Chapter 9

After the event ended, unsurprisingly, I saw Simon's Rolls-Royce parked downstairs at the hotel.
He leaned against the car, gazing at me with apparent longing.
"Ah, Diana."
I politely nodded and said, "Mr. Turner."
A hint of pain flashed in his eyes as he asked, "You hate me, don't you?"
"Don't think that way, Mr. Turner."
I sighed and said, "If there's nothing else, I should go."
"Don't go."
He grabbed onto my clothes, trembling in his voice, as if pleading, "At the cliff that day, I did want to save you. It was just... instinctively grabbing onto Cecilia."
"Later, I sent people to search for you, and they all said that the cliff was dangerous, your survival possibility is slim..."
"But the day, I saw you in the news..."
I glanced at my watch.
Time was running out, and on my second day back, I didn't want to stand by the roadside listening to his introspection.
So, I smiled politely and interrupted him, saying, "I'm sorry, I have something to do, I must leave."
He asked, "Where are you going?"
Coincidentally, a bright orange Porsche pulled up beside us.
The driver got out and opened the door, saying, "Boss has already booked a restaurant, let me take you there."
Simon's face turned incredibly pale.
He watched as I got into the car, and just as the door was about to close, he suddenly reached out and held it, asking, "Who is this Boss?"
"It seems like it has nothing to do with you, right?"
I pulled my lips into a smirk and glanced at the Rolls-Royce behind him. Unable to resist, I added, "After all these years, Mr. Turner, you haven't changed your car. Doesn't it seem a bit inconsistent with your status?"
As the car drove away, I could still see him standing in silence, looking at me through the rearview mirror.
At the Central Aerial Garden restaurant, Iris Davis was waiting for me.
She leaned against the wheelchair backrest and lazily looked at me, asking, "Did you see Simon?"
I briefly recounted the situation and self-critically said, "That last sentence, it seems a bit harsh."
"Harsh? I actually thought it wasn't aggressive enough."
She flipped through the menu, casually ordered two dishes, and then handed the menu to me, saying, "Next time you see him, remember to give him back those words exactly."
"Simon, you're just a third-rate person, stop being pathetic."
I propped myself up on the table and said, "You really can't stand him, can you?"
"Of course I can't stand him. While you were studying for your master's and Ph.D. abroad, I was grappling with him in China, trying to outshine him and take several projects from him. Every time you undergo a corrective surgery, I will arrange a negative trend for Cecilia."
She narrowed her eyes and smiled, "You don't hold grudges, but I am a person who seeks retribution."
The warm yellow light illuminated her face, her eyes shining brightly, with a determined expression.
The first time I saw Iris, she was like this.
Although her legs were disabled and she sat in a wheelchair, there was no trace of despair.
She smiled and said, "It was me who had someone rescue you."
"You are really clever, little one. Before being pushed down, you cut the rope yourself so that you could swim freely."
"If my yacht wasn't nearby, how long would you have to swim to shore?"
Drenched all over, I tightened the towel around me and spoke softly, "I would swim for however long it takes."
As long as I could completely escape from Simon, anything would do.
She swayed her tall glass and leisurely finished a whole glass of red wine, then asked me, "Shall I help you?"