LOGIN"Ahh.." Iris hissed. She looked down to find the strap of her heels broken. That twisted her ankle slightly. Xavier rushed to check what had happened. He bent down on one knee to check her ankle. "Don't," Iris told him. Because a man of his stature, a man everyone around here is looking up to. A man for whose attention even millionaires have to take an appointment, now he is touching her feet without an ounce of ego or hesitation. He glanced up. "You don't want me to touch you?" he asked with a hint of hesitation. He clearly misunderstood her words. "You are the Xavier Knight. Your reputation doesn't allow you to touch a woman's feet in front of so many people," she explained. His eyes turned gentler. "Even if I am the sky, I will still bend for you," he replied softly. Her heart skipped a beat, and her stomach fluttered with butterflies. She saw how he lifted her skirt and saw the broken strap. He touched her ankle, where she twisted. He grabbed her calf and helped her
"Mr. Knight? What have you done?" James cried out in alarm. Naomi and Tasha were equally stunned. Tasha is standing beside Adam, while Naomi is standing near her brother. Neither of the women had any delusions about whom Xavier would support. Xavier didn't bother explaining his reasons. Iris was seen looking at the handprint on Laila's cheek. She is still unable to understand where those emotions surged from. Just looking at Laila acting all coy with Xavier made something inside her snap with anger. She reacted on a primal instinct. She merely felt disgusted when she was all over Adil. But with Xavier, she became territorial. 'Damn, I was jealous. How much did I use to love this man?' she wondered. All the guests looked between Xavier and the Morgans in shock. Clearly, Xavier is standing up for the Starks, contrary to what the Morgans assumed until a few moments ago. Xavier didn't bother himself with the Morgans. His eyes are fixed on Iris, who looks surprised. The flash of her
"Mr. Knight," Adil and James rushed to greet Xavier. But Xavier's eyes searched and landed on Iris, who was standing beside Adam. Her eyes were on him, too. A myriad of emotions played on her face until they settled between relief and longing. Xavier thought he had imagined it. Because recently, Iris hasn't wanted to do anything with him. She blocked him on every social platform. What made it worse was the revulsion in her gaze in the hospital that day. That hurt Xavier as nothing else could. Xavier forced his attention to Adil, the groom Iris is getting engaged to. He hates Adil and is even jealous of the man because Iris chose him. "Congratulations," Xavier murmured coldly. He sounded more like he wanted to be anywhere but here. But Xavier is a glutton for pain. So he came to increase his pain by watching his wife slowly slipping away from him. "Thank you, Mr. Knight," Adil beamed. James leaned closer to Adil to whisper in his ear. "Get engaged to Iris. I don't want to lose fac
"Fine, this engagement is off. I don't want to marry a snob like her, either. Now, based on the agreement, half of your Starks group belongs to the Morgans," Adil declared angrily. "Adil, what are you doing? Have you lost your mind? Don't say things like that," Laila chimed in. Adam is pissed, while Iris looks calm. "Laila, didn't you see their attitude? I am their son-in-law. If they treat me this way before marriage, then what respect will they give me after I marry her?" Adil replied angrily, as if he were the one wronged here. Iris smiled sarcastically. "What? Are we being unreasonable? Is that what you are saying here? You have me serve Champagne to your friend, saying it's a custom. He touched me without my permission, and you didn't care. She came here flaunting the dress you bought for her, mocking my choice. But you still wanted me to apologize to her, and I don't want to participate in that conversation. Now you want to cancel the engagement, saying we are unreasonabl
The next evening, Iris is seen standing beside Adil, who was chatting away with someone Iris doesn't recognize. He didn't bother to introduce her; she didn't bother to ask. She is wearing the silver dress she liked, and Adil is wearing a blue tux. He barely acknowledged her since she arrived. If not for Mr. Morgan, she would not be willing to stand by Adil's side like a prop. Adil and the entire Morgan family look happy. Benjamin and Catherine kept glancing at Iris. They both look guilty. Naomi is flirting with Adam, while Tasha is yet to arrive. "Adil Morgan, long time no see," a man in his late twenties greeted Adil with a huge grin. He looked like an Italian with a French beard. Adil smiled brightly. "Neil, how have you been?" Adil shook hands with his friend. "I am great. Finally, you are getting hitched. Will you not introduce your fiancée?" Neil looked at Iris with interest. "Of course, this is Iris Stark, my fiancée." Adil wrapped his arm around her waist, as if he were
In the Stark residence, Iris didn't bother to greet anyone in the house. Catherine, Benjamin, and even Adam stood there, waiting for her. But she didn't spare them a glance. She walked straight into her room. She doesn't want to be rude to anyone. Especially not her parents. But the fact that they decided her happiness with a man who feels that a wife should always compromise on everything to the point of what she would want to wear. Her impending marriage is making her feel suffocated right before it starts. 'What if I don't get engaged to Adil tomorrow? Will Dad be able to cancel their agreement without losing the shares?' she wondered. Xavier's face flashed in her mind. The unmasked pain in his gaze when he heard about her engagement is still making her feel guilty. 'You are a good man. Too good to be true' she thought, thinking about what kind of relationship she might have had with him. That's when a knock sounded on the door. "Iris, can I come in?" Adam's voice rang fro
"Naomi? Why are we in a spa? Didn't we finish shopping? We bought dresses that we might not even wear. And spa?" Iris complained. Naomi dragged Tasha and Iris to the spa, where they had every inch of their bodies waxed, their hair styled, and their faces cleaned, and they waited for the face pack
It's been two whole weeks since Iris got kidnapped and was taken away from his world. The news of her demise exploded on the internet. In these two weeks, Xavier barely ate or slept. He hunted down Chase, who begged for mercy. But Xavier is no longer the same. He was colder and crueler than he had
In the townhouse, Desmond is looking at Xavier smugly. "You like that girl, Xavier?" he inquired in a tone which Xavier is all too familiar with. This is the same tone Desmond uses when Xavier does things that Desmond doesn't approve of. Desmond would make sure that Xavier wouldn't ever like them
Iris was sitting stiffly as she was held at gunpoint. Chase is sitting beside her with a gun pointing at her head. Someone whom she felt she had seen before in the Knights' residence is driving the car. An hour ago, when she just locked her door, creating an illusion that she was safe. But her il







