His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 218: Lines You Don't Cross

"I came with Zoe," Iris said, holding up the report slightly. "She saw you today."

Brandon nodded. "She's fine. Just use the medication and come back in a week."

"Are you off now?" Iris asked.

He pulled off his mask, his expression relaxed. "Yeah, just wrapping up."

Iris hesitated briefly, clearly not used to this kind of thing. "If you're free... maybe I could take you to dinner? Just to say thanks for helping her."

Brandon smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "She ran out of here like I traumatized her. I don't think she's interested in seeing me again. Dinner's not necessary. If you brought the documents, just give them to me and I'll pass them along."

Iris blinked, surprised, then quickly pulled the file from her bag, her expression brightening. "That works. Thank you, Dr. Whitmore."

There was something refreshing about how straightforward he was, no small talk, no wasted time.

After a brief goodbye, he left.

Iris stepped outside and found Zoe waiting near the entrance. They linked arms and started toward the subway.

"He wants you back next week."

Zoe made a face. "One visit was enough. I'm not going back."

"He's actually really professional..."

Zoe snorted. "How professional can he be? Out of everything he could've specialized in, he picked OB-GYN. That alone is suspicious."

Iris didn't argue, mostly because she knew Zoe was just venting.

Then suddenly, a sharp voice cut through the air behind them.

"Iris, stop."

They both turned.

Grace and Keith were walking toward them, Grace holding a medical folder and a bag of prescriptions.

"Mom. Dad," Iris said evenly.

Zoe nodded politely. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Whitlow."

Grace ignored her completely, stepping forward and grabbing Iris's arm, her expression sharp. "What I told you last time, did you do it?"

Iris's face darkened.

"Iris, I'm your mother. You don't get to ignore me."

Zoe frowned, confused. "What is she talking about?"

Grace snapped without even looking at her. "Stay out of it."

Zoe pressed her lips together but didn't back down.

Iris took a breath, holding her ground. "Don't talk to my friend like that."

"I don't care who she is," Grace shot back. "You go to your company and get that two hundred million investment back. And your brother's situation? You're fixing that too."

Iris's hands slowly clenched.

Zoe stared at her in disbelief.

"If you can't get all of it, then you come up with at least one hundred million. That money belongs to Ethan."

Zoe couldn't hold back anymore. "Why would Iris give her money to Ethan?"

Grace turned sharply. "Because she owes him. If it weren't for her, my son wouldn't have dropped out and ruined his future."

Zoe actually laughed, stunned by the logic.

Iris cut in before things spiraled further. "I already told you, I'm not pulling out of that investment. And even if I had the money, I wouldn't give it to him."

Grace's expression snapped, and she raised her hand to strike.

Iris moved to dodge, but Zoe stepped in first, grabbing Grace's wrist mid-air. "Are you serious right now? I've never seen parents this biased. She's your daughter too."

Grace froze, then pulled her hand back. "This has nothing to do with you."

Zoe stepped forward, placing herself firmly in front of Iris, hands on her hips, her voice sharp and unfiltered. "She's my best friend. That makes it my business. You keep pushing her like this, I'll put everything online and let people see exactly what kind of parents you are. She's been protecting you. I won't."

Grace's hand trembled with anger. "You wouldn't dare."

Zoe pulled out her phone and opened the camera. "Try me."

Grace immediately covered her face, reaching out to block the lens. "Stop filming."

Zoe let out a cold laugh. "Oh, now you're embarrassed? So you do know this looks bad."

Grace lost it completely, pointing at Iris. "Look at the kind of people you surround yourself with. Listen carefully, if you don't help your brother buy a house and get back on his feet, I'm not done with you."

With that, she grabbed Keith and stormed off.

Zoe lowered her phone, still fuming. "I swear, how do people like that even exist? They don't treat you like a daughter, they treat you like—"

She stopped mid-sentence when she saw Iris's eyes fill with tears.

Iris stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her, burying her face against Zoe's shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Zoe's anger faded instantly. She rested a hand on Iris's back, gently rubbing slow circles. "Hey... it's okay. They're your parents. Honestly, I wouldn't know what to do either."