Chapter 721 - 1 The Truth

Iris looked at Nora and then at Justin. Nora had only said that she would attend the orchid exhibition, she hadn’t revealed anything else to Justin at all. Even when they were on the way to the orchid exhibition, she had only said that she could save the Ghost Orchids. She hadn’t revealed that she was Orchidiance.

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

But Justin had trusted her very much.

Was that how it felt to be mutually trusting towards each other? When she thought about it carefully, she actually didn’t have a single person she could trust in her life, which was rather sad.

If she really had to think of one, then perhaps she had only trusted that one person…

Thinking of this, Iris cast her eyes 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 really becoming fond of them. When she was gardening and taking care of the flowers, she was able to truly abandon all distractions and concentrate on work. Therefore, Iris had really fallen in love very much with orchids over the years. Her heart calmed and became peaceful after she entered the greenhouse. She sat there quietly and picked up the teapot that Mrs. Landis had prepared at the side. Then, she poured three cups of tea and put them on either side of the coffee table.

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

The white coffee table and seats added a bit of rustic elegance to the place, making one feel as if they could really become at peace with the world just by sitting in there.

Iris’ gaze fell onto the orchids next to them, but she didn’t speak, seemingly in a struggle over how to start. At this time, Justin asked, “Is it related to the kidnapping back then?”

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

Justin cast his eyes down. “Later, I met a man. He got into a tussle 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 seized the right opportunity, but now that I think about it, why did that person so coincidentally enter a confrontation with the kidnappers at that time? You were the one who sent him, right?” Iris pursed her lips tightly before she finally nodded. “You can say that.” Justin continued with his analysis. “After they kidnapped me, they wanted neither money nor manpower. It was clear that they wanted to kill the hostage. On top of that, they also wanted me to die a distance away from home. At that time, the Hunts were already one of the largest families in New York, yet even they couldn’t find me. In that case, who did you seek help from?”

Iris bit her lip.

Justin stared at her, light flickering in his deep-set eyes. “Or should I say, who did you beg for help? That person you begged for help is the one who imprisoned you here in this small villa, and also forbade you from being with me, right?” Iris exclaimed, “How did you know that? Do you already know who he is?”

“I don’t.”

Justin said dispassionately, “Ever since I realized that you have reasons for doing what you did, all these years, I have been wondering what on earth those reasons are. At first, I thought that you had made some kind of agreement with Herman, but after he came back, I realized that that wasn’t the case at all. You have never feared him, so how could you possibly make such a ridiculous agreement with him? Besides, you have always been afraid of giving me trouble all these years, so you always rejected the Evanses every time they approached you for anything. Therefore, it is impossible for you to harbor thoughts of usurping the Hunts’ assets. Grandma also doesn’t seem to be on guard against you. After thinking about it, that is the only possibility left.”

Iris’ eyes reddened. Since Justin had started the topic, she picked up from there. She said, “My marriage to your father is a political marriage between wealthy families. The one he liked was actually Yvette Anderson. I know all of that, so I’ve never blamed him for cheating—because I have never loved him either. However, he went too far. I’d already given them my blessings and left the family, yet they neglected you and caused you to be kidnapped! Everything related to the kidnapping has already been erased by now. I suspect that it’s Lauren’s handiwork and that she had colluded with that group of kidnappers, but I don’t have any proof. That time, after I came back from my trip overseas and discovered that you were gone, I begged the Hunts and the Smiths for help. At that time, Nora’s father was still the head of the Smiths. Mr. Smith helped me to search for your whereabouts, but unfortunately, there was no news of you at all. By then, it had already been more than twelve hours since your disappearance. If I still couldn’t find you, there was a very high chance that they would kill you. So, I had no other choice. I could only approach him…”

Iris clenched her fists tightly at the mention.

Her eyes were full of hate towards 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 look and both frowned.

However, neither of them raised any questions because the look in Iris’ eyes had started to become distant, and she was already starting to go down memory lane. She said, “I met him in college. He was my first boyfriend.”

