Theo knew what it meant for Iris to be associated with him by the media, Iris will never be able to return to a peaceful and normal life, but he can't stand the pain that Iris was going through right now, he couldn't stand another person that he cared about, cornered by the media, AGAIN.
He didn't dare to think about it. Theo had already arrived downstairs at Iris' house. The reporters who were familiar with him had already recognized his car.
"Hold on for a while. I'm downstairs. I'll distract the reporters and go up to accompany you. Don't be afraid, I'm here for you." Theo comforted Iris, and she kept nodding on the other end of the phone.
At this moment, Theo seemed extremely reliable, she was more at peace with her fear.
Theo opened the car door and got out. Some reporters saw this scene and rushed downstairs frantically. Although some reporters wanted to wait for Theo to go upstairs, they did not want to miss this opportunity to spot a headline. Thus, the reporters at Iris' door ran downstairs in an instant.
"Theo, Theo, are you here because of your new girlfriend?"
"Of course not," Theo said with a smile as he smoothed his sleeves lightly. "I got a call from the interpretation agency, saying that one of today's interpreters had been seriously tracked and harassed by the media, and that the boss of this interpreter had asked me to clarify so that we could work together again."
Theo seemed nonchalant and smiling, but his tone was more serious than he actually looked like, "Please don't interfere with the lives of irrelevant people. There is no such news that you are dying for."
"But as far as we know, the young lady was not qualified to be the interpreter for the whole conference, and you were alone in a room for more than 30 minutes after the meeting…"
"It was the interpreter agency's decision to let this woman take the job," said Theo, who was disgusted by the"age" qualification used as an excuse to discredit a person's efforts and excellence.
He asked that reporter, "What About You, sir?
sir? Are you qualified only to be a stalker to get fake news? "
The reporter was red in the face and unable to respond to this question, and they all knew that Theo was ruthless in front of the media and some reporters who followed him crazy, perhaps because the incident many years ago made him so disgusted with the media that he made no secret of it.
"Then how do you explain the fact that you stood out in public and helped her with a man's harassment. It was not like you, Theo." Another reporter threw out this sharp question.
This one was even more easier to answer. Theo had a chuckle, "That guy created chaos in my company and he was an intern of the our medical center as well, it was very reasonable for me to handle it."
"Hello? Could you hear the sirens?" Antony, Theo's assistant, stepped forward after Theo finished talking and some other reporters wanted to ask more questions, "The neighbors have called the police, I guess no one wants to be questioned by the police for a fake story and a misunderstanding, right? "
The reporters looked at each other. The sound of sirens became clearer and closer. They had no choice but to retreat. Maybe sneak back in one day. That woman was still here, wasn't she?
A team of police cars drove into the community, reporters scattered and fled. Compared to how they looked in front of Iris' house, it was so hilarious.
The front door of the police car opened, and a tall, tanned man got out of the car and walked toward Theo.
"What's going on? You didn't come to me because you were harassed by reporters."
Listening to Tom's taunts, Theo is noncommittal. "Thank you for this, but I may have to trouble you again for this same issue."
"What's the matter? Are you in love with a woman and want me to be her one call away bodyguard?"
This was ridiculous. Theo couldn't let the police department's youngest and most promising detective be his personal bodyguard. Even their childhood friendship couldn't be such a waste of resources.
"No, I was careless this time. It won't happen again." Theo walked up Iris's stairs and left a message for Tom. "I'll treat you to dinner tomorrow!"
"Take this mysterious beauty with you!" Tom heckled from behind, touched Antony's arm, winked, and looked downstairs. "Who is she?"
Antony stood up straight and kept a poker face, being serious. "Please ask Mr. Kilias about the details."
"What a dork," Tom muttered under his breath.
"Tell Theo I'm going around the block several times, and I don't think those reporters will come back tonight."
With that, he hopped in his police car and drove out of the neighborhood to patrol the nearby streets.
——
Theo went upstairs, afraid to knock for fear of scaring Iris, and called her from outside the door, which was quickly picked up by her.
"Hello?"
"I'm outside the door. They were all gone, only me," Theo said softly.
Iris immediately stood up and rushed to the door to open it for Theo. Theo dodged in and Iris quickly closed the door. Looking at Theo's figure in the dark, Iris couldn't help but rush up to hug him and started sobbing softly.
Theo put his hand around Iris and pats her back. She didn't cry at the double betrayal of her boyfriend and best friend that night.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It was my fault. I was careless." Theo comforted Iris gently, blaming himself for being too reckless. With so many eyes on him, he should have been careful to approach Iris.
Iris sobbed silently, not responding to Theo's words, and after a few minutes, when she stopped crying and calmed down, they remained in a hugging position, Theo's chin resting gently on her head and his arms around her.
Iris lets Theo hold her, which is her rare peace of mind.
Iris looked up calmly, met his eyes in the dark, and asked him, "Can I go back to my normal life? Will the reporters and camaras come back and take pictures?"
Theo was silent for a few seconds. "Frankly, it's not appropriate for you to live here." It's cruel, but it's true.
"What about me? If I move out, will the reporters leave me alone?" Iris went on to ask.
"They were here for you, not for the house itself." Theo broke her hope, easily.
"I'll create a scandal to attract their attention in a few days," Theo said as he hugged her and rubbed her head with his chin.
"Before that, take a break and stay at my house, Okay?"