Iris stared at the closed door, exhausted. She closed her eyes and slumped onto the couch, feeling powerless.
Ending a nine-year relationship in such an ugly way was something Iris had never expected. Without time to grieve, she stood up and threw the rest of Lucas' belongings out— there is no need for that pile of trash any longer. She then dragged a big bag of stuff and dumped it at the garbage station.
She just could not stand seeing any trace of him.
Every trace of Lucas in this home was completely erased now, as if he had never lived here.
"Let the new life begin, Iris," she murmured to herself.
After dealing with everything, she sent an emergency leave request message to her boss. After all of that, she simply had no more energy to handle anything else. She placed her phone aside, falling into a deep sleep.
--
When she woke up, it was already early morning of the next day. Iris freshened up quickly, put on light makeup, and hastily left for work.
As soon as she arrived at the company, she heard Anna calling out to her, "Iris!"
Anna walked over, looking concerned, and asked, "Are you okay? I heard you had something to deal with at home yesterday."
Looking into Anna's caring eyes, Iris tried to sound nonchalant and said, "Thanks for asking. Lucas and I broke up, and I was handling that yesterday." Although Iris didn't usually confide too much about her personal life to colleagues, Anna was more than just a coworker — she was a friend.
"Oh my goodness!" Anna couldn't help but gasp, quickly covering her mouth and looking around to see if anyone noticed. Seeing that no one paid attention, she lowered her voice and asked Iris, "Then why did you come to work today? You should take a couple of days off. I can accompany you through these hard days..."
Anna knew that Iris and Lucas had been together for many years, and the sudden breakup could be a big blow to Iris.
Iris appreciated Anna's concern and smiled lightly. "I'm fine," she said, immediately changing the subject. "By the way, about the new job you mentioned on the phone, what is it?"
Iris was a hardworking person, a fact that Anna knew that since the day she worked for this company. Anna could only sigh and shake her head. However, she cleverly played along, tossing the topic of Lucas to the trash -- where he belonged -- and patted Iris on the shoulder.
She then turned around to retrieve a document, holding it out for Iris to take .
"Here, in summary, next Thursday, we'll be doing interpretation work for the Theo Kilias' Medical Center. I was so excited because not only excited because we will be able to meet the soccer players up close! There are so many new members this year, and the veteran stars will also be showing up."
Anna then took a step forward, hugging Iris's shoulder. Her eyebrows wriggled in excitement. "Plus, we will also meet the host of the medical center, Theo Kilias himself! Gosh, Iris! Can you imagine? He is the nation's soccer genius and an idol! How perfect can he be?"
She gently squeezed Iris' shoulder, her grin stretching so wide that Iris had goosebumps just looking at it.
"And who knows?" Anna said, "You might just meet your next boyfriend there. You're gorgeous and smart— the crème de la crème. Won't this be the perfect revenge against Lucas as well?"
Iris shook her head, smiling without saying a word. Right now, she just wanted to immerse herself in work and had no plans for a new romance.
She started flipping through the document. It was densely packed with hospital introductions and project backgrounds, filled with medical jargon. However, Lucas was a medical student, so these terms were not unfamiliar to her, and this job seemed manageable.
At that moment, Mr. Hadid, the company's boss, arrived at the office. "Iris, come to my office for a moment." With that said, he walked into the office.
Anna looked at Iris, puzzled. Iris shrugged, indicating she didn't know either.
"Coming right up!" Iris called out before she followed Mr. Hadid into his office.
"Well, Iris, I hope everything is fine," Mr. Hadid greeted Iris first.
"I'm fine, Sir. Is there something you need from me?"
"Well, we've taken on a big project unexpectedly. I couldn't inform you yesterday because you were on leave."
Mr. Hadid handed her a document, which happened to be the same one Anna had given her.
"The medical center wants the best interpreter because important figures from politics, business, and sports will be attending. After careful consideration, I believe you are the most suitable candidate." Mr. Hadid paused for a moment after speaking. "What do you think?"
"That's not a problem, sir," Iris confidently said without hesitation. "Coincidentally, I'm quite familiar with this field, and I believe I can handle this job."
"Good, it's the whole day next Thursday. Don't let me down."
Mr. Hadid watched Iris leave and picked up his phone, dialing a number.
"It's all arranged. Iris has the professional skills needed; otherwise, even if you had personally requested her, I wouldn't have agreed."
Though Iris was indeed outstanding, she was still young, only 27 years old, and everyone would be vying to attend such a grand event—it wouldn't necessarily be her turn.
"But I want to know who requested her, and why her?"