As Louis had mentioned, the place where Iris was being held was a short ten-minute drive away.
Louis owned several properties in Bankshire. Although they were not inhabited, they were all renovated and ready for sale at any time. However, he had no intention of selling at the moment. Bankshire was flourishing, one of the fastest-developing cities in the country, almost catching up to Quokka. When Louis had bought the houses, they were priced at thirty thousand per square unit. Now, they were nearly reaching fifty thousand. Houses were always a good investment, and real estate always appreciated in value.
Elisa had Mimi’s cat tag strung on a red string around her wrist. Whenever her mind wandered aimlessly with nothing to do, she would stare at the cat tag.
Iris, Iris, Iris. Elisa silently repeated these words, gritting her teeth with a deep sense of hatred.
Did Iris realize her mistake? When she handed Mimi over to Filippa, did she consider the possibility of Mimi meeting a tragic end?
Even if she had known Mimi’s fate in advance, she would still have handed Mimi over. In her eyes, only her mother mattered most, and Mimi was just a cat she had looked after for a month or two. Moreover, the cat wasn’t even hers, making it inconsequential in comparison to her family.
In her previous life, Elisa had made a wish to the gods to become a heartless person in the next life. But how could a person be devoid of feelings?
Suddenly, she felt a warmth on her hand. Elisa looked at the hand resting on her back and followed it up to see Louis, who was driving with a serious expression.
He was comforting her in his own way. Elisa’s heart skipped a beat, as if the dead fawn inside her had come back to life.
“Focus on driving,” she said.
Louis’s hand visibly stiffened for a moment, his ears turning red. After a while, he murmured quietly, “Okay,” and released his grip.
Elisa’s face showed no emotion. She suppressed everything inside her, which was manageable for a short time, but if it built up for too long, it would only lead to restlessness and illness.
Louis was worried about this, fearing that she would lock herself away and push everyone else out, unwilling to let anyone close.
Iris was locked in the storage room in the yard. Although Louis had arranged for it to be renovated, the yard was rarely tended to. Weeds had grown around the clutter, emitting a musty, rusty smell when approached.
The door had a lock that didn’t require constant surveillance, but Louis had informed them in advance. As they arrived, they saw two guards standing at the door, playing with keys.
Seeing Louis, one of the guards respectfully addressed him, “Mr. White.”
“Open the door.”
The storage room was not soundproof, and as Elisa stood next to Louis, she could clearly hear the commotion inside.
The old wooden door creaked open, and Elisa, with a faint expression, spotted Iris’ figure in the corner.
The storage room was filled with various items from the renovation-unused floor tiles, a gardening shovel, cleaning buckets, brooms, and mops. A space had been cleared in the corner, indicating that Iris had spent the night there. By morning, she had stood up upon hearing their arrival. Her face appeared slightly pale, and her glasses were nowhere to be seen. Due to her myopia, she either squinted or widened her eyes to see.
Upon seeing Elisa, her eyes shifted nervously downward, and she clasped her hands tightly on her thighs, appearing unsettled.
Apart from these expressions, there was no sign of surprise. It seemed she had anticipated Elisa’s visit.
“Elisa…” Iris stood there, submissive and inexplicably panicked. She struggled to suppress her anxiety, her lips quivering. “I… I’m sorry…”
Elisa interrupted her and said to Louis, “I’d like to speak to her alone.”
“Don’t close the door in case of any unexpected situation. I’ll be right outside.”
“Okay.” Elisa nodded and stepped into the storage room.
With her vision blurred and her heart pounding, Iris only caught a brief glimpse of Elisa. Although the voice sounded familiar, her nervousness prevented her from thinking further.
Elisa approached Iris step by step, the sound of “Elisa” echoing in her ears, just as it always did. But now, it carried no warmth, only a sense of revulsion.
She was not afraid of how cruel a person could be; she feared the betrayal of someone she had once trusted, someone whose actions were more despicable than those of any villain.
Elisa had been betrayed by close ones for their own gain before. It felt as if she were the only person in theworld, isolated and helpless, struggling in vain.
“Mimi is dead. Have you seen the video online?” Elisa’s mention of Mimi caused Iris’ face to stiffen once more. She had seen the video, but she couldn’t bring herself to watch it to the end. After Mimi’s teeth were forcefully pulled out, she had shut off her phone. Whenever she closed her eyes, she would have nightmares, surrounded by bloody cats, witnessing Mimi’s gruesome death.
“Elisa, I’m sorry. It wasn’t intentional. I truly didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t know that Mimi would die…” Iris’s voice trembled as tears streamed down her face. She didn’t dare to wipe them away, keeping her gaze lowered, unable to meet Elisa’s eyes. Yet, even without looking at her, she could feel the coldness emanating from Elisa and the intimidating presence she exuded.
“Iris, do you even deserve to call my name? Do you understand the pain Mimi suffered before she died?” Elisa’s clenched fists were trembling, as she stepped closer to Iris, who had backed up against the wall, visibly anxious. Apart from her distressed expression, there was no surprise. It seemed she had expected Elisa’s arrival.
