The billionaire's sweet editor
Chapter 60: Iris: Drama at work (1)

Chapter 60: Iris: Drama at work (1)

GETTING A picture of you taken without consent is another thing, but arriving at work and finding it is the main discussion in the entire edifice is another. And since everyone thinks I’m dating Lucas ever since we made our relationship public to wipe off Mary, everyone suspects I’m the girl in that photo.

What were we thinking about making a dating deal public?

Thank God for the floodlights at my house. We got lucky last night. They reflected on the stalker’s camera and blocked our faces and my house number from being captured in the photo, otherwise, everything including how Lucas was groping me would have been in the show, and I’m sure that would have made a spicy topic for the company.

Just how viral did Lucas get over the weekend for him to have the paparazzi following him around like this?

Taking out my phone, I head over to my Instagram application, wondering how long it’s been since I opened it. A month? Or has it been two now?

The notifications start rolling in the second I do, and my heart stops beating for a moment, thinking someone has cracked the code. I’m relieved when I open the notification tab and find nothing but old messages about people liking or following my account.

I last posted a review of my favorite novel which was viral back then, and by the looks of it, it still is and my post is getting more attention, although not as Lucas is. Dude has a whooping three hundred thousand followers with one of his pictures ranging in the hundred thousand likes and a tripping twenty thousand shares.

The comment section is filled with smutty hashtags and from the looks of it, he has a ton of waifus already creating fan fiction of him in their head. I keep scrolling, reading every comment that’s thirsting for any piece of him and I must admit, a part of me feels proud at the fact that I know him.

I can only imagine what the comments would be like if everyone knew just how much of a fucking beast he is in bed. The whole world would go wild for him I tell you, me included in the apocalypse because I can’t bear to think of anyone except me laying their hands on Lucas.

Call me possessive and stuff, but last night’s conversation with him just made me realize how much I like him. Knowing he has a crush on a girl who I know just made everything worse for me, an unwanted competition I didn’t want to have this early in my feelings—not when I’m still debating whether to just go for it or not.

Being a late bloomer in love is so confusing.

"That’s you isn’t it?" Keith speaks in my ear. I flinch, flipping my phone and slamming it upside down on my desk.

"What are you doing?"

"Checking to see if that’s you and not some bitch trying to steal Lucas from you," he flips my phone back up, pointing at the blurry picture of me in Lucas’ jacket, being groped.

His gaze on me is unwavering. I look around and a few of my coworkers are listening in on our conversation, not even bothering to hide their staring. They all want to know.

"What, you think Lucas would cheat on me?"

"He’s a man after all. Most men tend to cheat for prideful reasons. I’ve seen a few who boast about sleeping around with more women than their friends," he replies, setting his bag on his desk and turning his chair so that he’s facing me.

"Aren’t you a guy too?"

"Don’t change the topic. Is Lucas cheating on you or is that you?"

I blink. I’ve never seen Keith look and sound mad before. "We won’t tell anyone, I promise," Blessing adds from her desk, giving the others the assurance they need to listen in to our conversation shamelessly.

"It was me, okay. I’m that girl in the picture wearing a black coat. And yes, it’s Lucas’ coat. He came to visit me and we ended up, well, doing that. Happy now?"

"Yes," they all answer in unison, turning back to their work.

"Trust me, if that was another girl, I’d be knocking on his office and asking him why he’s cheating on you."

"Thank you," I reply, blushing when Keith winks at me. I didn’t know everyone was shipping us this hard. They rarely showed any signs of doing so all this time since we announced our relationship, which I was okay with because it meant they were doing a good job at minding their business.

Then Instagram reels happened.

The questions keep on coming throughout the day, and by the time lunchtime arrives, I’ve confirmed to three dozen people that I am indeed the girl in the picture. A few of them do believe me once I give them the seal of approval, but the other lot even went as far as taking the picture of me and Lucas kissing and doing a side-by-side investigation of features to finally agree that I’m the girl in the picture.

I haven’t seen Lucas ever since coming to work. A piece of me is glad he hasn’t shown up yet because I’m sure we would be asked these questions as a couple. The guys here are so open, some of them even recreated the kissing scene just to spite me.

It’s the constant messages of reassurance that I’m getting from Jerald that are keeping me from going into a crazy frenzy of telling these idiots off. It seems he found out about Lucas going viral today and the first person he thought to check on was me.

I told him I was okay and that I already knew Lucas was now every woman’s fantasy in the streets, to which he told me not to worry because he could see in Lucas’ eyes that he loved me.

