Chapter 4

Iris's POV

I followed Amelia's gesture and indeed spotted Damian, impeccably dressed, legs crossed, laughing and joking with a few of his cronies.

The girl sitting beside him, who had been clinging to his arm moments before, suddenly lifted herself up and settled onto Damian's lap.

Not only did Damian fail to push her away, but he actually wrapped his arm around her, his hand roaming across her back before finally landing on her bottom and giving it a squeeze.

The girl shot him a coy, reproachful glance, and Damian responded with a lecherous grin.

This was the man my father had arranged for me to marry, the man who once made my heart flutter?

I suspected my vision had been impaired back then, that I'd completely misjudged him.

The fury burning inside me refused to be suppressed, and I grabbed my drink and wove through the noisy crowd toward them.

"Iris, didn't you say you wouldn't agree to the arranged marriage? Why do you still care about this scumbag?"

Amelia hurried after me, afraid I might do something reckless.

"I don't care about that garbage man, but I know that girl."

I strode up to Damian and the girl, and before they could react, I splashed my drink directly at her.

The girl shrieked in alarm, scrambling off Damian's lap and frantically wiping the liquid from her face.

"Iris!"

Damian shot to his feet, staring at me in astonishment. "What are you doing?"

The old me had always been docile and compliant around him, never doing anything so aggressive and crude.

I pointed at the girl beside him and demanded, "Damian, do you know who she is?"

"Serena." Damian looked at Serena with confusion. "So what? Who she is matters? We're just drinking and chatting."

Then, as if understanding something, he asked me smugly, "Iris, are you jealous?"

"Jealous?" I scoffed, pointing at the pitiful-looking girl. "Didn't she tell you that her mother is the one who stole my father?"

Damian's face registered surprise for a brief instant at my words, but he quickly recovered his composure.

He tugged at the corner of his mouth and said with a smile, "Well then, that makes you family now, doesn't it? Wouldn't it be better if we all hung out together?"

Then he turned to Serena with concern. "Serena, are you alright?"

As he spoke, he pulled Serena back down to sit, then grabbed a napkin from the table and handed it to her so she could dry herself off.

"Family? Sorry, but you're mistaken. I don't have family like that." My tone was firm.

"Iris, Damian and I are just ordinary friends. I know you have issues with me, but you've really misunderstood." Serena spoke in an aggrieved tone while subtly moving closer to Damian.

Damian seemed swayed by her words, furrowing his brow and looking at me with displeasure. "Iris, we haven't seen each other in two years, and your temper has gotten worse. Everyone's here having a good time drinking, and you're making a scene. That's not very appropriate."

He gestured to the circle of people around him and extended an invitation. "We've got a good crowd here. Since you're unhappy, why don't you come join us?"

"Hey, Amelia, long time no see. Come join us too." He issued another invitation to Amelia behind me.

The three of us all knew each other.

Amelia gave Damian a look of disgust and flatly refused.

"Damian, I'm not the person I used to be."

With that, I grabbed Amelia's hand and turned to leave.

But Damian seized my wrist. "You must have heard about our engagement by now. Aren't you satisfied with it?"

"Ha, what makes you think you're something special?" I looked at him coldly. "In my eyes now, you're nothing more than discarded trash."

Hearing my words, Damian unconsciously tightened his grip on my wrist and asked with a raised eyebrow and a smile, "Iris, don't joke around. I don't believe you've really given up on loving me."

"Love for you?" I felt utterly speechless. "My love isn't that cheap."

Looking at the arrogant and confident Damian, I couldn't understand how a person could be so self-assured.

I tried to pull my hand back, but he held it so tightly I couldn't break free.

Amelia, thinking quickly, grabbed a bottle from the coffee table and shoved it into my hand, using her eyes to encourage me to fight back bravely.

I held the still-unopened bottle and looked at Damian's head. Although I despised him now, hitting him over the head with it seemed like it might have dangerous consequences.

I asked Amelia in a low voice, "Honey, what if one blow kills him? I don't want to cause a death."

Amelia quickly waved her hands. "That's not how you use it."

She took the bottle back, and with a sharp crack, smashed it against the edge of the coffee table.

There was a loud bang as the bottle shattered, leaving only a jagged half-bottle in her hand.

She handed it back to me and gave me a nod.

Only then did I understand her meaning. Gripping the broken bottle, I threatened Damian, "Let go! Or don't blame me for what happens next!"

Damian looked at the weapon in my hand and leaned back slightly, but still didn't release my hand.

"Iris, could you really be so heartless toward me?" He continued with his smooth talk, saying things that infuriated me.

I was so angry my hands trembled. I moved the jagged bottle closer to his face again and threatened through clenched teeth, "If you don't let go, I'll slash your face to ribbons!"

Only then did Damian release his grip, but he said something that made me even more furious: "Iris, you're so much more interesting than before. I'll take you out for coffee tomorrow, just the two of us."

"Get lost!" I threw the broken bottle forcefully at Damian's feet, grabbed Amelia, and turned to leave.

After returning to our seats, I ordered another drink with ice and downed it, finally calming the fire of rage burning inside me.

"What rotten luck, running into him." I complained.

Amelia consoled me, "Honey, from the way you acted just now, you've truly let go of Damian."

"Of course. Otherwise, wouldn't those two years I spent away have been for nothing?" I emphasized indignantly.

"Then I'm relieved. I don't want you suffering too much for a man who isn't worth it." After saying this, Amelia changed the subject. "You said on the phone you had something to discuss with me. What is it exactly?"

Only then did I remember tonight's real purpose, completely putting those two annoying people, Serena and Damian, out of my mind.

Thinking about my father wanting me to marry Damian, I understood that he was simply using my marriage as leverage for his business interests. In his eyes, I was nothing more than a commercial asset.

Since my marriage was a transaction, I at least wanted to hold the reins myself and become my own stakeholder.

"I want to start an advertising and media company."