His Belated Love for the Abandoned Ex-Wife Chapter 48: Good News and Bad News

"Can you drink?"

"Yeah, I can."

"Saturday night, dress nicely. I'll take you to meet some business friends. Some run restaurants; others own supermarkets."

Ethan's eyes turned red with excitement. He'd stayed up all night worrying, his hair almost gray from stress, and he still hadn't figured out how to pay back the two million.

He hated asking Iris or Julian for money. He wanted to make money through his own hard work. That wasn't embarrassing at all.

He grabbed Julian's hands tightly, his voice cracking with emotion. "I can't thank you enough. I'm not afraid of hard work. I'll never make you look bad. Thank you for helping me. I... I won't let you down, I promise."

Julian patted his hands gently to comfort him. "It's not that big of a deal. I'm just giving you a path. From here on, you'll have to widen that path yourself to go further."

Ethan nodded, tears in his eyes.

Julian fell silent for a few seconds and then said, "I don't want you to tell Iris about this."

Ethan was dumbfounded. "You're helping me so much. Why can't I tell her?"

Julian hesitated, a hint of unease hidden in his eyes. "She's studying for her PhD. She's got enough stress with work and school. I don't want her worrying about our business stuff."

Ethan didn't think too much about it. "Okay, I won't tell her."

"I'll head back then." Julian stood up.

Ethan hurried to grab a bag, piling the best fruits into it. "Let me pack you some fruit to take home."

"No need."

"C'mon, you have to! Iris loves oranges and mangoes. What's your favorite fruit?"

"Apples," Julian replied.

He couldn't say no. In the end, Julian left with a big bag of fruit, getting into his car.

That evening, the sun set, painting the sky red like fire. The glow shone on the windows of the research lab.

Inside the lab, everything was bathed in a hazy, dark red light.

Zoe walked in and flipped on the lights. "Why aren't the lights on? What are you daydreaming about?"

The bright lab lights pulled Iris out of her muddled, dull thoughts. She couldn't help but close her eyes and rub them.

She'd been worried about Ethan all day, too distracted to focus on her experiments. It was miserable.

Zoe walked over to Iris. "Two pieces of news—one good, one bad. Which do you wanna hear first?"

Iris packed up her lab equipment slowly. "Bad news first."

Zoe held up her phone, lighting up the screen. "Emily's bashing you online again. This time it's worse—she's saying you made her lose millions, got her into huge debt, ruined her family, and now they're gonna get a divorce."

Iris didn't even lift an eyelid. She smiled bitterly. "Did she mention she got scammed?"

"Scammed?" Zoe's eyes widened in realization. "Oh my god! That's what happened? She didn't say a word about that! She just said she was investing in some project; she didn't even say what kind.

"She claims you were jealous of her getting rich, so you messed up her investment. She's making you sound terrible. Her followers are up to over 80,000 now, and a bunch of people are bashing you. Some even want to doxx you."

Iris finished packing her equipment, took off her lab coat, and got ready to leave work.

Zoe frowned, hands on her hips. "What are you thinking? She's dragging your name through the mud. Aren't you gonna explain yourself? Fight back?"

Iris put her notebook in her bag, calm as ever. "Zoe, I don't spend much time online, but I know how scary cyberbullying is. Keyboard warriors never wait for evidence like the police do. If I speak up to explain, I might not clear my name. I'll just expose my identity.

"Then those keyboard warriors will target me, and who knows what kind of attacks I'll get. I don't have the time or energy to deal with this crap. I'm so busy!"

Zoe understood, but she was still mad that Iris was being framed like this. "I get it, but I just can't swallow this! Has Emily lost her mind? She's like a mad dog, biting you online nonstop."

Iris comforted her. "Zoe, block her account. If you don't see her nonsense, you won't get mad. Just think of it as her making up a story—like a ghost story online. It's no big deal."

Zoe sighed. "Fine, I'll think of it as a ghost story. But if she messes with your work or life, I won't let her get away with it."

Iris slung her bag over her shoulder, patting Zoe's shoulder gently. "Don't worry. I'm quiet by nature and I don't look for trouble, but I'm not someone others can push around."

Zoe nodded in agreement. Iris was kind, but she wasn't a pushover. She didn't hold grudges, but she wouldn't let people walk all over her.

"What's the good news?" Iris asked, her eyes clear and full of hope.

Zoe couldn't help smiling at the thought of the good news, her voice rising with excitement. "The government got our report. They're really interested in this new drug. They're sending a professional team to join our research, and the government is covering all the research funds! Even a national news network invited you for an interview!"

Iris's heart raced, her blood pumping with excitement. She covered her mouth tightly, her eyes watering, unable to believe it was true.