It’s unclear whether Lachlan Wyatt is serious or teasing Hannah Lennox when he says this, but Hannah’s expression changes as soon as he speaks.
For so reason, she feels as if Lachlan is resisting her.
Could it be that she hasn’t earned Lachlan’s trust by acting pitiful?
What else does she need to do...
So Hannah can only say with an aggrieved expression, "Brother, how can you toy with like this."
Iris Crawford feels a rush of energy go straight to her head. Hannah is a master, able to effortlessly use such words. But surely Hannah knows what she’s doing; after Lachlan finishes giving an order, she pitifully tugs at Lachlan’s sleeve and says, "Can you choose sothing else? I’m so old now, how can I go back to school?"
"Live and learn," Lachlan responds earnestly, "Your sister-in-law and I are both highly-educated intellectuals. You can’t bring sha to the family, can you? You barely managed to escape Jonas Kingsley; you need to start over."
Lachlan says this as if she had committed a cri and was imprisoned.
Hannah’s expression goes through a spectrum of colors before settling on a pale white as she softly says, "Brother, maybe you’re still resisting ... Do you think my sudden return is suspicious? I don’t know why, but I feel you haven’t accepted yet."
"Hmm, it’s good that you know," he responds.
Unexpectedly, Lachlan doesn’t shy away and directly says, "I sympathize with and lant your situation of being used and blackmailed by Jonas Kingsley, but there are many things I still need to verify myself."
Tsk.
Hannah tuts to herself; he’s not easy to deceive.
However, since she is already close to Lachlan, this is the first step to success. Hannah has a multitude of thoughts but ultimately decides to continue enduring humiliation for a greater goal. She tells Lachlan, "I understand. If it’s my brother’s wish, I will surely accomplish it."
Lachlan nods, "In a couple of days, I’ll take you to see an adult college. You still have ti to study."
The topic shifts abruptly from Jonas Kingsley’s misdeeds to Hannah’s education, and Hannah isn’t sure how Lachlan managed to do that. But now that it’s like this, agonizing over it won’t help. After dinner, she gets up on her own, and quite dostically, says, "I’ll help clean up with Number Nine."
Pretending to be good?
Iris usually doesn’t care what others want to do; she waves her hand, "If you want to clean, go ahead. I won’t stop you."
Hannah’s expression turns as sour as if she swallowed a fly. How does Iris manage to take the opportunity for everything!
She’s pretending for Lachlan to see!
But there’s no other way; she’s shot herself in the foot. After busying herself for so long, it’s like she bought groceries for Iris and made a feast. No matter how she thinks, she can’t swallow this anger. While washing dishes, she’s already thinking about how to vent this frustration on Iris next ti.
What she doesn’t know, however, is that while she is washing dishes, Iris is watching her and Number Nine’s every move from outside.
A thought crosses Iris’s mind, and she sighs inwardly, suddenly turning her head to look at Lachlan.
Noticing Iris’s gaze, Lachlan pauses.
Then he says, "What’s wrong?"
"Sotis I think you’re a genius," Iris murmurs, her gaze blank, "But other tis, I feel you should be more of a madman."
Many of Lachlan’s ideas fall outside the scope of humanity. In so ways, he and Jonas Kingsley are the sa kind of people.
It’s just that Jonas takes a more extre path.
Why incessantly help bad people, why ruin other families, abduct those vulnerable won?
Is it because your mother was once a howrecker?
Iris cannot understand Jonas’s thoughts, rely feeling that Jonas might be devoid of humanity, with indifference etched into his DNA.
Lachlan too lacks humanity but has absolute rationality. Concealed under the guise of a human being, he is masterfully disguised, learning to live like a human.
Walking closer, Iris glances at Lachlan’s arm, nearly destroyed in an explosion, and lowers her eyelashes, "Did it hurt when the explosion happened?"
Lachlan replies, "I guess not, I was unconscious and didn’t have the chance to feel it..."
Iris rarely wants to share warmth with Lachlan, but his straightforward words are so utterly clueless, so she taps on his bandage, "Being unconscious is good. You deserved it; that’s what happens to n with stubborn mouths. Understand?"
"Ouch..."
Lachlan frees one hand to pull Iris into his arms, "Don’t hold a grudge against , will you? My little ancestor, I was wrong then, I had a stubborn mouth. Now I’m giving you my life to protect you, can you cool down a bit?"
"Then tell , why did you keep Number Nine?"
Directly voicing her question to Lachlan, Iris points at the two washing dishes inside, fixing Lachlan with a sharp gaze, "Number Nine holds a special aning for you, doesn’t he? Just like Phoenix One."
