Stanley had no intention of answering Fiora's question. Instead, he focused on Iris, searching for any cracks in her expression.He believed that there was no way Iris wouldn't feel upset seeing him with another woman.Fiora’s grip on Stanley's arm tightened, and her expression grew wary.Iris, sensing the tension, smiled and said, "Don't be nervous, and don't feel threatened. I'm just his ex-wife."Immediately, Stanley's expression darkened, while Fiora’s face paled. Fiora remembered that the first time she had dinner with Stanley, Iris was there too, seated at another table. She recalled how Stanley had occasionally glanced in Iris' direction, and when Fiora had asked him if he knew her, he had denied it.Also, they had bumped into her after having curry the other day. No wonder Iris had reacted the way she did after spilling coffee on Stanley."If you're already divorced, why are you still bothering him?" Fiora challenged. She believed that all three encounters with Iris were
Fiora knew she would have to put in extra effort moving forward. She must confirm their relationship quickly. Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself for what she anticipated would be a challenging battle for true love.Fiora, anxious about the possibility of Stanley running into Iris at the evening banquet, insisted on going with him. She made such a fuss that Stanley relented to save himself the headache.Inside the banquet hall, the soft lighting created a warm atmosphere, blending classical and modern art with exquisite wall paintings. Guests in elegant attire mingled, champagne glasses in hand, as laughter and the melodies of a live band filled the air. Stanley and Professor Aston were undoubtedly the banquet's center of attention. They were quickly surrounded upon their arrival.Fiora struggled to grasp the legal jargon being thrown around in their discussions, as she did not study law. After half an hour of forcing herself to listen, she could bear it no longer. She was a
"I'm getting on in years. I like attention now," Jason replied with a smile.Professor Sandler laughed even harder on the other end. "I know you're trying to expand her network. That’s kind of you." His tone then shifted slightly. "I owe you my thanks for mentoring her. If I had known she's such a hopeless romantic, I wouldn't have shown you her photos or tried to introduce her to you back then...""Let’s not dwell on the past," Jason interjected lightly. "I'm only mentoring her to make up for your regret."Because of Jason's unique identity, no one knew that he was Professor Sandler's student. Everyone thought that Iris was Professor Sandler's most prized student, but it was actually Jason.Jason was mentoring Iris, providing her with opportunities, and honing her skills in order to fulfill a wish of Professor Sandler’s. Of his two most talented students, one could not be made public while the other was a hopeless romantic. This prevented him from receiving the full professorship
Iris nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Yes, Professor Aston. Hello."Professor Aston nodded. "Stanley is over there."Iris moved closer to Jason and said, "I’m here with Mr. Just."Curiosity piqued, Professor Aston asked, "How did you get to know Jason?""She's currently my assistant," Jason answered on her behalf.Just then, a waiter passed by. Jason took a glass of champagne and offered it to Iris, which she accepted graciously. Jason took another glass for himself."She's working now?" one of the alumni asked Stanley. "Why isn't she working at your law firm?"Stanley's face darkened, resembling a stormy sky, casting an oppressive atmosphere that made those around him uneasy. Sensing the tension, the alumnus quickly fell silent. He decided to just watch the drama unfold.Professor Aston looked shocked. "Y-Your assistant?" He turned to Stanley, as if asking Stanley what's going on. Why was Iris Jason Just's assistant?Stanley approached, each step feeling heavy."Go over t
Stanley felt humiliated. He stared at Iris and asked, "Who are you going with?"Out of respect for their seven-year relationship, Iris didn’t humiliate him further. "We’re divorced, so we have nothing to do with each other anymore. I need to work. If you have something to say, we can discuss it after I get off work." This was the only dignity she could offer him. "Let's go, Mr. Just."Jason's eyes moved past Stanley disdainfully as he turned around.Stanley stood still, hands empty and frozen in place. The tension in the air was palpable, and no one dared to approach him.Professor Aston finally broke the silence. "What happened between you and Iris? How did it escalate to divorce?"Stanley had always thought that Iris was merely throwing a tantrum. He was convinced she would return to him eventually. They were each other's first love, after all. He knew how much she loved him.But now, he was struck with the painful realization that she wasn't throwing a tantrum; she was serious
Iris had bravely climbed out of the abyss, giving herself a chance to start anew. How could she turn back now?"Stanley, let's part on good terms," she stated calmly, devoid of any extreme emotions. If she had shown anger, blame, or hatred, there might have been a chance for Stanley to salvage the situation. But her calm demeanor signified that her heart was dead; she no longer held any hope for him.Stanley staggered back, nearly losing his balance. He leaned against the wall for support. "You promised to love me forever. You can't break your promise...""And you promised to love me, trust me, cherish me, and protect me, but you hurt me, tricked me, and deceived me instead. In our four years of marriage, I can honestly say I've never betrayed you, not even once. If I ever did, may I be cursed to a wretched existence and a painful death. Do you dare to swear such an oath? Have you ever done anything to betray me during our marriage?"Stanley found himself at a loss for words.
Stanley's expression darkened at Iris' words. "Is that how you see me?" he asked, hurt evident in his voice.Iris, unwilling to engage further, pushed open the door to her room.Once inside, she struggled to maintain her composure. Tears streamed down her face. The strength and calmness she displayed a moment ago was just a tough exterior she put up.She closed her eyes. In that moment, her love and marriage died completely, leaving no chance for revival.Outside, Stanley stood staring at the closed door for a long time. "You'll come back to me," he muttered to himself. He knew Iris' weakness. Even now, he still believed he had a chance.-The next morning, around six o'clock, Jason sent Iris a message: [We're going back at seven.]Iris had a restless night and only fell asleep in the morning. Her phone was on silent, so she missed the message. By seven o'clock, Iris was nowhere to be seen, so Jason could only knock on her door.Awoken by the knocking, Iris stumbled to open t
"I’m not interested in other men’s gifts," Jason said. For some reason, Iris thought she detected a hint of jealousy in his voice."Other men? I bought them myself when I went to the mall to buy clothes. I'm not a man." She looked genuinely puzzled. Why would he think the flowers were from a man?Then it dawned on her. "You thought Stanley bought these for me? He would never do that. Besides, we're divorced. We..."Jason had no intention of listening to her talk about Stanley. The word "we" was especially grating to his ear.Iris was baffled by the sudden change in his emotions. They were as unpredictable as the weather in June – sunny one moment, stormy the next."Ms. Glover," Denise walked over, interrupting whatever she still wanted to say."Denise, what brings you here? Are things going well?" Iris asked.Denise smiled. "Yeah, everything's good. I happened to be in the area, so I thought I'd come see you." She approached Iris, glancing at Jason who was heading upstairs. She
"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