ris’ Pov“What don’t you like?” I asked, staring at Orchard confusedly.He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped midway, his brows were knitted. A gesture that showed he was deep in thoughts. Then he turned towards the window, “that smell,” he muttered.My face fell at his words, an air of confusion surrounding me. The amount of weirdness I was getting from him was too much for one night.“Orchard, what is really going…” my words hung in the air as the stench hit my nose as well, temporarily knocking the air out of my longs. I followed the smell and it led me out of the car to the side of the road.There was a vehicle smashed against a tree. Its hood was bent beyond recognition, glass scattered everywhere like shattered ice. The sight took my breath away, and I could barely whisper, “Oh no… no…”My knees started to wobble, and the world spun around me. Just as my legs gave out, strong arms caught me from behind, pulling me back to reality. “Iris, I’ve got you,” Orchard’s voi
Orchard "Tell me you have something," I mumbled into the phone once I shut the door to the master bedroom behind me."It's bad," Richard, my lawyer, said. "I think it's best to call it in.""Come to the office as early as possible tomorrow. We need to have a long conversation." I stopped mid-step, and my free hand soon clenched into a fist until I felt pain in my palms from my nails digging into my skin. I shut my eyes tightly."How deep does it go?" I asked.He stood silent for a moment. "Deep," he said. "It's minutes upon minutes of slander. But that's not the main point. We have a few problems, mostly with information." He paused. "You know what? Just come in tomorrow."I let out a small sigh and continued my trip to my study. Once there, I pulled out my laptop and opened my email."I've sent you a couple of files," he said. "Take a quick look at them and get back to me. I've already initiated some lawsuits against a few people and issued some cease and desists to other influencer
Orchard.I woke up to the incessant ringing of my alarm, reminding me it was time for another day of work. Mornings weren’t usually my favorite time of the day, but my thoughts on that, became conflicted since I married Iris. Although, I stubbornly refused to admit it to myself, I loved waking up to see the sunlight caressing her beautiful face. Those faint glows on her luscious lips were enough to keep me going throughout the day. “Morning,” I whispered as I got out of bed, even though she was still sleeping. I took a quick shower and soon fitted into my work clothes. I had them picked out for me already, so I spent a lesser time dressing up. I hadn’t said goodbye to Iris when I was leaving. In fact, I left while she was still snoozing happily, her face buried into her pillow. I made a quick and quiet arc of getting dressed and heading outside, ensuring I barely made a sound until I was in the car and zoomed off to work.As promised, Richard was waiting for me in front of my of
IrisI woke up to several text messages flooding my phone, completely covering the home screen."What?" I mumbled to myself groggily. I wiped the sleep from my eyes, muttering something incoherent about waking up to too many things and having to look at my phone so early in the morning."Hey, it's Macy. I'm meeting you for lunch today. Here’s the address." Underneath was the name of a rather popular restaurant some distance away from my house. I knew it; it was where Tiffany liked to go and "flex," as she would say, with her friends back when we were in high school.I buried my head back into the pillow, mumbling, "Why me?" I asked myself, until I suddenly remembered I was married to a rich man and that, by virtue of the fundraiser I went to, I had thrown myself into the limelight as a social butterfly."Oh God," I sat up straight. That wasn’t all she had texted. I buried my head back into the pillow and decided it best to take another nap for at least two hours.My eyes suddenly snap
Iris.The hairs on my skin stood still as her ever irritating voice scarred the walls of my eardrum. I could immediately feel bile rising to my throat, sucking all the air from my throat.My eyes darted to Macy and she stared back, shaking apologetically. Showing that she had no idea Tiffany was coming.So this was a set up? I thought to myself. Wonderful.“Hello, Tiffany,” I turned around to meet her gaze, offering her a wide smile. She, and perhaps everyone else in the room could tell it was fake, but I didn’t care. “Why don’t you join us,” I gestured to a seat at the corner of the room.“No, thank you.” She batted her fake eyelashes, “I’d rather sit beside you.”The reason as to why she was invited remained uncertain, but those days I let her walk over me like I was some carpet at an ancient temple, was long gone.“Of course.” I replied. “Sisters should stick to each other, shouldn’t they?” I turned to the other women, and they each gave their nod of approval. Even the one who wou
OrchardI need a fucking drink, I thought to myself as I rubbed my eyes, trying to clear the slight fuzziness. For hours now, I had been in what was my equivalent of a situation room.If I had known this was going to be my situation at the office, I would have stayed in bed longer, drowning myself in the scent of Iris and allowing her soft hair sprawl across my face .Instead, I was stuck with these people who kept repeating the same thing over again, while seeking for my approval.After that meeting ended, I attended a couple of others, with the same process, until I attended the one that finally mattered.My lawyer, head of finance, and other important people in the administration of the hotel had been non-stop pouring over files, muttering to themselves regarding a solution to what was not yet a crisis.At least, that was a bright side, I thought to myself. I pulled Richard aside, tapping on the table and gesturing for him to wheel his chair over to me."The financial problems asid
