IRISShe spent the day in the store with a messy head. So much stuff was running inside her mind, and one of the biggest issues that took up her thought was about her accepting the marriage proposal from Alex last night.Maybe she was still shaken up about the last major event, which was the kidnapping by Alexander's father.Call her foolish, but she thought everything that Alex had offered to her last night made sense.Why would she suffer between the father and son war and the feud between the two conglomerate families - The Browning and The Ruthford family. She was a total stranger that coincidentally stumbled upon their orbit and had been pulled into this chaos ever since. But now she bore the consequences because Alexander Roman Browning laid his eyes on her that night. Her day came as a distraction. She was working on autopilot. She smiled when the customers came and let her muscle memories handle her baking process from start to finish. She even miscalculated the change for tw
She and Sheila only needed one hour–to pack her clothes and other essential toiletries into her suitcases. She also loaded her mixers and cake utensils into the car. When Sheila said she could buy the newest and state-of-the-art utensils for her spare tools in the penthouse, Iris politely declined.“Oh, your loss, girl!” Sheila replied with exasperation.It was so weird when she arrived in the grand and luxurious building, where the top floor was where she would live from now on.The team of concierges also greeted her in front of the receptionist's desk. They helped her and Sheila into the private lift that brought her to the penthouse.The situation in the penthouse was the same as she was here last time. Pristine, luxurious ye
ALEXANDERIris had difficulty adjusting to her life and integrating it into his. Alex should have known that. But this was one thing that he didn’t think through, and it made him feel like a fucker. Seeing how shy his fiancee was to put her stuff in this room spoke a lot. She was not a gold digger who took every opportunity to trap him, and two–she was the kind of person who made people like him become a lucky bastard because she would be his. If he believed in luck, this was his most significant luck yet. “Don’t be silly!” Iris interjected when he demanded her to repeat his words. He couldn’t stop his grin, “No, I am quite serious. Repeat after me,” he insisted. But Iris shook her head cutely. “Stop it!” she instead pinched his waist, and Alex just laughed while he brought Iris back into the bed. Lying down with her caged below him. She gazed at him full of trust, and it made him hard. He wondered how he could be so lucky like this!“Your life is going to change, and please bear
“What did you say?” Iris whispered. She stared at him with a confused expression on her beautiful face. “You heard me,” he replied to her. He waited for her to acknowledge their mutual attraction and stop denying their apparent connection. A string pulled their hearts into each other, even though they only met briefly. “You fall for me?” she was still in denial and kept repeating the words as if Alex would change his mind and retract his comments. “But we didn’t know each other well! How could you fall for me without knowing who I am?” Iris threw a valid question, but fuck if Alex knew the answer. He just felt right when he was with Iris. He could give no other proper explanation to justify his obsession with Iris. "I thought you were dreaming of a fairytale love story, babe? Isn't falling hard for you one of the checkboxes to tick for a fairytale?" He teased this woman. He reached for her wispy baby hairs and pulled them back in place. She was only opening and closing her mouth
IRISShe played her half day in a daze. The day she started weird and hot with Alex as a ‘real’ couple. They fought about her feeling that she couldn’t shake since Alex slid the pear-shaped diamond ring into her finger.Her dominant feeling right now was how she felt like she was a bought woman. However cleverly Alex phrased or convinced her that their relationship was not like that right now because it had progressed into a real marriage without a scam.And when she expressed her insecurity and the feeling out loud, it met resistance from Alex. He vehemently refused to label their relationship as like that.After that, when it came to the prenup discussion, she also heard the absurd things put into clauses by Alex. All were favorable to her, and she felt she did not deserve the luxury Alex offered her. So, when Alex threatened to triple the offer, Iris decided to keep her mouth shut, and she would find a way later to deflect the deal, especially about his generous compensation.When