Of course, I gushed and sent him a digital letter asking him what else Lucas does when I’m around him, only for him to tell me to go ask him myself. Fucking betrayer.

I’m preparing a second portion of garden salad, feeling all eyes on me from behind me when I feel someone tap me from behind. Turning around, Mary and Lynn are standing side by side, gesturing for me to follow them.

"Wait, let me add more salad," I whisper shout. Mary rolls her eyes, grabs my hand, and flips me around before I even grab the tongs.

We walk out of the cafeteria, toward the already open elevator. Pressing the third-floor button and waiting for the door to close, they both turn to face me.

"Are you okay? We heard Lucas is cheating on you."

"That was her you shithead," Mary hisses at Lynn who immediately lowers her voice and looks down.

"We heard the rumors and just wanted to check up on you and see if you’re okay."

"I’m fine," I reply just as the elevator doors open on the first floor. It’s just my shitty luck that decides to play tricks on me and make Lucas appear out of nowhere and enter the lift.

He pauses when he sees the three of us, turning to press the eighth-floor button. When the elevator closes and he’s sure no one else is entering, Lucas cuts between Mary and Lynn, pulling me into a hug and totally ignoring the others.

"How have you been, baby?" He asks, massaging my back smoothly with his hand.

I close my eyes and groan in pleasure. "It’s been hell, yours?"

"Same. I just came from a meeting and everyone was constantly asking unrelated questions. It was hell."

"Tell me about it. It’s almost like the entire company thinks you’re cheating on me."

"Right...wait, who’s cheating on who now?"

"The real question should be, why didn’t you check up on her until now? That’s so ungentlemanly and a big turn-off if you ask me. I’m suddenly feeling great that I didn’t get to date you. I’d have dumped you the very next day if I figured you were such an idiot," Lynn blurts out making Mary cackle happily in her corner whilst Lucas and I drop our mouths in shock at the clapback.

The elevator opens on the third floor and Lucas takes my hand so we can get off, but the others follow. "Where are you guys going?" Lucas asks them, holding my hand and ignoring the stares we’re getting from the workers peeking from their glass walls.

I knew I hated this design for a reason.

"We want to talk to Iris in the boardroom," Mary collected herself from the vengeful laugh she was having.

"She’s coming with me," Lucas asserts.

Lynn folds her arms around her chest, taking a step closer to Lucas. "Listen down here you, I didn’t leave work behind just so I could deliver Iris to you in the elevator. She’s coming with us and we’re going to comfort her since, apparently, her boyfriend is too busy to even take a look at his woman in all this chaos. Are you sure you love her, or you’re just toying with her because she isn’t assertive?"

I don’t know what wine she drank today, but Lynn is coming in hot with every blow. Grabbing my hand and snatching it away from Lucas, she gives him one last warning glare. "We are going to talk with Iris, now. You’ll get your chance once we’re done because, unlike some people, we do care about her mental health and we’d even sacrifice our lunchtime just to soothe her," then she flips around and pulls me along.

I mouth a sorry at Lucas, but he’s too bemused by Lynn’s words to even nod at me. My poor, Luke. If only they knew he wasn’t my boyfriend, maybe they’d have gone easy on him.

Mary lingers behind a little, talking to Lucas about something. When she finally catches up to us, she grimaces, pointing at Lynn and making these strange faces that seem to mean that she’s mad at something.

The boardroom is empty when we walk inside, and immediately, Lynn turns and grabs my shoulders. "Tell me the truth, are the two of you dating or you’re just fuck buddies?"

A loud thud hits my chest. "Woah. Where is this coming from?"

Her eyes turn to Mary, then back at me, dancing all over like she’s ashamed to look me in the eye. "It’s just that every time you guys are around each other, it’s never the simple subtle gestures of people in love. It’s always the touchy-feely kind of gesture, and he doesn’t seem like he cares about you at all. I mean, look at what happened just now."

"Ugh, don’t try to hide it Lynn, you’re only making it obvious," Mary cuts her.

I scrunch my eyes at the two of them, trying to piece the jigsaw together but nothing matches. Grabbing my shoulders and tugging Lynn off me, Mary faces me directly, eyes on mine like a woman about to say the worst shit to their friend. And I’m right. It is the worst.

"Lynn figured out you two aren’t dating from Lucas’ Dad last month and has been holding it in all this time because she thought he liked you."

Oh my goodness. What the fuck is with this drama at work today?

★★★★★