Her simple few words stunned the two of them.

He was her first love? Then why didn’t she know who he was? While they were thinking about it, Iris said, “When we were still studying, he was a poor boy named Philip Coleman.” At this point, Iris looked at Justin. It was inevitable that she would feel a little embarrassed mentioning 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 very long time. Among all the rich youngsters, 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 with Herman for the political marriage.”

Iris’ voice was a little serious and burdened when she mentioned that. After a while, she finally heaved a huge sigh and said, “It’s actually a very cheesy story. My family was driving me into a corner. Mom was seriously ill, but Dad refused to pay for her high medical expenses unless I agreed to the marriage. I had no other choice at that time, 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 boy in school because he was worried that people would be attracted to his money, whereas I happened to be in need of it.”

The two of them had let each other slip by perfectly.

Iris sighed. “Both he and I were relatively self-restrained people, so the breakup went smoothly. After that, your father and I got married. Everything was fine until one day, your father said that a foreign businessman had come to America and was holding a party. He wanted me to attend it with him…”

She hadn’t expected to meet Philip again at the party. Philip was the foreign investor at the party.

Everyone was trying to please him because they had heard that he was from a foreign wealthy family. Even though the Hunts and the Smiths had already reached the pinnacle in America, there was another family in another country that loved doing business very much. They had been merchants for generations and had amassed a lot of wealth over the years.

People like them had always been low-key in their behavior. Even when he was out, he used a pseudonym. Philip Coleman was not his name; it was just the pseudonym he used in America.

She had never known his true identity.

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

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

At that time, Iris’ belly was already showing slightly.

She had given all her love to the baby in her womb.

At that time, the way Philip looked at her had changed. He let out a sarcastic laugh and said, “I have never been acquainted with Ms. Evans before. Nice to meet you.” When he said that, Iris had felt like someone had suddenly gripped her heart tightly. What she’d thought was a peaceful breakup was still capable of piercing her heart two years later.

She put on a graceful smile and nodded at Philip.

But after she turned around, she was unable to maintain the smile on her face.

However, Philip would appear in her life again. Philip became good friends with Herman and visited them at home. Herman had pointed to Iris’ belly and said to Philip, “Philip, he’ll be your god-son in the future!” At that time, Philip had looked at Iris pointedly and remarked, “I’m so envious of you for having such a good wife, Herman.” Herman asked, “Aren’t you married yet, Philip?”

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

When he said this, the look in his eyes as he stared at Iris had been persistent and terrifying Herman, however, 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 to someone of higher social status instead.”

Herman cursed the woman for being materialistic and shameless.

Iris flushed as red as a tomato as she listened to them from the side.

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

Herman had immediately given him a thumbs-up. “You sure are magnanimous, Philip!”

Philip then said, “My family also has a lot of secret properties in America, it’s just that most people don’t know that. If you ever run into trouble in America, I can also be of assistance.”

Herman hadn’t thought much about it at the time and had thought that those words were directed at him. At once, he started chatting and laughing happily with Philip. However, Philip’s attitude suddenly became cold and he left.

Since then, he had never stepped into America again. It was only later that Herman finally understood why Philip had fallen out with him back then.

After he left, Iris had 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 without any real reason. They were ultimately just not meant to be.

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 time, she had already found out about Herman’s cheating, so she was in a bad mood.

Philip had only asked her a question on the phone: “Do you regret what you did?” Did she regret what she had done? Occasionally, in the dead of night, Iris would think of Philip. If she had been a little more firm and resolute back then, and if she had lived as unrestrainedly and happily as Yvette had, then would her life have been better?

But every time the thought formed, she would look at Justin. Although she didn’t love Herman, Justin was the greatest gift that 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 request with a frown.

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

She hung up the phone. Afterward, when Mrs. Hunt made her choose between tolerating Herman or doing something else, she had decided to be selfish for once. Perhaps her rebellious streak from college times 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. After she came back from her trip and learned that Justin had been kidnapped and was missing, she had felt like dying.

