Chapter 5 05
IRIS QUINN
I stared at him.
A part of me wanted to believe he was a man of his word, that if I did this one humiliating thing, it would be over. But another part of me, the smarter part, whispered a warning: Don’t kid yourself. This is Caesar we’re talking about.
Still, I was willing. What was a moment of embarrassment compared to a lifetime married to this asshole? At least my mother would stop breathing down my neck, and I could find another way to fix this mess without licking anyone’s boots.
I looked around where people passed by on the sidewalk, minding their business, while a few cars drove past. What could go wrong?
So despite the hit to my pride, I lowered myself to the ground.
The pavement was cold against my knees, and I looked up at Caesar, who tilted his head, watching me like I was some curious specimen.
“I’ve done what you wanted,” I said, gripping my pants. “Now tell your father you’re no longer interested in marrying me.”
He scoffed. “Why would you believe I’d do that?”
I frowned. “You said you’d forfeit the wedding if I got on my knees.”
A camera shutter clicked behind me and bile rose up my throat.
Caesar laughed—actually laughed. “I never said that,” he said, unlocking his car door.
When he tried to open it, I shot to my feet and slammed the door shut. “You tricked me.”
“I didn’t.” He said this seriously. “There’s no proof I did, and who knows? Maybe you just wanted to try getting on your knees.”
“Caesar!”
He moved me aside with one hand and opened the door. “I’ll see you at the altar, Iris.”
He got into the car and drove off while I stood there in the middle of the street where a small crowd had gathered on the sidewalk. Some were staring while others had their phones out.
“What are you looking at?” I shouted.
No one moved.
One woman even smirked, like she’d just witnessed a celebrity scandal.
My stomach twisted when a man muttered, “Think she cheated on him?”
I stood there alone, trying to ignore the sting in my eyes.
Fucking Caesar Laurent.
---
When I returned to the hospital, police officers were stationed outside my father’s ward.
“He could run off,” one of them said when I asked.
I stared at my unconscious father.
“Sure,” I muttered.
I pushed open the door to the ward where my mother was on the phone, her voice low and respectful in a way I’d never heard before. Naomi was nowhere to be seen.
That’s when I heard it—my mother’s awkward and almost submissive laughter.
“Of course, Iris has agreed,” she said into the phone.
A wave of dread washed over me.
“Yes, of course, once Richard is stable, we can come by and pay you a visit, which I think is only right.”
The rage from earlier came rushing back as I shut the door quietly behind me.
My mother didn’t even notice.
She was still talking.
“Yes, Mr. Laurent, I understand completely. Thank you. Truly.”
Laurent.
I didn’t even think as I stormed toward her, grabbed the phone out of her hand, and ended the call before she could react.
“What kind of woman are you?” I asked, taking in her eyes that had widened in shock. “So desperate to sell your own child just so you can keep living in luxury?”
She grabbed the phone back. “Don’t you dare—”
“Do you even love me?”
Her expression froze, and for a second, I thought she might slap me again.
“I cannot love a child who would stand by and watch everything her parents built crumble just because a man doesn’t breathe the way she wants!”
“I am your daughter!” I shouted, my voice cracking from hurt.
“And that company is our life!” she snapped. “Everything we own, everything we sacrificed for. You think the world cares that your father is sick? You think they care about his heart condition?”
Her voice rose.
“They want blood, Iris. They want someone to blame, and your father is giving them exactly that!”
I shook my head. “You’re insane.”
“I’m realistic,” she hissed. “Unlike you.”
I clenched my fists. “You don’t see what the Laurents are doing? They stabbed us in the back and ruined us!”
“I’m not blind, Iris—I see everything.” My mother’s voice was cold. “But if you were smart, you’d know the quickest way to win a fight is to enter enemy territory.”
I stared at her.
An insider.
The door opened, and Naomi stepped inside, a tablet clutched in her hands, her face pale.
She glanced at my father first, then at me.
“I’m sorry,” she said quickly. “But Iris, you need to come with me. Now.”
My mother frowned. “For what?”
Naomi swallowed. “The board members have called an emergency meeting, and they’re already gathering.”
My chest tightened.
“They’re not waiting for your father to wake up.”
I looked down at myself—brown sundress and kitten heels. I wasn’t dressed for a meeting.
I turned back to my mother before walking toward the door. “I need to change.”
Naomi shut the door behind us. “I brought an outfit from the house.”
“You did?” I asked.
Naomi nodded. “Of course.”
I let out a breath. “You really are the best.”
She gave me a small smile. “Bathroom’s empty. Hurry.”
She handed me a garment bag in the hallway bathroom, and I changed quickly into the beige pantsuit before pulling my brunette hair into a ponytail and checking my reflection. This would have to do.
---
The reporters had camped outside the company building.
Naomi and two security guards flanked me as we pushed through, despite the camera flashes and questions being shouted. I kept my face down and didn’t answer any of them.
Inside, the lobby was eerily quiet, and employees watched as we walked to the elevator. Some looked away when I met their eyes.
The elevator doors closed.
“There’s word going around.” Naomi stated this quietly. “The board might suggest removing the founding family completely.”
My head snapped toward her. “What?”
Naomi nodded slowly. “They want to reassure the public and think the company can survive if the Quinn name is cut out.”
My throat went dry.
“So they want to steal our company,” I said flatly.
Naomi didn’t argue. “They call it restructuring,” she said.
I let out a humorless laugh. “And who do they plan to put in my father’s place?”
Naomi hesitated before saying, “James Kessler.”
My hands clenched at my sides.
James Kessler.
My father’s rival on the board for the last decade. That man was a snake in a tailored suit.
The elevator doors opened, and the boardroom was at the end of the hall.
“Are you ready?” Naomi asked. “I can step in if you’re unsure.”
“I’ve got it,” I told her.
Naomi’s eyes narrowed slightly, impressed.
I took a step forward. “This is what an heir does,” I said.
And I walked toward the boardroom.
