"Ha ha ha ha..."
Marjorie couldn't contain herself, bursting into laughter at the memory of what had just happened.
Dr. Murphy on his knees, kowtowing to Colin, begging desperately until his forehead split and bled—utterly pathetic.
And Uncle Samuel, who'd always been a thorn in her side, his face had gone dark as a storm cloud.
After all, Dr. Murphy was Uncle Samuel's man, while Colin was hers. Each reflected on their respective standing.
Clearly, her uncle had lost all face in front of her this time.
"Hey, why did you save that old fraud Russell Murphy anyway?" Marjorie nudged Colin with her elbow. "He couldn't even diagnose the problem, just put on airs. Would've served him right to die."
Colin's tone was mild. "He's a traditional medicine practitioner. Not recognizing a gu parasite is understandable."
"But you practice traditional medicine too, and you spotted it right away," Marjorie pressed, curiosity piqued.
Colin smiled faintly. "Don't compare me to others. It wouldn't be fair."
"You—"
Marjorie stared at his retreating figure, something stirring in her chest.
His words had been modest enough, but she was sharp. She understood exactly what he meant.
What an arrogant man!
Her heart fluttered. She'd always considered herself proud, but this Colin seemed even more so.
And he had every right to be.
What kind of man is he, really?
The question lingered in her mind, and she found herself genuinely intrigued.
After leaving the hospital, Colin called the old patriarch to ensure the Blood Lingzhi would be delivered tonight.
He'd barely hung up when Iris's name flashed on his screen.
He hesitated for a few seconds before answering.
"Colin, did you hit my mother and Gerard?" Iris launched straight into accusations.
Colin gave a flat "Mm."
"Colin, how could you? Yes, my mother never liked you, but you lived under the same roof for three years. We just got divorced and you're already attacking them like this? It makes me question your character."
Her voice rose with anger.
"Is this because they mocked you when we signed the papers? You held a grudge and decided to get revenge?"
"So that's what you think of me."
Colin laughed coldly. "Fine. I have nothing to say. Goodbye."
"Wait, Colin."
Silence stretched for a moment before she spoke again. "I'm sorry. I was too harsh. But I need to know—why did you hit them?"
"They were going to burn my daughter's clothes," Colin said evenly. "I taught them a lesson. Is there a problem?"
"Oh... I see."
Understanding dawned. Iris knew what those clothes meant to him—handmade, stitch by stitch, for his little girl.
They represented his love for her.
"Colin, I'm sorry. What my mother and Gerard did was completely out of line."
Her apology met only silence. She sighed deeply.
"Colin, does it have to be like this between us? I was thinking... even though our marriage is over, we could still be friends."
"I don't know why, but not seeing you at the company feels strange. Like something's missing. Like I've lost some sense of security..."
Colin laughed at that.
You haven't seen anything yet. You'll lose far more than just 'some sense of security.'
Do you have any idea how many problems I quietly solved for you? Your success, Iris Fox—if not entirely my doing, at least ninety percent of it was!
"Iris," he said coldly, "don't you realize how childish, ridiculous, and shameless you sound? If, at the height of my success, instead of sharing that joy with my wife, I kicked her aside and even..."
His teeth ground together audibly.
"Even destroyed everything she hoped for—do you understand what our daughter meant to me? You... you're worse than an animal, to be so heartless!"
"Your conscience will haunt you for the rest of your life. Her ghost will be your nightmare forever!"
"Iris Fox, you deserve to burn in hell!"
On the other end, Iris clutched her phone, her body trembling as if struck by lightning, her face draining of all color.
Colin's words were like blades, slicing her heart to ribbons.
"I'm sorry, Colin, I'm sorry..."
She broke down sobbing.
"But I'll prove you wrong! Everything I've lost, I'll gain back a hundred times over! I, Iris Fox, will become the most successful businesswoman in Seacliff! My net worth will exceed billions—tens of billions! I'll be like Marjorie Floyd, a queen of commerce, a legend!"
Her voice cracked with desperation.
"Fine. I'll be waiting to see how you become a legend."
Colin hung up, almost amused.
A legend? She can barely hold things together as they are.
Take Snowfall Pharma's flagship product—that pediatric cough syrup. Highly effective, top seller on the market.
Snowfall Pharma had risen to prominence on the strength of that single product.
The formula? Colin had secretly given it to Iris when her company was on the brink of bankruptcy. That alone had brought it back from the dead and propelled it to where it stood today.
But the syrup's key ingredient, Purple Heart Grass, was extremely rare. The plant was delicate and notoriously difficult to cultivate.
Colin had personally intervened, spending three full months laying a massive formation array across Snowfall Pharma's thousand-acre herb fields, creating the precise conditions the grass needed to thrive.
Only because of that array could the Purple Heart Grass flourish, providing a steady supply of raw materials for their flagship product.
But his powers hadn't fully recovered. The array was incomplete and required maintenance every month.
Without upkeep, the formation would fail. The Purple Heart Grass would wither.
And without raw materials, Snowfall Pharma's star product would cease to exist.
He didn't need to lift a finger. The company would collapse on its own.
When that day came, Colin would make Iris understand just how catastrophically wrong she had been.
And he would make her kneel—kneel and beg forgiveness from their daughter's spirit.
He would get justice for his little girl.
He burned for that day to come.
Just then, Marjorie approached from behind. "Colin, Longtide Group is hosting an Imperial Night Feast tonight. Want to come?"
"Not interested." He had only one thing on his mind—the Blood Lingzhi and restoring his body.
"Starlight Pharma, one of Longtide's subsidiaries, will be selecting partners and signing major contracts at the banquet."
Marjorie's narrow phoenix eyes glittered with an almost hypnotic light.
Her voice dropped, soft and enticing. "Iris Fox will be there too..."
Colin looked up at her, radiant and alluring.
"Time and place," he said slowly.
