Chapter 2

Iris' voice broke even as she cried, "No! Please, stop!" She struggled, but her resistance only stirred his savagery. Thomas smiled more evilly upon seeing her cry in despair. He felt it was more fun that way! He reached out to the tear on her dress, ready to pull when a sudden shout stopped him! "M-Mr. Thomas?!" Mrs. Watson came upstairs when she heard Iris scream, and she was dumbstruck at the sight of what Thomas was doing. After all, Thomas was the head of the family, while Iris was just the relative of a relative—her Aunt Ida would not have made it into Franklin Manor if she did not seduce Sean! And in just a few days, Iris had seduced Thomas?! Thomas stopped right then. He released Iris and barked, "Get out!" Mrs. Watson immediately fled from the stairs—Thomas was the epitome of violence in the family and the devil himself in the servants' eyes. She certainly could never afford to mess with him. Iris was shaking as her body went limp. Hugging her wretched self, she looked up tearfully at the man whose very presence projected murder. However, before she could crawl back to her room, Thomas blocked her way. He leaned closer to her as he grabbed her chin with his slender fingers. He fixed his eyes on her as he growled, "Mess around again and I'll punish you in front of the servants!" The blood was drained from Iris' face. She pushed him away tearfully, rushed into her room, and locked the door. She could not believe that he would say that to her. He was so despicable and savage; he did not care about rumors or how others saw him! But what could she do? She shambled to her bathtub and sat in it, letting the water rush at her to wash away the devil's scent. All she could think about was what happened in the corridor—she would have been dead if Mrs. Watson had been late for a second. She rubbed her feet until her skin turned red—she was still young, so her fear and disgust overwhelmed her, and she started crying again, her tears gushing into the bathtub as she found the future a complete enigma… - The next day, Iris had a fever, and she felt like she was floating even as she dragged her heavy body out of Franklin Manor—she had to work because she did not have any money. Arriving at a pharmacy outside the mansion district, she spoke painfully as her throat was dried and enfeebled. "Hello. I need medicine for a sore throat and a headache." The pharmacist wore thick makeup and was dressed fashionably, accentuating her devilish figure even in her white coat. She studied Iris from head to toe, especially at her clothes that were not worth more than a hundred dollars put together. She smiled in disdain and threw her a box of morning-after pills. "Calm down, kiddo. Men would never care for a girl of your type—get yourself checked at the hospital, and take these as soon as possible before you get someone killed!" Iris was shuddering, her pale face sickly. She did not even look at what medicine she was given and paid for before she left. She put on her face mask and let down her hair. She combed her hair with her fingers making it frizzy to hide her face. Her grandmother would make her grow long bangs to hide half of her beautiful face when she was a child. But when she started to live with Ida, Ida told her that looks were a woman's greatest weapon—Ida often teased her that she was born coquettish, that her round eyes were bewitching and her doleful appearance would steal any man's heart. However, she refused to be that type of woman. Ever since she started to understand the world around here, all she seemed to get were those mean insults. When the boys eagerly flocked around her, the girls hated her guts. The same went for the pharmacist she just met, who thought she was a flirt. Screech— Iris dropped to the floor, startled by the screech of brakes as a car came to a halt. It took her a while to realize that she was on the road and that a car almost ran into her. She fumbled to her feet, but she dropped to the ground again before she managed a couple of steps. - Iris woke up to find herself in a clean, white room, and the back of her hand was bruised after being pricked with an IV needle. Noticing her loose patient gown, she wondered if she was at the hospital. She felt a sharp pain and pulled up her blanket to see that her other cuts and bruises were tended to. A man strode inside the room, dressed sharply in a suit. Kenny stared at her as she curled up into a ball, her miserable and delicate appearance no different from a vulnerable critter—he could only think to himself how cruel Thomas was, considering what he was about to give her. Still, he did it and handed Iris the piece of paper. "Ms. Lynd? Mr. Thomas Franklin told me to give this to you." Iris felt terror at his name but took the piece of paper nonetheless. It was the hospital bill, totaling up to 14,050 dollars. That was too expensive—the admittance cost was 14,000, while 50 was for the medicine. Before she came to her senses, Kenny pressed, "Mr. Franklin demanded that you pay him back." Iris' eyes welled up with tears, but she acted strong as she said in a mild voice "Okay." Kenny was stunned and handed Iris another piece of paper and a pen. "In that case, please sign this IOU." Iris glanced at her bag placed on the bedside cabinet, took out her purse, counted the bills, and handed it to Kenny. "Here's 50 dollars—please pass it to him. I'll return the remaining 14,000 with interest when I get the money." Kenny took the money, while Iris solemnly signed the IOU. After that, Kenny headed to the next room, picking up the heavy scent of nicotine that swirled in the room from the cigarette butt that was still kindled in the ashtray. Thomas stood by the French windows, looking lofty and imposing. Kenny held out the money to him. "Sir, the IOU and 50 dollars." Thomas stared at the money, his lips curling into an icy smile. "Kenny, do you know how a quarry must die to thrill a hunter?" Kenny felt the chills right then. - Iris used what money she had left to take a cab home, only to run into Mrs. Watson at the door. She could see the disdain in Mrs. Watson's eyes even as what happened last night flashed in her mind. Tugging at her skirt, she strode upstairs. The man who stayed next door never returned… until Iris heard some commotion several nights later. She mustered her courage and went over to his room through the balcony. Thomas had just entered his room and was taking off his black suit. He stared at the girl before the sliding door. She passed him an envelope, her face pale from apprehension and fear clearly showing in her bright eyes as she watched him. "Uncle Thomas, I have 3,600 dollars here. It's all I have for now, and I've already thought about it—I'll pay you 300 dollars every month for the next three years, and I'll be able to clear my debt." Thomas fixed his eyes on her and sneered. "I need someone to warm my bed every night from 10 PM to 1 AM!" All color drained from Iris' cheeks right then.