CHAPTER 125: CHAPTER 125: BE MY HOUSEKEEPER AND DRIVE LACHLAN WYATT MAD

It seems that it’s no longer possible to hide it, Steven Rhodes took a deep breath and looked at the woman pinning him against the wall. He gasped, "If you knew from the start, you were surely pretending to be a good person!"

Iris Crawford didn’t argue, she just looked at Steven’s face silently, letting his eyes gradually turn bloodshot, "You should be well aware of what you’ve done!"

He truly hated himself.

Indeed, his sister was sent to prison, all because of her.

Iris lowered her voice, even if their current posture appeared so ambiguous, there was not a trace of emotion in each other’s eyes.

To outsiders, it seemed like a female CEO flirtatiously pulling on Steven’s collar, but in Steven’s eyes, Iris was nothing short of a demon.

This woman was far more ruthless and vicious than any man, perhaps from the very beginning, he was no match for her. But it was the hatred in his heart that made him want to lay a hand on her...

"I am indeed very aware of what I did." Iris didn’t let go of Steven, still gripping his tie, "But your sister Crystal Rhodes got what she deserved!"

The moment those words "got what she deserved" were uttered, Steven’s face turned ashen. The young man seemed like he had been stabbed in his weakest spot. He squeezed out a few words with difficulty from his throat, "Did you know, I took a break from school, it wasn’t just about interning while working part-time, because you sent my sister to jail, I took a break from school!"

"You deserved it for taking that break!"

Iris’s words sharply cut through the whiteness of Steven’s face. He looked at Iris in agony and bewilderment, "What do you mean, there was only my sister working in the family..."

"Did your parents die?"

Iris let out a cold laugh, "All of you are vampires, sucking your sister’s blood! Your parents favoritism towards their son forced the eldest daughter into entertainment venues to make money, and the money she earned was spent on sending their son to school? Laughable! Who do you think you are? Just someone who benefitted a bit from gender advantage. The ones who truly drove your sister to her death were your useless parents and your foolish self, who never reflected while enjoying your sister’s care!"

The sharpness of these words left Steven unable to come up with anything to refute.

"Do you feel so entitled to enjoy your sister making money to support your university education?" Iris tugged on Steven’s collar, lifting him off the wall only to slam him back against it, trying to use such an impact to wake him up, "I think your whole family should call Crystal Rhodes ’mom!’ A family of four! The remaining people just accepted being supported by her as a matter of course! Do you know what your sister said when she was taken? She told me her miserable life wasn’t caused by me, it was caused by your chauvinistic family! Step by step, she was forced into being manipulated, having no way out but to drug me!"

It was as if Steven’s soul had been pierced.

His ears buzzed loudly.

Instinctively, he shook his head, "How could it be..."

"They say life is hard for the poor, yes, it was hard for your sister, but did any of you ever consider her at all? There are many families poorer than you but happier! Everyone tries their best to take care of each member of the family, and what about yours? When your sister was arrested, she yelled at me, saying I destroyed the only pillar of the family, saying I was murdering? I don’t have such power! It’s you who seems to be killing, killing your sister’s dignity!"

Steven gasped for air, "I..."

"Your sister was caught for breaking the law due to lack of money, so now you’re penniless, and you turn to me to settle the score? Did you learn the wrong logic? I found out your parents are healthy and mentally sound, how come they can’t support you? Who caused you to be unable to study? Was it me!"

If it hadn’t been for the wall behind him, Steven might already have been backed into a corner by Iris’s words.

Iris looked at Steven with disappointment, "I can’t stand people like you, who benefit from everything yet still look for the culprit. You are living in bliss yet don’t realize it. Crystal Rhodes has supported you for so many years, not so that when you have no money, you can stand up for her. If you really wanted to stand up for her, every day she worked hard for so many years, you should have been standing up for her!"

The last sentence shattered all of Steven’s reason, tears uncontrollably streamed down his face, and in the end, he tightly closed his eyes, "Stop talking... Stop talking!"

