The billionaire's sweet editor
Chapter 109: Iris: Tension

Chapter 109: Iris: Tension

I stare at my reflection in the bathroom mirror, the fluorescent lights casting an unforgiving glow across my face.

Dark circles under my eyes remind me of the sleepless night I’ve just endured—replaying the argument with Lucas repeatedly. It had started with a simple misunderstanding, a careless mistake that had spiraled into a full-blown confrontation. Now, the thought of facing him at work fills me with dread.

Maybe I should have let all that happened to go under the mat and heard Lucas and Bella’s apologies, but fuck, seeing them together made me mad. Especially after the pictures that hinted at them being together. Then came Lucas stopping me from connecting to the wifi.

It seemed like the perfect plan to oust me from knowing whatever the two of them were cooking like I was a pawn in a game they were playing. And I think I know that game perfectly well...they wanted to gain enough momentum to be able to make the magazine a best seller this month. Attention equals sales. The equation is perfect, but not at the expense of my brain.

Taking a deep breath, I adjust my blazer and force myself to leave the sanctuary of my room. As I suspect, my grandparents already have a rough idea of what happened last night from the way they act when they see me coming downstairs.

From what I saw on the calendar yesterday, they’re supposed to be on a trip today, they should be preparing by now. However, Grandpa is flipping pancakes for the entire family in the kitchen, and Grandma is, umm, dusting my laptop?

I can’t tell exactly what she’s doing to it but her hands are skimming over the top in what looks like a swiping motion. The moment they hear my boots clinking on the tiles, they both turn their attention to me, each smiling brightly as if to let their light brighten up the darkness in me.

"Good morning to our little angel," Grandma sings as she makes way for Grandpa who’s passing with his pancakes to the living room.

I accept Grandma’s hug. "Oh, so I’m a little angel today but you didn’t hesitate giving away my clothes to a few strangers last week just so you can get rid of me?"

She opens her mouth wide, faking her shock. "I thought they were your boyfriends men."

Now it’s my turn to open my mouth wide. I wonder what her reaction would be if she found out we fought last night. Better not tell her.

Faking a smile, I pass by her and head over to Grandpa who is now plating our food. "What’s the occasion that git you waking up early to cook for us, sir?"

Grandpa hums. "Just thought I’d give you a treat after a long time away from home. We’re about to go on vacation, so what’s a little cooking when you’re going to miss our presence anyway?"

Choosing his explanation over the thoughts in my head, I sit and let him hand me a plate. "Thank you."

We eat together for the first time in a while and honestly, I’d rather start my morning to this every other day to calm my mind. Listening to my grandparent’s voice calms me for that moment, and by the time I’m ready for work and going into my car, I’m feeling a bit more refreshed with a level-headed mind.

★★★★★

Each step down the hallway feels like a march toward a battlefield. I can practically hear the echo of my heart pounding in my ears as I wait for the elevator.

The ride up is excruciatingly slow, each floor marking another step closer to the inevitable confrontation I’m about to have. I feel trapped and my stomach is churning at the thought of Lucas’s expression when he’d walked away from me the night before, hurt and confused. I had never intended for things to escalate like that, but I couldn’t stop them either.

When I finally step into the office, the familiar buzz of productivity surrounds me, but it feels muted like I am listening to a distant radio. Colleagues exchange pleasantries, but I can’t shake off the tension that is clinging to me like a second skin. I keep my head down, hoping to slip through the day unnoticed, to hide from the reality I had created.

But fate has other plans.

As I approach my desk, I catch sight of Lucas standing by the coffee machine with his back to me. I recognize his posture—the way he carries himself with that familiar confidence, the slight tilt of his head suggesting he is lost in thought.

A pang of longing mixed with frustration surges through me, but I suppress it. He’s doing this intentionally knowing exactly how I react to him because why else would he be using our coffee machine when he has another in his office?

"Iris!" Keith’s voice cuts through the ambient noise, halting me in my tracks. For crying out loud, why would he decide to call my name today of all days instead of waiting for me to sit like he usually does?

Lucas immediately springs into action with the coffee machine, grabbing a paper cup and pouring himself a generous potion—probably to make himself look busy. Little does he know I already saw him sulking not too long ago.

I turn slowly, my heart racing. "Oh, it’s really her," Clara adds standing from her chair to hug me. "How are you now? We heard you were not feeling well from you know who," she whispers the last part, glancing at Lucas who is doing a rather poor job at hiding his frustration. He’s bouncing his leg nervously now, glancing at Dion’s computer as if eye contact with me would kill him.

Then again, I’m the same.

"I’m fine, thanks. As you can see, I’m ready to start working now."

"What do you mean working? The magazine launched this morning," Keith cuts me.

Oh, so they already launched it? Hell, did they want to apologize to me last night because they knew their deed would be done yesterday anyway?

I glare at Lucas. "Looks like everything was going exactly as planned and I was the only one oblivious to it all."

This time, he raises his eyes to face me and we make eye contact. Instead of the shock, I’m waiting for him to show, his eyes show a different kind of emotion, as if I’m blaming him for something he didn’t do.

Brushing it out of my mind, I turn to Clara. "Hope we make it on number one this year."

"You know the drill," they all say in unison as if they’ve been told the same thing over and over, and I’m a bit surprised to see Lucas smiling. Yes, he’s smiling at me even though he knows we’re still fighting.

Tell me how I am supposed to keep my emotions in check when he’s the one provoking me.

I must be staring at him a little too intensely because Keith nudges me by the elbow, with a smirk on his lips. "Chill down, he isn’t going anywhere."

My cheeks heat up and I avoid eye contact with Lucas, turning red as I head over to my desk, clearing my throat when Keith doesn’t stop smirking suggestively at me. To my dismay, when I open my computer, it’s doing the cutting-edge thing that needs a password for me to unlock it.

"Sir," Keith raises his hand at Lucas who immediately springs into action and comes to stand next to me.

"Yes?"

"She needs help."

Another plan to corner me? Not this time honey.

I pave the way for Lucas, not about to let him smother me with his testosterone and shake me to my core. I can’t be losing my ground right now. I need to make sure he knows I’m mad or else the message I’m trying to send won’t be received.

Lucas notices my sudden movement and tries to hold my chair, to which I respond by swerving my seat to the side and standing.

"I’ll be back soon," I tell the others.

"Where are you going?" Lucas asks.

I run my mind in an instant, trying to find an excuse. "The restroom, then I’ll meet up with Mary. See you guys in a few."

Giving him one last victorious glance, I turn around and leave him on the computer to fix the error that I’m pretty sure isn’t even an error. Maybe he planted the bug so he could come close to me and smother me with his intoxicating perfume.

Damnit. Why do I miss it and hate him at the same time?

"Iris?" I hear his footsteps echoing in the empty hallway and try to increase my pace. My heartbeat increases for no reason, my speed turning into a run in a moment as I try to escape from Lucas.

"Iris wait!"

To the onlookers who might be seeing, we probably look like a pair of mad ostriches going loose in the corridor. Lucas manages to catch up to me and he holds my wrist, pulling me to him and pinning me on the wall. As if I just had an epiphany, I flip around to face him.

Because why the fuck am I running away like I did him wrong?