3.

The air was suffocating.

At least that’s what Iris thought as she stood in the living room, hesitant to venture further away from the door she was standing against while examining the occupants of the room with the loud thudding of her heart against her chest.

The occupants stared back at her, expressions different but evenly distributed. While Luca’s mother was staring at her with a pleased smile, Helen and Vera were the total opposite.

Something was awfully wrong and she felt the strong urge to turn the knob she had yet to release and run out of the room so she could save herself before it became too late.

“Iris” Her Father, or rather Master Stephen grounded out just as she twisted the handle as if he could see the actions of the hand behind her back.

“Yes, sir. Alanna told me you wanted to see me?” With the way his left eye twitched in annoyance, Iris bid goodbye to a peaceful afternoon after their visitors left.

“Come inside” There was a bite in his tone. A warning for her to act without question if she didn’t want her already pathetic life to become more miserable by the day’s end.

Iris walked into the room with her legs heavy as though they knew that nothing good was going to come out of this. She stood on rubber legs in the middle like a criminal awaiting judgment.

“This is Evelyn Rutherford and her son, Luca Rutherford. You saw them at the party yesterday” Stephen introduced and Iris had to hold herself from meeting Luca’s gaze. After what happened yesterday, she had hidden in her room for the rest of the party and surprisingly, not even Vera or Helen had come to look for her.

The pause from Stephen was unnecessary but Iris would never dare to voice her opinion. She doesn’t voice opinions. She wasn’t worthy of having any. However, the man who sat composed like a King in his palace was Helen, her step-sister’s fiancé so she didn’t understand why they would need to introduce them to each other. She was a maid. Someone that didn’t matter at all.

She wanted to ask why the introduction but she doesn’t because Stephen continues after his exaggerated pause.

“You are to marry him in four weeks”

“What?” The words flew out of her mouth before she could control herself, just like her eyes were almost popping out of their sockets.

“I believe you heard me correctly” Her father…no, the master spoke harshly and she took a step back out of instinct.

“But he’s supposed to get married to Helen?”

Iris’s gaze found her stepsister but the icy glare and the smoke escaping from her ears made her quickly avert her gaze. Helen looked like she was a minute from pouncing on Iris. Iris wished the ground would swallow her.

Luca had decided not to marry Helen after catching her in bed with Jace, something Helen believed was her fault and now she was being told to marry Luca, the same person Helen had bragged over for months. She was going to leave this house in a body bag like her sister had promised. There was no way Helen would allow that to happen.

“Your sister cheated on my son with his cousin and we are no longer willing to accept her as a member of our family.” Iris already knew that but it seemed Luca didn’t tell his mother about what happened before he caught Helen with his cousin.

Iris looked at her sister just in time to see her flinched at the bite in Evelyn’s words and she winced knowing that everything Helen was feeling, she would feel ten times worse when their visitors left.

“Your father offered us his second daughter instead because this is an arranged deal and I am not willing to invest in his media company without the wedding of both families.” Evelyn Rutherford explained with a pleased smile as her eyes observed every inch of Iris.

“But I am not_”

“So, Mrs Rutherford, will you be willing to accept Iris as your daughter-in-law instead?” Stephen said with a sharp glare, cutting her off as though he knew she was about to deny that she wasn’t their daughter and just a maid.

“Of course, Mr. Taylor. You should have told us from the onset you had such a beautiful daughter. I would have chosen her from the start” Evelyn said with a wide smile which was the opposite of what Iris was feeling.

Iris could swear she heard a hiss from Helen. She was going to kill her later. This woman had just made her life much worse by implying that Iris was prettier than Helen which was the highest form of insult to her sister.

“It was complicated” Stephen answered with a tight smile.

“Come closer, child. Let me take a good look at you” Evelyn beckoned and Iris almost staggered towards the woman.

Her future was being decided like a business deal but she had no say in it. She approached Evelyn but her eyes were on Luca.

The man’s cold gaze was enough to make her stricken with fear. He glared at her with every step she took closer and she almost burst into tears, knowing she was going to be married to someone who hated her. What use was a rich and handsome husband if he loathed her?

As Iris knelt before Evelyn, she couldn’t tear her eyes off the man whose eyes burned a hole in her chest. Her eyes swept through his features now she was closer. He had dark blue eyes that appeared almost black under low lightening, his black hair glistened and his lips were pressed together in displeasure.

Evelyn cleared her throat and Iris was snapped out of her thoughts. She blushed, knowing Evelyn had caught her checking out her son but the woman didn’t seem angry at all. She had a pleased smile on her face.

“Hmmm, up close, you are even more stunning. Just some proper pampering and you should be the most beautiful bride the world has ever seen. Welcome to the family, child.”

“Thank you?” Iris answered, unsure of what else to say. Her eyes returned to Luca nervously and Evelyn laughed.

“Forgive me for not making the introductions. This is Luca, I’m sure you already know. He is going to be your husband. Don’t mind him, he doesn’t talk much but he doesn’t object to the wedding so you have nothing to be afraid of”

Iris wanted to tell Evelyn that they already met and it was a disaster. She wanted to scream that the expression on his face said he didn’t want to get married to her. There was no way Luca would be happy getting married to the sister of the person who cheated on him especially since he believed she knew Helen was cheating and she was trying to protect her. She was certain he saw her as the same as Helen and would make her life a living hell.

