2. Potential Enemies
1384 Words
"Think carefully. If you agree, come to my apartment tonight. Bring the marriage documents too."
Archer must be crazy!
Iris cursed him repeatedly. The man was long gone, but his words still echoed in her head.
"On what basis does he want such an agreement?! Why is he so confident?" Iris grumbled in her room as she packed her things.
Suddenly, there was a knock on her door. Her grandfather called from outside, "Iris, are you in there?"
Iris immediately ran to open the door. Her grandfather was sitting alone in his wheelchair without his personal nurse.
"Grandpa, where's Emma?"
Finch, Iris's paralyzed grandfather, smiled. "She's busy. I want to talk to you about something, dear."
Finally, Iris pushed her grandfather's wheelchair inside and closed the door. It was rare for Finch to come to her room personally. It must be something important.
"What is it, Grandpa?"
"I've heard what happened," Finch whispered. He held Iris's hand and looked at her sadly. "I'm sorry I can't help you this time."
Iris smiled slightly upon hearing that. Of all the Johnson family members, Finch was the one who cared about her the most. She kneeled in front of the old man, gently holding his wrinkled hand, then said, "Grandpa, you don't need to help me anymore. I'm adult enough now."
The grandfather didn't look any better after hearing that. He was still worried about Iris. "How can a girl like you be considered an adult? You can't even eat if no one cooks for you."
Iris remained silent, her face frowning.
"Are you sure you want to leave this house?" Finch asked after looking at the items in Iris's suitcase.
"Grandpa, my daddy kicked me out. If I don't take a step back and continue to deny the affair, I might get something worse," Iris said, looking down. She wasn't sure who was involved in setting her up, but she knew one thing: her father wouldn't defend her.
"Christopher never liked you. But don't be sad. I've always liked you." Finch rubbed Iris's head affectionately.
Iris chuckled. She was used to being mistreated by her father. Even her stepmother, Edna Johnson, treated her better than Christopher. At first, it hurt, but over time, Iris became accustomed to it.
"I'm not really surprised he kicked me out. Christopher has always been like that, hasn't he? He never wanted me," whispered Iris.
She had known for a long time that her relationship with the Johnson family was very fragile. Christopher kept her around only because she was betrothed to the Collins family, an arrangement Finch and Grandpa Collins had made in the past.
What happened that morning was an opportunity for Christopher to end Iris's betrothal to William. Maybe he was secretly happy to get rid of her from the house, or ... maybe it was all part of his plan?
Iris gasped. She stared at Finch with wide eyes. "Grandpa, could it be that my father..."
"Ssshhh." Finch shook his head at her with a serious expression. "Don't jump to conclusions without evidence."
Finch was right. Iris frowned. Christopher looked very surprised and angry when he found her sleeping with Archer. He wasn't the one who arranged it, was he?
"Ever since your mother died and Christopher married Edna, I knew your position would become increasingly difficult. That's why I arranged that match for you. It was my way of protecting you. I never thought it would end like this," Finch said sadly.
Iris felt touched to hear that. "Grandpa, I'll be fine. Don't worry."
Suddenly, Finch took out a house key and gave it to Iris. He said, "I have a property in the Hollywood Hills. You can..."
"No, Grandpa." Iris immediately rejected her grandfather's kind offer. "I still have a little savings to rent an apartment. Maybe it's time for me to live independently."
Finch felt uncertain and wanted to persuade her again, but Iris quickly turned around to continue packing. In an instant, she packed all her belongings. Then she pulled her suitcase and faced Finch, who was still watching.
"Grandpa, I'll visit you often. You can also call me anytime," said Iris, trying to reassure the grandfather.
Finch could only sigh and nod. Iris smiled and kissed his cheek before pulling her suitcase out of the room.
Before leaving the Johnson family mansion, Iris wanted to say goodbye to her father one last time. She went up to the second floor to look for him. As she passed Lily's room, she heard a loud commotion.
"But I'm not satisfied, Mom! Why did Daddy just kick her out? He should also remove her name from the list of shareholders!" Lily's protests could be heard because her door was not closed properly.
Iris looked around at the quiet surroundings and quietly eavesdropped. She heard Mrs. Johnson scold, "Can you speak more carefully? Don't let other people think you want to get rid of her!"
"I do want to get rid of her, Mom! Every day, Iris does nothing. Even her position at the office is meaningless. Isn't it Rachel who always ends up handling her work?" Lily's voice was heard again.
"Lily!" Mrs. Johnson snapped a little. "You're still too young to understand our family matters. You'd better focus on your studies."
"Mom..." Lily whined. "Why do you always defend Iris when she's not even your daughter?"
Mrs. Johnson replied, "After all, she's still a member of the Johnson family."
Iris frowned. Was Mrs. Johnson really that kind? Was she really not involved in last night's incident? Then what about Lily?
Lily always hated Iris so much. But she was only an 18-year-old teenager with an unstable mind and explosive emotions. It was unlikely that she could plan something so cunning, so perfect.
Who was Iris's real enemy?
At that moment, Iris heard footsteps coming from the stairs. She hurried away from Lily's room and saw a woman going up to the second floor. It was Georgina, Christopher's youngest sister. She was a beautiful widow.
Since her divorce, Georgina had been living in the Johnson family mansion. She had also attended the Johnson and Collins family gathering the night before. But Iris hadn't interacted much with her during the event. Basically, they weren't very close.
Iris glanced at Georgina and intended to continue to her father's study. Suddenly, the woman called out to her, "Iris!"
Iris turned her head. "Yes?"
Georgina approached and pulled Iris onto the second-floor balcony. Her expression was flat as she asked, "Do you want to know how you ended up in bed with that bodyguard?"
The woman in her early thirties asked so directly that Iris was quite surprised. "Do you know something?" Iris asked.
"We exchanged benefits. How?" Georgina replied casually.
"What do you want?"
Georgina smiled. "Hand over your shares in the company to me. I'll tell you who framed you."
Iris was speechless. She had indeed inherited her mother's shares in the Johnson family company. The amount wasn't much, but it was enough to make the Johnson children jealous.
A few moments later, Iris finally replied with an innocent expression, "Auntie, I can't decide about the shares on my own. Maybe I should talk to my father first."
Georgina snorted impatiently. "I want to discuss this with you, Iris, not with Christopher! Why are you so stupid? No wonder William prefers other women!"
"What?" Iris's ice-blue eyes widened. "You mean... William is cheating?"
"You never satisfy him in bed. How can a lonely adult man be faithful?" Georgina asked with a condescending tone and gaze.
"Auntie, you..." Iris refrained from cursing or laughing. She finally asked, "Are you seducing him?"
Georgina replied with a laugh. She flicked her long hair haughtily. "You'd better consider my offer. I can help you uncover the truth," she whispered before walking away with a swaying butt.
Iris narrowed her eyes, watching Georgina walk away. Her aunt was indeed sexy and seductive. She was a mature, sophisticated type of beauty. It wasn't impossible that William was tempted and had an affair with Georgina.
'Another potential enemy,' Iris thought. She furrowed her brow.
At that moment, a car suddenly pulled into the mansion's driveway. William stepped out with a somber expression. Iris, who saw this, quietly smiled.
"Finally, the mastermind has arrived."
- Writer