Iris returned the dress and sent a regretful smile to the personal shopper. “Let’s find another dress, Uh… I think this one is quite expensive,” she said sheepishly. She then walked away from the dress and pretended to find and check other dresses. Iris acted nonchalantly and took a peek at the price tag of random dresses she encountered. They were priced above ten grand, and she gulped when the reality finally seeped in. These kinds of dresses were out of her league. Alexander Roman Browning was out of her league. She tried to regulate her breath to avoid being panicked in the fitting room. “Iris? Have you found the dress?” Maybe because she was here too long, Sheila came to check on her and asked her concernedly. “Oh, I am still searching for a suitable dress for me,” Iris replied. Well, to be perfectly blunt, she was still searching for the cheapest dress here, but she did not tell Sheila about that. “Actually Ms. Denvier found the one, but maybe she still hesitates to t
ALEXANDERHe looked at the prenuptial documents in his hand with clear satisfaction. One step closer to securing their holy matrimony.He knew Sheila had already gone together with Iris and had a dress fitting for their hasty wedding. Alex sent a clear warning to prepare everything as Iris wished, and he personally requested Sheila to help Iris prepare for the wedding that would take place in the next several days.After Sheila reassured him, he focused on his next step to topple down his father.Right now, the new lawyer that he hired on the spot last evening was reading Alexander’s mother's journal and frowned heavily. They were in the car to meet Sebastian.That man said he found a clue that might help their case, and they could nudge the authority to open the case again.Noah Evans looked up and gave him a wince.“This is going to be hard,” he said with a heavy voice.“If we don’t have proof, this journal, even though it contains the truth, cannot be a strong foundation to make yo
After Sebastian briefed them about the possibility of his father’s involvement in Joseph Sanchez’s death, Alexander’s conscience caught up to him. “What about his family? How are they holding up right now?” Alex asked. “I put some men tailing the wife and his two daughters. Expect new information ready for you in the next several days,” Sebastian responded. “That motherfucker!” Alexander cussed at his father. He then diverted his focus to Brandon, who sat silently beside him after he came halfway to the discussion. “What is my father doing right now? What kind of messed up actions did he do?” he barked at Brandon. Brandon–knowing that Alexander has a foul mood after receiving this heartbreaking news, only answered calmly and did not talk back to Alex. “He is not in the office right now, but I have the info that he already colluded with a few of the board of directors and having a private lunch meeting in a private gentlemen’s club this afternoon,” Brandon replied calmly. “Who
Three months later… Alex walked out of the courthouse with Iris beside him. He kept Iris close and believed their bodyguards do their work perfectly to fend off the rush of journalists waiting outside. The buzz of the journalist throwing off the questions for them made Alex more protective of his pregnant wife. “Stay with me,” he said to Iris closely, in case Iris could not hear him well. Iris only nodded and put her body closer to him while walking together into their Rolls Royce car that was already on standby and waiting for their arrival. “Mr. Browning, how is the trial? Are you happy with the sentence? What do you feel that your father is a criminal convict?” The journalists viciously gave a bunch of questions at him, from the fair questions to the silliest and the most outrageous ones. “Mrs. Browning, are you alright? Do you think the sentence is fair after what Jonathan did to you? Please give us statements!” Some journalists shouted from afar, chasing Iris and Alex do
Alex went into full panic mode. He barked some orders here and there to prepare the driver to bring them to the hospital. Asking the ever-ready Brandon to prepare everything beforehand. From the hospital to the most prominent team of doctors to standby in the hospital and be ready when they arrived there. Iris at first refused Alex's protective–almost borderline panic insistence for them to check her situation at the hospital. She thought she was only having a bad day or had caught some common cold symptoms. But Alex was having none of it. He was persistent with his decision to bring her to the hospital and heard himself that she was okay. So here there was. The car was too slow for Alex, so he opted to call the pilot for his private helicopter to be ready in the next 15 minutes. They left the rooftop and arrived several minutes later at the hospital helipad. The hospital director was already on standby on the tarmac while the nurse brought the wheelchair to carry her! Iris
IRISSeveral days have passed since the kidnapping and the shooting of Alex. Her husband had already been discharged and recuperated in their penthouse. But, of course, he was still busy, as always. He was on the phone or focusing on his laptop, even when Iris asked him to pause and concentrate on his meal. He distractedly said okay but was still on the call with Brandon, Sheila, Noah Evans, and his other people. To appease her, Alex touched Iris here and there. He was making sure that he remembered Iris. But to be perfectly blunt, it was not her main objective. Her objective was to put her husband on bed rest and spend time in the penthouse–unwinding from the recent accident that cost him walking with crutches like this. "Alex! You need to eat something first!" Iris said when Alex distractedly took a slice of apples but ignored the main course that Iris already prepared, waiting for him to sit down and take the lunch together. "A minute, babe, I am still on call with Brandon," Al
