"You are holding a valuable item. Stop shaking it around!" the butler couldn't help but raise his voice, his strict tone laced with sharpness.
Iris Dalton stopped what she was doing. She stood perfectly still, the corners of her eyes curving into a half-smile. With a meaningful gleam in her eyes, she looked at him playfully. It was as if she were looking at an ignorant idiot.
The butler stood there, speechless. His eyes had been fixed on the package the entire time, and he had watched helplessly as she flipped the box over! His hands trembled with anger.
The Third Miss was foolish and ignorant; she had no idea how valuable the Eldest Miss's belongings were.
"Third Miss, you are too unreasonable! Put the package down at once and call the Eldest Miss to apologize personally," the butler said, deeply disappointed. He felt she was a lost cause.
Although he didn't know what Claire Sherwood researched in the lab, the Rare Materials Lab was renowned far and wide. It was the top of the three major laboratories at Lumin-Umbra University. Countless people from wealthy families racked their brains to get in, yet couldn't even touch the threshold of that lab. The fact that Claire had managed to join the lab and even become an assistant researcher meant that her research must be of utmost importance. Every tiny bit of those rare materials was priceless.
Even if they sold the Third Miss, it wouldn't be enough to pay for any damages!
Suddenly remembering something, the butler quickly warned her, "By the way, the Eldest Miss is very busy. You must make an appointment first and only disturb her when she has free time... But never mind that for now, hand the package over to me."
With a dark expression, the butler stepped forward to snatch the package from Iris's hands.
Iris raised her hand to dodge, lifting the package high in the air. Her small face wore an arrogant, provocative expression, and her voice was lazy. "Can't you read? Can't you see whose name is written as the recipient?"
The butler froze and looked up at the package. It was held right in front of his eyes. In the recipient's spot, the name "Iris Dalton" was glaringly clear.
He fell completely silent.
Intense embarrassment left the butler at a loss for words, his face flushing crimson with shame. "This... how is this possible?"
The middle-aged man had never been in such an awkward situation in his entire life. Slapped in the face by a young girl right on the spot, he didn't even know what to do with his hands. No matter how thick-skinned he was, he couldn't handle the humiliation.
But Iris wasn't done with him. Tossing the package lightly in her hand, she deliberately shouted to Simon Sherwood, who was coming down the stairs, "Dad, you should enroll the butler in an adult literacy class. I know he's getting on in years, but he still needs to learn how to read. An illiterate butler will only make a fool of himself."
With that, ignoring the butler's collapsing expression, she casually bounced the package in her hand and swaggered right past him. The butler's head buzzed. Overwhelmed by shame and anger, he almost passed out.
"Iris, wait a moment." Simon stopped the girl as she headed upstairs. His tone was gentle and mild, as if casually asking his daughter a question. "Who did you go out to meet just now?"
Simon's mind wasn't on the butler, nor did he have the time to care about any package. Right now, only one thing occupied his thoughts. Earlier, from upstairs, he had seen two men coming out of the villa next door. Then, Iris had gone out to meet them, and they had talked for quite a while. He had recognized their identities, and his heart was pounding wildly with excitement. He also felt a glimmer of hope regarding Iris.
"A friend," Iris replied. She had no intention of lying.
She planned to move into the villa next door in a few days anyway, so the Sherwoods would find out sooner or later. There was no need to hide it. Besides, The King's Villa was so massive and luxurious—who wouldn't love it? Only a fool wouldn't move in! She had already figured it out earlier. She would definitely live in The King's Villa, but she would also keep her room here in the Sherwood Family home, refusing to make space for Serena Sherwood. As the saying goes, only children make choices; adults take it all!
Simon narrowed his eyes slightly, putting on a kind and gentle expression. "Dad won't interfere with you making friends, but you shouldn't keep things from your family. Tell Dad, what kind of friend did you make?"
"A friend I just met. They also live in this villa area; they're our next-door neighbor." After saying that, Iris took her thermos and package and headed upstairs.
A trace of shock flashed through Simon's eyes. Others might not know, but he was perfectly aware. He had spent an extra ten million to buy this Villa No. 2 precisely to be neighbors with the owner of The King's Villa. That was Young Master Crawford! So his third daughter had made friends with Young Master Crawford's people?!
