Yvonne declared, "It's too late to go home; I'm staying over."Iris saw through her. "Are you scared?""Of course not. It's all fake. What's there to be scared of..." Yvonne insisted.Before she could finish, Denise leaned in close and gave her a fright. Yvonne jumped in shock, prompting laughter from the other two women.Swallowing hard, Yvonne said, "You could have given me a heart attack.""I thought you're not scared?" Iris teased, "You're the one who insisted on watching this movie.""I thought if we all watch it together, there's nothing to worry about. I didn't know both of you are scaredy-cats."After finishing several bottles of beer, the dining table was a chaotic mess."Since Yvonne is staying over, can I stay over too?" Denise asked. She was still scared."I only have one bed..." Iris said."It's fine; I don't mind squeezing in," Denise replied.With that, Iris couldn't refuse. "Alright, let's squeeze in."The three women lay on the bed, transitioning from chatt
[I'll arrive at three.]Iris replied, [Got it.]Because Jason was away, Iris had little to do. She spent the morning reading, and during her noon break, she returned home to tidy up the place. She had rushed to work that morning, so the cleaning was less than thorough.As she bent down to throw away the trash, she strained the injury on her waist. Afterwards, she went to the bathroom to inspect the wound in the mirror and apply some iodine. Wounds tended to heal slowly in winter. She cleaned the house until it was spotless and even washed the bed sheets. After that, she headed straight to the airport from home.She arrived half an hour early. The flight was delayed, and she only saw Jason an hour later. Jason wasn’t in a suit; he wore a black sweater over a white shirt, black casual pants that accentuated his long legs, and a trench coat draped over his arm, with a suitcase in his left hand."Mr. Just!" Iris waved.He spotted her waving both hands at the arrival hall and smil
He knew Iris well; she often brushed off minor injuries. He recalled a time when she accidentally cut her finger while chopping vegetables. It bled profusely, but she simply applied a band-aid on the wound. The wound took a long time to heal."I did," Iris lied. She wanted to avoid further conversation with him. Stanley didn’t buy her words."I know you didn't. I have some medicine for you. These are to be consumed orally, to prevent tetanus and inflammation since the wound might be deep. And this one is for external application. Remember to keep the wound dry...""Why are you doing this?" Iris asked. He had never been a caring person. In the past, if she had a minor injury, he would just ask, "Why didn’t you go to the hospital?" He had never bought medicine for her or shown concern for her well-being. She remembered accidentally cutting her finger once. She still had to cook for him afterwards. He didn't even ask if she was okay. And now, after their divorce, he had suddenly
Fiora was too overwhelmed by her emotions to think properly. She was dazzled by the sudden passion, her focus solely on the sexy and domineering man before her. Her voice was soft and gentle, almost as if it was made of water, as she said, "You don't have to take responsibility."Stanley picked her up, and they fell onto the bed. In an instant, his kisses enveloped her like a storm. His kisses and his hands that tore her clothes off were rough and devoid of tenderness. It was as if he were venting his fury on her, as if he were doing to her what he wished to do to another person.Fiora was swept away by the intensity of the moment. She found herself falling for this man even more, relishing the feeling of being taken forcefully. Caught in this whirlwind of emotions, she let herself be manipulated by Stanley, her body and mind in a heightened state of excitement.It wasn't until they had crossed the threshold of intimacy and their two bodies had merged into one that Stanley finally r
Jason saw that from the other side of the car. "Did you hurt your waist?""Huh?" Iris looked up. "Oh, yes.""How did you get hurt?"Closing the car door, Iris avoided eye contact. "I was pricked by a nail."Jason didn’t press further; as a skilled lawyer, he was adept at reading between the lines. Although he didn’t know how exactly she got injured, he sensed it was related to her ex-husband."Do you still have feelings for him?" he asked, gazing intently at her."If I did, I wouldn't have gotten divorced," Iris replied with a smile. "I'm not someone who drags things out." She didn't file for divorce when she found out about Wendy. She only made the decisive choice to leave Stanley after she had completely given up on him.Jason looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately held his tongue.Iris walked ahead, leading the way. "The restaurant's not that far; it's just over there." She pointed to a restaurant bustling with people at the entrance. Despite the chilly wea
At first, Dennis doubted his eyes, but upon closer inspection, he confirmed it was indeed his daughter. Instead of approaching her and intruding upon their meal, he returned to Cassie and asked, "Do you think our Iris is in a relationship again?"Cassie replied nonchalantly, "She just got divorced. It seems too soon for that."Cassie knew how much their daughter loved Stanley. Even though they're divorced now, she thought Iris wouldn't move on and enter a new relationship so quickly. Moreover, finding the right person was challenging. Cassie had been keeping an eye out, but had yet to find anyone suitable for Iris."But I just saw her at a barbecue restaurant with a man," Dennis stated.Cassie's interest piqued, "Really?"He affirmed, "I saw it with my own eyes.""Is the man good-looking?" she inquired."I didn't see what he looked like," he replied."Let's go take a look," Cassie suggested.Dennis hesitated, "We can't leave our stall unattended...""It's fine, we're just ste
She exuded a profound stillness, a sense of broken calmness enveloping her. When the light turned green, the car moved forward. Upon reaching their apartment complex, they parted ways to their respective homes.Iris entered her apartment and lay down on her bed – not out of fatigue, but simply because she wanted to. Turning her head, she noticed Jason's coat hanging on the rack. Should she return it to him?Just then, a knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. It was likely Yvonne, probably coming to complain about her failed blind date. She opened the door and started, "The blind date…"To her surprise, it was Jason standing outside."M-Mr. Just, what are you doing here?" she stammered.He extended his hand, offering her some medicine. "For you."Iris looked down to see it was tetanus and anti-inflammatory medication.“Superiors should care for their subordinates; it’s part of the job,” he stated as if it was the most natural thing in the world.She could only accept it.
Jason asked, "Do you think I would lie?"Iris shook her head vigorously. "You're a man of your word."Jason chuckled, then got up to retrieve a document folder from his study, handing it to her. "The case is quite complicated, so take your time to study it."Iris nodded. "Thank you, Mr. Just...""No need to thank me." He looked at her with a meaningful gaze. "Don't forget that you agreed to put off all the thank you gifts for now, accumulate them, and give me one big gift in the future."For some reason, Iris smelled a trap. She asked, concerned, "What if, when the time comes, I can't afford what you want?"Jason leaned back in his chair. "You can offer yourself instead; I'll accept that.""What?!""Just kidding," he said. "Don't worry; what I want, you can afford," he added mysteriously.Iris brushed off the uneasy feeling. After all, she believed Jason didn't have any interest in her. She was a divorced woman, and he was like a deity in their field; surely, he would only be
"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