IrisI didn’t care that my dad was standing there, I was more focused on how my words affected Tiffany, and briefly glancing at her, I found her face completely pink.Oh, it was a perfect sight, I thought to myself: Tiffany’s face, utterly embarrassed. Even if I was practically calling a bluff, it was a good bluff nonetheless.By the time I was leaving the building, I simply couldn't help the giddy smile on my face, even to the point where the receptionist I'd encountered before cocked her head at me. It felt good to be on the winning side at least once in a while, I thought as I pushed the door open.Just as I was stepping out onto the street to find my chivalrous driver, I thought to myself that I couldn’t have a worse fate than the one I had now—right as a red Ferrari pulled up in front of the building, and none other than my ex slid out of the door as if he were the main character of some romantic comedy.Surely he knew exactly what he was doing, I thought, rolling my eyes at the
Iris"Oh God," I mumbled out loud, stopping dead in my tracks, as I took in the sight before me."You good?" Orchard bent to look at me, his worried eyes filling my line of sight. "You’re going to be fine," he said. "Besides, we've got some things now, don't we?" I wanted to say "yeah," but I knew my father. I knew he wouldn't understand things like this, but still, I’d give him the benefit of the doubt. I followed as Orchard led me into Tiffany's office. Tiffany initially began to smirk, but as soon as her eyes landed on Orchard behind me, her smirk fell just as quickly as it had appeared. My father turned with surprise on his face. My stepmother’s reaction was quite comical, too; it was truly a day of comical moments. In their defense, I was surprised as well, I totally hadn’t expected Orchard to show up out of the blue, beat Dave up and request for a family meeting. There had been a crazy turn of events and I still wasn’t sure what the meeting was about."What are you doing here
OrchardI rarely ever regretted things in my life. Most of my actions were done with careful deliberation. But for the first time—well, one of the first times, save for dating that girl called Cindy Crawford in high school—I regretted my actions.I regretted not punching Dave hard enough. I regretted not knocking the living daylights out of him until he begged me to stop. Maybe if I had done it well enough, he wouldn’t be so proud as to go and call the damn police on me.My eyes found her parents and then Iris. “Is this true?” Iris’s father said, rising to his feet.I should have hit him harder than that, humbled him, I thought, only within earshot of Iris herself. She, in turn, pinched me slightly on the thigh, sending jolts through my brain—not the kind that would be best discussed on a family-friendly channel, to say the least. Iris stood to her feet.“It was all for good reason,” she said. “He tried to assault me, and my husband was defending me. Last time I checked, none of that
Iris’ Pov I stood on our room’s balcony, inhaling and exhaling, as I soaked in the evening breeze. Outside, a few stars were visible, twinkling softly. Orchard had excused himself to make a call in his study, and as much as I respected his privacy, I couldn’t help the worry that gnawed at me. He had been tensed since we arrived home, which was a few hours ago. He was silent even at the dinner table, and barely said a word to me when we came back our room. I may not know him too well, but I knew something was troubling him, and it bothered me that he wouldn’t share it with me.I sat in silence, listening to the distant murmur of his footsteps as he headed down the hallway. After a few minutes, I couldn’t resist. I was curious to know what was going on. I got of bed as quietly as I could, I tiptoed down the hall to his study. I knew it was wrong to eavesdrop, but I couldn’t stand the thought of him bearing a burden alone.When I reached his study, I saw that the door was left slight
Orchard…The drive to the restaurant was quiet, a tense silence settling between Iris and me. I kept my eyes on the road, watching the streetlights slide past in a blur of light and shadow. Iris fixed her gaze outside the window, neither of us said a word, but the unspoken tension filled the car, like a storm gathering in the distance.When we arrived at the restaurant, I spotted Dave, Tiffany, and her mother already seated by the large windows, their silhouettes framed by the glow of the chandeliers above. I turned to Iris as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Will you be okay here on your own for a bit?”“I’ll be fine,” she replied, offering me a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.I gave a nod, reaching out to squeeze her hand briefly before getting out of the car. I knew she could handle herself, but I still felt reluctant to leave her alone in this tense atmosphere. As I made my way inside, I caught sight of my uncle, sitting at the far end of a private room, his eyes immediat
Orchard…The drive to the restaurant was quiet, a tense silence settling between Iris and me. I kept my eyes on the road, watching the streetlights slide past in a blur of light and shadow. Iris fixed her gaze outside the window, neither of us said a word, but the unspoken tension filled the car, like a storm gathering in the distance.When we arrived at the restaurant, I spotted Dave, Tiffany, and her mother already seated by the large windows, their silhouettes framed by the glow of the chandeliers above. I turned to Iris as I unbuckled my seatbelt. “Will you be okay here on your own for a bit?”“I’ll be fine,” she replied, offering me a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.I gave a nod, reaching out to squeeze her hand briefly before getting out of the car. I knew she could handle herself, but I still felt reluctant to leave her alone in this tense atmosphere. As I made my way inside, I caught sight of my uncle, sitting at the far end of a private room, his eyes immediat
Iris….I was left alone in the passenger seat, tapping my fingers against my thigh, counting the seconds as they ticked by. The silence wasn’t terrible, just… dull. I let out a sigh, glancing at my reflection in the side mirror. My face looked tired, and a little boredom stretched across my features.“I’ll just take a quick look around,” I muttered to myself, pushing open the car door. My curiosity was getting the better of me. Besides, staying cooped up in that car wasn’t doing me any favors. I stretched, feeling the stiffness in my muscles ease as I stepped out. The surroundings were simple but lovely—greenery lined the paths, and a few birds chirped here and there, flitting between the trees. It felt peaceful.I wandered along the path, admiring a bed of bright flowers, bending to examine them closely. Nature always had a way of calming me down. The fresh air, the soft rustling of leaves—it was like a gentle lullaby.But soon, I started to feel tired, my legs ached from the walk.
