Thousands of Brilliant Stars: You Deserve the Best!-Chapter 62: Mind Your Own Business, Put Interests First

Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Mind Your Own Business, Put Interests First

"Angry?" Iris Crawford seemed to hear a joke, with a face so beautiful, which man could escape her manipulation?

Lachlan Wyatt always felt that Iris Crawford’s beauty was a latent threat, and perhaps one day he would be struck by her beauty.

Gripping Iris Crawford’s hand tightly, Lachlan Wyatt spoke word by word, "You seem to have guessed I would show up long ago."

"I’ve always had this assumption. After all, I habitually prepare for the worst-case scenario."

Iris brushed her hair aside. Now, she seemed to be the calmer one. Knowing the disparity between herself and Lachlan Wyatt, Iris had indeed considered that perhaps the moment she left at night, Lachlan had already discovered her.

See, Lachlan Wyatt is like a troublesome viper, quietly tracking her down.

"Let go or not? I need to drive."

After saying this, Iris raised her eyebrows. She didn’t seem the least bit panic-stricken being suppressed like this by Lachlan Wyatt.

"Are you so reluctant to part from Jordan Jacobs that you have to look for him in the middle of the night?" Lachlan loosened his grip. He wasn’t the sort of person who insisted on causing a scene regardless of the place; safety while driving is important, but...

"What’s so great about Jordan Jacobs that makes you willing to risk everything to love him? You’ve already lost your dignity; why lower your standards?" Lachlan couldn’t understand why Jordan Jacobs could make Iris view him differently.

Is it merely because of his shamelessness?

Iris remained silent as she started the car and drove home. When she was about to get out, she was pulled back by Lachlan once more.

Facing the man’s deep dark eyes, Iris’s heart trembled slightly.

She gritted her teeth and finally spoke, "Why do you always pretend to care about me at times like this?"

Lachlan was about to speak when Iris quickly interrupted him, "You were the one who said it before, that our relationship is just like this. So why are you anxious when I go meet Jordan Jacobs in the middle of the night?"

Why are you anxious?

Lachlan wanted to ask himself, why was he anxious?

He even wished Iris would look for other men every day, so she wouldn’t always look at him with those eyes accusing him of mistreating her!

"I’m just managing you on behalf of Orion Crawford." Lachlan’s tone suddenly turned cold, as if with a chill. He could declare his love for her without batting an eye and could easily abandon her the next moment. Does such a man have genuine feelings?

"Then I appreciate you managing me for my brother, but Young Master Wyatt, no one can truly control me." Iris pointed at herself, laughing charmingly, "My life motto is to ’manage myself,’ and it doesn’t matter to me whether others live or die. So rest assured, I’ll always prioritize my own interests, you don’t need to fear that I’ll get hurt."

Her words implied that she wouldn’t go soft on Jordan Jacobs, so Lachlan didn’t need to track her down like this in the middle of the night.

But Iris’s tone pierced Lachlan’s heart.

This woman... seems like a mirror. Their souls share an incredibly high similarity.

Keeping her around would make it harder for him to let go, and that wasn’t a good sign.

"Hope you keep your word." Lachlan said sternly, each word landing like a heavy thud, "Don’t cause me trouble."

Cause trouble? What does it mean to cause trouble? Is her having feelings for him causing trouble?

Iris’s eyes turned slightly red, she laughed and said, "I know, I won’t." Don’t regret it either. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Listening to Iris’s words, Lachlan released her. The woman, noticing his change in emotion, quickly turned around and exited the car. Her every move was faster than his: she let go quickly, turned around quickly. This woman was ruthless.

But Lachlan still felt that an invisible barrier had emerged between them.

Both had their defenses up, probing each other’s boundaries. After Lachlan’s late-night commotion, Iris was equally unsettled.

She didn’t like her past with her ex-husband being joked about constantly. Falling in love with Jordan Jacobs had been the most foolish decision she’d ever made. Only now, seeing Jordan Jacobs’s many hidden sides, did she realize how laughable she was back then.

Laughable as it might be, she was not about to let Lachlan mock her freely.

Could this person find no joy in relentlessly clinging to the past?

Iris glanced back at Lachlan behind her, her feelings for him suddenly becoming convoluted. Many times, Lachlan would indeed step in and clear all obstacles for her. But now... Lachlan seemed to be part of the problem.

Did she need to sweep Lachlan away too?

Sighing, Iris opened the door alone. Outside, Lachlan watched her movements and frowned.