"Moreover, Crystal Rhodes was arrested for breaking the law, for which I say she got what she deserved, and that’s not excessive. But it does not affect the fact that she is a pitiable and tragic person. She grew up in such a family environment, living like a money-making tool to take care of her parents and brother, it is truly pitiful."

Releasing Steven, Iris looked at him, not sure if it was with pity or what, she coldly said, "If you truly care about your sister, you might as well work hard and earn money here with me, so that when she gets out, you can tell her she no longer needs to bear the financial burden alone. In that case, I’d even respect you as a man."

After Iris let go of him, Steven painfully slid down to the ground, clutching his collar as if he couldn’t catch his breath, "So this is why you... didn’t fire me?"

"Exactly."

Iris’s eyes were so captivating, Steven knew that whenever he got close to her, being stared at by her would make him feel as if he couldn’t breathe.

This woman’s love and hate were distinct and clear.

Steven’s family indeed favored males to the extreme, making Crystal Rhodes bear all the hardship alone. As their younger son, he simply accepted this rule, getting into a prestigious university, having a fair complexion, seemed glamorous to outsiders, but no one knew of his sister staying up all night accompanying guests to earn his college tuition.

He didn’t speak about it either.

He seemed to overlook this darkness’s existence as well.

He and Crystal Rhodes were two extremes.

A shadow loomed over in front of him, and Steven was dumbfounded to find Iris also squatting down. She pulled out a handkerchief from her hand and said, "Wipe your tears, don’t you find this embarrassing?"

Steven snatched it, clutching it in his hand, "Don’t think that just because of this, I won’t hate you anymore."

"Hate me if you want, hate away." Iris seemed unfazed by his emotions, "Harboring thoughts of hating me might actually be good, as it might make you want to earn more money from me. Once your sister is out, the pressure will be lessened."

"Aren’t you afraid of being hated by others?" Steven realized that this kind of thing wouldn’t hurt Iris, his fingers clutching the handkerchief tightened again, "Did you keep me by your side so I would hate you?"

"As I said, I’m just giving you an opportunity."

Iris reached out to caress Steven’s face, "You’re still young, you can still become clear-minded."

You can still become clear-minded.

When those four words left her mouth, they seemed weightless, yet landed like a deafening roar in Steven’s ears.

Clear-mindedness, Iris meant having him realize the true causes behind Crystal Rhodes’s tragedy?

Steven sobbed, looking at Iris with an unwilling gaze, his demeanor made Iris want to laugh. She patted Steven’s face, "Why do you look like I’ve bullied you?"

Steven wiped his tears dry and said to Iris, "No matter how much sense you make, I won’t let it end like this. My sister’s debt is noted by me!"

"Hmm." Iris smiled sweetly at Steven, warning him, "Haven’t you already taken revenge on me? Taking money from President Lewis to give gifts to me. So, consider us even, if you dare do such a thing again and I find out, I won’t let you off easily."

Her words, though seemingly ambiguous and dangerous, as if she might kiss him the next second, turned out to be icy cold.

Threats indeed! Threats indeed!

Oh my god, the woman is threatening the man!

Steven Rhodes’ eyes were slightly swollen, he clutched Iris Crawford’s handkerchief without saying a word, but his eyes remained clear.

Iris Crawford laughed in her heart, it seemed Steven Rhodes wasn’t a coward after all, he should understand what he really needs to do now, right?

So the woman planned to stand up, just as she was about to move, there was a knock at the door, "Is anyone inside?"

"Huh, why is the door closed? I’m coming in then."

Iris Crawford was shocked, no way, she remembered locking the door, could it be that it didn’t lock?

Before she could say anything, the door of the break room was pushed open, and a group of employees led by President Lewis took a break from work to come in for water, only to witness this scene.

Steven Rhodes with red, tearful eyes looking up.

This... this...

President Lewis took two steps back, came to his senses and pointed at Iris Crawford, "You don’t even spare the interns?!"

Iris Crawford said, "What did I do?!"