OrchardFlashing lights may cause epileptic seizures, and "all that jazz" could best describe the exact thing I was currently facing. Flashing lights, over and over again from nearly a hundred cameras in front of me in one of the conference rooms of my hotel, nearly blinded me. I shut my eyes briefly, turning my head and finding Iris not so far off to the side. Her eyes were on me, brimming with support of some sort. If only she could come closer, I thought to myself as I shot her a small smile."Remember," I felt a hand on my shoulder and my uncle’s voice in my ear."Offer an apology, tell them...""I know what to say. I'm not a kid, you know." I shrugged his hand off my shoulder and turned once more to the flashing lights. I snapped my fingers in front of the nearest microphone, causing the flashes to momentarily stop."My name is Orchard Hector." I cast my eyes briefly towards the crowd of vigorously typing reporters. "A few things have come to light recently," I said. "A few vid
Iris’ POVI found him with my dad, they were standing by the fireplace in the lounge, deep in discussion. Orchard’s brow was furrowed in concentration as my father gestured animatedly, his voice rising and falling as he made his points. They both looked up when I entered the room, and I decided to break the tension with a little humor.“Dad, don’t scare him off,” I said with a grin as I walked over.My father chuckled, his serious demeanor softening. “Iris, you underestimate Orchard. He’s a sharp young man. He can handle me just fine.”Orchard glanced at me and smiled, the tension in his shoulders easing. “Your dad’s a great storyteller. I think I’m enjoying this more than he is.”I laughed, shaking my head. “Well, just remember he’s not above pulling out embarrassing stories about me if he runs out of other things to talk about.”My father gave me a sly smile. “Don’t tempt me.”We all laughed together, the moment feeling light and easy for the first time that evening. Just as I thoug
Iris’ POVWhen I first saw the invitation from my father, I felt nervous, but at the same time, a little spark of curiosity lit up inside me. It wasn’t just about making peace with my father, I realized this could also be a chance to learn more about Tiffany. She had always been a shadow in my life, maybe tonight, I’d find some answers.The night of the dinner, I spent extra time getting ready. I chose a simple black dress, one that was elegant but not too flashy. As I stood in front of the mirror, I smoothed the fabric and tried to steady my breathing. This was it, my chance to reconnect with my father and, hopefully, uncover something about Tiffany.“Iris,” Orchard’s voice called from the living room. “Are you ready?”I took one last look at myself in the mirror, then grabbed my purse and headed out to meet him. Orchard was dressed in a dark blazer that made him look effortlessly handsome. His presence had a way of grounding me, even when my thoughts were spinning.“You look beaut
Iris’ POVHow was your day?, I was thinking m..” Orchard didn't let me finish my words as he took over my lips in a hot steamy kiss. Even though I was first taken aback by his actions, it didn't take long for me to be completely lost under his charms. My lips melted in his, in an explosion of ecstasy.Within seconds we were both hurrying to take off our clothes, he helped me unzip my dress and peeled it off my body. Every inch of me, he unraveled, had me wanting more. I wanted him to see more. The room was cold but the moment our skin were pressed against each other, the room started to feel warmer right away, almost like the lustful desires in our hearts were burning right through our bodies into the air of the room.Our lips connected, he began sucking on my tongue while slowly guiding me to the bed, and once we were close enough, he turned around and went over me and pushed me into the bed while he slowly peeled his half-buttoned shirt from his body. I could see in his eyes how
Tiffany’s POVI sat in my car for a long time, staring out the windshield. My hands were still trembling from everything that had happened. My mind replayed the scene with Lisa, the tears in her eyes, her shaking voice, the way I had slapped her. The memory made me feel… strange. At first, I thought it was satisfaction. But it wasn’t. It was shame.What was I doing?Lisa wasn’t the one I should have been angry at. Sure, she had been with Dave, but it wasn’t like she forced him into anything. No, Dave was the one who betrayed me. He was the one who lied to my face and broke my trust. And yet, I had let my anger spill over onto someone else.I took a deep breath, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Crying wasn’t going to fix anything. Yelling, slapping, and chasing after Lisa wouldn’t bring back the love I thought I had with Dave. It was clear now, he didn’t love me. He probably never did.There was no point holding onto someone who didn’t care about me. And there was no point in makin