OrchardI had just finished my last meeting for the day and returned to my office, when I realized I hadn’t spoken to Iris all day, and she hadn’t called me either. Perhaps she had a very busy day as well.I pulled out my phone and called her. At least her voice would serve as some form of respite, an anchor of some sort. She didn’t pick up on the first few rings, causing me to call her again, and then again. It was only then that she finally answered.She didn’t say anything, simply breathing heavily into the phone."Are you okay?" I took the initiative to ask, breaking the tense block of ice that had formed between us through the radio waves.“No,” she said in a clipped tone. “Far from it. I woke up this morning to find a message inviting me to lunch. Silly old me thought it was going to be all peaches and cream, all bubblegum and niceness. Instead, here I am, subject to high-school-level bullying from the popular crowd. And guess who showed up?”I couldn’t help myself; curiosity bu
IrisI was nervous. So nervous, in fact, that my vision became blurry, and my heart began to thunder in my chest. Was he going to leave me too? Was he going to ask me for a divorce? What was he going to do?He sucked in a breath as though he was about to say something of seismic proportions, disturbing the balance of the galaxy within me. The butterflies in my belly fluttered so much that I barely felt grounded. Ohhh Orchard, why do you do this to me? I asked myself, my eyes widening so much that my eyebrows nearly merged with my hairline."Dinner," he said. "Would you like to join me for dinner with my family?"I blinked once, then twice, then three times, and just like that, my nerves shattered. The tension broke apart like Humpty Dumpty."Oh," I said in a rather anticlimactic fashion, chuckling nervously. "I don’t know why I got so worked up," I mumbled under my breath, turning my face away from him."Tomorrow evening?" he said, a small smile playing across his lips, almost as if
Tiffany I stood staring at myself in the antiseptic-smelling air of the ladies' room, of course be-speckled with the scent of various perfumes and other air fresheners. Still, it left my nose powerful enough to pick out anything sometimes. This time, however, my focus had been so much on the mirror, on myself, on the dress I frankly hated, especially when compared to hers. Damn it, my sister was supposed to be living badly. She was supposed to be suffering. Her life was not supposed to be anything I wanted. It wasn't supposed to be anything I desired. So why? Why was her dress an early sub? I had seen the dress in several pictures. I'd loved it. I'd raved over it. I wanted it more than anything itself. And yet, my step-sister showed up in that dress with a billionaire dressed on her arm. She smelled impeccable. In a custody battle, I had seen the bottles. They looked almost like crystal. I'd wanted it, but frankly, the thing cost a little more—nearly as much as my car. And then
Iris Halle’s reply was totally expected, the world could probably be ending tomorrow and she would go to the office today.“Yeah, but…” I reached out toward her, placing a hand on her. Granted, she wasn’t pale, and she didn’t look tired. If anything, she looked much better than the day she was discharged. But still. I had seen just a little bit too much confidence harm someone. It suddenly struck me, remembering one of my high school friends, Betty. Her mom got admitted to the hospital due to an accident. While Betty was mostly fine, her mom wasn’t. By the time the doctor said she was fine and ready to go home, Betty’s mom spent two days at home and died in her bed due to complications from a surgery she had. Of course, Halle couldn’t be compared to that. Still, I was worried. “Are you sure you’re going to be okay?” She smiled a rather kind smile, shook her head, and somehow tapped me on the nose with an index finger. “I’m fine,” she said. “Not really perfect, but the whol
Iris After the shower, I stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel, my hair still damp. His question had caught me totally off guard, and more so, my reply. I let him shower first, when he was done, I went in and had my shower. By the time I came out of the bathroom, Orchard was already rummaging through his closet, pulling out a crisp shirt and dark trousers. His ease and confidence were something I admired and envied.I went to the vanity, my hands trembling slightly as I reached for my makeup bag. I wasn’t usually this nervous, but today felt different. Everything felt heightened, like all eyes would be on me tonight.As I started applying foundation, my hands shook just enough for Orchard to notice. He walked over, his shirt half-buttoned, and leaned against the dresser, watching me with a calm expression.“You need to relax,” he said softly. “Everything’s going to be fine.”I sighed, setting down the brush. “I know,” I replied, though my voice didn’t sound convincing. “It’
