IrisShe smiled, nodding at me. "It’s a company," she said. "Well, I bought it and decided that the best place to move it to was here. After looking at quite a lot of demographics, after looking at quite a lot of data, I decided here was the best bet. I’m not looking for so much," she said. "I’m not trying to make billions of dollars every year. I just want to be comfortable. And this is one of the places for that." “Yeah, only people who have so much money talk like that.” I thought to myself as Orchard’s mum spoke. Then I realized she had stopped talking and all eyes were now on me."The business, yes?" I jumped to my question. "We are an interior design company." I cocked my head to one side. "I know at least one other interior designs company," I said. "Their stocks are quite high." "Oh yes, I’m aware," she said. "But you see, we’ve already launched, and on our launch day, the other competition had their stocks blown out of the park," she said with a wide smile across her
DaveGet up and grind. No shit, that was the name of the song I was listening to. I hated it. The song at least had some important lines: Money ain't going to make itself. And so, sitting around in my house wasn’t going to make much for me. Coupled with that, I had too limited a time to cough up Ivan’s money. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel, my mind running amok as I genuinely tried to think of at least one solution. You needed money to make money, but where the fuck was I going to get money from? “Fuck,” I spat out as I drove towards Dad’s office. It was his call that woke me up. “Get over here now,” he said, and that was it. I hated it when he used that condescending tone with me, as though I was a child that needed to be told what to do. “Oh, fuck it,” I muttered as I drove into the underground parking lot of his office building. The place held too many bad memories for me, but who’s dad wasn’t a wicked piece of shit? I chuckled to myself as I stepped out of t
DaveThe Uncle Roger I remembered was big. He was larger than life. He seemed to fill up every space he walked into, which was probably why my mind believed him to be a fat man. My mind believed that he would have gorged himself on the excesses of life, spilling out in all areas, building himself on general lines. But here I was, shocked and surprised that even the mansion I had once imagined as a child was nothing more than an actual house. I hopped out of the car, clicking my tongue just slightly, feeling a little bit of disapproval rise up within me. *It’s not my money,* I told myself as I stepped further towards the house. Roger himself was seated on the front porch. The front porch was a large balcony-style area with even a small dining space, coupled with one of those benches that swung back and forth when you sat on it. I remembered sitting on those when I was a child. "The only reason why I’m looking at you here and not sending you away is because of the fond memories, b
TiffanyConversations with Mom were draining, I noticed. So draining, in fact, that instead of feeling elated and glad that someone listened to me, I felt as though so much had left my body—so much had left my mind. My mind felt raw, it felt unfiltered, it felt so strange. By the time I reached the office, I simply plopped down on one of my couches and hoped to God that my misery would soon be put out and this drawing competition would just disappear. Which I was thinking, I thought to myself as my door opened."Hey."I propped up when I heard Dave's voice."Hi," I said, raising my eyebrow in question. Dave genuinely looked as if he wanted to talk, but frankly, it was draining in itself."You're not going to believe it," he said."You are not going to believe it!" He pointed at me theatrically—typical theater kid."Then tell me so I can believe it," I said, genuinely hating that I had to play into his theatrics."I found the owner of the company," he said. "It was tough, it was hard,
IrisIt was strange being put on the spot like that. The fact that I felt her eyes boring holes into my skull, she waited with her arms folded across her chest genuinely caused heart palpitations. "Well?" she really used an eyebrow."I answer that right now, I’m afraid," I said, strangely blurting out. "But I do know I have feelings for Orchard.”"But isn't it so weird? The woman married to your son after years is unsure of whether or not she loves him 100%?" I chuckled at myself. "Feelings," Orchard's mom said. "Are fickle," she said. "Believe me, I know. I know that feelings can vary. Sometimes tricky," she said, "but I know that really will be fine. At least we're thinking of the worst possible. I'm sure you'll be hard," she said. "After all, I didn’t pick a whisk to run my own company, now did I?""Why me?" I found myself blurting out."Why not you?" she shot back at me with an ignoring smile. "I've looked into you," she said, after a short awkward silence. "Trust me, I'm not r
Iris’ PovShe let go of my arm at that moment, strutting away. I, however, stood in one spot, still as a statue. "Oh no, she didn’t," I thought to myself after my mind went black for a few minutes. "She did not just insult my mom’s memorial," I thought, as I glared at the spot where she had just been standing. Then I decided, "Who cares? I’m going to go after her and see what she was there for." I began to stride right after her, and by the time I reached the receptionist, she smiled. "That was a lady," I said. "Bleach blonde?""She came here," the receptionist said. "Oh, yes. She has an appointment with Mrs. Barrett, so..."I instantly bolted to the elevator, pushing the button over and over again until the elevator doors opened, and I was able to enter. But even while I stood inside, I was jittery. All that was in my head was wondering what she would tell my mother-in-law. Eventually, I came out of the elevator. I pulled off my heels, gathered them in my hands, and began to snea
Iris The next morning, during breakfast, I treated myself to a sizzling meal and a fancy cup of coffee.Both Orchard and Halle left early that morning. Orchard had a meeting with his father’s lawyer, and Halle had an important meeting at the office. She had mentioned there was something important she needed to take care of. I wondered what it was, but decided not to pry. If she wanted me to know the details, she would have told me.After breakfast, I couldn’t stop thinking the event at the office yesterday. If I had been caught, what would my excuse be? "Sober"? How I spent most of the night, and then the next morning, thinking about it so much that I found myself standing in front of a flower shop after telling the driver to stop. "Already thinking specific?" Harold asked me, his dark green eyes flashing in the rearview mirror. "I think I'll handle this one myself," I said, opening the door without him. He almost opened his mouth to protest, as though he was about to curse m
IrisUnfortunately, just as I was hoping to have another small "girl boss" moment, Harold was standing outside, practically waiting for me with the door open. He gave me a smug smile as he bowed dramatically. Unfortunately for me, I was not wearing any tea dress. No, it was the simple sheath dress and heels—ridiculously high, but I didn’t even know why they existed. "Hope?" I rolled my eyes with a hidden smile tugging at my lips as I entered the car, feeling slightly excited. I placed the tulips on the chair beside me and reached into my bag to fish out my phone to call Orchard. "Guess what?" I said into the phone after he picked up on the second ring. "The sky is falling and aliens are abducting people? You happen to find yourself in an alien spaceship and guess what? They're not trying to make humans food. Instead, they're trying to input the ultimate party ideas into our heads." "Close call," I said. "Very close. I got your mom flowers to celebrate. I thought, with the whole
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