After washing up, Iris Dalton exited the voice chat. The chaotic noise vanished, and her ears finally enjoyed some peace and quiet.
She went downstairs, grabbed a bottle of orange juice from the fridge, and took two big gulps—GLUG, GLUG. She felt as if every pore on her body had awakened.
It was approaching eleven o'clock, and the living room was dead silent.
The butler emerged from his room and immediately spotted Iris sitting on the sofa. The girl sat sideways, holding the bottle of orange juice. The cool breeze from the air conditioner ruffled her waist-length hair. Brilliant sunlight spilled over her delicate face, bathing it in a soft glow like a breathtakingly romantic and elegant painting.
The butler froze, momentarily dazed. For a split second just now, he felt as though he were looking at Mrs. Sherwood in her youth. They looked far too alike!
Hearing the faint footsteps, Iris pulled back her thoughts and turned her head. Her eyes were bright and crystal clear, shimmering with radiant light.
Carrying a shopping bag, the butler forced a polite smile when he saw her turn around. "Third Miss, this is the gown Second Miss will wear for her show recording. It was delivered last night, but since you were already resting, I didn't go upstairs to disturb you. I'm going to hang it in the second-floor walk-in closet now."
Serena Sherwood had taken on a variety show invested in by Vincent Thorne's Elysian World Entertainment. The show was called "Idol Brother and Sister." Serena and Shaun Adler were regular guests. The two wanted to play up an on-screen romance for the show, to the point of wearing matching couple outfits.
Iris leaned back on the sofa and looked at the butler in silence, a faint trace of indifference floating in her eyes. She didn't speak, but her rejection was obvious. Why should someone else's clothes be hung in the room she lived in?
Absolutely not!
The butler dropped his smile and said flatly, "Second Miss's gown is very expensive; it can't just be hung in the small wardrobe downstairs. She would rather stay in a hotel than ask you to switch rooms back. The least you can do is let her use the walk-in closet."
Seeing Iris remain silent, the butler's expression grew even more displeased, and his tone turned colder. "Must you really fight Second Miss on everything? Yes, you are the Third Miss now, but you should remember your previous status. Don't let their favor go to your head and deliberately bully Second Miss!"
Seeing the butler's flustered and exasperated look, Iris chuckled. The corners of her eyes tilted up slightly as she sat in a languid posture. "So me not wanting to live in the guest room means I'm bullying Serena?"
"Heh." The butler waved his hand impatiently. "Enough, I don't want to waste my breath on you. Can't you just behave, properly act as the Sherwood Family's Third Miss, and stop causing trouble?"
Hearing this, Iris's eyes shifted. Instead of getting angry, she laughed. "It seems you haven't figured it out. You people were the ones who invited me to the Sherwood Family. We signed an agreement in black and white. I work my life away for the Sherwoods, and the Sherwoods satisfy my needs. It's a fair trade between both parties; I owe you nothing."
Seeing that the butler was about to speak, she added lightly, "Since you're so dissatisfied with me, I guess I just won't be the Third Miss of the Sherwood Family anymore. I couldn't care less anyway."
The butler was left speechless. He hadn't expected Iris to say something like this.
"What... what do you mean?" he asked, inexplicably panicking a little.
Iris took a sip of orange juice, pursed her lips, and replied unhurriedly, "I mean exactly what I said. I'll go tell Simon Sherwood that I'm cutting ties with the Sherwood Family and leaving today. Once I'm gone, Serena won't have to stay in a hotel. She'll still be the Sherwood Family's precious little princess, and you won't have to worry about me stealing her things."
The butler's face completely changed. She must be crazy to actually say she wouldn't be the Sherwood Family's Third Miss! He felt a surge of agitation; this was not something he had the authority to decide.
His grip on the gown bag tightened. After a moment of stalemate, an apologetic expression appeared on his face. "Third Miss, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to drive you away, and Second Miss never said she wanted her room back. It was just a temporary arrangement to hang the gown in the walk-in closet."
