IRIS'S P.O.V I rushed out of the bed, scared out of my mind. “What are you doing here, Catalina?” I asked, my voice shaking. “You have no right to be here.”“Oh,” she raised an eyebrow, faking a regretful look. “I could leave right now, straight to my brother's office, and tell him his little bride is not so pure after all.” She turned around and began to walk towards the door.“Wait!” I yelled. Catalina dramatically turned around, “Yes?” She grinned.I hated her already. “Please don't tell him. Massimo will kill me and my family, if he finds out.”Catalina walks back into the room, on heels, that clicked and clacked on the wooden, polished floor of my bedroom. “I am curious about something.” She said, approaching me. “When you eventually got married to my brother, what did you expect will happen?” It dawned on me that I had no plan for that. I had simply hoped my father would find the shipment on time. “I see you didn’t plan to marry my brother.” I could stare back in despair.
LES' P.O.V“You missed the reading.” My brother said, as I drove through town on a phone call. “You should have been here.”“I had no intention of attending in the first place.” I replied.“The lawyer didn't want to read Father's will until you were present, so I had to resort to being very persuasive.”A smile formed on my face. “How did that turn out?”“Good for me but not good for him. He was not happy that you still didn't turn up after postponing the reading for weeks.”“Why? Did Father leave me something?” I joked.“Actually, yes.” My brother said, and I could sense a bit of bitterness in his tone. “Father left you almost everything.”Not being able to focus while driving, I slowed down and found somewhere to park on the side of the road. I couldn't believe my ears. After almost a decade of not speaking to each other and practically hating each other's guts, my father left me an inheritance?“But why?” I asked. “You're the loyal son who stayed. I was expecting he would leave eve
IRIS’ P.O.V.Two days into my deadline, Hilda gave me a sleeping pill which I was able to manage to slip into Massimo's drink. One, after he passed out, I slipped out the office key, wrapped it in a handkerchief which I gave to Robert who in turn helped me give Hilda outside the gate. After several nerve wracking hours, Robert returned with the same handkerchief. When I opened I saw two keys inside. I returned the original to Massimo’s bunch and kept the cloned key. On the third day, Massimo had a large dinner with his friends and family. As usual, I was seated at the bottom of the seating arrangement. I didn’t mind. I simply focused on his wine glass. The doorbell rang when Massimo yelled the name of a servant to get it but didn't get any response, so I volunteered to get it. Dressed in a red mini gown with my blonde hair straightened to perfection, I strutted on six inch heels to the door. When I opened it, I froze. Standing before me was Les but at the same time, it wasn't, b
IRIS' P.O.V I immediately looked around for a place to hide but couldn't find one in time. The door opened and I froze like a deer in headlights. The man who came in turned out to be Les and I didn’t know whether I should feel relieved or very afraid. He looked from me to the wine glass and back, but I could tell he wasn't surprised to see me. “What did you take from Massimo’s safe and why?” My eyes almost bulged out of my head as I stared at him. “What?” I asked, confused. “How?”Les raised his hand and showed me a phone. In it, I saw myself peering into a phone held by Les and that's when it dawned on me that I was watching a video footage of us in real time. “I knew there was something up with you. At dinner you drank nothing but water and then suddenly asked to bring your wine. The moment you left, I hacked into the cameras to watch you and I saw everything. So I'm going to ask again, Sweetness,” he closed the distance between us, “what did you take from the safe and why?