“Is that all? I need to get back to work” Luca asked.

“Luca” Evelyn chastised before turning back to Iris “Forgive his manners. The only thing he cares about is work but I’m sure that would change after you both get married.”

Iris said nothing in reply but got back on her feet and walked backwards so she was now back in the middle of the room.

“We will be taking our leave since Luca must get back to work. Iris is too skinny so I’ll be sending down a team to manage her diet and welfare until the wedding. She needs to look her best on the wedding day since it will be broadcasted nationwide”

“A personal team?” Helen shrieked but her mother pinched her just as Evelyn turned to glare at her.

“Yes, her personal team. She is to be a Rutherford now and must look like one. That should have been your team but you messed it up” Helen shrank into herself and cast her eyes down in humiliation.

A tightness gripped Iris's throat when Stephen escorted the Rutherfords out of the room, leaving her alone with Helen and her mother, Vera.

She turned quickly and made a beeline for the door but she wasn’t fast enough.

“You better stop there before I tear your face open” Helen screeched and Iris halted her movement. She turned around slowly to face them and took in a slow breath but it did nothing to calm her rampant heart.

“How dare you take away Luca from me? This was what you wanted from the beginning right? I’m sure all those times I bragged about Luca, you stood silently to the side scheming how to take him from me, you slut” She shrieked and Iris winced at how loud her voice was.

“I didn’t take him from you. You were the one who caused it by cheating on him” The words were out of her mouth before she could stop it.

She gasped when her cheeks tingled from the slap dealt to her. Iris stumbled back in shock. She used her left hand to hold her stinging cheek and her eyes watered.

“Who do you think you are to say those words to me? I should have known you were just as dirty and shameless as your mother, stealing what doesn’t belong to you” Helen poked Iris's chest with her nails digging into her skin and Iris stumbled backwards.

“Mom, can you believe Mrs Rutherford implied that this vermin was prettier than I am?” Helen began to cackle and there was a crazed look in her eyes so Iris took a few steps back.

“Don’t listen to her. She would never be able to measure up to you” Her mother spat.

“What do I do now, mom. Luca is getting married to her” Helen began to cry and pace the room.

“I told your father to have sent her away the moment her mother died but he wouldn’t listen. He was afraid of the world finding out he had a bastard daughter because of his reputation. The world is going to know now with this wedding” Vera stared at Iris with so much hatred, far worse than the ones in Luca’s eyes.

“I wish I could just kill her” Helen yells and shoves Iris so hard, she slammed into the table, knocking it down and the small vase on it fell on her head.

Iris gasped when she felt blood began to trickle down the side of her head and the room becomes black for a second as tears gathered in her eyes. They managed to cripple her every time with their words.

The door to the room opened again and their father stepped in. His eyes found Iris on the floor and they widened when they saw the blood.

“What happened to her?” He yelled and Helen stumbled back in shock. Her father had never yelled at her before now. She was his precious daughter.

“I was teaching her a lesson for trying to take Luca from me” She whined. “Daddy, you can’t let her get married to Luca. There must be something you can do to convince Mrs Rutherford. Tell her Iris is a bastard and does not deserve to be Luca’s wife”

“You have the guts to blame someone else for your foolish mistake?” Stephen thundered and stormed towards Helen. He grabbed her arm tightly and she winced.

“I told you the marriage was important to stop our company from going bankrupt. I warned you not to fuck it up and you go and fuck his cousin the night of the party, while there were guests around. How daft can you get?” Stephen yelled and Helen gasped in fear. Her eyes widened and her hands shook.

“It…it…it was a mistake daddy. He wasn’t paying me any attention and Jace was there. It was supposed to be a one time thing” She sobbed.

“Don’t you dare try to lie to me. Mrs. Rutherford already told me anything. How could you do this?” Stephen demanded.

“You shouldn’t scold her in front of that scum. How could you let her take Helen’s place?” Vera pulled her daughter behind her to glare at her husband.

“You think I would allow this deal to fall through if I can help it? You should have trained her better.” Stephen growled.

“It’s just like 26 years ago over again. She is going to snatch Luca from my daughter just like her mother took you from me” Vera yelled.

“And whose fault is that?” Stephen answered his wife coldly before turning an irritated glare to Iris who was still on the floor.

“Get that cleaned up immediately. I don’t want to have to answer questions from Evelyn about why her future daughter in-law has her head torn opened”

“Daddy!!” Helen cried out “Are you really letting this happen? You can’t do this to me”

“You should have been more careful if you wanted to be a Rutherford, now you have to bear the consequences of your actions”

“Are you still here?” Vera screeched at Iris and she ran out of the room to the staff quarters.

She rushed into the tiny room she shared with Alanna. Thankfully, the room was empty and Iris fell to the floor and curled around herself.

Her body trembled as sobs racked her entire being. At the end, she was used as a bargaining chip to save the company of the family who would do anything to make sure no one knew she was acquainted to them.

She was going to get married to a man she was certain would make her life a living hell.