After the Cold Marriage His Crazy Love (Iris and Julian) novel Chapter 13

Chapter 13 The Family Table

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Frederick Everhart’s face lit up with delight. “Lily’s thoughtful. Honestly, I don’t know which lucky family’s gonna win her over one day. Harold, I envy you. You’ve raised an incredible daughter.”

Harold Prescott chuckled, his tone smug. “Well, I did suggest her as a match for your eldest, back in the day.”

The implication was obvious: your son didn’t have the sense to say yes.

Gloria leaned in with a warm, admiring smile. “She’s gorgeous and brilliant. The people she knows–some of the biggest names in fashion and media. Very impressive.”

Martin added, “Too bad I don’t have a son of my own. If I did, I’d be lining up too. Though, Caleb’s not exactly a kid anymore…”

Harold jumped in quickly, waving a dismissive hand. “Caleb’s still running around like he’s in high school. Honestly, if I had to choose, I’d want Julian for a son–in–law. Too bad he’s already married.”

The living room buzzed with chatter–luxury brands, social circles, Lily’s accomplishments.

Iris sat quietly, unmoved. She didn’t feel threatened by Lily’s connections. Just… bored. She didn’t belong in these conversations. It felt like watching someone else’s world from the outside.

Beatrice didn’t seem interested either. She gently patted Iris’s hand. “You’ve been married two years now, sweetheart. Any thoughts on having a baby?”

Iris froze. Her heart gave a sharp twist. She felt paralyzed for a moment.

Julian was lounging on the couch, one arm draped across the backrest, the other holding his phone. He was casually scrolling through emails.

At Beatrice’s question, his eyes darkened slightly. His thumb paused mid–scroll.

Beatrice frowned with concern. “Is there… a medical issue with Julian?”

Iris

gave a tight smile, shaking her head. “No, it’s just me. I’ve been swamped with work. We’re just not ready yet.”

The fact that Beatrice’s first thought was Julian’s health–rather than blaming her–made Iris’s chest warm.

The baby topic caught the others‘ attention. Conversations faded. All eyes subtly turned.

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12:27 Tue, May 5

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Chapter 13 The Family Table

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Beatrice, knowing Iris’s line of work, gave a gentle nod. “I get it, I do. But even so, take care of yourself. Don’t run yourself into the ground.”

“I will,” Iris said with a soft smile.

Beatrice tilted her head. “So, what are you working on these days?”

“An ALS antibody trial. Another one on pediatric collagen deficiency. And we just started preliminary testing on two rare–virus vaccine prototypes.”

Beatrice’s hand tightened around hers. “All rare diseases, huh? I remember your last patent was for one, too. But those don’t bring in much money, do they? Is it even enough to keep the lab going?”

The question hit a sore spot. Truthfully, Iris was struggling to fund her research.

Beatrice, once a chemistry professor, understood the uphill battle of scientific work better than anyone in the room. Her bond with Iris ran deep–they were both scientists, both quiet but stubborn in their own ways.

Unlike her sons and grandkids, who spent their lives chasing profit, swimming in money they couldn’t even finish spending in three generations, yet offering nothing back to the world.

Then Frederick scoffed, voice cold. “You’re running a tiny lab with no production facility. Your drugs made it onto the insurance list–fine. But over in overseas, those same meds pull in hundreds of thousands a dose. Yours? What, maybe five grand with coverage? Sure, they work. But there’s no money in them. That’s not business, Iris, that’s charity work. You’d be better off shutting that thing down and staying home. Focus on Julian. Be a real wife.”

The words made Julian look up slowly. He turned off his phone, raising his gaze toward his father. His eyes were sharp and cold.

Iris’s fists clenched under the table. She was quiet by nature–but she wasn’t spineless. Not when it came to her work.

She opened her mouth to respond–but before she could speak, Beatrice slammed her fork down.

“You sit there fattening your stock portfolio off the backs of underpaid workers, bleeding people dry, hoarding more than you could ever need–and you think that gives you the right to belittle someone who’s trying to help save lives?”

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