LES’ P.O.V My brother was already waiting in the driver seat of my sports car when I left my uncle's house. Knowing him to be a stubborn mule, I didn't bother arguing with him about switching positions. Once he says he wants to drive, there's no stopping him. I simply smiled to myself as I entered the passenger side. “You should consider buying your own sports car, brother.”“Nah, I like covet things I don't have.” He replied, causing me to chuckle. “And how was it?” James asked and my brows lowered in confusion. “How was what?” I asked, as he put the car in ignition and reversed out of the compound. “Your session with Iris.” He said as if he were asking about the weather. My amusement fades.“Dude, were you spying on us?” “You're not the only one who can hack cameras.”Annoyance flashed through me, making my bones tighten. “Tell me you didn't watch.”“What do you take me for, a perv?” He answered, “The moment I saw things getting interesting, I logged out.” When James noticed th
IRIS’ P.O.V “The funeral is in three days, Iris.” Hilda informed me via phone call. Shit!“So is my wedding.” I told her. “Shit. Any news?” “The B-guy told me they're close.” B-guy. That was the code name for Billionaire Guy a.k.a Les Scavo, ever since the incident with Catalina, I didn't want to be careless anymore. “I'm really praying for you.” Hilda said, “or else I'll have to stage your kidnapping because there's no way you're marrying that fool.”A sigh escaped me. “I really hope it doesn't come to that. I just want to be out of this mess. I had no idea what freedom meant until now. Living with Massimo is like living in a prison.”“You can say that again. Oh, lest I forget, did you go take the P-thing.”I sighed again and rolled my eyes. Hilda was talking about the pregnancy test kit she got me. Thinking about it gave me a headache. “I haven't yet. This whole Catalina issue had me on edge.”“Thank God, that is solved.” Hilda said, “I just hope she doesn't come back trying
LES’ P.O.V Twelve Years Ago.I curled my hands into fists until my knuckles turned white. My feet barely made a sound as I stormed down the hallway to my father's office. I had trained my feet to barely make sounds especially when I needed to sneak up on someone and kill them. And right now, I felt like killing my father. If only I could…I didn't bother knocking before I threw open the doors to his office and marched in. When I came in, I found him sitting behind his great oak table, puffing on a cuban cigar, while having a conversation with two men.The moment he saw me, his eyes darkened and his face morphed into a scowl. Standing beside him was my younger brother who didn't look too happy. I looked at the two Russian men sitting opposite my father, and my anger intensified. “Get out.” I said, quietly. They exchanged glances before rising to their feet and scurrying out of the office without so much as a glance at my father. “What is this?!” My father queried in his thick Sicil
LESPresent Day. I was standing outside, leaning against my car when Iris's father had given me his phone to speak to his daughter. Afterwards, Iris had given me the whole information on what she found concerning Project 626. “Please, find a way to save them.” She said, and I could hear her pain and distress on the other end of the line. “You know what that means, right?” I asked her. “Your fate with Massimo will be sealed.”“As long as he doesn't get his hands on them, it's a price I am willing to pay.” She sniffled. Something settled deep within me like stone in a river. “Noted.” I said, and silently beckoned to my brother to come closer. “You said my Aunt gave you this information as a gift?” “Yes.” She replied. “But I don't know how this can qualify as a gift.”“I do.” I replied, knowing what must be done. “But you have to trust me. Can you do that?” There was silence on the other end of the line. A moment of hesitation. James reached my side, silently asking with his face
IRISAll feelings of amusement left me as things turned serious. I readjusted in my seat and crossed my legs. “Okay. Let's talk.”Les rose to his feet and offered me his hand. “First of all, I want to show you something.” Curious, I slipped my hand in his and let him take me upstairs. We went past a couple of rooms before we stopped at one and he unlocked it. Once he opened it, he stepped aside for me to go in first. Throwing a curious glance at him, I pushed the door further, went in and my mouth dropped open. One wall was painted with the drawing of an ocean and a red headed mermaid sitting on a rock in the midst of it. Then another wall had mickey mouse characters drawn on them and another had Tom and Jerry smiling at each other. In the midst of the room was a baby crib and I froze in my steps when I saw it. I turned around to find Les watching me intently with his hands shoved in his pockets. He shifted his weight on his feet - a sign I realize indicated his nervousness.“Do y
LESThe fluorescent lights flickered overhead as we sat in the waiting room of the hospital, the scent of antiseptic hanging heavy in the air. Iris fidgeted nervously beside me, her fingers twisting around each other as she glanced around at the sterile walls."You okay, Bunny?" I asked, reaching out to squeeze her hand.She offered me a weak smile. "Yeah, just a little anxious about the scan."I nodded, understanding her apprehension. The thought of seeing our baby for the first time was enough to make anyone jittery. But I was also excited, eager to catch a glimpse of the life growing inside Iris.After what felt like an eternity, the nurse called us in, and we followed her down the hallway to the ultrasound room. Iris settled onto the examination table, her eyes fixed on the monitor as the nurse squirted gel onto her belly.And then, there it was. A tiny flicker on the screen, like a beacon of hope in the darkness. Our baby's heartbeat.Iris let out a shaky breath, her eyes shimmer
IRIS:In a matter of minutes the entire living room was destroyed. I stood still in the carnage as shattered glass covered the ground and furniture became upturned. Les yelled every obscene word known to man. He went on to punch walls till his knuckles cracked and his blood ran red down the walls. Rick ran in with the other security men, confused but with their weapons drawn.“GET OUT!!” Les yelled at them. The men hesitated, especially Rick who looked my way and seemed like he didn't want to leave me with him. “Come Ma'am. Let's go.” He said as he approached me with his hand stretched forward. I had no idea I was vibrating where I stood until I raised my hand and found it shaking violently.The next thing I hear is the click of a gun. I froze just about to touch Rick and turned. Les had a gun pointed at Rick and his eyes were filled with utter madness. “Touch her and you die!” I turned to see Rick with his hands up, retreating backwards. “Sorry ma'am.” He said apologetically befo