Why use the na Phoenix for the robot you created?
"Phoenix..."
Iris seems to fall into a deep contemplation, "Are you reminiscing about soone lost, hence using such a na, hoping for him to rise again from the ashes..."
So obsessions had long turned into a Heart Demon.
Perhaps during that kidnapping years ago, Lachlan had been stuck there, ceaselessly dreaming of his brother dying right in front of him, with no one there to save him.
So, he could only rescue himself. Without self-rescue, he wouldn’t be able to survive.
Therefore, Lachlan nad his robot Phoenix, using this thod to vent and channel his desperation and obsessions. Only then might he feel slightly better.
Lachlan cannot say many things out loud, but when touched by Iris’s gaze, he shivers.
It seems as though sothing is breaking through the dark soil.
He doesn’t want Iris to know, nor does he want Iris to be involved.
But he forgot that Iris... in a way, she too is an incarnation of the Phoenix.
She, too, is soone who has risen from the ashes.
Lachlan Wyatt’s Adam’s apple moved up and down, "Don’t say..."
"Survivor syndro." A string of English letters spilled from Iris’s mouth, and at that instant, Lachlan’s pupils trembled.
"Don’t say..."
Lachlan grabbed Iris’s clothes, holding her back, as if pleading.
"Translated, it ans... survivor syndro."
Lachlan closed his eyes, and his hands, which were holding Iris, suddenly fell.
"All these years, no one has ever saved you from that day."
Iris noticed Lachlan’s hand had fallen, as if lifeless.
Her eyes slightly reddened, she reached out and embraced Lachlan in reverse.
Lachlan, who has lived almost thirty years, has been unruly all his life, like a primitive creature without moral boundaries and unaware of worldly affairs. He could coldly witness countless tragedies, believing himself strong enough to avoid the onslaught of storms—yet what no one knew was that those storms had long since thundered through his life.
Accustod to being a strongman unloved by others, it was only one woman who, with an earth-shattering presence, smashed through his defenses and then gently held him close.
Lachlan trembled, "I just... want to do sothing for those who died."
"I know... that’s why you chose the code na Phoenix, isn’t it?"
Iris’s voice scattered like the wind, "The reaction of post-traumatic stress disorder following major disasters or accidents is called survivor syndro, Lachlan, in that kidnapping incident, you were taken."
Even now, he is still being kidnapped by fate.
"From that day on, accumulating pressure, pain, despair, and self-bla ca to you like a tidal wave."
Iris peeled away Lachlan word by word, leaving him bleeding profusely, "You study and develop artificial intelligence in hopes of bringing back the dead, is it to ease your mind?"
She rose from Lachlan, making eye contact with him, "Is it only this way that you can find a little sense of being alive?"
"I am a social scourge."
Lachlan chuckled, reaching out to touch Iris’s face, "Speaking as such, you might better understand what I am inside."
His heart had long been rotted severely, yet Iris continually allowed him to experience new emotions.
"Like a wretched beast less than an animal..." Lachlan pressed his face against Iris’s chest, "All I can give you is this; the mortal love you speak of, I don’t understand nor can I give, but Iris, this is the way I express my love for you."
"Perhaps you are inferior even to Number Nine, the robot."
Iris looked at the man resting his chin against her chest, "Why didn’t you tell all this before?"
"I didn’t want to ask others for help."
"Okay."
Iris smiled, lifting Lachlan’s chin, "Strong-willed, unwilling to seek help."
She pressed against Lachlan, pinning him on the sofa, for the first ti, the woman had the initiative, yet in this process, Iris still carefully avoided Lachlan’s injured hand.
"If you don’t want to ask for help, then beg ."
"I will be your master, sincerely confess to all your sins." Iris’s seductive voice resonated in Lachlan’s ear, and at that mont, he was like a believer eting God.
What kind of unprecedented woman is this, defying all worldly shackles.
Desire.
Fervor.
Totem.
Faith.
Her body bears contradictions and scars, like a blade sharpened by countless battles.
"An."
Lachlan whispered, closing his eyes.
Iris Crawford, I’m afraid I’m hopelessly becoming your follower.
The two embraced on the sofa, while Number Nine, having finished washing the dishes, stood by and quipped, "What are you doing, can you include ?"
After saying this, Number Nine stepped forward, wedging between Iris and Lachlan, not only separating them but also asking, "I just heard soone praying, what’s going on, what happened?"
Lachlan, having been squeezed apart: "...In the beginning, I should have thrown you in the trash bin!"
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