Tiffany Dave soon began to walk towards the door. My mouth hung open as I watched him. Surely he wasn't serious, right? He was joking, right? "I'm sorry," I said. I blurted it out. "Can we just forget that ever happened and face this like adults?" He stopped dead in his tracks, his muscles tensing as he breathed in and out slowly. Somehow, I found myself mirroring his exact actions, trying to ease out the tension I felt and hoping that the slight moisture on my head wasn’t sweat but merely my imagination. "Fine," Dave shrugged, turned around quickly, and began walking toward the walk-in closet not far from me. Subconsciously, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and began panting heavily for breath, while even more moisture gathered on my forehead. Yep, that was sweat, I told myself as I reached for a bit of tissue and dabbed at it. Before I was done with my makeup, he came out, fully showered and wrapped in a towel, his hair now white and wet. His eyes briefly found
Orchard’s Pov“You know, you really are the most beautiful person to walk the earth.” I said to Iris, as she stood by the mirror brushing her hair. “You’re just saying that because I’m your wife,” she chuckled, her eyes lighting up the room and my heart as well. “What do you say, we try something different right now?”“Orchard! Your mum’s event is in a few hours, we should be getting ready.”“We have time.” I winked, earning a playful glare from her in return.I opened my lower drawer, retrieving a tool box from it, Iris eyes never left mine. I got close to her as her eyes followed my body, looking a bit presumptuous about every move I made. I took out from the toys I had brought, a blindfold. For some reason, I felt she looked very appealing in it. I was going to be gentle with her anyway. I just didn't want her eyes staring at me while I continued. I wanted her looking as hot as I wanted her to be. Not that she wasn’t already, I just needed to see her that way, in blindfolds.I s
Tiffany “No,” she shook her head. “You wait,” she said, very firm. “You wait until everything is ready, and then you go change. I’m hoping that at least you’ll have things done before you come home.” She started to walk away from me. “Very good,” of course, that was her staple—walking away when she believed herself to be done with people or going to meet someone. So, after Mom left, I decided to go downstairs and simply get some hands-on experience. “Status?” I whispered to Bethany, Kimberly’s second. “We’re almost done with the table placement,” she said. “Of course, they’re also ready to cover the tables and set up the centerpieces. We’re having a few issues, though,” she said. “The guest list is quite muddled, and because we didn’t have a rehearsal dinner to figure out who’s sitting where, I hope the vegan table doesn’t get mixed up with the one for meat-eaters.” She widened her dark blue eyes. “This is a travesty,” she said, touching her forehead. “Shut up,” I mumbl
Tiffany’s POVI stood in front of the mirror, carefully brushing out my hair. Last night’s argument with Dave lingered in my mind, he hadn’t been himself, but that didn’t make the pain any easier to bear.I set the brush down on the dresser with a soft clink and reached for the necklace I’d chosen, a simple gold chain with a small emerald pendant. I was fastening the necklace when I felt a pair of familiar arms wrapping around my waist. I hadn’t heard him come in, and the sudden warmth of his embrace startled me.“Tiff,” he said softly.I froze for a second, caught off guard, then let out a slow breath. “Dave,” I replied, keeping my tone neutral.He tightened his hold on me, resting his chin lightly on my shoulder. His touch wasn’t demanding; it was tentative, almost apologetic. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.“For last night?” I asked, though I already knew.He nodded, “I was out of line, Tiff. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s no excuse, but I was stressed, and…” He sighed, his breath
Orchard’s POV The evening air was cool as I climbed the steps to the rooftop. My body felt heavy, like each movement required more effort than it should. The door creaked as I pushed it open, revealing the quiet sanctuary that had always been my retreat. The rooftop wasn’t much to look at, it was a simple flat space bordered by a rusty railing. A few old chairs sat scattered around, one missing a leg, the other barely standing. The city stretched out in front of me, endless and alive. I stepped toward the edge, my boots scuffing against the uneven surface, and sank to the ground with my back against the railing. Reaching into my jacket pocket, I pulled out a half-empty bottle of whiskey. It clinked softly against the metal railing as I set it down beside me, and for a moment, I just stared at it. My fingers tightened around the glass. I unscrewed the cap and raised the bottle to my lips, the first sip burning as it slid down my throat. The whiskey was old and sharp, but it did the
Iris Pov “Mum,” I had muttered, almost to myself. Halle, who had been standing beside me, glanced over. “Huh?” I froze for a moment, then quickly shook my head. “Sorry,” I said, forcing a smile. “I meant my step mum.” I said to her. Leaving the part where she magically appeared in the same store we were. I mean, not that it was surprising, with an event like that coming up, she would certainly want to make an impression. I just didn’t want to bump into my step mum while I was out shopping with my mother-in-law whom she was yet to know about. “Iris, are you alright?” Halle asked, pulling me away from my thoughts. It was then I realized I had zoned out. “Yea, uhmm… yes.” I replied. “You know, when I said step mum, I meant she’s here.” “Oh.” Understanding dawned in her eyes, and she tilted her head slightly. “Tiffany’s mum?” I nodded, feeling my cheeks flush. I couldn’t exactly tell her I didn’t want Karen to know she was my mother-in-law yet, and despite how much of a bitch she