Back in her bedroom, she received a text from Jordan Jacobs. He seemed agitated as he wrote a long message, urging Iris to let things go so that their families wouldn’t end up as sworn enemies in the circle.

He rambled on about his past feelings for Iris and his current regret, saying that if he had to choose again, he might not act as foolishly as before.

Yvonne Jennings had been hospitalized with depression, yet he still came to feign loyalty to Iris. Reading these words, Iris felt no emotional stir at all.

She used to practically beg for his love, to the point of nearly dying. Now that she finally received a taste of Jordan Jacobs’s hypocritical affection, she found herself scornful of it.

Tossing her phone aside, Iris turned on her computer. She needed to investigate a few of the perpetrators from the kidnapping case back then. With their testimonies, perhaps she could pin Jordan Jacobs down for good.

Armed with resources from James Chesterton, Iris frantically typed away on her keyboard. Meanwhile, abroad, a man sat on a luxurious sofa, lips curving into a smile while glancing at photos handed over by a subordinate.

His peach blossom eyes should have been alluring and charming, but from his deep pupils, only danger and murderous intent reflected.

"Is this her?"

"Yes..." the subordinate said respectfully, "Sir, these are recent photos."

The photos clearly showed Iris Crawford in profile, sitting in the driver’s seat of a LaFerrari, fingers with red-painted nails gripping the steering wheel, her expression tougher and more indifferent than any man’s.

"How interesting."

The man placed Iris’s photo on the table, gently running his fingers over her face from afar, as if caressing her through the photograph, "The Creator truly is remarkable... it’s surprising how much alike you two are."

"Sir, shall we return to the country?"

"No need for that now." The man closed his eyes with a superior smile, "A most crucial occasion shall be worthy of my presence by your side, don’t you think, Iris?"

******

Iris worked all night and by the time she raised her head, daylight had come. After the commotion at the hospital, she had asked Lachlan for a week’s leave, who knew the week would soon be over, and she hadn’t had any peaceful days.

She still had to go out later, so she probably wouldn’t catch up on sleep.

Sighing, Iris turned off her computer. As she exited the study room, she bumped into Lachlan, who was brushing his teeth and enjoying the scenery.

The two collided in the corridor. Iris’s eyes bore a faint blue tint, clearly having stayed up all night, causing Lachlan to freeze, his actions paused as he brushed, and he reached to touch beneath Iris’s eyes, "You didn’t sleep?"

Iris Crawford instinctively raised her hand, "Don’t spray toothpaste in my face!"

"..." Lachlan Wyatt pulled back his hand and glared at Iris with his eyes, under heaven who else would dare to show off her bare face with dark circles and complain to Lachlan while he brushed his teeth in front of her, if not Iris Crawford!

He went back to rinse his mouth and raised his head from the mirror, only to find Iris Crawford had followed him inside. She casually picked up another toothbrush hanging next to Lachlan’s, and they both froze.

Iris was holding a red one, and Lachlan was holding a black one—the shape, however...

Iris exclaimed, "Why did you even buy the same toothbrush as me? Copycat!"

Lachlan, rinsing his mouth, almost spat it out. After spitting the water out, he said, "I just got this new toothbrush, don’t flatter yourself!"

Iris raised her toothbrush, "I bought a new one too!"

"..." After saying that, they both fell silent.

Living together aside, now even their stuff matched.

Their daily lives seemed just like a couple’s, yet their hearts seemed to drift farther apart.

Iris found it odd too; in the past, she and Lachlan never felt awkward over these small details, they even bantered like a married couple. Yet now, buying the same toothbrush made her heart race for a few seconds.

Ugh, she had already told herself not to fall for Lachlan; she couldn’t handle the consequences of having romantic feelings!

With determination, she squeezed out a large amount of toothpaste and said to Lachlan, "I’ll change it tomorrow!"

"Whatever you want!" Lachlan replied gruffly with three words, and it seemed like they were both sulking. After those words, they didn’t speak again.

James Chesterton had booked a place for dinner, and despite not sleeping all night, Iris was determined to go. However, Lachlan had swapped roles, and he was driving today.

He noticed Iris’s dark circles under her eyes and naturally slid into the driver’s seat.

For a woman like her, it was rare to see her fatigued. He wondered what she had been up to last night—could it be that she was thinking about Jordan Jacobs all night and couldn’t sleep?

This thought crossed Lachlan’s mind, prompting him to press the accelerator harder. The car sped off, nearly causing Iris to miss fastening her seatbelt. Instinctively, she shouted, "Driving this fast, are you trying to kill us? I don’t even have my seatbelt on!"

