Tyler Kwan flipped through the contract, his expression growing darker.
'Heh, the girl's got guts,' he thought. 'She's treating us like temp workers!'
"Miss Iris, you're the one paying, so we'll do as you say," Tyler Kwan said flatly as he signed the contract.
He was only holding back out of respect for Master Dalton.
'Whatever,' he thought. 'We're all grown men. Why argue with a little girl?'
RUMBLE RUMBLE—
Just then, the sound of wheels approached from outside the main gate. A sedan slowly rolled in, followed by two large, fully loaded trucks.
The truck beds were filled with heavy steel frames, causing the vehicles to sway as they drove in.
Tyler Kwan craned his neck for a look. The steel frames were materials for building a greenhouse.
"Miss Iris, are these your people?" Tyler Kwan frowned, a little surprised.
They had just signed the contract, and the rest of the mercenary group hadn't even arrived yet, but the materials for the greenhouse were already on-site.
'Just how impatient is she?!'
Tyler Kwan shook his head to himself. 'Girls just have no patience. Growing ancient herbs requires patience above all else. Everything needs to be perfectly prepared for success to follow naturally.'
'With such a restless attitude, what could she possibly hope to grow?!'
He couldn't help but feel a little annoyed. He lit a cigarette and started smoking moodily.
The sedan stopped, and two young men got out.
One of them was scruffy with a dark, oily complexion. He grinned when he saw Iris Dalton. "Where'd this little girl come from? Morgan Vaughn, is she your sister?"
He noticed the burly, fierce-looking men standing beside the girl, each looking like they were not to be trifled with.
But Sean Carson instinctively felt that they weren't the ones in charge. The young girl was the key figure here.
Morgan Vaughn glanced at Iris Dalton, his eyes cold.
His mentor, Professor Nolan, had taken a liking to this plot of land and wanted to build a field research area. Morgan had specifically called his aunt to ask her to lend them the land.
But his aunt had told him that Old Mr. Sherwood was in charge of the land and had already transferred it to the Sherwood Family's youngest daughter, Iris Dalton.
Morgan Vaughn had heard this but hadn't taken it seriously at all.
'What could a mere girl have possibly done to deserve Old Mr. Sherwood transferring ancestral property to her?'
'His older cousin, Claire Sherwood, is a top student at Lumin-Umbra University, and even she hasn't received such treatment.'
Morgan Vaughn had also heard a little about the things that had happened after Iris Dalton returned to the Sherwood Family.
She was, technically speaking, his first cousin.
But he had no interest in this cousin whatsoever; in fact, he was rather disgusted by her.
'His aunt's family wasn't lacking children, and their lives were stable and peaceful.'
'He'd heard that this youngest daughter came from some backwater mountain valley, was already eighteen, and had a wild and arrogant personality.'
'The moment she returned to the Sherwood Family, she started fighting to be top dog, angering his other cousin, Serena Sherwood, so much that she almost ran away from home.'
'It seemed this little cousin was a real troublemaker. After her return, the Sherwood Family wouldn't have a moment's peace!'
"Assistant Teacher Carson, don't talk nonsense. Not just anyone is worthy of being my sister. I don't know her. Let's just hurry up and unload the trucks. I still have to report back to our mentor."
His tone was dismissive. He then turned to call over the two truck drivers, completely ignoring Iris Dalton.
WHOOSH! Tyler Kwan blew out a smoke ring, casting a cold glance in their direction.
He didn't lash out, quickly resuming his composed, unconcerned demeanor.
He could tell these people weren't with Iris Dalton, and what they were planning to do clearly conflicted with her own plans.
'This should be interesting.'
Tyler Kwan exchanged a look with a few of his subordinates. A hint of amusement flickered in their eyes, but none of them said a word.
They had no intention of interfering, content to stand by and watch the show with an air of schadenfreude.
They'd see what the little girl was made of. If she got bullied to tears, it would be the perfect excuse to scrap this whole herb-planting job.
Then they wouldn't have to waste their time here. They could all just pack up and go home!
"When are the workers arriving?" Morgan Vaughn asked after taking a call. He turned his head and was surprised to see Iris Dalton still standing there.
She hadn't left.
The afternoon sun slanted across her, elongating her slender, delicate figure. She looked lazy and casual, yet she exuded an air of solitary, aloof pride.
She wore a single earbud, the brim of her baseball cap pulled low, and her eyes were slightly downcast, as if lost in her own world.
Morgan Vaughn froze for a second, an inexplicable wave of irritation rising within him. He put away his phone and strode forward. "Why are you still here? This is private property, not a playground. Leave now. Don't get in the way of our work!"
