2. None of Your Business

"He must be out of his mind!" Iris grumbled alone in the room after finishing her shower. Archer's words were still ringing in her head even after he was long gone.

"Did he ask me to have sex on the beach? Or did he just ask me to have a cocktail at the bar? Which one did he mean?"

Iris did not understand what Archer was planning. Moreover, she did not know him very well. Did he intend to help her, or did he want to take advantage of her? According to her intuition, he was not a simple man, and she should be wary.

As Iris was daydreaming, someone suddenly knocked on the door of her room. "Iris, are you in there?"

Iris immediately ran to open the door. Outside, an old man sat in a wheelchair. Behind him, a young woman stood and smiled politely. One was Iris' grandfather, and the other was his personal nurse.

"Can I come in?" asked Finch, Iris's grandfather.

"Of course!" Iris warmly welcomed. She took over the nursing job by pushing his wheelchair into the room.

"Emma, you wait outside," Finch told the nurse.

"Yes, sir." Emma closed the door and left Iris alone with her grandfather.

Iris pushed the wheelchair to the large glass window. In front of them was a refreshing green garden. She looked down and asked, "Grandpa, why are you here?"

Finch sighed. He took Iris' hand and pulled her to him. His gaze looked tired and sad. "Forgive your grandfather. I can't help you this time," he said softly.

Iris smiled faintly. Of all the Johnson family members, her grandfather was the one who cared about her the most. She might not trust others, but she could always trust Finch.

She squatted in front of the man and gently grasped his wrinkled hand. "Grandpa, you don't need to help me anymore. I've grown up now."

The old man did not look any better after hearing that. He rubbed Iris' head and murmured, "Right, you've grown up. You even know how to deal with them already."

"If I hadn't taken a step back and continued to deny the affair, maybe I would have gotten something worse," Iris said with amusement. She wasn't sure who were the people involved in setting her up, but she knew one thing: her father would not defend her.

"Christoper has disliked you for a long time. But you shouldn't be sad. I've always liked you." Finch rubbed Iris' head affectionately.

Iris chuckled. She was used to getting poor treatment from Christopher. Even her stepmother, Mrs. Johnson, treated her better than her own biological father. It was painful at first, but she got used to it over time.

When Christopher kicked her out, Iris didn't really feel surprised or hurt. Christopher had always been like that, never wanting her. He kept her only because she had an arranged marriage with the Collins family, which in the past was arranged by her grandfather and Collins' grandfather.

What happened this morning was an opportunity for Christopher to end Iris' match with William. Maybe he was secretly happy to be able to get rid of her from the house, or maybe the whole thing was his scenario?

Iris gasped. She looked at Finch with wide eyes. "Grandpa, could it be my father who..."

"Ssshhh." Finch shook his head at her with a serious expression. "Don't jump to conclusions without evidence."

That's right. Iris nodded slowly. Christopher looked very surprised and angry when he found her sleeping with Archer. It shouldn't have been him who organized that incident, right? What was the point of him doing that, anyway? Whoever it was, Iris had to investigate.

"Grandpa, I'm going back to the apartment. After this, I definitely won't be able to see you often." Iris looked at Finch sadly. "Let's meet outside when I'm free."

Finch smiled sweetly. "Deal."

They chatted for a while longer until Iris finally decided to leave. She picked up her bag and pushed her grandfather's wheelchair out of the room. 

It was Sunday. Most of the Johnson family members were at home. However, no one met Iris to say goodbye. She didn't really care.

Iris said goodbye to Finch, then rushed to the car. She didn't have many things at home, as she mostly lived in the apartment independently. Her return last night was only to attend a meeting of two families.

As Iris's car backed out of the courtyard, a young woman appeared on the terrace and stood behind Finch's wheelchair. She looked coldly at Iris's car, then smirked.

"Grandpa, come on in."

***

That day, in a modest apartment in the center of bustling Los Angeles, Iris lay listlessly. Her mind was busy thinking about what had happened and what she should do. 

Her wedding would definitely be canceled soon. The image of a comfortable and luxurious life that had long existed in her brain instantly vanished. She could no longer relax or laze around.

Iris opened her phone and saw a lot of phone call history from William that she ignored. That man was disgusting. There were many suspicions she had about him. 

Then Iris checked her bank account, which didn't have much money left. Her salary as ordinary marketing staff in a branch company was very small. Moreover, she often slacked off at the office and turned down many opportunities.

Not having a definite life goal was really a mistake. In the past, Iris was not a girl who was passionate or had much ambition. Her life was very simple. Besides, her grandfather had arranged a nice wedding for her long ago. Why bother?

"Huh, I was wrong... Really wrong."

Iris let out a long breath and threw the pillow carelessly. She thought the arranged marriage was enough to guarantee her life. It turned out that things could always happen unexpectedly.

"There must be a change," Iris muttered. Determination, desire, and ambition began to emerge in her heart. She was only 25 years old. She still had the opportunity to make many changes.

"I have to start doing something," Iris decided. She took out all the contents of her bag and found a scrap of paper she had brought from home. A series of phone numbers were written on it.

She immediately copied the number into her cell phone and called it without hesitation. It didn't take long for someone to answer. 

"Archer?"

"Hmm, you're pretty quick to contact me," said the man, sounding casual.

Iris snorted. "Sex on the beach. Why don't you tell me what your conditions are?"

Archer, who was eating lunch, tugged at the corner of his lips. "You can interpret it however you want, but I would be more than happy if you would have sex on the beach with me. Well, really on the beach."

"Really? Do you think I'm that cheap or that stupid?" Iris asked unhappily. 

The man's laughter instantly rang through the phone, and a moment later, he choked. Iris could hear someone reprimanding him. "Eat properly, Arch!"

"Who is he?" Iris asked cautiously.

"Uh, just my good grandfather."

Iris sighed. "Then I won't bother you."

"Meet me at The Sapphire Club at 7 p.m.," Archer said in a low voice.

"It's an expensive place, right? Are you going to pay for my drink?" Iris asked with a suspicious frown.

"It depends on whether you can please me or not," the man whispered.

"Don't be pretentious!" Iris immediately switched off the phone line. She stared at her phone in annoyance. "It seems like he just wants to take advantage of me."

She snorted and then pondered for a while. "Most men are subject to female beauty." She rushed to the full-length mirror placed in the corner of the room. The image of her disheveled self was reflected there.

"Maybe I can melt him if I dress up well," Iris muttered as she strutted in front of the mirror.

"He wants to take advantage of me?" She chuckled. "It's more like I'm going to take advantage of him!"

That night, Iris finally dressed up seriously. She, who usually didn't care about appearance, instantly turned into a beautiful woman in high heels. A long-sleeved black dress with a half-thigh length wrapped around her body. The neckline was quite low, revealing her beautiful cleavage.

Iris decided to keep her long blonde hair loose. It made her look even sexier. However, she didn't want to look like a seductress, so she added a black blazer that was loose enough to add a touch of elegance.

"Not bad," Iris praised herself. She put on earrings and a minimalist necklace, as well as a ring on the index finger. Why on the index finger? 

She smirked. Because she wanted to be the leader, not Archer!

"Let's go, girl!" Iris shouted as she grabbed her bag. 

When she opened the exit door, a man three years older than her was already standing at the door. His unremarkable face looked grim. Anger was evident in his eyes.

"Where are you going?" he asked coldly.

"None of your business, William!"