CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: VIDEO EXPOSED, FEARLESS!

Watching as he tossed out his third "Unbreakable" Fortune Pouch Token, Martin Hawthorne’s cold and stern expression didn’t change in the slightest. He simply said to Patrick Pierce, "Strategy is everything."

Patrick Pierce threw his cards down, "I surrender! You guys are two against one, that’s not fair!"

James Chesterton grinned from ear to ear, "Skill isn’t up to par."

Patrick Pierce, adored by his fans, always had a bit of a temper. He scattered the cards over the table like a magician, then stretched out his long legs to push the table away, saying to Iris Crawford, "Hey, the movie star is back?"

Iris Crawford was discussing hairstyles with Sarah Shaw when she heard Patrick Pierce’s voice. She turned her head to look at the man and said, "To be addressed like this by the Best Actor, I really don’t deserve it."

"Do you know your video has gone viral online?"

Patrick Pierce opened his phone and tossed it to Iris Crawford’s lap. He said, "Look, the topic has almost a million views already."

Iris Crawford’s expression changed; Patrick Pierce was in the entertainment industry himself, so of course he was familiar with this domain. He must have caught wind of it before them, and now everyone crowded around to watch the video.

James Chesterton exclaimed, "Isn’t this the video of you hitting Howard Jennings!"

"Why is someone yelling about hitting the mistress?"

Sarah Shaw voiced her confusion from the side, "Birdie, when did this happen to you? Why didn’t you tell us?"

It seemed even though Howard Jennings and the others were taken to the police station, those videos were still released. The Jennings Family exposed these "hit the mistress" videos through the media to pressure Iris Crawford!

They wanted to ruin Iris Crawford with online gossip; rumors spread fastest when they’re about "hitting the mistress"—after all, everyone loves gossip, and it’s quite pleasing to see a mistress get her comeuppance. Any woman tagged with the label of mistress could find herself crucified.

Countless people would be eager to tear her apart, like a rat crossing the street. Building a good reputation is difficult, but gaining a bad one is easy. Even clarifications become weak and powerless.

At this moment, Yvonne Jennings stabbing Iris Crawford in the back was like telling her, you’re after my family, well I’ll destroy your reputation, and if worst comes to worst, we’ll perish together!

James Chesterton couldn’t hide his inner anger as he watched the video, saying, "These Jennings Family members are utterly shameless! I’ve never seen such vicious villains!"

"Did they hit you?"

Patrick Pierce watched Iris Crawford’s expression and heard James Chesterton say that usually, he’d hear about Iris going after others and calling them to clean up the mess—instead, it’s the first time he’s seen Iris surrounded by so many people.

In a trance, he forgot she was just a woman standing alone, because she always carried the aura of leading a thousand troops.

Seeing this scene, James Chesterton said to Lachlan Wyatt, who was leisurely resting on the sofa, "Lachlan, should we step in? I can work some connections with the media..."

"I can help suppress it too."

Sarah Shaw raised her hand from the side, "This clearly violates privacy rights! It’s an attack on personal safety and a public gathering fight! Why are the comments saying you deserve it? They’re ganging up on one person, does yelling ’hit the mistress’ let them parade around openly?"

Patrick Pierce didn’t say anything else. Being the latest addition, he didn’t know much about Iris Crawford, just that she’s as ruthless to others as she is to herself. Honestly, he’s genuinely curious about what Iris Crawford’s heart is made of.

A woman who gets attacked by everyone without changing her expression is truly fascinating.

In the video, comments flew by like bullets—Wow, she’s so pretty and yet she’s a mistress!

Sigh, bet she’s just a high-end escort or something.

Shameless, this woman will never get married, serves her right! Mistresses deserve to be hunted down!

Patrick Pierce crossed his arms and looked meaningfully at Iris Crawford’s face. At this moment, the video happened to play the scene where Iris, while being surrounded by people, raises a bottle to smash it on Howard Jennings’ head. Sarah Shaw slapped her thigh, "Well done, Birdie!"

Peach gritted her teeth and said, "If James Chesterton and I had gotten there a bit earlier, we definitely could’ve helped her, she wouldn’t have been so isolated then!"

Throughout the process, Lachlan Wyatt said nothing; meanwhile, James Chesterton couldn’t hold his impatience, "Lachlan, why aren’t you giving your opinion? Birdie is one of us after all..."

Lachlan raised an eyebrow, "What opinion should I give?"

"Should we suppress those videos or not?"

Sarah Shaw was getting agitated, her hands clenched tight, "How can they splash dirt on someone like this? Birdie’s not even a mistress! They’re just a rabble, easily misled by marketing accounts, attacking in masses without knowing the truth they’ve encountered isn’t real!"

After saying that, Sarah Shaw patted Iris Crawford on the shoulder, "Birdie, don’t worry, we’ll definitely protect you. I’ll find someone at the media and make those videos disappear!"

Instead, Iris Crawford watched the video, and then smirked, "Huh? That’s unnecessary."

Sarah Shaw and James Chesterton were dumbfounded, exchanging glances, saying confusedly, "What do you mean it’s unnecessary? They’re clearly spreading rumors..."

"Uh, no."

Iris Crawford held up her phone, "Look, this video makes me look so cool and beautiful. Look at my profile, wow, that head toss, like a lady knight, wow! Why are my arm muscles so attractive? If I were a man, I’d definitely fall for myself—if these videos are taken down, who will appreciate me using a bottle to open up Howard Jennings’ forehead?"

"..." James Chesterton felt like he’d been punched hard, incredulously saying, "Why is your focus so weird!"

Iris Crawford held Patrick Pierce’s phone, her other hand giving a thumbs up, "Wow, the me in the video, so cool, so in love."

"..." Okay then, they were overthinking. Iris Crawford’s heart has grown so strong that she’s unfazed by these matters.

The Jennings Family over there gritted their teeth, deploying extreme measures to frame Iris Crawford, but she didn’t care one bit. Not only that; she even appreciated the candid shots in the videos!

How many people in the world are this composed?

As for Lachlan Wyatt, he seemed to have foreseen Iris Crawford’s attitude earlier, which explained why he’d said nothing from start to finish. He must’ve known these events couldn’t shake Iris Crawford, which is why he didn’t even regard this little episode as noteworthy.

Martin Hawthorne turned his cold gaze to Lachlan Wyatt, speaking in a low voice, "Did you predict this?"

Lachlan Wyatt laughed nonchalantly, his carefree attitude like a villain who became the ultimate demon king at a young age; the world regarded him as venomous and avoided him, but he was reckless to the end, fearing nothing.

With his eyes locked on Iris Crawford’s back, he said, "Yeah, this woman’s mindset is completely beyond reasonable explanation."

Martin Hawthorne sat next to Lachlan Wyatt, lowering his voice, "This time, the undercover operation delivered those tax evasion proofs."

"Looks like you did a great job." Lachlan Wyatt glanced at Martin Hawthorne, "No exposure, right?"