LESI was halfway through my sandwich when I sensed someone at the door. I could see the shadows of their feet but they weren't coming in. I assumed it would be Iris, so I continued my work and meal. Then I heard a loud thud and was instantly on my feet, heading for the door. To my horror, I found that Iris had collapsed and was now unconscious. Immediately, I pulled out my phone and dialed nine one one while also checking her pulse. I found her pulse faint and something strange happened within me. For the first time in years, I felt true fear. My heart began to hammer against my ribcage which in turn elevated my breathing and made it erratic.“911, what's your emergency?” I managed to stay calm and explain the situation to the operator and after listening, she informed me that she had sent an ambulance to my address and they would be there shortly. The fear of losing Iris became palpable and I began to wonder what caused her to collapse. Was this a normal thing? Or was she in a h
IRISA few days later, I was discharged from the hospital, and ever since then, Les had treated me like an egg. He hardly let me do anything when he was around and had given instructions to his servants to always be there to help me do anything. No matter how much I complained, he didn't want to hear it and would remind me of what the doctor said about me getting enough rest. The only other way he was able to win was when he pulled the baby card and told me of the consequences of not resting enough and how it would affect the baby. Hilda and my father also didn't help matters and teamed up with Les to practically make me an invalid. It was then that I finally relented and let Les have his way. My father and best friend spent a few days with me before they travelled back home via Les’ private jet. I was sitting at the balcony of our bedroom reading a magazine article when my phone buzzed. Immediately, panic set in, and my heart jolted, but I convinced myself that this was a new line
LESThe sun was just setting over the horizon when I was driven back home from the office. The beautiful spectacle reminded me of my previous date with Iris and how everything had turned out in the end. She had been strong and unwavering, but I had prevailed, and thank God I did. Because, If Iris had won that game, I would have degenerated into the worst parts of myself and forced her to be mine against her will.She would hate me for sure, but I'd find a way to make her love me. The ringtone of my phone filled the air, and when I checked the ID, I realized it was my uncle from my mother's side. “Hey, Uncle.” I said, running my hand through my hair. “I guess you're wondering why you haven't seen me around.” “Well, you guessed it. What's up? The people have been asking for you.”“I can't come back.”My uncle went quiet for a moment. “Why?”“Because I have been able to manage…that part of me. He's under lock and key.” “I see.” He replied, “and it has nothing to do with a certain brun
IRISFrom the moment Les informed me of the situation on ground, I had been antsy and eager to see him. Two dozen of his men had shown up, securing the doors and windows while positioning themselves in strategic places all around the house. Andrea had shown up later on from her shopping spree and when she was informed of the situation happening, she came towards me with concern written all over her face. “Is he alright?” “Yes. He's fine and he's on his way.”Andrea heaved a breath of relief and did the trinity sign. “Any idea when he'll be back?” I shook my head in response. “Soon, I hope.” I said, suddenly feeling parched and drinking a glass of water. After that, we both waited in the living room while Hilda and I communicated. “Yea, I just saw it on the news. Are you okay?”I paused and blinked. “It's on the news?”“Yes. Check any news station.”I quickly grabbed a remote and turned on the Tv and since Les was the last person to watch the news on the device, the news channel
IRISAfter a whole conversation in which Les revealed some key details to Roscoe and his brother, I signalled to Meera for us to have a talk privately. So we left the men to discuss business while Meera and I went up to my bedroom. Once the door was closed, I drew her to my bed so she could sit. “So I went through the files you sent me.”“Okay.” Meera adjusted on the bed so she could face me. “Was it too much for you?”“No. Not at all. Uhm..” I swallowed, wondering how I was going to tell her what was on my mind. “So I did some findings on the girls, and in the notes, you mentioned that you couldn't find something similar that linked them all.”“Yes I did.” “Well, how about the fact that they all had phones?”Meera contemplated my question and blinked. “I really didn't think about that. “How did you know?”“Uhm…well. Let's just say I may have called each child's parents?”Meera's eyes widened, and her brows flew up before they came down in a stern manner as she narrowed her eyes at m
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
IRISMy onboarding was smooth and easy, and after meeting my coworkers and everyone else, I was assigned a cubicle to start work. The excitement that coursed through me was beyond what I could even explain or fathom. I was beaming from ear to ear as I settled in and booted my computer. My assignment was sent to me via email, and I got to work immediately. As I worked, I followed up with Meera concerning the case of the missing kids, and she informed me that they were halfway through having access to the children's phones.A bit antsy for results, I chose to focus on my work until it was lunch time, and I decided to grab something to eat at a nearby cafe. Just like Les had warned, his men were in the facility disguised as mailmen or janitors. When I stood up to go for lunch, I found two of them sitting in a car outside. The moment I stepped out, they exited their car and followed me at a distance. While I took a seat, I sighted them from the corner of my eye , seated somewhere in a
LESBy the time I was done with work, the sun was gradually beginning to set. I checked my watch and discovered it was eight minutes past six. In my home office, I had two large monitors on my oak desk. One was for work and the other was for…well keeping an eye on my girlfriend. Turning on the computer, I quickly clicked on a camera app that gave me access to the Hollow network. Unbeknownst to Iris, I had hacked into the cameras placed all over her office area and could spy on her at any given moment for her safety. I couldn't just rely on my men alone to keep her safe, not after those two dipshits tried to dupe her. I cracked my knuckles at the thought and sniffed fiercely. Those suckers would be saying hello to my fists before I'm done with them. Iris’ office came into view and their jaw tightened. Taking my phone, I dialed her number and watched her check the caller ID, and do the Trinity sign before picking up my call. “Hi, Sweety!” came her extra sweet voice. “Sweety? That's
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