Chapter 872: Targeted
Hearing this, Iris Yates’s expression stiffened before she asked, "Can I go back?"
William Quinn shook his head. "No, baby."
Iris softened her voice and tone. "I miss my mom. I want to go back and see her..."
But William said, "But baby, it doesn’t seem like she misses you at all."
As he spoke, he pulled out his phone and opened an email to show her. "I’ve had people keeping an eye on her. Ever since I took you away, she moved her niece in with her."
Iris’s eyelashes fluttered violently. She looked at the photos attached to the email, all of which captured Mrs. Yates and her cousin going about their daily lives together.
Iris felt as if an invisible hand was choking her, making it hard to breathe. Her vision blurred, obscuring the world in front of her. She sniffled and said, "She is still my mother. I just want to go back and see her."
William’s tone darkened inexplicably. "Why do you still care about someone who isn’t worth your attention?"
"That’s not true!" Iris looked at him, her eyes already brimming with tears. Her voice trembled as she spoke. "You can’t say that. She... she does care about me. She loves me very much."
Something flickered in William’s eyes, and his dark mood vanished in an instant. He pulled her into a tight embrace. "I’m sorry, baby. I shouldn’t have said that. Please don’t cry. It breaks my heart to see you cry."
Iris closed her eyes, forcing down her overwhelming sorrow. She pleaded, "Please let me go back. I promise I won’t run away. I just want to look at her from a distance."
"I can’t do that, baby," William rejected her once again. "I have to head out for a bit. You need to be a good girl and wait here for me to come back."
Iris closed her eyes in despair. She didn’t say another word, simply allowing him to hold her.
On the day of the Spring Festival, the castle was eerily quiet. The distant sound of crashing ocean waves drifted in, faint and muffled.
Iris stood on the lawn, gazing up at the overcast sky. It felt as if her own heart was shrouded in the same gloomy haze, suffocating her.
William hugged her from behind. "He has already boarded the plane. He will be home soon."
Iris nodded. "I know."
William leaned in close to her face. "Baby, I’ll be leaving this afternoon as well. I’ll bring you a present when I get back. What kind of gift do you want?"
Iris looked at him and forced a weak smile. With no fluctuation in her tone, she said, "Gemstones. I want gemstones in seven different colors."
"Alright." William kissed her, agreeing without hesitation.
The helicopter was already prepped. William hated the thought of leaving her, but the situation outside had grown too severe. He had to go handle it himself.
He boarded the helicopter with immense reluctance, watching Iris’s figure grow smaller and smaller until she disappeared from view entirely.
As he took his seat, his expression rapidly darkened. He pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and asked in a low, chilling voice, "What exactly is going on?"
"Sir, our information has been completely leaked! The Sinclair family is coming after us like a pack of rabid dogs. Our factories, docks, companies, and cruise ships have all been hijacked by the Sinclairs. We’ve suffered massive losses!"
William stared straight ahead, a cruel smirk curling the corners of his lips. "Have you found out who leaked it?"
The subordinate on the other end of the line hesitated, stammering out his reply...