134 Parental Pressure (1)

It was the morning of the third day after the deadline ended. Iris stared at the ceiling, listening to the ring of the alarm. It sounded four times before Kyro turned it off and began to get ready.

She listened to him walking about, not moving from her bed. She could get up, say good morning, but what then? Ask him why he hadn't thrown her out yet? That seemed a bit counter-productive.

More than anything, she wanted to know the answer to that question, but she couldn't help thinking that he might have been just too busy and forgotten. He was rarely home the last few days, and when he returned, he swiftly disappeared in his room. In the last four days, she wasn't certain if they had exchanged a single word.

She had avoided him out of fear, hoping like a child that if she didn't face him, it would mean that his decision would not come into effect. Reality should have proved her wrong, but here she was, still in Kyro's apartment. It left her wondering whether her plan had actually been a genius one, or if Kyro was having second thoughts. There shouldn't have been any, but who could say what he was thinking.

Once he left the apartment, she slowly got up and boiled herself some coffee and made a sandwich. 'Third morning after the deadline… Am I going to continue living like this, in fear, for weeks on end now? Avoiding Kyro like he's some terrifying monster? It cannot last.'

She swirled the coffee with a spoon, watching how it moved. If only she was some kind of witch and could tell the future from the coffee dregs. Maybe then she could figure out how she could stay here without being a useless burden. No one liked those.

With a sigh, she went into the study and started checking up on her study materials. Most of the books were online, so she could read up on what she had known and catch up. Or well, prepare for the exams. She had disappeared two weeks before them.

This meant that she was probably disqualified already, but maybe she could re-take them once she returned. It was a long shot, but she'd be better off with a finished education. Thus, she had to relearn everything she had forgotten in the last month.

It was a slow going thing. Two hours later, she was barely couple chapters in, yet she still decided to take a break. As she was going into the living room, she was startled by a familiar ringtone. Wasn't this Kyro's phone?

In his bedroom, she saw his phone alight on the bedstand. On the screen, the caller 'Mother' was displayed.

The call might be important, but she didn't dare to pick it up. If she did, many questions would be raised, none of which she would have answers to. At least not ones that would be accepted by normal people who didn't know that there existed some weirdos who turned into animals at random.

She returned to the study and tried to watch a video, but the phone kept ringing. Again. And again. And again.

Fifteen minutes later, she could no longer take it and picked up the call. Before she could say anything, Kyro's mother's voice rushed out.

"Come back, please. Father just collapsed and I don't know what to do! The ambulance took him to the hospital, but he's now behind closed doors and I'm going crazy. What's taking you so long? I need—"

She was rambling, and it didn't seem like she was going to stop. Iris thus took a deep breath and after closing her eyes for a second, interrupted her, "Tell me the address."

"Open Hands Private Hospital, but... who are you? Why do you have Kyro's phone?" the mother instantly asked, her voice almost a shriek. "Did something happen to him? Wh—"

"Please calm down. He just forgot his phone. I'll take it to him right away. Goodbye now, I need to get ready!"

She quickly clicked to end the call, then stared at the wall with wide, unseeing eyes. This was crazy. She had just complicated her situation even more.

Then, the more pressing matter reasserted itself, and she rushed into her room to change clothes. On her way out, she recalled that she had Kyro's phone. Couldn't she call his work number or something?

Apparently not, for he didn't have any number named after himself. While scrolling through his contacts, though, she saw the only other person she knew - Gale. Maybe he could help? She tried calling him, but there was no answer. Where the hell was everyone?

Out of ideas, she returned to her original plan. She quickly found his company's address online and prayed that he was actually there. With a taxi, it took her a good half an hour to get to the right location.

Once she got out, she was faced with a building higher than anything she'd seen before. It was sky high, towering over many others around it. The people walking in and out of it were all suited up, smart in appearance and swift and decisive in their actions. All of them looked like cogs in a well-oiled machine.

And she didn't fit in with this atmosphere whatsoever. Not when dressed in a floor length summer dress, dark shawl, and wearing her hair loose around her shoulders since she had no hairbands.

Many passers-by glanced at her, some looking amused while others with open mockery. One person even came specially past her to ask, "Are you coming in?"

She didn't know him, and it was clear that he was poking fun at her for staring starry-eyed at their building. Gulping down her fear, she nodded and went through the rotating door. The person was a bit surprised, but didn't say anything more and went inside after her.

Iris whispered a few words of encouragement to herself, cowered by how official and high end everything looked, but didn't hesitate for long. She was hear with a purpose. Kyro's mother needed support, and she was here to make sure her son had the chance to give it.

Upon coming to the information desk, she asked to see Kyro Hemming. The woman manning the desk looked at her weirdly, then said, "Do you have an appointment?"

"No…"

Iris suddenly realized that she'd made a really stupid mistake. Was her watching of all those dramas for nothing? How could she have forgotten that she was a nobody and he was the CEO? Even if she wanted to see him, it wouldn't be that easy.

Frowning, she took a step back. It would be too disappointing to just leave like that after coming all the way here. Was there a chance he would show up on the first floor?

Probably not. He must work somewhere way higher, and when he needed to leave, he would go straight to the garage. She'd seen him using the elevator to go down there before.

Since that was useless, she took out Kyro's phone again. Since this was all she could do, Gale should better be prepared for a barrage of calls. Just like Kyro's mom had done to her, she spammed Gale with calls. On the tenth one, she finally got through.

"Yes?" she heard him say. "I was busy. What is it?"

"It's me, Iris. I need to get to Kyro, but they won't let me up to see him. Can you do something about that?" While speaking, all her relief and worry poured into her words, and Gale's voice instantly became serious.

"What's the problem?"

Once she explained, he cursed and told her to wait. The next moment, a well dressed man approached her. "Miss Iris?"

"Yes?"

"I'm Levi, Mr. Mosley's secretary, nice to meet you." He shook her hand, then motioned for her to follow him into the elevator. "I was told to bring you to the top floor. Please come with me."

She didn't move. "Mosley?"

"Gale Mosley," the man explained, looking at her with disbelief.

She laughed sheepishly at that and went after him. On her way, her eyes caught the expression of the woman at the information desk. She looked like she couldn't quite believe what she was seeing, even rubbing her eyes to make sure it was not an illusion.