted in court by her husband, it was snowing heavily.From their courtship to their marriage, they had been together for seven years. She had always believed in his love for her; they were happy together. However, everything changed when he personally prosecuted her in court because of an accusation made by Wendy Rain.During the trial, the judge stated the case: "On November 23rd, during a drunk driving checkpoint on Westfield Road, a prohibited substance was discovered in the vehicle driven by the defendant, Ms. Iris Glover. We are here today to address these charges.""Prosecutor, please present your statement."Stanley Stein stood tall in a black suit, exuding seriousness. When he looked at his wife, there was only disappointment and indifference in his eyes. "On November 23rd, Ms. Glover drove a white car, license plate V8861, in which five grams of prohibited substance was found. Ms. Glover claims Ms. Wendy Rain had called her to pick up her i
Iris turned to Stanley.It turned out that the word divorce was not as difficult to utter as she had imagined."I won't divorce you; you know that very well," Stanley replied, his expression cold."As a lawyer, you know very well that if I was pronounced guilty, I would have gone to prison...""In light of the evidence, I had no choice...""No, you chose to believe Wendy over me," Iris pinpointed the issue. He did not believe her. Perhaps, in his heart, Wendy was more important, so he hoped Iris would be the one to go to prison rather than Wendy."Let's just go home," he said, walking down the steps.Iris adjusted her coat against the biting wind as she followed him toward the car, the chill cutting across her face.Inside the car, silence enveloped them, almost suffocating in its weight.Upon arriving home, Stanley did not get out of the car. After Iris stepped out, he simply drove away.She watched him leave without saying a word. He must be worried about Wendy's impending investi
She wasn't in the kitchen.She wasn't in the bedroom either.He pulled out his phone to call her and found that the screen was filled with transaction notifications. Because he did not want to be disturbed, he had put the phone on silent mode.He reviewed the transaction records.[XX Bank] These are the transactions made on November 29th from your account ending in 0081:15:17: Transaction of $5,03415:26: Transaction of $9,88915:45: Transaction of $5,00016:00: Transaction of $13,80016:12: Transaction of $11,000...The long list of transactions made him frown. He tried calling Iris, but there was no answer, intensifying his frustration. It wasn't the money that annoyed him; rather, her absence left him feeling empty. He tugged at his collar irritably. It felt suffocating despite not being tight.He decided to distract himself with work and headed to the study.When he entered the study, he immediately spotted the divorce agreement on the desk along with Iris' wedding rin
After the waiter finished serving the food, he exited the private room and closed the door.Iris retreated to the wall. The door was shut tight, isolating the sounds within. She stood frozen. Jason and Fiora were siblings? And Jason only liked her because she looked like the woman of his dreams?A bitter chuckle escaped her at the thought. No wonder. With Jason's qualities, there was no reason for him to be interested in her.Thank goodness. Thank goodness she hadn't allowed herself to believe that he liked her because of her qualities. Thank goodness she hadn't invested too much emotionally. Thank goodness she had found out early, so it's not too late.Taking a deep breath, she went back to Brad, who was slumping in his chair, looking unwell. He looked up at her, his face a picture of discomfort. "Iris, I feel terrible," he said pitifully.Iris sighed. "I'll go buy you some digestive pills. Wait here."Brad nodded obediently. "Okay."Iris quickly searched for a nearby pharmac
They moved to a private room for their meal. Fiora's eyes were swollen from crying; her breakup with Stanley had hit her hard. Jessica, on the other hand, was pretty happy about the breakup. "Hmph, what's there to cry about? Pathetic."Despite the situation, Fiora retorted stubbornly, "Have you never been in love, Mom?"Jessica was momentarily taken aback. "Who knows if what you feel is really love?" she sneered.Perhaps Jessica had never lacked love and therefore couldn't relate. She and her husband had grown up together and had matching backgrounds. After marriage, they had a son and a daughter, and their relationship was stable. Their relationship, while not as passionate as those depicted on screen, had endured through the years. Her husband, despite his wealth and status, did not fool around outside or have an affair. He was devoted to his family and was a responsible and caring husband. Wasn't that a relationship to be envied? Passionate love was rare in this world; it w
"Contribute to the country?" Brad leaned on the table and teased, "You're quite patriotic, aren't you?"Iris asked, "Don't you love your country?""Of course I do," Brad responded.Iris walked out of the reception room. "I hope that's a truthful answer," she remarked, glancing back at him."I wouldn't deign to tell lies..." His voice trailed off as his stomach rumbled loudly, prompting an awkward cough.Iris chuckled. "I'll treat you to breakfast."Brad rolled his eyes. "Boss, it's already ten o'clock. Are you sure it's breakfast and not lunch?"Iris packed her things. "Don't call me 'boss.'"Brad stared at her for a moment before bursting into laughter. "You care about that kind of thing?""Of course," she replied. "'Boss' makes me feel old. I'm still young."Suddenly, Brad leaned in close. When Iris looked up, she was startled to see his face right in front of her."You scared me," she said, glaring at him.He laughed heartily. "Haha...""Let's go," Iris said, heading ou
