Iris' face turned pale, and Theo, noticing her expression, reached out for her phone and carefully read the threatening text message sent by Lucas.
His eyes grew cold, filled with anger as if Theo would have beaten that man on the spot if Lucas had been there. Seeing Iris in horror, Theo suppressed his anger and sat down beside her, holding her cold hand.
"Don't worry, everything will be alright. I'll take care of everything," Theo reassured Iris, urging her to rest her head on his shoulder while he held her trembling hand.
——
After dinner, Theo wanted to accompany Iris upstairs for a nap. However, Iris stood stubbornly in his way, motionless, blocking his path.
"I just want to be alone," Iris told Theo firmly.
He nodded, gently stroking Iris' head to comfort her, showing his understanding. "I have some company events this afternoon," Theo explained, observing Iris' expression. "And I will have to have a dinner with the same influencer and be taken more photos by reporters."
Iris nodded silently, without showing any additional emotion. However, she couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you a football player? Why do you have so many corporate events?"
Theo smiled, "I'm much wealthier than you have imagined. I've become the world's most expensive footballer since I was 17, and I've been running my own company since the age of 18. The medical centre where you worked yesterday is just one of my many industries."
"I'll take you on a tour of my other companies some time. There are various industries involved, and I'm sure you'll find something that piques your interest," Theo suggested.
"Uh-huh," Iris responded sullenly before turning to head upstairs. She had no reason to visit his companies. Theo Kilias' life was a completely different world to her.
Noticing her distressed mood, she was probably spooked by Lucas' threatening message, Theo asked from behind, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Iris forced a smile and tried to reply playfully, "Of course I'm fine! I can't wait for your next scandal! But please, don't let my face appear in the news again!"
"No problem," Theo assured her.
Iris blinked, turned, and entered the room, disappearing from Theo's sight.
Theo's smile faded after he saw Iris enter her room, and a dark expression settled on his face. He called Antony, his tone and demeanour enough to make anyone step back.
"I need some information on someone," he said, his face exuding a sense of seriousness. "Lucas Morris."
——
At 2 pm that afternoon, Theo arrived at his hotel on time to attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the hotel's 5th anniversary.
A crowd of media and fans had gathered outside. Despite the short 100-meter distance from his car to the hotel entrance, Theo took a full half-hour to cover it. He continuously engaged with fans along the way, shaking hands, taking group photos, and signing autographs.
The event was highly orchestrated and followed a set routine. Theo only needed to show up, give a speech, cut the ribbon, and the whole event was over in less than half an hour.
Iris was feeling bored at home, so she absentmindedly turned on the television. Coincidently, she stumbled upon a live broadcast of Theo's event. Just as the event was wrapping up, she caught a glimpse of Theo leaving the venue before the screen switched to commercials.
'He must be meeting that influencer girl for dinner now, I guess?' Iris pondered silently, feeling a subtle sense of disappointment deep within her.
She truly couldn't understand why she cared so much about what Theo was up to. Perhaps it was because she felt so lonely being alone here. She could only console herself with this thought, convincing herself that it was better than falling in love with Theo.
She couldn't allow herself to fall for him, it would be a risky adventure.
Theo didn't come back the whole afternoon. Iris, feeling utterly bored, lounged on her bed and aimlessly searched for information about Theo on Google.
'An early fame, a prodigious youth.'
'Rejecting the best club to stay in France for money.'
'Arrogant, lacking manners.'
'Not publicly revealing a girlfriend? Is he gay?'
As Iris looked at this information, flipping through Theo's photos from his innocent 17-year-old to his current mature and composed demeanour, she couldn't reconcile the image presented by Google with the Theo she had interacted with.
Arrogant? Money-driven? Lacking manners? But what he showed Iris was reliability and a gentlemanly sense of propriety.
As Iris was drifting off, on the verge of falling asleep, a jarring ringtone abruptly woke her up. Iris picked up her phone. It was an unfamiliar number, and she hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hello?"
On the phone, a woman's voice aggressively demanded, "Are you, Iris Watson?"
Iris abruptly became alert and sat up. "May I ask who's calling?" she replied, evading a direct answer to the woman's question.
"You're such a bitch! How could you cheat on your ex and then be with Theo Kilias? Don't you know Theo is our hero? You're just a cheater, not worthy of him!" The woman's words came at Iris like rapid-fire, leaving her confused.
"What are you talking about?" Iris snapped back.
The woman, caught off guard by Iris' sudden aggression, paused for a moment and sneered, "You still won't admit it? The victim has already given an interview and made everything clear! The whole world knows what you've done, you shameless bitch!" the woman immediately hung up, leaving Iris utterly bewildered.
"Cheat? With Theo?" Iris muttered, trying to process what she had just heard. Suddenly, Iris remembered Lucas' threatening text message and realized what was happening, Lucas must have spread false rumours. She hastily unlocked her phone to check the news.
Top trending: Theo Kilias' new girlfriend is an adulteress!
Trembling hands, Iris clicked on the news, and Lucas' face appeared in the news video. He was being interviewed by reporters, speaking incessantly.
"Iris Watson and I were in a seven-year relationship. Suddenly, she announced our breakup the previous week and threatened to kick me out of our home. And this week, she conveniently showed up at Theo Kilias' hospital as an interpreter. Theo Kilias even had security guards drag me out of his hospital!"
Lucas' face contorted with indignation, he fabricated a false story about Iris' infidelity and how she joined forces with Theo to humiliate him.
"So, what do you think this means?" the reporter pressed, holding the microphone to Lucas' lips.
Lucas stared directly into the camera, his tone dripping with revenge, as he uttered each word with calculated malice, "This means Iris Watson is an adulteress and a gold digger," Lucas declared, turning to the camera, hiding his malicious eyes behind a mask of pathetic innocence.
"She abandoned her fiancé to pursue a relationship with Theo Kilias," he added, pretending to wipe away the tear from the corner of his eye, but not a single drop was there.