216 Inevitable Crash (8)

Without wasting time, Kyro moved in and kissed Iris. She answered readily, her hands coming to rest on his shoulders for balance. His hands entangled themselves into her long silky hair, pulling her closer.

There was little to no space between their bodies, and yet he wanted for there to be even less. It had been a great shock to not find her home, and when he learned about where she was, it got even worse. She was tempting fate to do something to her and didn't even know it.

His right hand moved lower, to her waist, when a loud scream echoed through the house. Kyro pulled away, eyes wide, only to see that Iris was looking with the exact same expression back at him. Her cheeks were flushed with color and her lips overly red, but it only made her more delectable.

But when Kyro's mind was about to stray again, there was another scream. Once his mind cleared out, he recognized who was making it. With a sigh, he helped Iris up and stood up himself as well.

While she straightened her dress a bit, he went to a nearby wall where they had made a nest for Lucy. The cat lay halfway out of his bedding, on the side that had been operated on. He kept trying to stand up and lift himself off the injured side, but his right back leg kept on giving up on him. It also seemed to hurt him a lot.

Whenever he struggled more intensely, the side on which he was lying seemed to hurt even more, resulting in the screams.

Lucy looked thoroughly exhausted, his breath coming in gasps, but he again tried to roll over. Noticing it, Kyro gently pushed his hands under the cat's belly and lifted him up a bit. Once he took a better hold, he also brought him back on the soft bedding from the cold ground.

"Is he okay?" Iris asked softly after also crouching down. Her voice was a bit breathy, but her red cheeks were almost gone.

A pang of annoyance surfaced in Kyro for a missed opportunity, but he quickly looked away. Caring for Lucy was more important than having some fun. And the cat had even gotten hurt because of being a brave guardian.

"He will be," Kyro said, caressing Lucy's head. A single dark blue eye was looking at him with some kind of emotion, but he couldn't tell what it was. Hopefully, agreement.

Afterwards, once the mood was shattered, they just went to sleep. In the morning, Iris as always woke Kyro up, and he left in a distinctly bad mood. He wasn't fond of existing on five hours of sleep.

And the work was even going to hell. For every investor he talked with, five left in the meantime. What had started as a slow trickle had by then turned into a steady stream.

It wasn't hard to determine why and how, either—people were scared. Due to the scandals and what happened with Gale, he no longer looked like a calm and collected CEO everyone regarding him as before. He seemed impulsive and hot-headed, someone who didn't think everything through before acting.

But this could have been controlled. It wasn't like he was being investigated by police or some court for fraud. No, his largest problem lay in Mosleys. The mother and father pair was an immovable object in the business world. Even without their main company, they had dozens of small ones to keep them more than just afloat.

Worst was that they had more friends than there were water drops in a sea. With generations of descendants who were more influential than another, they knew everyone and could command a lot of things as they saw fit. It wasn't total control, and there were plenty of people who had made a fortune for themselves and didn't care about old bloods, but Mosleys still had unimaginable power.

Before, they had been playing around, since Gale was part of the company and they wanted to test him, not destroy him, but now… now the training gears were off. And Kyro had no one to turn to. He'd made friends in the business world, but they were good-day friends. Not one of them would risk their hide for him.

"Mr. Hemming? I have Mr. Harward's secretary on the phone. It seems important," Lara said, poking her head into the office.

Kyro nodded at her. "Connect her to my line."

Harward was one of the larger investors, so his contribution was substantial. Its loss would be noticeable by all, and the nay-sayers would jump to their feet in joy.

Upon picking up the phone, Kyro heard his worst fears voiced. When he tried to discuss it with the secretary, the woman said that she had no power to change the decision. It was something Mr.Harward had decided, and Kyro should talk to him about it. However, Mr. Harward was really busy at the moment, so it might take time to schedule an appointment.

"No need then, thank you."

Kyro slammed the phone down, wishing to destroy it in a fit of irrational anger. He had thought this might happen, but it still pissed him off. The damn man didn't even dare to say it himself. He actually used a secretary to send word that he was pulling out.

"Coward," Kyro muttered to himself and took a deep breath. Anger wouldn't solve anything. He also had a meeting in fifteen minutes with another investor, which he had to convince to stay after he'd have certainly learned about Harward's choice.

While Kyro calmed himself, Lara poked into his office again. She seemed to sense his mood, for she didn't even dare to step inside. "The board wants an explanation. They say you've had free reign for long enough."

"Is that really what they wrote?" Kyro asked, the corner of his mouth curving up. They would never dare to be this disrespectful to him.

Lara shook her head, her eyes downcast. "They sent a really long letter, but to not bother you, I passed only the main points."

Laughing a bit, Kyro thanked her and leaned back against his chair. Once the secretary was out, his smile faded, along with all the humor. The old geezers seemed to have reached their breaking point. Even his 'sweet words' last time couldn't hold them back anymore.

Then again, it made sense. As much as they feared, hated, and despised him, they were all in the same boat. If it capsized, they were all going to have to learn to swim.