After that, the man eagerly asked, "Do I have a chance?"Iris pondered for a bit and replied, "You do, if everything you said is true...""Everything I said is true," the man hastily interjected.Iris raised her eyes, her gaze cold and firm. "Let me finish?""Okay, okay," he nodded, listening intently as she continued. "The first time you sexually assaulted her, she was still young, so she can't remember it clearly. Without direct evidence, it's difficult to prove what you did. She can only be certain about the sexual assault that occurred when she was in 10th grade. However, at that time, she was no longer a minor. The most crucial point is that there is a huge time gap between that incident and her recent suicide, so it would be challenging for the prosecution to link the two events together. However, if they have enough evidence, you will be convicted for sexual assault."The man's expression dimmed. "Oh, I see. If her suicide cannot be directly linked to my actions and I'm onl
Brad finished the coffee in one go. Iris frowned as she observed him. Something appeared to be on his mind. After setting the cup down, he expressed his gratitude. "Thanks," he said, grabbing his coat and standing up. "Shall we have breakfast together?" he invited."I've already eaten. I'm waiting for someone," Iris replied."Okay, never mind then," Brad shrugged. He draped his coat over his shoulder and walked away unsteadily.After checking the time, Iris said, "I can keep you company though." However, right after she said that, the woman arrived. "Looks like I can't," she said apologetically.Brad suddenly walked back and asked, "Can I join you?"While Iris was hesitating, he explained, "My father said he would send me abroad if I don't show results at the law firm. I don't want to go abroad."Iris smiled at the woman and said, "Let's go to the reception room."She then instructed Brad, "Go make two cups of coffee and bring it over."Meeting her gaze, he understood her m
Iris did not deny that it was one of the reasons.Stanley's expression broke down completely. "Hah." It seemed like he was mocking himself. Staring at the torn pieces of paper on the ground, he admitted, "I didn't even attend that seminar. It wasn't me who wrote that review."This revelation stunned Iris. "It wasn't you?"But she quickly regained her composure. It didn't matter anymore at this point."Just leave," she said, once again driving him away.Stanley stared intently at her face, searching for a hint of veiled emotion, but all he found was cold indifference. "Do you love me as a person, or—""Do you really want me to call the cops?" Iris interrupted, her patience wearing thin. She didn't want to engage in discussions about love or past relationships; it was all behind her. What did it matter now? People should look forward, not dwell on the past."You call me heartless, but you're even more heartless than I am," Stanley said hoarsely.Iris was unmoved. Stanley cont
Iris pushed open the car door and stepped out, quickly walking away as if trying to escape. She wasn't entirely sure what she feared — perhaps she was afraid that she couldn't handle whatever Jason might say. Once home, she received a text from him: [The business trip is delayed for a day.]She stared at the message for a long moment before replying with a simple [Okay.]Feeling utterly exhausted, she lay down on her bed and fell asleep without even showering.The next morning, she took a shower after she woke up and changed into clean clothes. She then left the house to go to her parents' home to take her parents to the hospital for a full-body checkup.However, when she opened the door of her apartment, something fell inside, startling her.That "something" turned out to be Stanley, who had been sleeping at her doorstep. He stood up with a stubbly beard, tired eyes, and wrinkled clothes. "I came last night. I wanted to knock but was afraid of disturbing your sleep..."Iris' e
She tried to make excuses for herself.Jason said, "It's okay."He looked at Iris.Iris helplessly rubbed her temples. There was nothing she could do about her mother's temper.Iris suggested taking Dennis to the hospital, but he stubbornly refused, insisting he was fine except for a minor injury on his face.Cassie said it was late and that she would take him to the hospital tomorrow to get a full-body checkup.Reluctantly, Iris acquiesced to their wishes. After Iris' parents exited the car, Cassie suddenly remembered something and turned back. "Iris, your Aunt Kendra said you and Jason have helped her a lot, so she wants you two to visit so she can thank you properly."Iris immediately rejected it. "Tell her there's no need. I'm busy with work lately, so I won't be able to visit."Cassie frowned. "Why didn't you tell me about what happened to Kendra and her family?"Iris saw through her mother's intentions immediately. "Why should I tell you about other people's affairs? B
Renee bristled at the suggestion that she should go over to them. "Tell them to come here. They should be grateful that I'm willing to apologize to them. I'm not going over there. They don't deserve it."Stanley said, "You came to apologize. Go."He understood the stakes clearly. If his mother and Iris' parents became hostile, his chances of salvaging his relationship with Iris would plummet. Therefore, even though he knew how stubborn Renee was, he still persuaded her to go over to them.Renee couldn't put her pride aside. She had always looked down on Iris' parents, and being asked to take the initiative to go over to them felt like a total humiliation. Apologizing to them was already a huge compromise."Since you've come to apologize, then do it properly. Don't give them any leverage," Stanley urged.Renee snorted, "I'm not afraid of them.""You should be," Stanley insisted. "If Iris raises a ruckus at the Just residence, what chance do I have of salvaging my relationship with