Alex felt that he was getting lighter and might pass out soon. But he still ensured Iris was okay and no harm was done to her. “Are you hurt, baby?” Alex asked his wife, who was still crying, seeing how wrecked his thigh was after getting shot. Iris shook her head and watched how Sebastian expertly administered first aid to his wound. One of Sebastian's men already called the police and ambulance to take them. “My father?” Alex asked Sebastian. “He and Jake are wounded. My men neutralized them. I will check them after taking care of you first,” Sebastian responded seriously. Time went blurry in his perspective. Not long after, the ambulance and police sirens were heard outside, and finally, the first responders came and took over the procedures. When one of the police came intending to question Alex and Iris–Sebastian stepped in and answered all the inquiries. “I will take care of it. Don’t worry. I already asked Brandon to accompany you and Iris to the hospital while I deal wi
ALEXANDER Alexander was busy being the CEO interim before the legal paperwork was done and held back-to-back nonstop meetings until he received a call from Sebastian. He frowned and finally asked the remaining directors who still got the post to take a break, and they dutifully left the meeting room. Leaving Alex with his two assistants and his personal lawyer. “Sebastian?” Alex received the call from the first ring. “What is it?” he asked Sebastian. “Someone breaking in and rob Iris’s store–” Sebastian briefed him quickly, and he cursed his heart out. “What the fuck is that mean? How is Iris now? Is she safe? Where are your men, Sebastian?” He rapidly threw questions at Sebastian. He rose from the seat and nodded at Brandon–gesturing that he would deal with this issue and asked his assistant to deal with the rest in the office. “Where is she now?” Alex barked while waiting for the lift door to open and brought him to his car in the basement. “Where is the robber?” He fe
When Iris heard that man's phone ringing, Iris focused on him. "How is it?" that man asked his caller. "Can you set up the bail on him? How much is it? I will transfer right now!" added him. He then glanced at Iris–borderline fascinated, making her shiver because she was uncomfortable with how he stared at her. "Sure, let me know when Jonathan will arrive here. We can start negotiating with Alex then." After that, he ended the call and turned to her with a slimy smile she hated profoundly. "Now, Mrs Browning, rest and wait until Jonathan comes here. We will talk a lot after this," "Who are you?" Iris asked him again.
IRIS After the last night dining with Alex, Iris got a new perspective and advice from him concerning how she opened the new store. With a calculator in front of her and a laptop to calculate the initial expense and capital she needed for the new business–Iris stared at the Excel sheet blankly. Too many zeros, and Iris could not keep up. She recalculated again, and still, the numbers were not changing. She was pondering the numbers deeply when her phone rang again. She checked the caller, and it was the realtor. “Oh, hi! Sorry for the late response,” Iris greeted the realtor. She replied while she inspected the qu
The meeting room was buzzing with anticipation.Alex and his two assistants came earlier than his father and the cronies. Alexander was also accompanied by his lawyer–ready to back him up for today’s meeting.His father’s ‘former’ supporters came flooding the room one by one. They sent a discreet glance at Alex. Ensuring Alex was true to his words and would not leak their filthy criminal and offensive acts to the press surely brought them down.But Alex sat still with a perfect poker face. His opponents could not see and not understand what he was thinking."All the preparation is already in motion. We can strike the attack at your sign," Brandon whispered."Yes, let
"What do you mean unlimited?" Iris asked him with a horrified expression. But still, in his mind, her face was extremely cute, so he could not stop smiling at her. "That's exactly what I said. No budget for you. Just spend whatever you wish, baby! I won't stop you, my personal accountant or financial advisors," he replied casually just before the chef served the first course of their omakase fine dining style at this restaurant. Iris was just shaking her head in disbelief. "I am serious, Alex! You can't just answer my question like that! I need you to tell me honestly how much I should spend if I want to make a branch for my small shop," Iris, in reflex, took his sleeve-asking for his undivided attention given solely to her. “Alright, I am listening to you now,” he turned and focused on her. He drew his body closer to her until he smelled her divine scent throughout his nose. Iris was flustered when he charged like that. In front of the chef–no less!“What is it, baby? What do yo