Chapter 7

Iris returned to the kitchen after she was done cleaning the room when she heard the other staff gossiping. "What did Gemma do? Fiona really lost her temper there, splashing her with a bucket of cold water down her head before firing her!" Iris was taken aback—Gemma was the girl with her just now. How did Thomas find out what happened in that room? Iris went looking for Fiona, who did not seem surprised to see her at all. "Let's go to the lounge." Fiona handed Iris a pair of pants when they arrived and told her, "Get changed—these are new. It's summer, but girls shouldn't be wearing wet clothes." Iris asked with a quiver in her voice, "Did you tell him, Fiona?" Fiona smiled. "Lunar Peak belongs to Mr. Franklin, Iri. He doesn't have to tell me if he wants to keep tabs on you." Fiona did not tell her that security cameras watched every inch of Lunar Peak, and they only turned it off upon request of the guests—though the management would not be responsible for anything that happened after they did. Still, only influential and prominent people from Silverton frequented Lunar Peak anyway. Fiona's phone rang just then, and a voice could be heard from the other end. "Fiona, Mr. Ike was asking for the prettiest girl in Lunar Peak, and we sent Lola, but he said she wasn't the one. What should we do?" "Did you send the others? Find out who he really meant?" "We did, but he said no to all of them. He said she was wearing our uniform and demanded we send every female waitress over." Fiona came to a realization right then—if Ike was demanding that even after seeing Lola, that had to mean it was Iris. Looking at Iris, she asked, "Have you met Ike Franklin yet, Iri?" Iris did a double take and shook her head. Fiona quickly told her, "Alright. You can go for the day—come back tomorrow." Iris nodded and left, though a black Maybach stopped beside her when she got out. Kenny lowered the window and said, "Get in, Ms. Lynd." She paused, so he added, "Mr. Franklin's orders." She got in, and he took her to a basement carpark. She realized then that it was the office building of Franklin Corp. Kenny then led her to Thomas' office on the top floor. It was very quiet, and there was no one around. "Please take a seat," Kenny told her. "Mr. Franklin is in a meeting right now." The door was opened only over twenty minutes later. Thomas strode inside to find her wearing a backpack and standing upright beside the couch. She was too afraid to sit lest he would hold it against her. But as soon as he reached her, he slammed the document he was holding at her feet. She turned pale immediately and tripped over her own legs as she backed away, falling onto the couch. Thomas kept walking toward her with a terrifying look. Flustered, she sprang to her feet, but he caught her chin and shoved her against the couch, his eyes glaring murderously as he bellowed, "Trying to flirt with Ike, were you?!" Iris' eyes welled up with tears as she sobbed, "No, I don't even know him—it's already exhausting dealing with you!" Thomas glowered, putting pressure on his fingers just then. Iris winced in pain, and her cheeks reddened from his grip. Spite filled his eyes as he demanded coolly, "Clean up the entire office, including the break room." With that, he spent the entire afternoon working as she cleaned the room, neither of them saying a word. Still, Iris headed to the break room when she was done with the office before moving on toward the bathroom. She was focused on her work until she suddenly gasped, "Ahhh!!!" Someone suddenly turned on the shower sprinklers, drenching her from head to toe. Naturally, it was Thomas. Iris was kneeling on the floor and soaked through. She looked just like how she had been in that hallway that night, inciting Thomas to destroy her. Iris tried to turn off the sprinkler, but Thomas caught her hand. He lifted her up, swiftly turned around, and shoved her against the wall. She tried to resist, sensing his coldness just then. He simply grabbed her hair, forcing her to look up while the water ran down her neck, leaving her T-shirt soaked and her undergarments perfectly visible. Iris could see the coldness in Thomas' eyes as he grinned. "Trying to wipe the floor with your knees?" Iris' face paled, and she started to shake with rage from his mockery. He was saying that she was seducing him! Still, he restrained both her hands with just one of his, holding them over her head and keeping her in place. Thomas' towering, sturdy form leaned over as he placed his lips on her neck. His voice was ice cool. "Have it your way!" - Iris was in a daze when she returned to Franklin Manor from Thomas' office. Ida was not back yet, and she ran into Sean in the hallway. "Oh, Iri. Wasn't it Thomas' assistant who drove you back?" It was indeed Kenny—Thomas was not with them since he stayed back at the office after receiving a call. Iris blinked and explained meekly, "I was waiting for a bus, and Uncle Thomas happened to pass by. He told Kenny to send me home, but he's not with us since something came up." Sean nodded but said, "Try to avoid him—you can come to me if you're in trouble. I'll help." "Thank you, Uncle Sean." Iris nodded deeply. She was heading upstairs when Sean took a card from his pocket and passed it to Iris. "Keep this—you can buy anything you want. There's no purchase limit. I've seen your paintings, and I must say that they are inspiring. Don't give up just because life is weighing you down. I can get you the best of everything." While Iris stared blankly at him, Sean added, "I know you picked language for your major, but I can help if you'd like to switch to art or even study abroad. I can help you rise to the top of the world, you know." Iris, however, was panicking and backing away. Still, just as she was ready to run, Sean chuckled. "You're scared of me? To be honest, we Franklin boys do have trouble socializing with the ladies since we don't have a female sibling. But look, I think it's a shame since Ida told me you said no before, but even my mentor Leonard Fuchs agreed that your painting was inspiring and a rarity in itself." The name Leonard actually surprised Iris, and delight showed in her dewy eyes as she repeated, "Leonard Fuchs?" "Yes." Sean smiled mildly in turn. "If you like his work, I can arrange for you to meet him. Silverton University's new semester only resumes next month, right? Take your time to consider—if you agree to it, Mr. Fuchs said he's willing to give you lessons every week." Iris thought it was a godsend gift—she had been painting for years since her mother sent her for lessons in her childhood. Her grandmother did the same even after her mother died, despite difficulties. Seeing that she was lost in thought, Sean told her, "Go get some rest. There's no need to rush things." Iris nodded. "Thank you, Uncle Sean." Back to her room, she was sunk in thought again. Her Aunt Ida actually didn’t really care about whether she could continue to draw; she must have mentioned it because of Sean's encouragement. She was certainly interested, but a certain cold visage abruptly appeared in her mind, crushing all her hopes. Thomas would never let that happen. If she changed her college major, Sean would likely become her lecturer and try to help her further. That meant they would be in touch frequently, and Iris scarcely dared to imagine how Thomas would punish her. He might even attack Sean… It was obvious from what Sean said—and the way Thomas behaved around Sean—that they only got along with Thomas on the surface. They actually could not stand each other. - Mrs. Watson was waiting for Thomas when he returned to Franklin Manor, and she told him about the conversation she eavesdropped on, word-for-word. "That's all they discussed, Mr. Franklin," she said when she was finished. Thomas was already scowling. "Keep watching them." "Yes, Mr. Franklin." He then returned to his room and saw someone on his bed. Iris always seemed tiny amid the sheets, especially since she curled up—one would probably not notice her if they were not looking too closely. Thomas had not returned and it was already 10 PM, so she thought she could return to her room. However, he was back while she fell asleep. Seeing him standing beside the bed, she quickly stood up, her hair disheveled. Her little face was a little bloated from sleep, and she was rubbing her eyes as she said, "Sorry, I fell asleep." She then watched as Thomas grasped her right hand so forcefully that it hurt. The pain cleared her head right then. His alluring voice was absolutely cold. "You paint with this hand, don't you? Would it be all over if I broke it?"