Her yelling stunned Lachlan, and he instinctively eased off the accelerator.

Once he came to his senses, he ground his teeth—damn, why was he so inclined to listen to Iris? She alone dared to yell at him so boldly!

Driving a sports car at 40 km/h on the road, they attracted countless onlookers. It was Lachlan’s slowest ride in a sports car; yet beside him, Iris seemed lethargic from lack of sleep, making it difficult for him to drive faster. When he went to call her, he found her dozing off against the seat.

Outside, the breeze flicked her hair, causing Lachlan to gaze at Iris quietly under the red light for a few seconds.

She looked quite pretty when quiet, except when she spoke, she could drive one crazy.

Not knowing why, Lachlan took a scarf from the cabinet and covered Iris with it.

He was glad she had dozed off—it saved her the trouble of complaining if he sped up later!

After twenty minutes racing, they arrived at the place, where both James Chesterton and Hector Sutton were waiting. It was unexpected to see Hector Sutton there too, and Lachlan suddenly felt overwhelmed when he woke Iris up. She rubbed her eyes, noticing the Hermes scarf that fell off her, and was taken aback.

"Is it yours?"

"Yeah, it’s a gift for you." Lachlan’s eyelashes trembled, his expression complicated.

Iris picked up the scarf, deftly tied a ponytail, and created a flower-like knot with the scarf. Getting off the car, James couldn’t help but compliment her daring new hairstyle.

Hector observed them closely and commented sarcastically, "A custom piece, right? It even has Lachlan’s name embroidered on it."

Iris couldn’t see the scarf tied at the back of her head and curiously asked, "What’s Lachlan’s English name?"

"Alexandrite," Hector pronounced it perfectly. Despite his extravagance, his English level was good, owing to his family’s wealth. He even translated it, "It’s alexandrite, you can just call it ’alexandrite’."

Alexandrite?

Isn’t that an expensive, rare gemstone that’s hard to come by and changes colors under different lights due to its unique trace elements?

Its rarity led to its high value; it’s rumored to have been named the Alexandrite after being discovered on the birthday of the Russian Crown Prince Alexander II.

Iris chuckled, thinking the word suited Lachlan’s persona well—self-centered, rare, and deceitful, with high visual appeal yet varying based on who he interacts with, a master at acting.

Yet the scarf was... a women’s design, why have Lachlan’s name embroidered?

Looking at Lachlan’s face, she saw him turn away, as if refusing to share the story behind the scarf.

"Oh, never mind whether it’s an alexandrite or any other stone!"

James led Iris inside, seemingly diverting attention, "Lachlan’s handed you the scarf, so of course he doesn’t want it. Why get caught up in this, right?"

Lachlan uttered an acknowledgment—it was true, he didn’t want it; the scarf was given to him by someone from the past and keeping it lacked significance.

Iris furrowed her brows, "Could it be a woman who gave it to Lachlan?"

James’s face changed, then quickly smiled, "Oh well! So what if it’s from a woman..."

Iris lowered her voice, "Lachlan usually doesn’t accept things from women... accepting this must mean it’s quite important."

Hector chimed in from the side, "Maybe it’s an old flame."

Lachlan’s heart skipped a beat. James noticed the conversation was heading in the wrong direction. They originally gathered to plan the follow-up for Gia and Peter’s affair, but if it involved Lachlan, it would be hard to handle when he got mad. So, James quickly shouted at Hector’s retreating back, "Did you rent that mouth of yours? Better return it quickly."

Hector laughed charmingly, not giving Lachlan face. Having known him for so long, everyone knew Lachlan was a jerk on the surface, but with mysterious background stories, all they had were bits and pieces, nobody knew what he had gone through.

A rare chance to enjoy Lachlan’s drama, how could they not savor it?

"Well, well, so Young Master Wyatt does have a romantic history! I always thought you’d never fall in love. This scarf’s been in the car for so long; could it have been left by the last woman sitting in the passenger seat?"

Iris’s face turned pale; evidently thinking of something, she quickened her pace inside.

Lachlan didn’t explain, merely nodded impatiently, indicating acquiescence; the scarf was indeed left by the last woman.

No woman usually sat in Lachlan’s car—people thought Iris was the first, considering her extraordinary allure.

Unexpectedly though, there was once another woman who freely sat in the passenger seat of Lachlan’s car.

Iris led the walk, chuckling softly.

Uncertain whether she was laughing at Lachlan or herself.