Chapter 721



Iris looked at Nora and then at Justin. Nora had only said she would be attending the orchid show, she hadn’t revealed anything else to Justin. Even when they were on their way to the orchid show, she had only said that she could save the Phantom Orchids. She had not revealed that she was Orchidiance.

Therefore, Iris had always been skeptical about whether or not Nora could cure the Phantom Orchids.

But Justin had trusted her a lot.

Was this what mutual trust felt like towards each other? When she thought about it carefully, she didn’t really have a single person she could trust in her life, which was pretty sad.

If she really had to think of one, then maybe she had only trusted that one person?

Thinking about this, Iris looked down. She pointed to the greenhouse next to them and said, “Let’s talk inside.” Because she wanted to like orchids, she had ended up taking a liking to them. When she was devoted to gardening and caring for flowers, she was able to really abandon all distractions and concentrate on work. Therefore, Iris had fallen very much in love with orchids over the years. Her heart became calm and quiet as she entered the greenhouse. She sat quietly and picked up the teapot that Mrs. Landis had set aside. Then he poured three cups of tea and set them on either side of the little table.

Sunlight streamed unabashedly into the glass conservatory, making the place seem warm and toasty in the cold weather.

The coffee table and white seating added a bit of rustic elegance to the place, making one feel like they could truly be at peace with the world just by sitting there.

Iris’s gaze rested on the orchids next to her, but she didn’t speak, seemingly in a struggle on how to begin. At that moment, Justin asked, “Is this related to the kidnapping back then?”

Iris was taken aback. She looked at him. Justin said casually, “When I was five years old, a woman I didn’t know suddenly showed up at the house and told me to call her mom, but I refused. After that, I was kidnapped.”

Justin looked down. “Later, I met a man. He got into a fight with the kidnappers, so I took the opportunity to escape and returned home according to the route I remembered. I’ve always thought that I managed to escape because I was smart and took the right opportunity, but now that I think about it, why did that person casually confront the kidnappers at that time? You were the one who sent him, weren’t you?” Iris pursed her lips tightly before finally nodding. “It’s safe to say yes.” Justin continued his analysis. “After they kidnapped me, they wanted neither money nor goods. It was clear they wanted to kill the hostage. In addition, they also wanted me to die far away from home. At that time, the Hunts were already one of the most important families in New York, but even they couldn’t find me. In that case, who helped me?”

Iris bit her lip.

Justin stared at her, the light flickering in his deep-set eyes. “Or should I say, who did you ask for help? That person you asked for help is the one who imprisoned you here in this little village, and also forbade you to be with me, right?” Iris exclaimed, “How do you know, do you know who it is yet?”

“I don’t know.”

Justin said dispassionately, “Ever since I realized that you have reasons for doing what you did, all these years, I’ve been wondering what those reasons are. At first, I thought you had come to some kind of agreement with Herman, but after his return, I realized that wasn’t the case at all. You have never been afraid of him, so how could you make such a ridiculous agreement with him? Besides, you’ve always been afraid of giving me trouble all these years, which is why you always turned the Evanses away whenever they approached you for anything. Therefore, it is impossible for you to harbor thoughts of usurping the Hunt estate. Grandma doesn’t seem to be on guard against you either. After thinking about it, that’s the only possibility left.”

Iris’s eyes reddened. As Justin had started the subject, she took it from there. She said, “My marriage to your father was a political marriage between wealthy families. The one he liked was actually Yvette Anderson. I know all that, so I never blamed him for cheating on me, because I never loved him either. However, he went too far. I had already given them my blessing and abandoned the family, but they neglected you and caused your kidnapping! Everything about the kidnapping has been erased by now. I suspect that it was Lauren’s doing and that she had colluded with that group of kidnappers, but I don’t have any proof. That time, after I returned from my trip abroad and discovered that you had disappeared, I asked the Hunts and the Smiths for help. At that time, Nora’s father was still the head of the Smiths. Mr. Smith helped me search for your whereabouts, but unfortunately, there was no word from you. By then, it had been more than twelve hours since your disappearance. If I still couldn’t find you, there was a good chance you would be killed. So I had no choice. I could only approach him…”

Iris clenched her fists tightly at this mention.

Her eyes were filled with hatred for Lauren.

Justin suddenly asked, “Who…is he?” Iris sighed and shook her head. “To be honest, I don’t know either.” Justin and Nora exchanged a glance and both frowned.

Neither raised any questions, however, because Iris’s gaze had started to become distant, and she was already starting down memory lane. She said, “I met him in college. He was my first love.”

Her simple words stunned them both.

Was he her first love? So why didn’t she know who he was? As they thought about it, Iris said, “When we were still studying, it was a poor boy named Philip Coleman.” At that moment, Iris looked at Justin. It was inevitable that she felt a little embarrassed to mention her first love in front of her son and daughter-in-law.

