Chapter 6

Iris’s POV

When I woke up, I was already in the car with Marty, on the way to the ball.

Just then, my phone lit up. It was a message from my father.

[Calvin will be at the cruise ball tonight. Take this chance to meet him and get acquainted ahead of time.]

The address below matched exactly where we were headed.

What a coincidence.

I sat up, massaging my neck. Marty noticed the movement and warned me.

“Don’t even think about sneaking off.” He pointed at a greasy-looking man on his tablet. “Iris, you should actually thank me. If I hired a lawyer and divorced you, you’d end up with nothing. Better to follow the path I laid out. That way, you can at least keep a wealthy lifestyle.”

I glanced at the man’s profile and finally saw Marty for the cold, calculating man he was.

“You don’t have to look at me like I’m a criminal,” I said with a big smile. “You don’t want me anymore. Why should I cling to you? I’ll go to the ball, help you find your Madz, then go find my new love. Everyone wins.”

His face tensed, a surge of unspeakable anger rising.

He opened his mouth to say something, but my smile stopped him in his tracks. He could only turn away, fuming.

At the ball, I spotted Madisen immediately, right in the middle of the dance floor.

Marty weaved through the crowd and took her hand, heading out.

“Marty, I’m not worthy of being with you. Let me go,” Madisen said, conflicted.

The man beside her scowled when he saw Marty.

“Madz, the one I choose is always the best. Some people carry the stigma of being an illegitimate child and still fight and claw without shame. So, Madz, you have to be confident in yourself. Stop thinking you’re not enough.”

I ignored Marty’s condescension and focused on my phone.

A lawyer’s message came through: the divorce was finalized. My marriage to Marty was over.

My relaxed smile only made him more agitated, and the man beside Madisen looked even more displeased.

“You moron. If you try to take Madz tonight, you’ll be going against the Dempseys.”

No one dared offend the Dempseys, the power players of Texas. The man could only swallow his resentment and leave.

Seeing that, Madisen sighed, her tone resolute.

“Marty, I know how you feel, but I’ve seen the difference between us.”

“Look, even though I’m wearing the same brand as Mrs. Dempsey, I don’t have her elegance.”

“That’s the brand’s fault,” Marty said, concerned. “Iris, don’t ever wear this brand again. Take that dress off now.”

Furious at his absurdity, I slapped him hard.

He was caught off guard, shocked for a moment before his anger exploded.

“Hey! That’s way out of line!”

He waved, and his bodyguards rushed me.

Thanks to childhood training, I learned some self-defense.

I fought back, but the strength difference was overwhelming; they pinned me down.

Just as Marty was about to touch me, a commanding voice cut through the crowd.

“Before I came, Uncle Robert asked me to watch over you. Out of respect for him, I’ll help the Dempseys.”

“But judging by the current situation, I don’t think the Dempseys care about the Clouthers anymore.”

The crowd parted, and Calvin appeared in a wheelchair, facing me.

The Seidenfelds and Clouthers had been close for generations. In Texas, the Seidenfelds’s influence was unmatched.

If it weren’t for the Seidenfelds’s help over the years, my father’s company would have collapsed long ago. That’s why my father had always been so intent on marrying me off to Calvin.

I, however, grew up mostly with my mother and knew little of the Seidenfelds.

Marty’s gaze darted between us before finally ordering his men to release me.

“I really underestimated you,” he muttered. “Calvin has no connection to you, yet he stepped in on your behalf.”

“Damn, Iris, you were obviously sleeping with him during our marriage?! You have no shame!”

“Right back at you,” I said smoothly, locking eyes with Calvin as I pushed him away.

On the deck, he spoke up first.

“You really don’t have to force this marriage. I’ll handle everything with Uncle Robert on my side.”

He sounded genuine, and I couldn’t help but get a little curious about him. I figured I’d use the chance to chat.

Nearby, Madisen’s lips pressed tight with jealousy. She strutted over during a pause in Calvin’s attention.

“Didn’t expect you to pretend to be so noble while secretly seducing men.”

I was too lazy to even respond and was about to move somewhere else to wait for Calvin, but she grabbed my hand.

“I’ve said it before. I get what I want. And right now, bitch, you’re really in my way!”

She sneered, a burly man appearing behind her, and they pushed me off the deck.

Struggling, I saw Calvin dive in and pull me to shore. Even before the Seidenfelds medics arrived, I was completely stunned.

How could he, paralyzed from the waist down, move with such agility?