Chapter 27
Arthur & Iris
120 Bonus
Once I learned that Iris actually agreed to the patronage, I decided to go to the gallery to tell her that it was my gift as an apology for everything that Selina and her brother did.
de her
I never intended to keep her in the dark for the entire year; I just didn’t want her to know that I was her patron until she made decision, because I know she would say no just to spite me if she knew it was me. She said yes, and now I want to tell her the truth, in the spirit of transparency.
Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here now. There’s no use in me continuing to initiate contact with Iris if she’s just going to be giving me
the cold shoulder. This patronage is an apology gift and nothing more.
But then, just as I’m about to walk into the conference room, I overhear the conversation between Iris and my lawyer.
“I have to fly back to Bo’Arrocan to handle some personal matters…”
“Oh. Do you have a family there?”
Iris pauses, and then her next words nearly make me drop my coffee all over the floor.
“Yes. I have a child there.”
I feel like I’m going to be sick. A child? A family? I thought that Iris was single after all these years, that she never had a baby. But
now…
That can’t be my baby. It’s impossible; I was told that she aborted the child. Which could only mean one thing; she did have a
child with another man after all.
Will she be bringing her family here during the patronage? Will my investment go toward supporting a child and potentially a
man who I don’t even know?
Suddenly, Iris turns and stares at me. Her amber eyes go as wide as saucers, her face turning pale. She instantly jumps up from her chair, clutching the silver locket at her throat, and that’s all the confirmation I need, I can see that red tinge to her cheeks, the telltale sign that she’s just been caught.
It was something that I figured out about her years ago, when we first started dating–the way she would always blush when she was lying or hiding something. Despite our years apart, I’ve never forgotten the color her cheeks turn when she’s caught red-
handed. Red like a cherry.
And she’s doing it now.
Iris doesn’t say anything, not that I give her a chance to. Without a word, I turn on my heel and leave.
All this time, I’ve been deluding myself. I guess I thought that I had a chance to pull Iris back, that just the right amount of money might convince her that I care. Maybe I even figured that if I gave Iris the career she so desperately wants, she would come back to
1/3
e in her own time.
me
But I was wrong.
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No wonder she went back to Bo’Arrocan on a whim like that. I only just figured out that she had moved there at some point during
our time apart, but I guess there’s a lot more to the story that I didn’t know.
I thought I was in the clear when I found out that she’s not actually married to that Brian guy, that those twins aren’t hers.
But I wasn’t. She’s with someone, it seems.
And more than that… she has a child.
I don’t stop moving until I’m in my car, and even then, I don’t really stop. I peel away from the curb and race through the city
streets, not caring if I get pulled over for speeding. I’m the Alpha President of Ordan, for Goddess‘ sake. I’ll speed if I wish.
As I drive, the city streets turning into a blur around me, I clench my jaw and tighten my fingers around the steering wheel so
much that my knuckles turn white and the leather squeaks.
A child.
It can’t be my child, right? It’s impossible. She aborted it. She…
Without thinking, I pull the car over and come to a screeching halt on the side of the road. I let loose a deep, heavy sigh, shaking
my head and pinching the bridge of my nose in exasperation. Since when have I been this reactive to things? I should just let it go,
‘leave her in the past, and yet…
I need to know. I quickly Mindlink my Beta, needing answers as soon as possible. “Find any information you can on Iris’s living situation in Bo’Arrocan,” I say, my mental voice tinged with frustration. “I think she had a kid after all.”
My Beta replies just as quickly as ever, promising to look into it as soon as he can.
It’s not until much later that I hear back from him. I’m in my office–I couldn’t bring myself to go home tonight, because going home means being idle, and I’d rather throw myself into my work than have to think about the kid–when my Beta suddenly
walks in
Immediately, I feel my face go pale. I know it’s serious when he doesn’t Mindlink me, but rather shows up in person at this time
of night.
Without a word, he tosses a folder onto my desk. I glance up at him, and his face is grim. I grab the folder and flick it open.
“Shit,” I say a moment later, throwing the folder back down on the desk so that the papers scatter across the glass surface.
He nods. “The birth date would line up,” he says. “You would need to perform a paternity test, but it’s possible that the boy is yours.”
A son. I could have a son.
We could have a son
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My hand moves of its own accord, and suddenly, I’m dialing Iris‘ number. She changed her number when she left all those years
ago, my Beta found her current one, and I don’t care if she’s sleeping. I need to know the truth.
but
But there’s no answer.
