IRISThe crisp autumn air greeted us as we stepped out of the cabin, bidding farewell to our temporary retreat in the woods. Les and I had spent the past few days basking in the tranquility of nature, finding solace in each other's company away from the chaos of city life. But now, it was time to return home to New York.As we drove back to the city, I couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation building within me. There was something about being in the heart of New York that always filled me with excitement. The hustle and bustle of the streets, the towering skyscrapers that reached up to touch the sky – it was a place where anything was possible.When we finally arrived home, I couldn't suppress the smile that spread across my face as I took in the familiar sights and sounds of the city. It was good to be back, to return to the hustle and bustle of everyday life.The next morning, I headed back to work at Hollow magazine, eager to dive back into the world of fashion and photograp
IRISAs I stepped into the elevator, a familiar face greeted me with a warm smile. It was the man who always seemed to be there whenever I rode the elevator up to my office – Walter Caine. He was impeccably dressed, with a friendly demeanor that put me at ease."Good morning, Miss Iris," he said, his voice smooth and polished. "How are you today?""Good morning, Mr. Caine," I replied, returning his smile. "I'm doing well, thank you. How about you?""Can't complain," he said with a chuckle, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "Another day, another dollar, as they say."As the elevator ascended to my floor, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was something off about Mr. Caine. He was always so friendly and polite, but there was a certain air of mystery about him that I couldn't quite place.And as an investigative journalist in past times, my instints almost never fail me. I felt the need to research him and see what I find out. Once I reached my office, I couldn't shake the feeling
IRISThe evening air was filled with excitement and anticipation as we arrived at the venue for our engagement party. It was a glamorous affair, with twinkling lights and elegant decorations setting the stage for a night to remember.As Les and I made our entrance, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and joy at the sight of our friends and family gathered together to celebrate our love. Meera, Roscoe, and Hilda were there, along with a host of other familiar faces from the elite circles of New York society.The room buzzed with conversation and laughter as we mingled with our guests, enjoying the warmth and camaraderie of the occasion. It was a moment of pure bliss, surrounded by the people we loved most in the world.But amidst the celebration, there was a sense of unease lingering in the back of my mind. The tabloids had started to take an interest in our relationship, digging into my past in search of juicy gossip to fuel their headlines.I had always tried to keep my past pr
IRIS“It was you?”“Surprised?” She grinned, “It means I did a very good job.”I looked from her to the knife and back. I should have known it was her. How did I not put things together? It explains how the texter was privy to some information that only someone living with me could know but then again there was no way I could have known it was her. Not when she came from the angle of someone who cared about Mary and was angry about her death. I watched Andrea warily. I have witnessed an angry Andrea, a jealous Andrea but this Andrea is who I don't know. She watches me with a blank stare as she plants one foot in front of the other while I take matching ones back. I quickly get behind a couch, and kicked off my heels and now we began to move around it while the couch acted as a buffer between us. “Why Mary? Why mention her at all?” Her face breaks into a grin. “Because it's fun and I loved watching you suffer. I knew Mary was an open wound, so I used it to my advantage and my goodn
IRIS“How did you-?” She asked, confused. “You weren't supposed to be back so soon!” She stated making me wonder who was feeding her information. “So soon?” Les asked, mirroring my own confusion as well. “Who have you been working with? Why are you doing this?!”“Maybe because I want to?” She shrugged aggressively. Les stepped closer. “Andy, you're not a killer.”“I could be. You don't know me.”Les stepped closer again. I couldn't see James because I was trying not to take my whole eyes off of Andrea. “Of course, I know you Andy. I watched you get born. I carried you in my arms and throughout your childhood I was your favorite uncle.”Andrea looked like she'd explode at any time.“That was then! You don't know me now! You didn't care anymore. Not when you got up and left for New York without looking back!”A pained look surfaced in his expression. “Andy, I'm sorr-”“Save it! I don't need your apologies or your pity. It's over for me anyway.” She turned her eyes on me and they har
IRIS1I sat beside Les, watching him as he cradled Andrea's lifeless body in his arms. His grief was palpable, his shoulders shaking with silent sobs. I reached out tentatively, placing a hand on his back, offering what little comfort I could muster."Les," I whispered softly, my voice barely above a murmur, "I'm here for you. I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through, but I'm here."He looked up at me, his eyes red-rimmed and filled with pain. "Iris," he choked out, his voice thick with emotion, "I don't know what to do. She's gone, and I couldn't protect her."Tears welled up in my own eyes as I watched him mourn the woman he loved. "You did everything you could, Les. You tried to reason with her, to save her. None of this is your fault."He buried his face in Andrea's hair, his grip tightening around her lifeless form. "I should have done more," he muttered, his voice muffled against her skin.I moved closer, wrapping my arms around him in a tight embrace. "You did ev
I found Les sitting in his study, poring over some documents. He looked up as I entered, a small smile playing on his lips. "Hey, Iris," he greeted me warmly. "What's on your mind?"I took a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts. "Les, I need to talk to you about something," I said, my voice trembling slightly.He set aside the documents and gestured for me to take a seat. "Of course, Iris. What is it?"I glanced around nervously before speaking. "I saw Julian," I admitted, my heart pounding in my chest.Les's expression darkened, his brow furrowing with concern. "Are you sure, Iris? Julian is dangerous. If he's out there, we need to be careful."I nodded, my hands trembling in my lap. "I'm sure, Les. I saw him watching me from across the street. It sent chills down my spine."Les reached out, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "Thank you for telling me, Iris. We'll need to be extra vigilant from now on. I won't let anything happen to you."I forced a smile, grateful for Le
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
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