Even with the Hunts and the Smiths’ power, they couldn’t find Justin. At that time, she had panicked. Her five-year-old son, no matter how high his IQ, was still just a child.

If the other party was determined to kill the hostage, then he would probably have already become a corpse by then!

She didn’t dare to wait any longer. In her panic, she inexplicably thought of what Philip had once said: “… My family also has a lot of secret properties in America, it’s just that most people don’t know that. If you ever run into trouble in America, I can also be of assistance.”

She dialed Philip’s phone number with trembling fingers. The man seemed very hesitant, only picking up the call after it rang for a very long time. The man smiled and said, “Do you need something? It’s my wedding today. The groom can’t be absent, you know.” Iris didn’t have the leisure to care about such things. Besides, so many years had already gone by, her feelings for him as her first love had already faded a long time ago. She immediately asked, “Can you save my son?!” Philip was startled. “What happened?”

Iris recounted the story. At last, she asked: “Aren’t you very powerful in America? Can you find him?”

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

Why should he help her?

Iris had been stunned then. Indeed, why should he?

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

“What?”

“The first one: Fly over to my wedding now. I am still missing a bride.”

Iris thought that he must be out of his mind. She said, “My son is missing! Philip, I am not in the mood to joke around with you.”

“I’m not joking.” Philip chuckled and said, “Why should I help you for no reason?”

Iris bit her lip. At last, she took a deep breath and said, “I can’t agree to your request. I will never leave my son’s side ever again.”

Because she had gone overseas for a holiday, Justin had gone missing.

Her son needed his mother after all. She must not leave him

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

you.”

The other end of the call was silent for a long time. In the end, Philip sneered and said, “I can find him for you, but you have to promise me something.”

“Tell me what it is!”

Philip enunciated every word carefully and said, “You can watch over your son, but I forbid you from ever getting close to him for the rest of your life. You can only look at him from a distance.”

“Iris, this is your punishment for betraying me back then.”

“… Okay, I promise you that!”

Later, Iris and Herman got 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 could still remember the last few words that Philip had said to her. His voice was very cold and missing any trace of emotion. He said, “Since you have agreed to my condition, then you must keep your word. Otherwise, you know what I’m capable of, I will spare no costs 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 his kept their identities very well-hidden. She couldn’t make any contact with them at all. All she knew was that if she stayed away from Justin all her life and maintained a distant attitude toward him, then she would be able to guarantee his safety.

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

The story was over.

There was no bloodshed nor intense love and hate. It was so plain and bland. 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 world’s top families can control the world economy and are very terrifying existences. I have distanced myself from you all this time because I’m afraid they would destroy you and the Hunts the moment they decide to take action. To be honest, my life here all these years by myself has been very comfortable. Aging and dying alone can also be considered a kind of happiness. “Justin, you wanted to know the truth and I’ve already said it, but I don’t want you to pursue it any further. Back then, I was the one who had let him down. After that, I even asked him to find you for me. He gave you your life, so let’s just leave it at that.” Seemingly because she had come clean about everything that had happened back then, Iris breathed a sigh of relief. She lowered her head. “You don’t have to become enemies with him for my sake. After all, I am already an old woman in my autumn years.”

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

Nora looked at her. She was actually very shocked, though she pretended to be nonchalant on the surface.

When Iris was young, she must have been very gentle and a big pushover, right?

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

But was her mistake really so big?

Didn’t Philip hold any responsibility for why they weren’t together? They had already been in a relationship for several years, so why didn’t he tell her his identity and his background?

Also…

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

The mysterious organization’s forces already spanned throughout the world, and now there was another mysterious mega-corporation? All her life, she had only been concerned with sleeping every day and also felt that it would do as long as she made enough to survive. It was only now that she suddenly realized that she was actually… so poor! While Nora’s imagination was running wild, Iris’ cell phone suddenly rang again. It was still that same unfamiliar number.

If Nora wasn’t wrong, then he was likely Philip.