Her reaction did not go ignored. Everyone looked down at her, their expressions varying from surprise to annoyance. The woman was clearly not in the mood to deal with a crazy pet, but she didn't dare to say anything, clearly remembering being told to leave because of it.
"What are you doing here?" the same question as before was spoken, and Iris felt a sense of deja vu.
She wanted no repeat of the previous situation, so she started screaming even louder, until Kyro was forced to bend down and pick her up. His eyes held questions he didn't voice, but Iris didn't care for them at the moment. There would be a way to explain herself once that woman was out of the house.
"Sheila, I thought I told you to never show up again," Kyro said instead, returning his gaze to the newcomer who was looking apprehensive.
"I need to talk—" she started to say in her bedroom voice, but Kyro's mother chose that moment to walk over.
Her eyes lit up when she saw Sheila, and she rushed past Kyro to invite her in. Sheila tried to refuse, noticing the freezing glare in Kyro's eyes, but his mother gave her no choice. It was the same as fighting against windmills.
"You came all this way, you must come in. You must. Please. Kyro, what are you doing? Invite her in! She came all the way here for you!"
His expression tightened, and Iris felt his pulse pick up, but he didn't refuse. Instead, the moment they entered, he led Sheila toward his study.
"It's work related," he said to his mother, who was looking at Sheila with shining eyes, and closed the door.
He waved for Sheila to sit down at the small table by the window and did the same himself. Iris was still in his hands, so she sat down on his knees, watching the so-called subordinate with narrowed eyes. What kind of subordinate kept bothering her boss at his home? This was way too much familiarity.
Sheila sensed Kyro's impatience and swiftly opened her portfolio. "Since my position depends on this, I wanted you to learn about it from me and not someone else. This is not as bad as it looks."
"Frank already messed up?" Kyro sounded almost amused. He leaned back in his chair and watched Sheila with a calm expression, his fingers stroking Iris' fur.
The woman didn't seem perturbed by his assertion. "My presence is explanation enough. But I'd like to show you some information regarding that. From it, you'll see that his mistake was genuine and anyone would have made it in his place."
"Did he tell you that?"
"Yes, and he's really stressed about the event. He's doing all he can to save the situation with the rest of the marketing department," Sheila said, her voice confident.
But it didn't convince Kyro. Iris looked up to see that his expression hadn't changed much. He still watched Sheila with the calm amusement, not moving to pick the documents. "Have you ever tried to sabotage a company from the inside?" he asked, startling Sheila.
Her brow furrowed, and her voice lost its certainty. "I don't see how it matters…"
"When you enter an enemy's den, you don't make stupid decisions that will get you killed. All your choices have to be perfect, tailored in a way that everyone could see you're working for the company's future. Otherwise, why would they trust or keep you?" Kyro's voice went low, but it was still deceptively calm. "You coming here to tell me that his choices were perfect only make me suspect him more."
A shudder ran down Iris' spine, and she subdued the questions rising in her heart. Kyro clearly had some skeletons in his closet, but it wasn't her place to judge or condemn. Not without knowing the full story.
Sheila deflated a little, looking perplexed. It was clear from her expression that she didn't agree with Kyro, at least not regarding her person, but she didn't know how to refute with evidence.
In the end, she asked, "What do you want me to do then? I tell you he's trustworthy, you don't trust me. I bring you proof that he's been working based on the information we had, and you tell me it's all just a ploy. What is it you're expecting of me?"
"You?" Kyro shook his head, standing up. "Nothing. I simply said your futures are connected, not that you have to prove me anything. The mistake was in hiring him, and it cannot be undone just by bringing me some data that may or may not be true. I'll know whether you were right in some five years' time, depending on whether Dioscuri still stands or not."
"So you want me to just sit and do nothing?" Sheila asked with a raised voice, her head held high and a glare in her eyes. "Just sit and wait to see if all my work is washed down the drain?"
"Exactly," Kyro said, leading them out. "And don't ever come back here again. If I see you at my house, I'll call the security to throw you out."
"Kyro!" his mother shouted out, having stood by the door to eavesdrop. "I didn—"
"It's fine, Mrs. Hemming, it's my own fault." Sheila smiled at the older woman. "I came at the wrong time. Please excuse me."
"No, no, it's not wrong at all." The mother moved to intercept Sheila, thinking to make her stay, but Kyro was having none of that.
He stepped between them, blocking his mother's view and shutting her up. This wasn't very polite, but it didn't seem like he cared any longer. "Leave," he told Sheila, his voice cold.
"Yes, of course." She quickly walked to the door, put on her shoes, smiled back at Kyro's mother in goodbye, and left.
The atmosphere turned freezing in the room at that moment, and Iris wished she could leave and hide under the bed. This was clearly the Armageddon! If she stayed in the middle of the confrontation between this mother and her son, she wasn't certain she could leave with her little life intact!