His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 330: Heading Back to Edulet

Harper gave a quick nod. "All right, Daddy."

Julian instructed the bodyguards to keep a close watch on the house before driving off.

Iris slept until she woke up on her own. When she checked the time, it was already 11:00 a.m.

Ever since she had started sleeping with Julian, her schedule had been completely thrown out of whack.

Night after night, they would start fooling around late and wouldn't actually drift off until the wee hours of the morning. She was just physically drained and went to bed way too late.

As Iris brushed her teeth, she thought to herself. Next time, we really need to get an earlier start.

No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than she couldn't help but crack a shy, self-conscious smile.

After she finished washing up, she went back to her room to get dressed and noticed five missed calls on her phone, all from Brandon.

She immediately dialed him back.

Brandon picked up right away, his voice sounding urgent. "Iris, we've got a situation down at the plant."

Iris felt her stomach drop.

Her company wasn't massive, but Brandon was a shareholder as well.

Although Iris held the majority of the shares and was the legal representative, she wasn't involved in the day-to-day operations—she strictly handled research and development. If the situation was dire enough for them to bring it to her attention, it was definitely not a minor issue. A knot of worry formed in her chest. "What's going on?"

"A few people from the R&D team were abducted."

"Taken by who?"

"Some big shot named Arden, from what I hear. He snatched eight of them and released two interns later on. He's demanding they turn over some kind of separation and purification tech."

Iris pieced it all together instantly.

Arden was sitting on over ten tons of product that required purification; otherwise, the stuff was completely unsellable.

Now that he couldn't get his hands on her, he was going after her colleagues and staff.

Brandon said, "We need to get back to Edulet City."

"Okay, when are we heading out?"

"I've already booked the tickets. We leave at four this afternoon."

"All right, I'll go pack now. See you this afternoon." Iris rushed to her closet, dragged out her suitcase, and began tossing clothes inside.

Once she finished packing, she stepped out of the room and went looking for Julian.

"Harper, where's your dad?" Iris asked, coming into the living room and taking a seat next to her daughter.

"Daddy went out. He won't be back until tonight," Harper replied, barely glancing up. She was completely absorbed in her Barbie doll.

Tonight?

Iris felt a surge of panic. She pulled out her phone and dialed Julian.

A cold, automated voice informed her. "The number you have dialed is powered off."

With the clock ticking, she didn't have time to waste trying to track down Julian first.

She hastily ate lunch, then went over to Harper, gave her a tight hug, kissed her forehead, and said, "Mommy has to go away for a couple of days. Can you stay here with Daddy and the nanny?"

Harper looked up at her, wide-eyed with surprise. "Where are you going, Mommy?"

"I have to go to work." Iris gently stroked her hair. "Be a good girl and listen to Daddy and the nanny while I'm gone, okay?"

Harper nodded sweetly and said obediently, "Okay."

Iris smiled, relieved, and looked up at the nanny. "I'm leaving at noon. Please take care of Harper for me. Thank you."

The nanny offered a reassuring smile. "Of course, Ms. Whitlow. I'll look after Harper. Don't you worry."

Iris stood up and walked out.

She asked one of the bodyguards stationed at the security booth outside the villa to accompany her.

Before boarding the plane, she stopped by the police station to meet with the head of the narcotics division.

Iris planned to offer herself up in exchange for her colleagues, then agree to help Arden process the massive stash of drugs while secretly cooperating with the police to gather evidence and bring the entire operation crashing down.

When the chief heard her proposal, a deep frown creased his forehead.

Only narcotics officers truly understood how perilous this kind of operation was and just how ruthless drug lords could be.

Undercover narcotics work was arguably the most dangerous job in the world.

"I can't let you take that risk," the chief said with a heavy sigh. "It's too dangerous. You have no idea how sadistic these criminals can be. Even if you managed to gain their trust and get inside to access the bulk of the drugs, there's absolutely no guarantee you could pull off the mission and get out alive."

"I'm not afraid." Iris had always been timid and terrified of dying, but in this moment, she knew that if she didn't deal with these drug lords soon, everyone around her would be in danger.

First it was her, now her colleagues. Next, it would be her child, her loved ones, her family.

She would rather roll the dice herself than let the people she cared about get hurt.

"We already have a fail-safe plan in place," the chief stated, before calling out for someone to enter.

The door opened, and a young male police officer walked in. He was handsome, sharp, and exuded confidence. His eyes were steely, and he carried an air of righteousness—tough and good-looking.

"As of today, he has a new identity. His name is Scott Cox. He's a former colleague of yours, a pharmaceutical researcher just like you. Teach him your purification technology—hold nothing back. Let him go into Arden's den in your place. We'll handle everything else on our end. That way, you stay out of it."

Iris was overwhelmed with conflicting emotions—sadness and relief all at once. She looked at Scott.

Scott gave her a sharp salute.

That only made her feel worse.

He was exactly the kind of narcotics officer that the country and its people revered the most. He was young, handsome, and noble.

Arden was coming after her, yet they intended to pass that deadly risk off to Scott.

She couldn't bear it. If Scott's cover was blown by the drug lords, she couldn't even begin to imagine the horrors he would endure.

Iris shook her head. "Arden is looking for me. Scott is far more important than I am. I can't let him take this risk in my place."

The chief replied, his voice thick with emotion, "Iris, Scott is certainly important, but you are one of the most brilliant pharmaceutical research scientists this country has ever produced. Our nation needs talent like you. When it comes to taking down drug lords, he's the professional. So please, hand over your purification technology to him."