Iris shut her eyes and inhaled deeply as she witnessed the crying image of Clarissa before her.
"Clarissa…" She thought long and hard about what to do, as the young lady struck a chord in her heartstrings.
In her former life, Clarissa was the presenter who placed her safety on the line to call out Malcolm for being a crook. She alerted the public to the possibility of a grander scheme behind the supposed fall of Iris Bowman.
She made everyone understand that the small-time Miller Group didn't have the financial muscle to bail out a billion-dollar organization like the Bowman Corporation. Clarissa was the only one who asked the striking question when all the others were only concerned about Iris' supposed love for drugs.
"You stood by me then, and you still stand by me now. What's your drive, Clarissa?"
With the question on her mind, Iris could bet that the young lady didn't have an ulterior motive. She was only a lover of justice and would go to any length to see it delivered.
"Petra… I need a chance meeting with Clarissa. In a public place." Iris sent the text to her hacker and closed her eyes for a breather. She got lost in thought when she suddenly felt a hand grip her hair.
Iris attempted to bolt for the door when he first touched her. However, Tyler's quick reflexes enabled him to grab her shoulder before she could get out of her seat.
"It's just me, sweetheart. Sorry for scaring you." Tyler coaxed gently. He could feel her body tense up for a while before she finally relaxed and leaned in the chair. His hands returned to massaging her hair gently, and Iris loved the feeling. Lost in the sweet sensation, she closed her eyes and moaned occasionally.
"Mmmhm! This feels so good." She would never know that both Alaric and Tyler Harper, her fiance, never treated any woman this way. She was the first person to get such special treatment from him.
As he observed her closely, Tyler drew his brows together tightly. He felt how tense she was earlier and could tell it was coming from a place of deep-rooted fear.
'What's getting her so worked up? What could have caused her to be this jittery?' He wondered in concern. 'Could it be the attempt on her life? Is that why she's being worked up?'
"I'll need to travel to the outskirts of the city later in the day. I'll be back tomorrow." Iris informed him of her plans to go on a brief trip, and Tyler didn't like the idea one bit.
"Do you need to go at this time?" He asked worriedly, but before she could respond, he added, "I could go with you." This response was as unexpected as the care and affection he had shown her these few days.
If anyone from the Harper clan or even his father saw him this attentive to a woman, they would have slapped themselves to awaken from such a nightmare.
Tyler Harper has been many things. Call him rude, cold, callous, ruthless, decisive, a genius, or even a devil. However, being gentle has never been one of his accolades. Even his father wouldn't get this special treatment from him.
"Thought you had plans for the day." Iris pointed out. Before he could respond, she added, "I'll be going with your men. Hope that's enough to keep your mind at ease."
Tyler paused, a frown etched on his face. "You prefer my men to my presence? Which of them piques your interest?" His words were slow and calculated, and Iris could tell that if she mentioned anyone at this moment, he would delete the person from the registry of living people in a few seconds.
"Please calm down, Ty." she coaxed in a gentle tone. Iris stood up and wound her arms around his waist, just like she had seen numerous times in movies. A quick peck soon fell on his lips before she added, "I haven't met any of your men yet, you know. Besides, I'll always prefer your presence to that of any other man."
A sudden realization dawned on him, and Tyler picked up his phone and sent a message. He enjoyed the endearment she had just given him - Ty. No one ever made his name sound so sweet before now.
He dropped the phone and said, "They should be ready before you set off. They've prepared three cars for your trip. Is that enough?"
When he noticed the dumbfounded look on Iris, Tyler felt he disappointed her. "The cars aren't enough for you?" He asked as he reached for his phone once more. He wanted to get more cars for her.
Iris quickly recovered her wits and grabbed him. She then placed both of his hands on either side of her waist and positioned her head on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat for a while, taking in the sweet natural scent of him. Iris could swear that his scent was intoxicating, and she could fall asleep just hugging him like that.
"Three cars are enough, Ty. It's just that… you pamper me too much. I fear I might get too used to it and…"
Iris could not complete her statement, as thoughts of sudden death filled her. Deep down, she felt that the third death would be her last, and the deities wouldn't be so partial to give her a third chance.
God had many children to consider, and she wasn't the only one. That she was aware of.
"Mmhm!!"
Tyler captured her lips for a deep kiss. When she was almost out of breath, he let go of her and said, "Nothing's too much for my woman. You are the only one I would pamper in this lifetime and the next."
Tyler spoke in a serious tone that affirmed his actions. Iris didn't have the slightest doubt about her fiance's words. She smiled foolishly, staring at him as if it was the first time she was meeting him.
"And… I love it when you call me Ty." Tyler blurted out his inner thoughts, and Iris felt like crying. She was glad that he derived pleasure from such little things.
When Iris started warming up to Malcolm Miller, her father's chosen groom for her, she proposed. "Let's choose pet names for each other." Iris wanted so badly to have a common ground with her former fiance.
However, the killjoy only addressed her carelessly. "I'm not a kid, Iris. What do I need a pet name for? We should rather be planning our wedding. Let's select a date already…" Iris couldn't believe that he would request a wedding date at their third meeting.
Something in her died that day, but she encouraged herself to give Malcolm more chances to redeem himself. However, he never changed. All he ever wanted was to marry her. Nothing else about her concerned him like the wedding date. It was clear that nothing concerned him beyond the wedding date.
What broke the camel's back was when she received news of her parents' car accident. After she managed to force out the words from her mouth about the situation, the jerk, Malcolm Miller, did a solo show about comforting her. In the next minute, he suggested having their wedding on the same day as the funeral. He felt it would restore the public's trust in their companies. Malcolm also said it would show that nothing could break her. Meanwhile, the news of her parents' demise broke her.
Iris smiled at the thought of her past stupidity, all because she wanted to fulfill her father's wish.
"Ty. Ty. My Ty. Ty Ty...." Iris placed a chaste kiss on Tyler's lips after toying with his name, causing him to give her the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. She added in a low voice after observing him for a while, "Thank you for finding me, Ty. You've made me extremely happy in the few days we've been together."
Tyler captured his fiance for another kiss. However, he didn't only stop there; he proceeded to devour her through and through. After her initial protests, Iris finally gave in and enjoyed another sweet moment with Tyler, until the two went into a deep sleep once again.
As they were enjoying each other's company, some people felt their worlds turned upside down…