“Elisa, I’m sorry, but I had no choice. They had my mother. If I didn’t take Mimi away, my mother would have been in danger. I was so scared. I’m sorry, Elisa. I know I was wrong, and I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I can compensate you to the best of my ability. I’ve been visiting pet shops recently, wanting to give you a cat…”
“Do you think giving me another cat can replace Mimi? Then can I just harm your loved ones and find you a new one?” Elisa’s eyes were slightly red, almost losing control of the violent impulse within her. She seized Iris’s collar, forcing her to kneel on the ground, looking down at her from above. “You knew how important Mimi was to me. Why… why didn’t you tell me everything? Iris, have I not been good to you?”
Iris shook her head in fear, tears streaming down her face, completely unaware of the blood now staining her entire face.
“I gave you many opportunities to tell me if something was wrong. I would have helped you if you had spoken to me. But you didn’t give me a single chance.” Elisa’s voice grew hoarse with every word, each sentence causing her heart to ache. Her hand gripping Iris’s collar tightened more and more.
Suddenly, Iris felt like a fish stranded on the shore, struggling to breathe.
She didn’t give Elisa a chance because she didn’t believe that Elisa had the ability to help her.
Who was Lorelei? A popular star with tens of millions of followers, influential and backed by powerful connections and a company. And Elisa? She had nothing, not even a company to support her. She had been vilified across the internet for so long, without the funds to hire a public relations team. Did she have the capability to help her?
Iris struggled with countless dilemmas, ultimately having to sacrifice Elisa’s cat, Mimi. Though Mimi meant a lot to Elisa, the reality was that Mimi was just a cat, and the veterinarian had already mentioned that Mimi didn’t have long to live. Elisa seemed to comprehend Iris’s thoughts, “Your mother not only needs a kidney, controlled by Lorelei’s people, but also requires a large sum of money, right?”
Even though Elisa’s complexion seemed normal, Iris couldn’t help but shiver. Her mother’s need for a kidney had only recently been discovered. How could Elisa have known? “How do you know?” Elisa didn’t respond to her question, “Iris, I look forward to the day your mother recovers.”
Iris was too naive. If Lorelei really was Lila, then no one understood this woman better than she did. Selfish and malicious, Iris’s actions were far from perfect. A video not only exposed Filippa but also implicated Lorelei behind the scenes, causing X Entertainment to collapse. For Lorelei, this was nothing but a loss. One million dollars was no small amount; it could have been used for public relations to trend. Currently, Lorelei needed money, and with Iris indirectly exposing her, Lorelei would be lenient not to retaliate. How could she possibly give Iris the money?
Iris used the money obtained from sacrificing Mimi. Wasn’t she repulsed? Didn’t she find it tainted with blood money? Wasn’t she consumed by constant fear and guilt? Up to now, Iris hadn’t realized the gravity of the situation. Elisa had no intention of revealing everything to Iris. Since she believed so deeply that Lorelei could save her mother, she might as well believe it for a lifetime.
Revenge was about giving hope and then taking it away. It was about falling from grace to a state of despair. “One day, you will pay the price for everything you’ve done,” Elisa said, releasing Iris’s collar and walking away.
There was no room for wishful thinking. When you did wrong and squandered someone’s sincerity, someone would ensure you paid back double. Do not lose your words, do not lose your morals, do not lose your integrity. Fortunes change, and fate catches up with everyone.
Iris collapsed on the ground, watching Elisa vanish at the door. Outside, the sunlight had already emerged, but inside, it remained dim and cold. In that moment, Iris felt she had lost something crucial, something she could never retrieve, leaving her with a lifetime of regret.
Elisa didn’t need her apologies, and Iris didn’t deserve to call her sister anymore. Her eyes were filled with sorrow and anguish. Iris covered her face, sobbing and holding herself, consumed by grief until her cries turned hoarse and then led to physical retching.
She retched in place for a long time before feeling slightly better. Despite her burning cheeks, Iris unsteadily rose and walked out. It was strange; when Elisa left, the sunlight outside seemed bright, but when Iris stepped out, the sky had darkened.
Elisa was already far away, and Iris looked at the two bodyguards who had brought her here. “You can leave,” she said, wiping away her tears and heading outside.
Everything would be fine. Soon, her mother would have the kidney transplant and be saved. With the one million given by Lorelei, apart from medical expenses, there would be some leftover. Combined with the money she had saved over the years, she could take her mother away from here, pamper her, travel abroad, and see sights like the pink sea and the Northern Lights, which only appeared on TV.
Her mother would surely be happy. Iris got into a car and went to the hospital, where she coincidentally ran into the attending doctor at the entrance to the intensive care unit.
“Dr. Lee.”
Dr. Lee, holding a medical file, glanced back at her. “It’s you. Where were you last night? Why did you leave your mother alone?”
“I… I ran into some trouble.”
Dr. Lee didn’t dwell on it. “Your mother will have surgery in a couple of days. Stay with her and don’t wander around. I have some surgical consent forms for you to sign.”
Iris nodded quickly. “I understand. Is the surgery very risky?”
“Every surgery carries risks. I can’t guarantee that your mother will make it through, but not doing it is not an option, because this is her only hope.”