Book 2 : She Becomes Glamorous After the Engagement

Chapter 54

Chapter 772: Taking Revenge For Her

Iris was stunned.

Philip had found someone to carry a large fish tank into the room. The fish tank was half a person’s height and nearly three feet long. With a basin in his hand, someone poured water into it.

After doing it a few times, the tank was full.

Iris couldn’t understand what Philip wanted to do. However, the servants left after filling the tank with water, leaving only Philip and Iris in the room.

Philip gazed at her with his deep and bottomless eyes. Inside his eyes was love so strong that it was nearly crazy. He suddenly said, “Iris, I know you are angry at me for almost strangling you to death, so I will take revenge for you now.”

After he spoke, he suddenly lowered his head and plunged it into the water!

Iris’ pupils shrank and she sat up abruptly.

As she hadn’t eaten for three days, the violent movement made her vision blackout. She shook her head. After regaining a bit of light in her eyes, she looked at the room again.

Philip’s hands were grasping both sides of the fish tank tightly, and his head was still immersed in the water!

Iris shouted, “Are you crazy?!”

She rushed up to Philip and grabbed his collar to pull him out. However, Philip was very strong, Iris couldn’t make him budge in the slightest.

Iris hurriedly got down beside him and started to bang on the fish tank!

In the water, Philip opened his eyes, which were a little red from holding his breath. He stared at Iris, his lips moving. Although there was no sound, Iris understood what he was saying: “Are you still angry?”

Iris was utterly stunned.

She stared at Philip in disbelief. The man’s eyes were firm and determined as if saying that if she continued being angry, then he would really suffocate himself to death!

Iris hurriedly nodded to express that she was no longer angry.

She really was not angry.

She merely felt freed.

Despite that, Philip didn’t get out of the water. His lips were still moving. He asked, “Will you eat?”

Iris clenched her jaw, not sure how she should

answer.

If she ate, she would be compromising.

But she didn’t want to continue her relationship with Philip. Now that she had gotten on in years, she felt that enjoying family life and playing with her grandchildren at home was the best outcome she could ever have.

While she was hesitating, she noticed that Philip’s eyes were starting to roll up, indicating that he was about to pass out.

Iris yelled, “Come out of there! Come out!”

But Philip did not move.

It was as though he would never come out unless she answered him.

Seeing that the man was really about to suffocate himself to death-a minute had already passed since he went into the waterIris did not dare to waste any more time. She hurriedly shouted, “I’ll eat, I’ll eat!”

When Philip heard this, he finally let go…

However, by then, he was already exhausted and couldn’t climb out at all and he fell into the fish tank instead.

Iris tried to pull him out again. As the man wasn’t resisting anymore, she managed to pull him out after putting every bit of her strength into it.

Splash!

Water splashed onto the ground, wetting the entire deck…

Philip lay there, his arms limp beside him. As he took gulps of air, he slowly opened his eyes.

Iris rushed up to him and gave him a slap across the cheek!

Smack!

Iris stared at him and snapped furiously, “You lunatic! You are a lunatic!”

Philip, however, merely stared at her with a smile. His simple and naive appearance suddenly reminded Iris of their first date.

He was introverted at that time. To be honest, among all the people courting Iris, he was neither eye-catching nor outstanding, yet she had chosen to date him.

He didn’t know where to take her or how to be nice to her, so he had stood below her dormitory and waited for her. After she got dressed and came downstairs, he could only give her a silly smile.

The faces of that boy from back then and the man in front of her gradually overlapped.

Iris cast her eyes down and said nothing.

The servants outside had already entered, and they started to clean up everything in the room.

Soon, the water on the floor was gone and the fish tank was also carried away. The room became clean and spotless. They even prepared a change of clothes for Iris, whose clothes had gotten wet when she pulled Philip out of the water.

Iris went to the bathroom and changed.

After she came out, she found that Philip had also changed into a set of clean clothes with the help of the servants. He had calmed down somewhat by then. The table was also full of her favorite breakfast foods.

Iris walked over. Before she could do anything, Philip pulled out the chair for her, his behavior extremely gentlemanly.

Iris sighed.

She lowered her head.

If she didn’t eat, she didn’t know what else Philip might do…

Never mind.

She would just take it that all her years of growing flowers in the suburban villa were just a vacation. She made up her mind to eat and drink properly from now on. Otherwise, if her health suffered, how was she going to go back, enjoy family life, and play with her grandchildren?

As for Philip… She lowered her eyes.

She’d just treat him like a stranger.

Seeing that she was willing to eat, Philip broke into a grin excitedly. He sat opposite her and kept offering her different dishes. However, she didn’t eat any of the food he served her.

