Chapter 2
My husband and I found ourselves back at Bright Hope Children's Home.
There, we bumped into Betrico's wealthiest man, who was also here to adopt a child.
Before we even got here, my husband and I had already talked it over.
If Betrico's wealthiest man had his eye on Iris and wanted to adopt her, we would definitely drop a hint.
We would mention that she might not be the easiest kid to handle, or something along those lines.
At the same time, we also saw Frank, who showed up late.
On the surface, he looked downright good-natured.
He even made an effort to spruce himself up.
He shaved, combed his hair, and was dressed sharply.
When Frank talked to the director, he made himself sound like a real upstanding guy.
He said he owned a chain of supermarkets, specializing in fresh produce.
But my husband and I knew the truth.
Frank might look all respectable on the outside, but underneath, he was nothing like the person he pretended to be.
We looked out the office window.
There, we saw Iris, Julie, and a little boy named Alex playing in the yard.
Frank set his sights on Iris the moment he saw her; he just couldn't hide his interest.
But my husband and I caught the greed in his eyes right away.
It was clear he was up to no good with Iris.
In our previous lives, we just couldn't help ourselves.
Knowing we couldn't let Frank take Iris, we jumped in and said she was ours to adopt.
At that time, Betrico's wealthiest man had his eye on Julie.
Frank was only after a girl, but in the end, he went home with nothing.
But in this life, we did things differently.
We chose Alex right away.
Betrico's richest guy still went for Julie, and Frank got what he wanted. He said he would take Iris.
After that, the director led us down to meet the three kids.
My husband and I arrived a minute before Betrico's wealthiest man, so we walked over to Iris and Julie.
Iris eyed us nervously, clearly worried we would choose her, with a look of disdain and guardedness in her eyes.
She kept looking over our shoulders, obviously waiting for Betrico's wealthiest man to show up.
She even deliberately smeared some dirt she picked up while playing onto Julie's face, making Julie look totally disheveled.
Seeing all that, my husband and I just went ahead and picked Alex.
Alex was super obedient, and he spoke up right away.
Alex said, "I want to go home with you guys. Promise I'll be good, you don't have to worry about me."
My husband and I held Alex's hand.
We saw a glint of triumph in Iris's eyes, as her scheme had finally paid off.
She must've thought that, with this second shot at life, she finally turned her luck around.
Then Betrico's wealthiest man showed up.
Iris was absolutely certain that, with this second shot at life, things would finally go her way.
She was sure her adorable face and those big, innocent eyes would guarantee she would be the one Betrico's wealthiest man picked.
But no matter what she did in front of him, it made no difference.
Betrico's wealthiest man walked right past her and went straight to Julie, choosing her without a second thought.
Iris finally snapped, her voice rising in panic as she shouted, "Pick me. Why aren't you picking me?
"I'm so cute and pretty, and I'm super sweet. I'll be so good to you, I promise."
Iris transcended back, convinced that her big break was finally here.
If only Betrico's wealthiest man would adopt her, she'd be cruising in million-dollar cars, rocking designer bags, and be the center of everyone's attention.
Besides, she always resented Julie.
But who could've guessed that Betrico's richest guy would still choose Julie? How could she possibly accept that?
Iris completely lost it.
She just couldn't wrap her head around it; how come everyone else transcended back, and things always worked out for them?
But for her, she still had to stand by and watch as her golden opportunity slipped right through her fingers.
The director hurried over to calm Iris down, saying gently, "What's going on, Iris?
"I've told you before, adoption is about finding the right match for both sides.
"Alright, you'll be going home with this gentleman. He's chosen you."
Frank came over and once again told Iris about his family's fresh food business, making it sound like a big deal.
When Iris heard about the fresh food business, she thought maybe Frank had money after all.
She hated the idea of going with Frank, but what else could she do?
Iris was about to turn six, and once she got older, it'd be even tougher for her to get adopted.
Plus, Bright Hope Children's Home had a rule. After a few rounds of adoption offers, if nobody picked a kid, the chances would go to the younger ones first.
After all, there weren't many people coming to Bright Hope Children's Home to adopt, anyway.
If she missed this chance, she might never get adopted again.
After that, she'd probably just be getting by at the orphanage, barely enough food to eat and water to drink, nothing more.
Sure, she'd get free schooling, but that was about it, no extra support, no special treatment, nothing.
My husband and I watched Iris drop her head, and we could tell her mind was working overtime.
Iris was weighing everything carefully.
She knew this was her last shot.
She bit the bullet and managed to squeeze out a sweet smile, even though her heart wasn't in it.
With no other choice, Iris nodded and went along with Frank.
She threw us a look that was almost defiant, probably thinking that this time, we wouldn't adopt her, and finally, we wouldn't hold her back anymore.
My husband and I shared a sly smile, secretly amused.
Wait and see. Iris's nightmare was just getting started.