*
Back in her room, Iris opened the thermos and discovered it had two tiers. One tier contained Yuan Ginseng Tea for replenishing energy and vitality, while the other held Eight-Treasure Porridge, simmered with quite a few tonics.
Since she had woken up late, Iris's stomach had long been rumbling with hunger. She had just taken a stroll downstairs, yet neither the butler nor Mr. Sherwood had reminded her to eat, let alone prepared any food for her. Whether intentional or not, they had indeed ignored her. She could feel their coldness and rejection.
Iris felt a bit stifled in her chest, though she couldn't explain why. She didn't know what exactly she was expecting, or what she was conflicted about. Without a word, she quietly finished the Eight-Treasure Porridge and took a couple of sips of the ginseng tea. Finally, her stomach felt a comforting sense of fullness.
*
Downstairs in the living room.
Simon paced back and forth, rubbing his hands together in excitement and muttering to himself non-stop. "Right, Butler, make some arrangements. Invite the eldest uncle from the Vaughn family over for dinner tonight. And Tristan's wife—tell her to hurry back as well. We will introduce Iris to them tonight."
Thinking of the misunderstanding just now, the butler was so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole and hide. He instinctively tried to stop it. "The Third Miss... hasn't learned proper etiquette yet. She isn't suitable to meet guests, is she?"
"Young Master Crawford has come to Stellan and is staying in The King's Villa next door. He might have even moved in by now." Joy brought out the best in Simon's spirits, his forehead practically glowing. "Iris has connected with Young Master Crawford; they are friends now!"
The butler was dumbfounded. Even after Simon went upstairs, he still hadn't recovered his senses.
The butler had heard rumors about Young Master Crawford coming to Stellan, as it was the talk of the entire wealthy circle in the city. Now he was really here, and had even moved into The King's Villa next door to become neighbors with the Sherwood Family? The butler's head buzzed with the shock, and his heart raced. This was a golden opportunity dropping right into their laps! But... how could such a noble and distinguished man make friends with the Third Miss? That was impossible!
Even Mr. Sherwood and his wife weren't qualified to establish ties with Young Master Crawford. So on what grounds could Iris, a young girl who had never seen the world, rub shoulders with him?
And another thing...
Another doubt flashed through the butler's mind. She had never even gone to school. Why would she receive a package from a Lumin-Umbra University laboratory? It was too strange!
The more the butler thought about it, the more surreal it felt. Without realizing it, he had walked upstairs and arrived at the door to Iris's room. Just as he raised his hand to knock, the door opened on its own.
Iris was wearing earphones and holding a small pair of scissors, looking as if she was just about to open her package. She looked him up and down, took off her earphones, and leaned lazily against the doorframe. With an aloof, unapproachable coldness in her eyes, she stared unabashedly at the butler.
The butler froze. The blatant indifference and aversion hit him like an ice pick, making him shudder.
"Did you come to knock on my door because you want to watch me open my package?" the young girl asked flatly.
Since that was exactly what he had been thinking about, the butler nodded subconsciously.
Iris's eyes flickered as the corners of her lips curled up. Pulling a little demonic face, she teased, "You want to see it? Too bad, I'm not showing you! Bleh!"
With a loud BANG, she slammed the door shut, almost smashing it into the butler's nose.
The butler stood there, stupefied. He stood dazed for quite a while before finally snapping back to reality.
Certain things had been swirling in his mind, shrouded in fog—unclear and intangible. At this moment, it all suddenly clicked!
Iris had been with the Sherwood Family for two days. Judging by her behavior, she was every bit a perverse and willful spoiled young lady. Everyone in the Sherwood family had to tread carefully around her. This girl completely disregarded the butler and the servants, dared to talk back to Mr. Sherwood and his wife, and made the Eldest Young Master stomp his feet in anger. She had even made the Second Miss cry with frustration, to the point where she refused to return home.
And they called her a pitiful little girl from the mountains? Who would believe that?
The butler suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, breaking out into a cold sweat. Something wasn't right. This Third Miss was far from simple; she absolutely couldn't have come from some remote mountain village!
The butler's imagination ran wild. The more he thought about it, the more alarmed he became. He decided to go speak to the Eldest Young Master about his concerns. No matter what, he had to make sure the Sherwood Family was on guard against this girl of unknown origins.