She lowered her head. “I met him at a dance party. He fell in love with me at first sight. After that, he tried to woo me for a long time. Among all the rich young men, he was very unremarkable, but for some reason, he was the only one who caught my eye. After we graduated, my family wanted me to get engaged to Herman for political marriage.”

Iris’s voice was a bit serious and burdened when she mentioned that. After a while, she finally let out a big sigh and said, “It’s actually a very corny story. My family was pressuring me. Mom was seriously ill, but Dad refused to pay her high medical expenses unless I agreed to the marriage. I had no choice at that point, so I broke up with him.”

At this point, Iris looked at Justin and gave him a wry smile. “He had been pretending to be a poor kid in school because he was worried that people would be attracted to his money, while I happened to be in need of it.”

The two of them had let themselves go perfectly.

Iris sighed. “Both he and I were relatively self-controlled people, so the breakup went smoothly. Then your father and I got married. Everything was going well until one day, your father said that a foreign businessman had come to the United States and was having a party. He wanted me to attend it with him…”

She didn’t expect to meet Philip at the party. Philip was the foreign investor at the party.

Everyone was trying to please him because they had heard he was from a wealthy foreign family. Although the Hunts and Smiths had already made it to the top in the United States, there was another family in another country that really liked to do business. They had been merchants for generations and had amassed a lot of wealth over the years.

People like them had always had a discreet demeanor. Even when he went out, he used a pseudonym. Philip Coleman was not his name; it was just the pseudonym he used in the United States.

He had never known his true identity.

At the party, Philip found an excuse to corner her.

Iris knew Herman was someone who hated to be embarrassed, so she told him, “My husband doesn’t know about my first love. Please don’t tell him.”

By this time, Iris’s belly was already showing slightly.

She had given all her love to the baby she was carrying.

In that moment, the way Philip looked at her had changed. He let out a sarcastic laugh and said, “I’ve never met Mrs. Evans before. Pleased to meet you.” When he said that, Iris had felt as if someone had suddenly squeezed her heart hard. What she had thought was a peaceful breakup was still able to pierce her heart two years later.

She put on an elegant smile and nodded to Philip.

But after turning away, she was unable to keep the smile on her face.

However, Philip would reappear in his life. Philip became good friends with Herman and would visit them at their home. Herman had pointed to Iris’ belly and said to Philip, “Philip, he will be your godson in the future!”. At that moment, Philip had looked at Iris pointedly and had commented, “How envious I am of you for having such a fine wife, Herman.” Herman asked, “Aren’t you married yet, Philip?”.

Philip shook his head and immediately said, “I have someone in my heart that I can’t forget, no other woman can capture my attention.”

When he said this, the look in his eyes as he looked at Iris had been lingering and frightening Herman, yet he was still unaware of what was happening. He said, “Oh? Then why didn’t you marry her?” Philip lowered his head. “I had concealed my identity at the time, so she thought I was poor and went off with someone of higher social status instead.”

Herman cursed the woman for being materialistic and shameless.

Iris turned red as a tomato as she listened to them out of the corner of her eye.

Philip, however, said, “It’s instinctive to pursue a better life, so I don’t hate her. In fact, if she’s ever in trouble in the future, I’d be willing to help her.”

Herman immediately gave him a nod of approval. “You sure are magnanimous, Philip!”

Philip then said, “My family also has many secret properties in America, only most people don’t know it. If you ever have trouble in America, I can also be of help.”

Herman hadn’t thought much of it at the time and had believed those words were directed at him. Immediately, he began chatting and laughing happily with Philip. However, Philip’s attitude suddenly turned cold and he left.

Since then, he had not set foot in America again. Only later did Herman finally understand why Philip had then fallen out with him.

After his departure, Iris let out a long sigh of relief.

She admitted that her decision had betrayed Philip back then, but Philip had also hidden his family background from her. Wasn’t that also a form of deception towards her?

Their relationship had ended for no real reason. Ultimately, they were not meant to be together.

When Justin was five years old, Philip had called her.

He was still using the same phone number he had used when they were in college. Iris answered the call. At that point, she had already found out about Herman’s cheating, so she was in a bad mood.

Philip had only asked her one question over the phone, “Do you regret what you did?” Did she regret what she had done? Every now and then, in the middle of the night, Iris thought about Philip. If she had been a little firmer and more determined then, if she had lived as wildly and happily as Yvette, would her life have been better?

But every time the thought formed, she looked at Justin. Although she didn’t love Herman, Justin was the greatest gift God had given her. She loved her son more than anything in the world.

“Mom, buy me harder Lego sets next time. These are too easy.”

Her son, with a super high IQ, made a frowning request.

Iris immediately smiled and said into the phone, “I have no regrets.”

She hung up the phone. Later, when Mrs. Hunt made her choose between tolerating Herman or doing something else, she decided to be selfish for once. Perhaps her rebellious streak from her college days had come too late, but she decided to file for divorce. She dragged her suitcase behind her and left the house.