Tiffany’s POVI decided to spend my afternoon at the mall, hoping to treat myself after a long and stressful week. Shopping always helped to clear my head. The hustle and bustle of the stores, the colorful displays, the feeling of new things in my hands, it always brought me joy.As I wandered through the aisles, my eyes landed on something stunning: a beautiful, leather designer handbag. I couldn’t stop staring at it. Just as I was about to pick it up, I realized someone else had beaten me to it.A woman, probably around my age, held the bag in her hands. She examined it, running her fingers over the material. I couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. That bag had my name written all over it.But instead of walking away, I decided to strike up a conversation. Maybe she’d put it down, and I could swoop in.“That’s such a gorgeous bag,” I said with a smile, stepping closer to her.The woman looked up at me, her expression polite but distant. “It really is,” she replied.“I was just
Tiffany I watched Dave. Not because I was beginning to quite enjoy stalking, but just watching him, and I knew that he was hiding something. They say every woman knows when a man is doing something like that, and I was no stranger to this. After all, I had been on the receiving end. "Let’s just try one more time," I told myself as I crawled into bed beside him and reached him. "Not right now," he said, confirming my suspicions. Until now, he was practically hanging off the edge. I wanted to spite him just a little bit. I felt like it, and he would deserve it in some ways. But somehow, even as I watched him shift within me, I told myself to just let it go. I hugged myself into a ball. It was a strange thing, I thought. Admitting it was even stranger. But my sister didn’t even really get the nicest things, men included. If not for me, Dave would still be with her. And probably, if you thought about it really deeply, if not for me, in the next few months, Orchard would still be
Iris My dad placed a hand on my leg, squeezing—a strange kind of contact, I decided. When was the last time he ever touched me? When was the last time I felt the warmth of his hand or the worry in his voice? "I'll be fine," I said. "You know what? Just… let's drop it," I added, using the opportunity to wiggle myself out of his grasp. At that instance, my phone buzzed. Reacting to the activity, my hand dove into my bag, and I pulled it out. It was my mother-in-law. "Iris," she wrote. "I found this really funny article online, and a few of my friends were talking about it the other day, you know, about your mother. I believe Chameleia was her name or something like that? Yeah, they mentioned how she was quite popular... I know this might sound weird—I mean, she was your mom—but they say your mom was sort of like a prostitute. I just wanted to confirm and tell them off, you know, tell them that it wasn’t true. But I already did! I already told them it was impossible, someone like
Iris "You see, your grandfather on your mother’s side died young, but not before making my marriage to your mother a pain every step of the way. When we started the company, he didn’t see us as those who cared much. In fact, he didn’t. She begged him for support, but he gave nothing, so we had to look for money on our own to start. "She would be the one talking to people because, Lord knows, I was bad at that. But she was pleasant, you know. You have the same smile," he said suddenly, catching me off guard. "She could convince anyone to do anything, and so she was the one mostly going out, looking for investors. We made quite a team," he said. "Until, you know, the decline started, and everything seemed as though it was all rubbish." He stayed silent suddenly, breathing in and out heavily. This is my moment, I thought. I needed to tell him about Dave. "Dad," I said, calling him what I used to way back when I was younger and when our relationship was less rocky. "Dave," I said
IrisThis was the last place I wanted to be, especially after the events of the past few days, but I needed to pay my respect. Being normal of a graveyard, there wasn’t much activity. But I found a familiar car just as he reached the parking lot. Then again, it could also just be my mind playing tricks on me, but I waved it off. The closer I got to Mom’s grave, the more I felt a rather impending feeling, something strange was going to happen. As if the thing with Dave wasn’t bad enough, whatever fate was about to throw at me again, I didn’t think I was much ready for it. I reached Mom’s grave and nearly screamed out loud. Of course, I mean, everything wasn’t fine. It wasn’t just the flowers, though. The entire place had been unearthed, looked on, touched. In fact, the only problem had arrived in the person in front of it. It was the hunched figure of my own father. “What are you doing here?” I asked, too angry to hide my disdain. He stood, glaring. “I wouldn’t see you in