Chapter 7

"What the hell?" Alfred blurted.

Iris met his gaze with calm composure. "Both you and Miss Quinn are persons of interest in this matter."

Alfred froze. He had never imagined Iris would dare to defy him.

Ignoring the shock on his face, she stepped toward the thugs. "Tell us again exactly what happened. Leave nothing out."

The two men nodded vigorously and began recounting their motives and actions. When they repeated their claim about wanting to "fuck Mr. Sinclair's girl," both could not resist stealing a glance at Alfred.

Alfred and Regina's expressions darkened. Only three people knew about Alfred and Iris' past relationship: Alfred himself, Iris, and Regina.

Even after the breakup, Alfred's possessiveness had never faded. As a scion of one of the oldest and most elite families, he still regarded Iris as his possession. He would never have allowed a lowlife thug to touch what he considered his.

By simple elimination, the suspect was obvious.

Regina's composure finally cracked.

"Excuse me?!" she snapped. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you accusing me of hiring trash like them to sexually assault you? How vile do you think I am?"

Her voice rose sharply. "Ever since Freddy and I announced our relationship, you've been acting like a possessive stalker who won't leave him alone. Now you hire two goons to stir up trouble? Why are you so desperate to wedge yourself between us?!"

Tears streamed down her face as she began to sob.

Regina had subtly altered the sequence of events and painted Iris as nothing more than an obsessive hanger-on, creating a narrative that sounded disturbingly convincing.

Iris suddenly clapped her hands, as though applauding a performance.

Regina stared at her in shock.

"You're absolutely right, Miss Quinn," Iris said lightly. "But how could I possibly stalk Mr. Sinclair? Is he the kind of ordinary man who would let someone like me get anywhere near him?"

She tilted her head slightly. "That's why I believe someone is deliberately framing me to sabotage your relationship with Mr. Sinclair. Who else would be foolish enough to tell two thugs, who knew nothing about me, that I was somehow his lover?"

Her gaze sharpened. "Especially when I am not his lover at all. Isn't that right?"

Alfred said nothing, his glare heavy with tension.

"Everyone online knows about your relationship," Iris continued evenly. "How could someone like me have the resources or status to interfere with an elite pairing that people call a match made in heaven? Don't you agree, Miss Quinn?"

She paused, then added, "That's why my theory is simple. Someone deliberately mentioned Mr. Sinclair because they had an ulterior motive against him."

Her voice cooled. "This is a serious matter, and it calls for a full investigation. All three of us want to clear our names, don't we? We can start by verifying what these men have said."

As she finished, Iris wondered who would crack first.

If the police investigated Alfred and Regina, the latter would be exposed as a homewrecker, which was unacceptable in their circles.

Alternatively, the thugs might panic and attempt a mutually destructive move by dragging Regina down with them.

Either way, Iris was prepared to watch the fallout.

The two thugs were in agony. Even breathing sent waves of pain through their bodies.

When they heard talk of possible conspiracy charges tied to manslaughter involving Alfred, they reacted with fierce denial.

"No! We're telling the truth!"

"It was him! He called us and said this woman was Mr. Sinclair's discarded chewing gum, so we didn't need to hold back!"

"You bastards! I only knew you because we played cards together once! I put in a little money and tipped you at the casino!"

One of the men pulled out his phone. "To hell with it. I recorded the call. You didn't think we would protect ourselves? Did you really think we were idiots like you? We always keep backups."

He played the recording. "Iris is his ex-girlfriend. I want you to get as much skin as possible. The more revealing, the better. That woman is sexy enough to pass for a succubus. One glance and you're trapped."

A pause followed, then the voice continued. "That makes this an easy job. Take it. I'll add another 1,500 dollars."

Hearing them talk about her body made Iris feel nauseated. Her stomach churned with genuine revulsion.

A female officer noticed her reaction and stepped forward at once. She positioned herself beside Iris and lifted her chin.

"What do you think this place is?" she sneered at the men. "Your friend's backyard, where you can do whatever you want? No. We follow procedure here."

Other officers moved in to block the entrance.

Emotion swelled in Iris' chest. Her anxiety eased, and her breathing steadied.

Meanwhile, Regina grew visibly restless. She had never expected this woman to involve the police. Iris should have been too humiliated to file a report. Now, any investigation would expose Regina as the true mastermind behind it all.

'Fuck! Why did Iris not die in the car crash itself?!' Regina clenched her jaw and shot a look at the bodyguard.

He understood and rose to his feet. "Please, I confess. This was my doing and mine alone. Miss Quinn and her family treated me with kindness and dignity over the years. When I heard that Iris had been stalking and harassing Miss Quinn and her new beau, I resolved to get rid of her."

The bodyguard knew he was going to jail for this, but it was preferable to offending the Quinns.

Regina feigned shock.

"You? You were the one who… God! How could you? I cannot keep someone like you around. You understand me, don't you?" She paused, then added, "Don't worry about your family. We will take care of them in your absence. Use that time to reflect on your wrongdoing."

The bodyguard sensed a veiled threat, but he had no way to counter it. All he could do was nod and shoulder the blame alone.

Regina tugged lightly at Alfred's hand and broke into sobs.

He seemed distracted. Worse, his gaze drifted in Iris' direction.

Regina nearly lost control of her sorrowful expression.

Relief came when the officers spoke again. "Miss McGuire, is there anything else you would like to ask?"

"No, sir. Thank you," she replied.

It was not a lie, but it was not the whole truth. Iris did dream of seeing Regina face the law, but she also knew reality. Neither the Quinns nor the Sinclairs would allow it, and she lacked the power to fight elites like them.

At least she had achieved her objective. She hoped this incident would make Regina think twice before harming her again.

Iris felt a sudden weight of attention and turned to find Alfred watching her with an unfamiliar expression. The look unsettled her, so she averted her gaze and turned slightly away from him.

"In that case, please make a statement and sign it once you have reviewed it."

"Understood." Iris stepped around Alfred and Regina and followed the female officer into a room.

Even as she walked away, Alfred's eyes remained fixed on her.

Regina noticed. Her lips thinned as she began to plot a response.

She pulled his arm closer and leaned in. "Freddy, I'm sorry. I caused a misunderstanding between you and Iris. But tell me, doesn't it seem strange? She looked like she already knew how all of this would unfold. It feels suspicious. Is she trying to play the victim to win your favor?"

Alfred snapped out of his trance. The skepticism in his eyes hardened into confidence. Of course. Iris' attempts to "reawaken" his memories were becoming more extreme by the day. She would even subject herself to sexual violence if it meant winning his affection again.

That devotion had its uses. She was so obsessed that Alfred could announce his recovered memories outright, and Iris would accept it without question.

He sneered, "I'll give her this. She certainly has a lot of time to scheme."

Regina adopted a worried look. "She's going to complain to you and twist everything until I look like the villain, even though it was my bodyguard who made the mistake. What am I supposed to do when that happens?"

Alfred lifted her chin. "Iris makes a living serving people. It's her job to be mistreated. You're different. Who would dare lay a finger on you while I'm here?"

Regina smiled in delight and burrowed into his chest, missing the smirk on Alfred's face as he stared at the door to the interrogation room. It was no wonder Iris spared him a thought before she left to make her statement. She was waiting for him to relent.

Well, Alfred would gladly prove to her that it had not worked at all.

He heard footsteps approaching him.