LOGINIRIS "God, Iris," Eli snarled into my skin. His grip tightened until it almost hurt, dragging me closer, squeezing me as if he wanted to crush me into his bones. "You're playing a dangerous game.""I missed you," I whispered against his lips, my fingers tangling in his hair, tugging him down. "I missed you so bad, Eli. I was dying.""Do you have any idea what it did to me?" Eli growled against my mouth, his hot, heavy breath brushing against my lips. His grip in my hair tightened, pulling my head back just enough to force me to look directly into his dark, burning eyes. "Watching him lay a hand on you in the hall? Watching him touch your neck like he had any right to be near what belongs to me?""Eli, please..." I breathed, clutching him tighter, pressing myself completely into his heat. My core clenched, every nerve ending in my body firing at once as the overwhelming relief of being in his arms flooded through me. "He was just talking about the study terms... it meant nothing. You
IRIS The sudden, harsh vibration of my phone against the wooden nightstand buzzed through the dark, quiet room.My eyes snapped open instantly. My heart did a violent leap against my ribs as I reached into the dark, my fingers wrapping around the cool screen. A single, brief notification glowed in the pitch-black room. Study. Now.Two words. That was all it took to make my whole body go hot. It was 1:00 AM. Ever since Eliana’s little stunt, and her sudden threat in the bedroom, Eli and I hadn't been able to be together. We hadn't had this. We hadn't had us. I had been dying, waiting for days, missing him so bad it felt like an itch right under my skin. The moment his name flashed on the screen, my core clenched. By the time I threw off the covers, I was already drenched.Days of forced distance, quiet hallway glances, and suffocating tension had left me breathless, starving for his touch. The possessive weight of his gaze from yesterday—when Liam had reached out to touch my uniform
IRIS It was late in the afternoon, and the estate was quiet. The men hadn't returned from work yet, and it wasn't time to start preparing the evening meal. I woke up from a short nap in my small, dark room, my throat parched and my body aching from the tension of the past few days. I pulled on my uniform and padded down the quiet back hallway toward the kitchen to get a cold glass of water.The kitchen was empty, bathed in the warm, orange glow of the setting sun. I walked over to the counter, lifting a glass pitcher, when the quiet was suddenly shattered.The wooden back door of the kitchen clicked open.Savannah stepped into the room, and I froze, the glass pitcher nearly slipping from my fingers. She wasn't her usual immaculate, terrifying self. Her styled hair was disheveled, golden strands falling wildly around her shoulders. Her expensive blouse was slightly rumpled at the collar, but it was her lips that caught my attention—they were visibly red, puffy, and swollen.My heart d
IRIS I was in the parlor, rapidly fluffing and arranging the misplaced pillows on the long sofa, trying to finish my afternoon rounds in peace. My hands worked in a fast, practicedbsmoothing down the dark fabric while my mind replayed the threats Eliana had whispered into my ear earlier.The front doors echoed loudly from the grand entrance, sending a sudden vibration through the room that made me freeze on the spot."Good afternoon, Jim," Liam’s smooth, familiar voice drifted clearly from the foyer, followed by the steady, approaching sound of his leather dress shoes against the polished marble floor.Panicked, I immediately straightened the last silk pillow, clutched my cleaning caddy tightly to my chest, and hurried toward the parlor exit. My heart was beating wildly in my chest as I headed down the long corridor, desperate to disappear into the safety of the servants' quarters before anyone spotted me. I kept my head tucked low, my eyes glued to the floor beneath my feet, taking
IRIS "It was a gift," I lied, my voice shaking that the words barely scraped past my dry throat.I pressed myself flat against the wooden desk behind me, my heart hammering against my ribs like a panic-stricken bird. Cold sweat trickled down between my shoulder blades, soaking into the thin fabric of my maid uniform. "A friend gave it to me before I came to work here. It's... it's just something sentimental that I keep.""A friend?" Eliana repeated softly, her lips curving into a slow, mocking smile as she took another step further into the bedroom.She let the deep-red silk ribbon dangle between her long, manicured fingers, watching it sway gently in the bright morning sunlight. "Expensive Italian silk from a high-end boutique in the city? Given as a gift to a common, penniless maid?" Her voice dropped into a dangerously calm, sweet tone that sent a wave of terror straight down my spine. "Don't insult my intelligence, Iris. We both know you couldn't afford a single thread of this ri
IRIS "It has to be here. I—I didn't put it anywhere else," I murmured to myself for what seem like the hundreth time in an hour. The anatomy textbook Liam gave me was suddenly missing from its hiding spot beneath my mattress. I dropped to my knees on the cold floor of my small servant’s quarters, my hands quickly sweeping through the dark, dusty space under the bed frame. Nothing. My pulse spiked into an overdrive, jumping against throat like it wanted out. Cold sweat broke out across the back of my neck as I tore through my thin blankets, pulled back the flat pillows, and checked the small bedside drawer where I kept small items. The leather-bound book was gone. I sat back on my heels, my chest heaving as panic took hold of me. That textbook wasn't just a book—it was a secret bridge between me and Liam. He had given it to me quietly weeks ago, encouraging me to learn, patiently explaining complex medical diagrams during stolen moments in the library. It was a private conne
IRISA loud, aggressive banging on the door jarred me out of sleep. I groaned, dragging myself up to sit as Agatha’s sharp voice cut straight through the wood."Get up! Come out here right now, Iris!"My mind scrambled for a second before reality hit me. I wasn't at the orphanage anymore. I jumped
IRISThe engine roared, cutting off whatever sound I thought I heard behind me. I watched the car speed down the driveway and turn onto the private narrow road.My heart sank. Eli was gone, and I hadn't even got to look at his face.What is wrong with you? I mentally scolded myself, my face heating
ELII swore under my breath as the new girl practically fled the dining room. I had to shift my weight in my chair, trying to adjust myself for the second time that morning without my mother or wife noticing. It was pathetic. I was Eli Hawthorne. I didn't get flustered, and I certainly didn't lose
IRISI try so hard to blink my facial features to normal as an elegant woman walked into the parlor. She wore a tailored, expensive emerald dress that hugged her curves perfectly, her diamond jewelry catching the light. Her beautiful face twisted into immediate disgust the moment her eyes landed on