After that, Herman had brought Lauren home. When he returned from his trip and learned that Justin had been kidnapped and was missing, he felt like he would die.

Even with the Hunts and the power of the Smiths, they couldn’t find Justin. At that point, she had panicked. Her five-year-old son, as high as his IQ was, was still a child.

If the other side was determined to kill the hostage, he would probably have become a corpse by now.

He dared not wait any longer. In his panic, he inexplicably thought of what Philip had once said, “…. My family also has many secret properties in America, only most people don’t know it. If you ever have problems in America, I can also be of help.”

He dialed Philip’s phone number with trembling fingers. The man seemed very hesitant, and only took the call after it rang for a long time. The man smiled and said, “Do you need anything? Today is my wedding. The groom can’t miss it, you know.” Iris didn’t have time to worry about such things. Besides, so many years had already passed, her feelings for him as her first love had long since faded. She immediately asked, “Can you save my son?” Philip was startled. “What happened?”

Iris told him the story. Finally, she asked, “Aren’t you very powerful people in America, can you find him?”

“Yes, I can.” Philip was very sure. “But why should I help you?”

Why should he help her?

Iris had been stunned then. In fact, why should he?

While she was stunned, Philip said, “I’ll give you two choices.”

“Which two?”

“The first: Fly to my wedding now. I’m still short a bride.”

Iris thought he must be crazy. He said, “My son is missing! Philip, I’m in no mood to joke with you.”

“I’m not joking.” Philip laughed and said, “Why do I have to help you for no reason.”

Iris bit her lip. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, “I cannot agree to your request. I will never be separated from my son again.”

Since she had gone on vacation abroad, Justin had disappeared.

After all, her son needed his mother. She was not to leave him.

Besides, her relationship with Philip was just puppy love during college. Compared to reality, she cared more about Justin. She began to cry. Her voice was choked with sobs as she said, “Philip, please, I’m begging you.”

The other side of the call remained silent for a long time. Finally, Philip scoffed and said, “I can find him for you, but you have to promise me something.”

“Tell me what it is!”

Philip enunciated each word carefully and said, “You can watch your son, but I forbid you to go near him for the rest of your life. You may only watch him from afar.

Iris, this is your punishment for having betrayed me then.”

“… Okay, I promise!”

Later, Iris and Herman divorced, Herman was kicked out of the house, and Justin became the new leader of the clan with his grandfather grooming him ever since. As for Iris, she could only hide in the villa.

She still remembered the last words Philip had said to her. His voice was very cold and lacked any trace of emotion. He said, “Since you have accepted my condition, you must keep your word. Otherwise, you know what I am capable of, I will spare no expense to kill your son. I can save your son’s life, but I can also easily crush him like an ant.”

Even now, Iris still didn’t know who Philip really was.

Mysterious families like hers kept their identities very well hidden. She couldn’t make any contact with them. All she knew was that if she stayed away from Justin all her life and maintained a distant attitude toward him, she could ensure his safety.

So, that was exactly what she had been doing all these years.

The story was over.

There was no bloodshed or intense love and hate. It was so simple and unremarkable. In fact, when Iris mentioned Philip, she no longer felt any love for him, but only fear and thoughts of her agreement with him. Iris looked at Justin. “The most important families in the world can control the world economy and are very scary existences. I have distanced myself from you all this time because I am afraid that they will destroy you and the Hunt’s the moment they decide to act. To be honest, my life here all these years has been very comfortable. Growing old and dying alone can also be considered a kind of bliss. Justin, you wanted to know the truth and I’ve already told it, but I don’t want you to go on about it. Back then, I was the one who let him down. After that, I even asked him to find you for me. He rescued you, so let’s leave it at that.” Apparently because he had confessed everything that had happened then, Iris breathed a sigh of relief. She lowered her head. “You don’t have to antagonize him because of me. After all, I’m already an old woman in my autumn years.”

After saying that, she slowly closed her eyes and sighed deeply.

Nora looked at her. She was actually quite surprised, although she pretended to be unconcerned on the surface.

When Iris was young, she must have been very nice and very easy to convince, right?

That was why she had given in to her family’s arrangements back then.

But was her mistake really that big a mistake?

Did Philip bear no responsibility for the fact that they weren’t together? They had already been in a relationship for several years, so why didn’t he tell her his identity and background?

Besides…

Weren’t there too many powerful people in the world!

The forces of the mysterious organization were already spread all over the world, and now there was another mysterious mega-corporation? All his life, he had only cared about sleeping every day and also thought that earning enough to survive would be enough. Only now did he suddenly realize that he was actually…. So poor! While Nora’s imagination was running wild, Iris’s phone suddenly rang again. It was still the same unknown number.

If Nora wasn’t mistaken, then it was probably Philip.

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