"Aren't the Sherwoods a wealthy family? You don't even have a place to hang clothes?" Iris wore a look of helplessness. "Butler, you don't need to put yourself in a difficult position. If Serena insists on using my walk-in closet, I'll let her have it. I'll just go out and find a bigger house today so I don't have to awkwardly squeeze in here with the whole family."
The butler was rendered speechless once again. He was furious. She was clearly provoking him on purpose! Her words were so harsh, leaving no face for anyone when she lashed out. Displeasure churned in his heart as his complexion worsened, but he forcibly suppressed his anger. She was truly unreasonable. Acting so arrogant and domineering would only make the Sherwoods dislike her even more.
A dark glint flashed through the butler's eyes as he decided to endure it for now. "Second Miss said she'll come back tomorrow to move her things out. Never mind, I'll just wait for Second Miss and let her handle the gown. I won't disturb you anymore, Third Miss."
Iris was completely impervious to both coaxing and coercion. She was as stubborn as a mule. He had no choice but to compromise.
"If you had been this reasonable from the start, there wouldn't have been so much trouble, right?" Iris smiled—gentle, well-behaved, and completely harmless.
The butler was speechless. He didn't believe for a second that she was well-behaved!
At that moment, Iris's phone suddenly rang. It was an unfamiliar number. The butler, who was just about to leave, perked up his ears like an alert animal at the sound of the ringtone.
A man's voice came through the phone, speaking a few words to her. The butler paid close attention and faintly heard the words "Young Master." His pupils abruptly shrank in shock, and his gaze toward Iris turned flickering and extremely perplexed.
Approaching noon, the ground was baked hot by the intense sunlight, radiating waves of scorching steam.
The young girl walked out of the villa wearing a simple white dress, her long black hair draped casually over her shoulders. As she walked forward step by step, the tips of her hair swayed lightly around her waist.
When she was still five meters away from the front gate, separated by the hollowed-out iron fence, the girl raised her wrist. A stream of Dark Force shot out silently.
With a loud CLICK, the door lock popped open, and the two large iron gates slowly slid apart.
All of this happened in mere seconds. The girl stood prettily at the open gate, her breathing completely undisturbed.
The two men outside the gate were stunned. Kyle Crawford was in disbelief, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. Rhys Crawford slowly narrowed his eyes. His alluring, peach-blossom eyes rippled with light as he looked at the girl with a radiant smile, brimming with expectation.
"Are you looking for me?" Iris stopped at the gate, entirely unfazed by the way the two men were staring at her.
The man standing closer was burly and tall. Wearing a black suit and white gloves, he looked impeccably neat and rigid from head to toe, resembling a professional driver and bodyguard.
"Miss Iris, my name is Kyle Crawford. The Young Master sent me here. From now on, I will take care of all the trivial matters in your daily life." The man's deep, resonant voice added a sense of steady reliability to his image.
Iris caught sight of the insulated thermos in his hand. She immediately lowered her eyes and silently hid the remaining half-bottle of iced orange juice behind her back. She hadn't drank any cold beverages. The person who just took two massive gulps wasn't her!
Feigning nonchalance, she flashed a sincere and well-behaved smile. "Hello, Ken. I'll be in your care from now on."
She released her spiritual power to probe the man before her. Kyle was tall, robust, and powerful. His limbs and joints were highly flexible; he was a master of close-quarters combat.
At this moment, the other man stepped forward. Reaching out a hand politely, he introduced himself with obvious eagerness. "Hello, Iris. I'm Rhys Crawford."
Iris didn't move, just sizing him up with her clear, bright eyes.
The man had a handsome face and fair skin. Clad in a pink silk shirt and sporting a diamond watch worth millions on his wrist, his casual stance exuded the relaxed, elegant aura of a wealthy young nobleman. This was especially true of his peach-blossom eyes; when he smiled, they were so dazzling that one couldn't help but be drawn to him.
He was a natural magnet for romance, and a top-tier martial arts expert on top of that! Top-tier in martial prowess, at least. It was a pity that he had rushed his training, resulting in unregulated inner breath and toxins accumulating in his blood vessels.
This man's body was incredibly weak!