His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 343: A Half-Billion Dollar Sting

"Did you call the police?"

"Already did."

"Where exactly?"

"Deep in the mountains near the state line. No cell service at all—completely off the grid. It's well hidden. Good thing we had satellite tracking."

"What about Iris?"

"Ms. Whitlow went with her brother to turn himself in at the precinct."

Julian was quiet for a long moment.

"Anything else, Mr. Everhart?"

"Keep Iris safe."

"Understood."

Julian ended the call.

The five hundred million was meant to buy out the contaminated shipment. If the police could catch them red-handed with the drugs, that would be the best outcome.

Even if Arden slipped away, at least the drugs would be off the streets, and Iris could finally go back to a normal, safe life.

Outside, the moon hung bright in a thinly starred sky. A dry, cool autumn wind swept through the night.

Inside, the living room lights were still on. Brandon warmed a glass of milk in the microwave, brought it over to the couch, and handed it to Iris. "Here, drink this and try to get some sleep."

Iris accepted it with a soft smile. "Thank you."

Brandon let out a quiet sigh and sank back into the cushions. "Still waiting for Julian?"

Iris pressed her lips together, smiling without answering, and looked down at the steaming milk.

Brandon watched her for a while without saying anything. Even though he wasn't exactly Julian's biggest fan, he'd always cared about Iris.

And now that he was almost certain she was his sister, that protectiveness had only grown—along with his reservations about Julian.

But what could he do? His sister was in love with the guy.

"You really like him that much, huh?" Brandon finally asked.

Iris' ears turned faintly pink. She nodded, took a small sip of milk, and looked down again, a little shy.

Brandon sighed, tapped a fist lightly against his lips in thought, then lowered his hand. "You know... if you're that into him, you could stand to be a little more... expressive about it."

Iris glanced up, surprised. "What do you mean?"

Brandon offered her a warm, brotherly smile. "I've known you for a while now, and honestly—you keep your feelings too close to the chest. You always come across like you're holding back, like nothing really gets to you. Even when you care about someone, you're so calm and logical about it. It's hard for people to tell what you're really feeling."

Iris was quiet for a few seconds, then gave an awkward little laugh. "Is it that obvious?"

"Julian put you through a lot. Honestly, part of me doesn't want to make things easy for him." Brandon sighed, his tone softening. "But it's pretty clear that when he's hurting, you're hurting too. And that's not what I want for you."

"Dr. Whitmore..."

"Call me 'Brandon'," Brandon cut in, feigning a frown.

Iris smiled shyly. "Brandon..."

Brandon nodded, looking satisfied, the corners of his mouth lifting.

Iris went on, "But you still haven't answered me. How am I supposed to be more... expressive?"

Brandon cleared his throat, leaning a bit closer and lowering his voice. "Look, when it comes to relationships, most guys are pretty straightforward. We don't do subtle hints. If you miss him, if you're worried about him, if you like him—you gotta say it. A lot of guys can't tell when someone's playing games, because if it sounds real, we take it at face value. We don't overanalyze every little thing."

Iris smiled somewhat helplessly and nodded in agreement.

"Guys understand guys." Brandon picked up her phone from the coffee table and handed it to her. "Here, let me show you how to really get through to Julian."

Iris took the phone, looking puzzled. "Why would I want to do that?"

Brandon allowed himself a slightly proud grin. "Haven't you noticed? A guy like Julian—good-looking, successful, completely devoted—you won't find another one like him easily. And yet he still gets jealous over me. He doesn't seem all that secure in your relationship, which means he puts you above himself. That's a pretty humble kind of love. He needs some reassurance from you. Being a little more dramatic shows him he matters."

Iris stared at him, stunned. It was perhaps the wildest relationship advice she'd ever heard. "Dramatic?"

"Yeah."

"Won't that just come off as annoying?"

"If the person isn't into you, then yeah, it's annoying. But if they are into you, a little drama shows them how much you care."

Iris still looked unconvinced. She smiled and set the phone down. "I think I'll pass on the lessons tonight. I'll finish my milk and head to bed. It's been a long day—Arden still hasn't contacted me, and I have no idea where Scott went."

Brandon picked the phone back up. "Unlock it. Call him. I'll tell you what to say."

Reluctantly, Iris let him guide her to unlock the screen and pull up Julian's number.

"Repeat after me," Brandon whispered. "And sound sweet, but also a little upset."

Iris blinked, confused. Sweet but upset? How did that even work?

The line connected and she put it on speaker.

"Hello." Julian's calm voice came through.

Hearing him, Iris froze, suddenly unsure what to say. She looked up at Brandon, who already had his own phone out with a line typed in his notes.

Reading it, she cringed inwardly.

But she gathered her nerve, lowered her voice, and tried to sound both tender and lightly annoyed. "Julian, you've been gone all day. You didn't text, you didn't call, and now it's late and you're still not back. Do you even think about me anymore?"

On the other end, Julian sounded genuinely confused and concerned. "Iris, is everything okay?"

Iris glanced at Brandon again. He was already typing another line, then held the screen up for her to see.

Reading it, Iris felt her face grow warm. She shot Brandon an embarrassed look, her cheeks flushing red.