The girl slowly raised her head, and a cold, indifferent glint flashed in her clear eyes, piercing straight to the soul.
Morgan Vaughn flinched and took two involuntary steps back.
'What a terrifying gaze!'
'He almost thought her eyes were about to shoot an arrow straight through his chest.'
Tyler Kwan threw his cigarette butt to the ground, shrugged, and said in a deliberately peculiar tone, "What's it got to do with us? Why don't you ask the owner here if she's the one who hired us to plant herbs."
"Who's the owner? You don't mean her, do you?" Morgan Vaughn scoffed in disbelief. "Let me tell you something, this land belongs to my aunt's family! We're building a planting research zone here. Don't you people have any manners, coming to someone else's property to cause trouble?"
Sean Carson stood to the side, looking at Iris Dalton speechlessly, his gaze tinged with resignation.
"Young lady, growing herbs is all about inherited experience and knowledge. Without a renowned master to teach you personally, how can you possibly claim you can successfully grow them?"
What nerve!
He spoke loudly. Hearing him, the drivers of the two trucks immediately got out and started to surround them, their eyes filled with clear hostility.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
"Morgan Vaughn, we're here on business. Let's not create more trouble. Just get them to leave, and we'll drop the rest. We don't have time for this," Sean Carson said, not wanting to argue further. He glanced at his watch. "The workers will be here soon. We need to unload the materials first. There's no way we can handle this heavy work by ourselves."
Iris Dalton had remained silent the whole time, her indifferent gaze sweeping over them, a look of resistance clouding her features. "Slick, run a check on these two."
DING—
[Slick]: "Target: Morgan Vaughn, male, 26 years old, biological nephew of Mrs. Sherwood, Leona Vaughn. Graduate student at the Stellan University Pharmaceutical Institute... Your Highness, the Pond Lord, he is your cousin. Target: Sean Carson, male, 29 years old, assistant teacher at the Pharmaceutical Research Institute of Stellan University. He shares the same mentor as Morgan Vaughn, Professor Nolan."
Iris Dalton snorted.
'So someone else has their eye on this place and wants to steal my territory.'
She lifted her gaze, her clear, translucent pupils glinting. Suddenly, she smiled faintly, two shallow dimples appearing beside her lips, a look that was both innocent and bewitching.
The men in front of her immediately blushed, their hearts pounding in their chests as if they'd been struck by lightning.
It wasn't the heart-fluttering blush of seeing a pretty girl. It was more like being stabbed in the chest, the knife viciously twisted twice, leaving them a bloody mess.
The blood gushed out, and then a chilling coldness washed over them.
'This did not feel good at all!'
Morgan Vaughn shook himself out of his stupor, his face darkening.
'He was trying to show her some courtesy for the sake of their family connection, but she was being stubborn and was determined to pester him endlessly!'
'His important work couldn't be delayed. He had to get rid of Iris Dalton today.'
'It was her own fault for being so clueless. She could have gone anywhere to fool around, but she had to come here and mess with his business!'
"Did you not hear what I said? Are you deaf? If you don't leave right now, I'll tell my aunt, and you can just wait for a scolding when you get home." Morgan Vaughn took a few steps forward, intending to shove Iris Dalton.
"CRACK!"
The girl shot out a hand, grabbed Morgan Vaughn's wrist, and twisted it sharply upwards. A horrifying snapping sound came from his wrist bone.
It... was... broken!
Everyone: "!!!"
'What a terrifyingly violent girl!'
"Iris Dalton, do you know who I am? How dare you lay a hand on me!" Morgan Vaughn shouted, furious and flustered.
Soon, his blustering shouts turned into miserable wails.
His entire hand swelled up like a pig's trotter, and the pain in his wrist was like a knife carving out his heart, causing him to break out in a cold sweat and gasp repeatedly.
Tyler Kwan was stunned. The move the girl had just used—so clean and ruthless—the skilled technique was exactly the same as Master Dalton's.
'Could she and Master Dalton be...?'
Ignoring the shocked expressions all around, Iris Dalton slowly took a few steps to the side, moving farther from the trucks. "If you don't want to die, don't go near them. If you get hurt by accident, I'm not paying your medical bills."
Everyone: "..."
An inexplicable tingling crawled up their scalps, and a chill ran down their spines. It felt like something terrible was about to happen!
They all stared at the girl, wide-eyed and speechless.
Iris Dalton's lips curled into a smirk, her eyes flashing with a sharp light that was almost excitement. She raised a hand and pointed at the trucks. "You trespassed on private land and had a terrible attitude. I'll help you dispose of this stuff."
With that, she lowered her gaze slightly. "The Golden Arowana, prepare. Lock on target. Fire!"