The billionaire's sweet editor
Chapter 106: Lucas: Going home

Chapter 106: Lucas: Going home

IRIS pauses in her hasty movements to leave. I silently thank Bella for the gripping hook she presented right when Iris was getting a little difficult.

"What?" She asks, disbelief masking her voice as she struggles to process what just heard. "Did you just say you’re here to..." her voice trails off. She can’t bring herself to even say it.

"Yes, you heard me right. I’m here to apologize to you."

Another pause follows, then a turn to me, then a pause, then another turn to Bella. The process repeats for a couple more seconds where she keeps flipping her head between Bella and me, robotically pausing every moment she lays her eyes on either one of us. Then she pauses.

"Did he tell you to do it?"

I feel attacked by her remark and I’m about to defend myself when she places her palm on my mouth before clearly giving me a warning to shut up with her eyes. She wants to hear this directly from the "victim".

Bella shakes her head but not before pausing for a few good minutes where I thought she was going to rebel against me and change her narrative.

"No. I’m the one who wanted to apologize."

Iris blinks at her, too stunned to react. I use that chance to remove her hand from my mouth and defend myself.

"She came to my office a while ago and said she wanted to come here and apologize."

Iris turns her attention back at me, her eyes darkening as if some revelation just revealed itself to her and I’m part of it. "What happened? Why does she want to apologize now? Was this all a plan? Wait, a publicity plan to make yourself hit topics so that the magazine would sell? And now that it’s selling you guys are changing course?"

"Is that why you guys were acting weird just now? Because you both realize the mistake you made and are afraid I might become mad? Wait. Is that why I wasn’t allowed to be on wifi for an entire week? Was this all a master plan?"

"Iris, calm down. Where are you even getting these ideas from?" I ask, confusion masking my head when she keeps coming up with all these conspiracy theories about us. Even Bella looks shocked too. She keeps raising her hands and opening her mouth to stop Iris every time an accusation flies from her to us.

If this is the same brain that makes the gut-wrenching, horny bastards creator fiction she always like talking about every chance she gets, then the NovelFire community is in good hands. But only them.

We on the other hand are a different matter.

"Don’t tell me to calm down when I’m asking you questions. Ha! It all makes sense now. Why didn’t you stop her from spreading rumors about us when even one word from you could have ended all this in a minute?"

My heart thuds in my chest. I can’t believe the accusations she’s flying in my direction when I solely wanted to make everything end sooner before but she stopped me.

"What do you mean by that? Weren’t you the one who tried stopping me every time I tried addressing the public?"

"Because I thought you would be in danger of being attacked by cyberbullies! I didn’t know you guys were..." she trails off again, this time looking more pained than she was before.

Bella stands from her side and walks to ours so she can look Iris’s directory in the eyes and hold her hands. "Iris, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but all of it is—"

"You shut up!" She barks at her. "My phone...where’s my phone? Tim! Timir!"

Poor Tim rushes into the scene as fast as she can, standing in front of Iris and immediately reading the situation in an instant. He then stands between Bella and Iris, doing his best to stop her from touching her.

"Yes, Iris."

"Do you know where my phone is?"

"Yes."

"Good. Please connect it to the wifi for me."

Tim turns to look at me, and I’m about to signal for him to object when Iris waves her hands between us.

"Don’t look at him. I’m asking you for a favor, Tim, something I haven’t done since meeting you. Please?" She runs her hands together before him and I guess the sadistic posture she’s making gets to him because the next moment, he ignores my eyes and rushes out of the room.

Gritting my teeth, I try following him, but Iris holds my hand. "Please sit down. I need to see what I want to see or else I’ll think you guys are lying to me forever."

The expression on her face and the way she’s gnawing anxiously at her lip draw me in and I stop fighting her. We wait for Tim to come back, and he hands her the phone, disappearing in an instant for he knows I’m mad at his ass.

Iris stands once she has her phone and stands in the limelight of the peacock glass art, tapping on her phone quickly like an investigator whose target just went loose.

I think she reaches the article she’s searching for because she pauses the tapping and does a little reading before she’s back to tapping again. I sit anxiously waiting for her to be done so that she can give us time to explain our side of the story, but it seems that will have to wait until she’s satisfied with her investigation.

"Ha!"

"Wow."

"Oh. Nice."

She keeps making sarcastic remarks every time she pauses on an article and sometimes I catch her glaring at me and Bella from under her lashes. Then as if she finally reached the cherry on top of all the articles, Iris flops on the ground and pulls her hair, sliding her hands down her face and mouth as if she’s stressed over something.

I don’t know what it is she read but I can’t hold it in anymore. Standing, I walk until I’m next to her, leaning so we can be of the same height. But Iris chooses exactly that moment to stand and pat her cheeks like a woman strengthening her resolve.

"Please call Paul for me."

I blink in confusion. Why would she want Paul? Isn’t this the time when she’s supposed to ask us our side of the story?

"Why?" I question.

She avoids my gaze but I notice the slight glimmer in her eyes. Tears. She’s on the verge of crying.

"I’m going back home."

★★★★★