Philip sighed silently and put down his cutlery. “Iris, I know you still blame me for everything that has happened, but I will slowly make up for what I’ve done. We will definitely be able to return to what we were like in the past.”

Iris wanted to say that it was impossible, but when she looked up, she saw Philip staring at her and saying, “It’ll definitely be possible. Definitely, absolutely.”

Iris decided to shut up.

After she finished eating, she felt a little more energetic. Although she was still rather weak, she didn’t want to lie down in the room anymore, yet she didn’t want to be alone if she were to go out for a walk, either.

She wanted even less to be with Philip.

While she was deep in thought, Philip smiled and said, “Iris, look who’s here?”

Iris turned to see Mrs. Landis walking in. At the sight of Iris, Mrs. Landis stepped forward and called out, “Ma’am!”

Iris was surprised.

Philip sighed. “We’re going to have to drift at sea for a while. I was afraid that you would be lonely, so I brought her here too. With her accompanying you, you would probably have a very good time here. By the way, you can go shopping. The cruise ship has everything, and there isn’t any limit to your purchases at all.”

They were on a tourist cruise ship. Even a single ticket cost thousands of dollars, yet Philip had reserved the entire ship.

The cruise ship was huge and lavish.

The cruise ship was just like a large shopping mall. There were all kinds of luxury goods there, so one wouldn’t find it boring even if they stayed here for a month.

As Iris listened to what he said, she lowered her eyes, patted Mrs. Landis’ hand, and said, “Then let’s go out for a walk.”

If she stayed in the room, she’d have to face Philip. If so, she might as well relax, calm down, and protect herself well. They would eventually dock one day. After Iris and Mrs. Landis went out, Jason quietly came in and walked up to Philip. He said, “Boss, King is calling again. What do you think his relationship with Justin Hunt really is?”

Chapter 773: Husband And Wife Work Together

Philip narrowed his eyes when he heard this.

To be honest, when he abducted Iris, he’d initially planned to take her away, but he hadn’t expected the Hunt's to be so capable. On top of that, Justin was not as simple as it seemed.

Justin had driven them into such a corner that they nearly couldn’t leave New York.

After that, when Philip wanted to return to his turf, he’d received a call from King, asking him to send Iris back home safely.

Philip realized it then.

No wonder King had sold him the shares at such a high price. King had already taken the Hunts’ side a long time ago, everything he did was to help the Hunt's.

He couldn’t figure out the relationship between King and the Hunt's, but he didn’t dare to offend him, either. Thus, he had put on an obedient front and pretended to obey his instructions, but taken Iris to the cruise ship the next moment.

As long as they were at sea, King wouldn’t be able to find them. Even if they found their location, they wouldn’t be able to do anything.

This was also why he’d taken Iris to the ship.

Of course, there was also another reason.

When they were in college, he’d once asked Iris where she wanted to go on a vacation the most. Iris had replied, “I don’t like sports. Mountain climbing and all that makes people sweat and it stinks. I like ferry vacations. I can travel around the whole world on a cruise and it won’t tire me out either.”

This most elegant way of travel was her favorite.

At that time, Philip had said that he would take her there in the future.

He was just fulfilling the promise he’d made back then.

Thinking of this, Philip took the satellite phone from Jason. King’s deep voice came from the other end.

“Philip, Iris hasn’t returned home yet.”

Philip replied, “Yeah, she and I still have some old promises that we have not fulfilled. We are having a lot of fun, so please don’t worry, Mr. King.”

King fell silent for a while. Finally, he said, “If anything happens to her, I will make you die a terrible death!”

The other party’s harsh words shocked Philip.

The main reason why no one dared to refute King in the group was that he really was just like a king. When Philip inherited his Imperial League account as a child, King had already been in the group for as long as forty years.

He could remember like it was just yesterday that someone in the group had questioned King’s position and actions thirty years ago. Their century-old business empire had gone bankrupt within a month.

King had used actions to prove his position and status.

Since then, no one in the group dared to ever go against him again.

Philip was a fierce and savage man through and through, but even he was afraid of King. He thought for a while, but still decided to ask, “May I know how you are related to Justin Hunt? Why do you protect them so much?”

King sneered, “Don’t ask things you shouldn’t be asking. You just need to know that Iris is a relative of mine. Anyone who hurts her will have to pay the price.”

His relative…

That meant that they were related by blood!

Philip was stunned. He’d thought that as long as he got over his own issues, he would be able to be with Iris again; just like how Herman had obediently divorced Iris when he casually manipulated the Hunts' a little.

Iris had also stayed in the suburbs for more than twenty years and never remarried.

Little did he expect that Iris had such a powerful background?

But if Iris knew King, then shouldn’t she have sought help from King instead of him when Justin was kidnapped?!

What exactly was going on?

Philip was puzzled, but when he wanted to ask further, King had already hung up.