LES My baby resumes work today and I am not happy about it. I wish she was the kind of woman who was content being a housewife that loves to cook and wait for her husband to come home. Wait a fucking minute. Why am I looking at Iris through the lens of marriage?I wasn't a big believer in it especially since my father was shitty to my mom and didn't keep his vows. I feel the whole idea of marriage is pretty useless. I am already loyal to Iris and will never look at any other woman. She's mine. Forever. So why do I need to put a ring on it?I continued to wonder about that as I leaned against the doorframe of my closet and watched my Bunny wear a Wonder Woman panty and matching bra color. She turned slightly and my gaze fell on her tummy which was now the size of a small watermelon. I felt something but I couldn’t process what it was. To think that in six months time, this woman whom I am totally obsessed with will give birth to mini mes and mini Iris. I wonder what the babies wi
LESI was in the throes of my own anger, but the moment I noticed the departure of my brother, my rage softened. One glance at Iris and she nodded at me to go after him, which I did. Entering the elevator, I pulled out my phone and accessed all the cameras to pinpoint my brother's location. It didn't take long to find him scurrying down the stairs to the ground floor. My brother has always been one to maintain composure in all things but now, from my point of view, he was an agitated mess. Pressing the button for the ground floo, I sighed and let the elevator begin its descent to the living room. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like, if I had grown up with a good, normal father. Maybe I'd be some corporate guy living in a cute condo, married with one or two kids instead of having an irrational fear of intimacy and⁸8⁸⁸fatherhood. Maybe, I'd be a normal guy. But I'm not. Instead I'm messed up in the head, struggling with a trauma I wouldn't wish on anyone. Thank Go
LES“I see you've lost all your senses posting that girl online.”I rolled my eyes at my brother who was cleaning his pistol while holding a video call with me. The sun had just gone down over the horizon, casting my office in semi darkness while the landscape of New York city came alive with colorful night lights. “I guess you can call me ‘crazy’. Crazy about her.” I smiled as I shoveled some Chinese noodles into my mouth with chopsticks.“What you will be, is sorry if you don't stop.”I stopped chewing and glared at him. My brother didn't look at me. Instead, he continued to clean his weapon as if he didn't just say something disturbing. “Why would you say that?”“Because you're being a fool right now. Posting her for the world to see, especially for our Uncle to see, is like looking into the eye of a python and spitting in its face.”James was right. I was usually a very calculated mind but lately, I have been getting carried away by my affection for Iris and may have unintentio
Chapter 56:IRISOver the next couple of days, I continued to send out applications and even tried writing some pieces but I realized I was experiencing a block. When I couldn't make headway, I sat down in front of a TV and watched some cartoons. It was my coping mechanism back at Massimo's house and it's starting to be my coping mechanism now. Cartoons weren't always at Les' place either. I was surprised when one day I received a delivery signed to me and when I opened it, I discovered Les had bought all variations of cartoons for me to watch. Along with some T-shirts with cartoon characters on them. Les continued to leave pleasant surprises for me while I carried my one unpleasant surprise inside my body and whenever talk about Taylor came up, he refused to talk about it and everyday I became more and more depressed.If I wasn't writing, I was also video calling my Dad or Hilda. Now that I had a working phone, I was able to access my old social media profiles. I came across a lo
IRIS“Can we still go about our day while we ruminate on this?” Les asked and I considered his request reasonable. “Sure.”I changed into one of the dresses he got me, and then we went downstairs to have brunch. All through, we ate in silence, and I hated it. I hated that I spoiled the mood between us and made it awkward with the topic of a child. After our brunch, Les took me on a tour of his mansion, and I was able to learn a few more things about him. Les was an artist who painted in his pastime, and I wondered how he was able to do that and still be an underground fighter during his teen years. I saw all the championship belts he had won and heard all the stories behind them. Then he showed me his car collections, the grounds which had a stable and two horses. By the time we were done that day, it was late evening, and we weren’t able to go shopping any more, but I didn’t mind. Getting to see a new side of him was refreshing. I got to learn that Les The Beast wasn’t really his
IRISA cold shiver went through me as my father’s words sank in. “Excuse me?!” “Iris-” My father started to speak, but I raised a hand to cut him short.“So I was a mistake?”My father looked horrified for a second before he closed the distance between us. “No, no, no, no.” he said, coming to sit beside me. “You were never a mistake, Iris, and I am glad your mother chose to keep you.”“What if she hadn’t?” I sniffled and wiped a tear from my eye. “Would you have regretted it?”My father sighed. “I honestly don’t know. All I know is that I am happy she didn’t listen to me. Look at me.” He said, taking my hands in his, which in turn made me face him. “You are the best thing that has ever happened to me since your mother. You are not a mistake, and you never were. I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to be a good father to you and give you the resources that you needed. I was fresh out of high school, inheriting a run-down port left behind by a drunken father. You can understand how having