Fake Daughter Is The Real Legend (Iris Sutton) novel Chapter 53

Chapter 53 Second Rejection

Chapter 53 Second Rejection

Back in Elite Class, Claire sighed heavily.

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“Chloe, that transfer student is glued to Hannah all day. We can’t find any opportunities anymore.”

She glanced at the two classmates sitting together nearby.

Axel wasn’t just any student.

He was the son of St, Grace Medical Center’s director.

And judging by his behavior, he clearly liked Hannah.

No one dared openly target her while he was around.

Chloe crumpled the paper in her hand and slammed it onto her desk.

Ever since Iris had returned, nothing had gone her way.

“Forget it.”

“We’ll leave her alone for now.”

She took a deep breath.

“We’ll deal with her after Mason gets back from his trip.”

The recommendation process was still some time

away.

There would be plenty of opportunities later.

With Axel’s protection, Hannah finally enjoyed a few peaceful days at school.

Her grades gradually stabilized as well.

Meanwhile, Iris spent most of her time helping classmates with their studies.

Usually, she taught Sophie directly.

Sophie’s grades were already among the better ones in Foundation Class, and her comprehension was excellent.

That allowed her to take over many tutoring duties and significantly lighten Iris’s workload.

The other teachers watched Foundation Class’s sudden enthusiasm with varying degrees of 1/6

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Chapter 53 Second Rejection

skepticism.

Most of them shared Mr. Lee’s attitude.

They were simply waiting to see the students fail. 2

Only Miss Taylor seemed genuinely excited.

That evening, Iris finally switched back to her work account.

To her surprise, she found a reply from Ares.

Just two words.

[Not acceptable.]

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The cold, blunt message felt completely disconnected from the polite, gentlemanly man she’d met in the study.

Still, he hadn’t blocked her.

He hadn’t cut off contact.

Which meant he still wanted the project.

Iris’s instincts told her that Xavier had probably done something to offend him.

After thinking for a moment, she replied.

“In that case, why don’t we scrap everything we discussed before and start over from the beginning?”

Two minutes later, a response appeared.

[Agreed.]

Iris finally relaxed.

Then she switched fully into business mode.

Using her professional account, she began negotiating with Ares from scratch.

The discussion lasted the entire evening.

Neither side gave an inch.

C

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Chapter 53 Second Rejection

Both were experienced negotiators.

:

Both knew exactly where to push and where to hold firm.

Ares had no idea who the person on the other side of the screen was.

But he could clearly feel their decisive, uncompromising style.

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It had been a long time since he’d encountered an opponent who could keep up with him.

Gradually, he found himself developing a genuine respect for them.

By the time they finished, it was nearly one in the morning.

After several rounds of compromise from both sides, the deal was finally finalized.

The moment Iris saw the completed contract, she collapsed backward onto her soft bed.

Exhausted.

As expected of an old fox.

Getting even the slightest concession from Ares required incredible effort.

She had just stood up to shower when her phone buzzed again.

[Would you like to schedule a meeting to sign the contract in person? Dinner is on me.]

Iris had no intention of revealing her identity. So she deliberately copied his original businesslike tone.

[My schedule is very busy lately. Xavier can sign on my behalf.]

The reply came almost instantly.

[Electronic signatures are acceptable.]

Iris stared at the message.

Exactly how much did he dislike Xavier?

At this point she was completely convinced that Xavier had somehow offended him.

Meanwhile, Julian stood behind Ares’s computer, reading the chat log.

The more he read, the more shocked he became.

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Chapter 53 Second Rejection

What was happening lately?

Had Mr. Barclay been rejected again?

This was the second woman after Miss Iris to refuse a meal with him.

And this wasn’t even a date.

It was a business dinner.

In the past, people fought for opportunities to invite Ares out.

Now they were turning him down?

Had his market value dropped?

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Of course, Ares wasn’t thinking about any of that. He simply found the other party mysterious.

Interesting.

Since they didn’t want to meet in person, he wouldn’t force the issue.

Iris truly was busy.

After having Xavier draft the final contract, she still needed to review preparations for Star’s second-anniversary celebration.

Zane sent over a preliminary guest list.

Then he hesitated.

“There was something else.”

“Didn’t you previously say we should invite Samuel and Vanessa?”

“Do we still send them invitations?”

Every Star event in the past had included two reserved spots for the Sutton family.

Those invitations had quietly provided them with countless business opportunities.

But this time…

“No.”

Iris’s answer was immediate.

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Chapter 53 Second Rejection

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In Kingsley, Samuel and Vanessa were staring at the guest list posted on Star Group’s official website.

Both were stunned.

“What does Mr. Walker mean by this? We’re not invited?”

Vanessa immediately exploded. “Why not? We already had an understanding! This has to be Iris whispering nonsense into Mr. Walker’s ear again!”

Samuel rubbed his aching temples.

“Keep your voice down.”

“Olivia is practicing violin upstairs. Don’t disturb her.”

Recently, Olivia had begun focusing entirely on violin.

Afraid of exposing herself, she had even persuaded Vanessa to hire an extremely expensive private instructor.

At the same time, she was aiming for the Fine Arts Department at Capital University.

With her current academic scores, the school’s sole arts recommendation slot was her only realistic path.