Chapter 10

"If the project wasn't urgent, would your secretary dare to call you repeatedly?"

"I'm tired of playing too, and I plan to rest for a while. You should go handle it."

I said calmly.

Julian's eyes showed internal struggle, but he finally conceded:

"Mom and Dad will be here soon. Wait for me, I'll definitely be back tonight!"

"I'll definitely wait for you."

My smile was faint. Watching his anxious departure, I knew he wouldn't return.

Just as I went to the restroom, I saw a picture Serena had sent me:

A pregnancy test result.

I wandered through the castle alone again. As dusk approached, the butler led me to the hillside.

I sat on a rocking chair in front of a wooden cabin, a table laden with food beside me.

The gifts from the Davies family and Julian were placed nearby, but I had no desire to open them.

I gazed into the distance at the foot of the mountain, waiting quietly.

*Ding*. It was a text from Mr. Davies:

[Iris, something came up at the company. Your brother and I are handling it urgently. Your mom has already gone to the castle.]

Fifteen minutes later, *ding*. It was a text from Mrs. Davies:

[Iris, Mom accidentally sprained her ankle on the way. Please wait for Mom a little longer.]

Half an hour later, Julian's text arrived.

[Iris, wait for me a little longer. I'll be there soon.]

I let out a soft laugh. I looked at the photos Serena had sent:

My family and husband, who claimed to be delayed, were all gathered around her, their eyes filled with joy at the prospect of a new life.

I lay in the lounge chair, gazing at the dark sky.

The hillside at night was truly silent, only the faint sound of the wind, making me deeply aware that I was utterly alone.

Time ticked by.

The moment the clock struck midnight, brilliant fireworks launched from the foot of the mountain, blooming in the darkness.

The beautiful fireworks illuminated half the sky.

Bright yet fleeting.

My consciousness was blurring. My limbs felt uncontrolled, and my awareness was slowly being swallowed by darkness.

*I'm disappearing,* I thought vaguely.

*Goodbye... No, never again.*

*Julian!*

Time slowly passed. The person lying in the lounge chair suddenly opened her eyes, her pupils obsidian black.

Her eyes slowly opened, pupils black as night. Blair stood up, stretched languidly, her smile icy:

"Iris, I will take over your life and live it well."

"And make those who wronged you—"

"Pay the price."

The brilliant fireworks in the night sky extinguished, leaving only chaos in their wake.

Blair expertly dialed a number on her phone, relaying her location to the person on the other end:

"Come pick me up!"

With that, she crisply hung up the phone. She walked to the table and looked at the pile of gifts, casually opening them:

Luxury car keys, jewelry, property deeds...

Blair scoffed at the gifts.

Serena's coming-of-age gift was five percent of the company's shares. For Iris, there were only these "cheap" items.

Love or lack thereof had long been evident in the details.

Only Iris, with her craving for affection, would overlook these details and believe the Davies family loved her!

She slammed her palm on the table, overturning it with a powerful shove.

All the gifts scattered across the grass. Grabbing a chair, she smashed it repeatedly. Only then did Blair feel a release of her pent-up frustration.

Casually dropping her phone and a photo, she walked down the mountain alone, her slender figure appearing tiny and solitary in the darkness.

After waiting an hour at the castle gate, the roar of a motorcycle grew from a distance.

The black, heavy motorcycle skidded to a stop in front of Blair.

The man on the bike took off his helmet, revealing a flamboyant, handsome face.

"Zane, long time no see!"