This gave Philip some reservations.

He suddenly looked at Jason. “Get our men to thoroughly investigate Iris’s background.”

Although Jason didn’t understand, he nonetheless said respectfully, “Yes, sir.”

At the Hunts’ residence in New York.

Justin lowered his gaze and went into deep thought after he hung up the phone.

Philip was a little crazy, and he also had an unyielding aura etched deeply in him. Therefore, he mustn’t push him too hard; it was very likely that Philip would otherwise kill both himself and Iris.

Justin had exposed his family ties with Iris just so Philip would hesitate to do anything rash.

Of course, Justin was also now certain that he understood Philip very well. The man loved Iris very much and was reluctant to hurt her. Or else why would he hold back for more than twenty years?

“Boss, we have found their whereabouts. Philip owns a cruise ship that left shore three days ago. Those who had booked tickets have all received refunds and information about compensation from the cruise ship. Therefore, we are guessing that Mdm. Iris is on the cruise ship.”

Sean reported his findings. “We have contacted the people on the cruise ship. We have an informant there, and he has passed us a message saying that Mdm. Iris is fine. On the contrary, Philip has been begging her for forgiveness.”

He frowned and went on. “The troublesome part is, although we have pinpointed the cruise ship’s location, there are too many of Philip’s men on board while we only have one informant, so we have no way of snatching her back. Additionally, if we dispatch a helicopter or a ferry to take her back, given the commotion it would cause, we won’t be able to completely guarantee Mdm. Iris’ safety at sea. Therefore, we may still need to wait for her to return safely by herself after she and Philip resolve the issues between them.”

After confirming that Iris was safe for now, Justin was relieved.

He lowered his head and looked at the map on the table. “Just get someone to monitor them at all times. Dispatch a ship to follow them from a distance and make sure they don’t discover the ship. But if any problem arises, they are allowed to immediately approach and carry out a rescue operation!”

“Yes, sir.”

Sean took out his cell phone and made arrangements.

After the arrangements were made, he looked at Justin, only to see him staring at the location of a certain bank on the map.

Sean asked, “Boss, what’s wrong?”

Justin was silent for a moment. Suddenly, he said, “Station all our men in New York near this bank. Nora and I will be going there within the next two days.”

“Yes, sir.”

Sean turned to leave, but before he stepped out, Justin suddenly stopped him. “Get a few of our men to follow me out tonight.”

Sean’s heart sank.

Justin was the Irvin School of Martial Arts’ Big Brother. To be honest, he was fully capable of protecting himself in most typical dangerous situations. The reason why he brought so many bodyguards with him was just so he could weaken the enemy’s attention on him.

Yet he was specially bringing their own men with him this time? What kind of dangerous mission was he going on?

He lowered his head and said, “I’ll go with you.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Justin suddenly looked at him. “The Hunt's and the Imperial League need you.”

Sean: “…”

Suddenly, it felt a little like Justin was leaving his last words, which made him feel rather uneasy.

He called a few of their most skilled men over. Then, he watched as Justin led the men and entered the darkness.

At the same time, Nora also quietly left the Hunt Manor.

She was going to the bank to see what on earth her mother had left her!

Chapter 774: She Can’t Wait Anymore!

Nora couldn’t wait anymore.

Perhaps it wasn’t the V16 but clues to it in the safe deposit box, but there were only two months and twenty days left until Xander had to take the V16.

Every passing day was torture for her. This was especially true when she saw the terrible atmosphere at home upon returning from California earlier in the afternoon. Cherry was not playing games, neither was Pete working on his Mathematical Olympiad. Instead, both of them were circling around Xander.

Cherry had taken out all her favorite Barbie dolls and princess dresses and wanted to give them to him.

Xander hadn’t taken them.

As for Pete, he also hinted that he could give him all the Mathematical Olympiad worksheets he had bought.

Xander hadn’t taken those either.

The little fellow slumped on the sofa and waved as he said, “I don’t like your stuff! I only like animals!”

When Cherry heard this, she immediately suggested, “I have an uncle who also loves animals a lot. He has a lot of stray cats and dogs. Why don’t we get Uncle Louis to send us a few?!”

But Xander had waved and said, “No, I don’t want them. Those animals are your uncle’s friends, not mine.”

Cherry corrected him. “Xander, he’s also your uncle. He is very generous. Besides, he also needs money to feed that many cats and dogs, but he doesn’t have any. He will definitely thank us if we help him raise a few!”

Pete also nodded and said, “Yes, he also has a dog whose coat has a mix of colors.”

As soon as he said that, Xander replied, “So what? Even if he does, it’s still not Rainbow.”