"You made him cry!"

President Lewis pointed at Steven Rhodes again, "A pure young girl, and you take advantage of being the boss to get handsy!"

Iris Crawford was stunned, not knowing what to say, "I got handsy? Do I need to get handsy with him?!"

Normally, nobody would believe that.

But today, seeing Steven Rhodes with this red-eyed, handsome and pitiful look, they... they couldn’t help but believe!

President Lewis said tremblingly, "Newcomer, the previous incidents were my fault, I apologize to you. If you have a problem, come at me, but don’t lay a hand on the intern! He’s still so young, what about his future?!"

Iris Crawford’s jaw almost hit the ground, "What are you thinking?! Am I that kind of person? Steven, say something!"

Steven Rhodes was still emotional, lifting his head with tears in his eyes, the youthful man’s eyes welled up as he said, "You all... misunderstood."

Seeing him like this, the bystanders all had expressions of "stop talking, we get it," then President Lewis sighed and walked out, "You guys talk, we’ll... not disturb you."

"..." Iris Crawford felt that, after just a couple of days at The Crawford Family, her reputation was already completely ruined.

******

As the end of the workday approached, Iris Crawford called Steven Rhodes over and gave him the chocolate from before, the cash inside was already gone, but the chocolate remained, she said, "Here, eat it, it’s quite sweet."

This was a trap laid by Steven and President Lewis, Steven found it somewhat blinding and turned his face away, "Why are you giving this to me?"

"I found out you’ve been staying in a really cheap little hotel lately." Iris Crawford took out some documents from her drawer, "Because Crystal Rhodes was caught, you were evicted by the landlord since she couldn’t pay the rent, and your parents at home don’t know any of this, right?"

Steven Rhodes’ face turned red and then white.

"Stay with me." Iris Crawford lazily lifted her eyelids, as if these things didn’t matter to her at all, "The price is you work for me as a housekeeper taking care of my daily life, can you do that? Just as a substitute for rent, and it saves your housing cost too."

Steven Rhodes was stunned, a slight disbelief showing on his delicate face.

"After all, I’m the one who reported it, so it’s kind of my responsibility." Iris Crawford clapped her hands, dusting them off, "Oh, and didn’t you run out of money for school? I helped pay your tuition at the university. You can go back next week, and truly start working while studying, and come take care of me at night, right? Though it’s a bit tiring, you’re young and strong~"

Those words "young and strong" sounded... strangely suggestive?!

Steven Rhodes sucked in a breath, "Iris Crawford, you..."

"Big sis has plenty of money." Iris Crawford hooked a finger, smiling charmingly, "I love taking the moral high ground so much, that you won’t even have a standing to hate me."

Steven Rhodes shook his head, unable to understand Iris Crawford, "Why are you doing this?"

"Just think of it as..." Iris Crawford stood up, grabbed Steven Rhodes by the collar and pulled him forward, her high heels clicking as if stepping on the man’s heart, "A rich person’s way to pass time out of boredom."

Steven Rhodes’ eyes were suppressive, "Iris Crawford, you know I still hate you."

"Hate is a good feeling." Iris Crawford smirked and walked out, "Come home with me tonight, I’ll get a room ready for you. By the way, can you cook?"

Steven Rhodes said dully, "I can."

"Then I want Sichuan cuisine." Iris Crawford was already in bossy mode, "Can you drive?"

"I can, too."

"Perfect, you can save me a driver too."

Iris Crawford’s steps became cheerful, like she found a treasure at the market, "You should also learn to play games, I need someone to play games with."

"..."

Just as they walked out of the company happily, Iris Crawford bumped into a chest.

Startled, she looked up into a familiar pair of eyes.

Lachlan Wyatt.

"What made you so happy today?"

Lachlan Wyatt sneered, pinching the waist of the woman who bumped into his embrace, holding her by the waist, "I heard you’re keeping a toy boy at the company?"

Iris Crawford clicked her tongue, rumors spread, and so fast?