Rainbow was Dog No. 3. As its coat was a mix of different colors, Xander had named it Rainbow. The name was too cliché, and even Rainbow itself disliked it. However, that was what Xander called it, so it had no other choice.

Rainbow was also the healthiest among the dogs there.

However, just this morning, Rainbow lay down on the floor and never woke up again.

Xander, who had become accustomed to death and parting, had dug a hole in the garden together with Cherry and Pete and buried Rainbow there.

There were now several more mounds in the garden, all of which contained Xander’s friends.

Every time they went to the garden, their hearts would be exceptionally heavy.

As soon as Xander said that, Cherry and Pete looked at each other, neither of them daring to continue. Cherry changed the subject and said, “Xander, have you decided yet? Are you going to take the same last name as me or Pete?”

Neither Cherry nor Pete would be changing their names.

But surely Xander couldn’t keep using Yale as his last name, right?

While Cherry and Pete were thinking about it, Xander waved and said, “Nah, I haven’t.”

Cherry said, “Why don’t you take Smith as your last name like me? Grandpa will like you a lot!”

Pete said, “Boys should take Hunt as their last name, of course. It’s better to have the same last name as Daddy.”

Cherry then said, “But if Xander’s last name is Hunt, then wouldn’t he end up competing with you over family assets? Let’s have Xander take Smith as his last name and inherit Grandpa’s assets instead!”

Pete and Xander both looked at her. “What about you?”

Cherry grinned. “I have Grandaunt!”

Pete: “?”

Xander: “??”

Cherry tilted her head and said, “Grandaunt doesn’t have any children, so she has always said that everything she has is mine. Princess Lucy can testify to that!”

Princess Lucy had been staying at the Hunts’ ever since she came to celebrate Cherry’s birthday the other time. She had stayed with Cherry and played with her for three whole days.

Later, because of all the uncertainty and turmoil regarding Herman and Philip, Justin had sent her back.

She and Cherry had been reluctant to part when she had to go.

At the mention of her grandaunt, Cherry tilted her head and said, “I miss Grandaunt!”

Xander had been listless the whole time.

Even when Nora came home, all three children rushed over, and she played with them for a while—Xander was still not very happy.

However, it seemed like the little boy had learned to hide his emotions from an early age, so he didn’t let it show at all.

After having dinner with the children, Nora sent them back to their room to rest.

The three little fellows were still very young. Coupled with the fact that she was around that night, they had all clamored to sleep with her. Thus, all of them lay down together on the bed.

The heartless Cherry fell asleep very quickly.

Pete looked at Xander worriedly.

Nora patted his head.

Pete was simply too sensitive. On top of that, he even knew to be mindful of other people’s emotions. He was so sensible that it made one’s heart ache.

On the contrary, it was Xander the little devil who couldn’t fall asleep. It was only after Nora lit the calming incense she had developed that Pete and Xander finally fell asleep.

She got up to check on Justin and see what he was doing.

But as soon as she moved, she heard Xander shouting in his sleep, “Mommy, save me! Rainbow, I don’t wanna die. Sniff…”

“Rainbow, is it cold in the soil?”

“Does it hurt when you die?”

“Do you still feel anything after death?”

Nora was frozen in place.

She had lit the calming incense, so despite Xander’s extreme unease, he didn’t wake up. However, his words pierced Nora’s heart like a dagger.

As it turned out, Xander was feeling very insecure.

He had been fearful all along, yet the boy had never said anything in front of them.

It was true that he felt sorry for the animals and was sad to part with them. But who wouldn’t be afraid of death?

This was especially when… Xander had an extremely high IQ. He understood the concept of life and death.

Nora took a deep breath and walked out of the room.

She didn’t go upstairs to look for Justin.

On the way back to New York, she and Justin had agreed to find a suitable opportunity to get rid of the people tailing her. After that, they would go to the bank to retrieve the things there.

But she couldn’t wait anymore.

After Justin’s fight with Jude, he had become extremely cautious. This made the perceptive Nora realize that the people tailing them could not be ordinary.

According to Caleb, the five children who survived back then had all become big bosses in different places. Trueman and Caleb were in Switzerland, but there were still three others who were following her in search of the V16!

She didn’t know who they were, nor did she have any clue as to their identities at the moment.

But if she dragged this on any further, she was really afraid that she wouldn’t be able to save Xander anymore.

It was just a safe deposit box, wasn’t it?

She would just go and retrieve it!

With that in mind, Nora left the Hunt Manor. She didn’t drive. Instead, she tried her best to avoid the people tailing her in the dark and turned into a small alley at the side.

After doing this several times, she finally got rid of the people tailing her and arrived at the bank.

The bank was closed and locked up at night. This was not an issue for Nora, though.

She took out her cell phone casually and tapped away on it quickly.

Click!

The door to the bank opened and Nora slipped inside.