194 The Scandal (9)

It was late afternoon when Kyro received his mom's message. He reread it a few times as well as checked the attached image. Everything was quite clear, yet he couldn't believe she had really done it. First was that matchmaking and now active intervention, forcing him to do something before she did it herself?

There was a limit to even his patience. This was a step too far, beyond what he could tolerate.

But just as he was about to make a call, his phone rang. Unlike what he expected, it was an unknown number, which was a rare occurrence for his private phone number.

"Are you Kyro?" the voice asked the moment he picked up. The speaker was clearly male and of middle-age. He also had an unfamiliar accent.

"Yes, who are you?"

"I just noticed that you found a fennec which looks exactly like the one that I lost. Would it be possible for me to come and check her out?"

'Her? Is it a lucky guess or does he know something?' But Kyro had too many problems already. There was no way he was going to pick up even more. Iris was human, and it was clear that she had no owner.

"Sorry, the fennec ran away soon after I found it. It's been gone for close to two months."

"Iris ran away?" the middle-aged man asked with disbelief, his voice raising by an octave. "Are you certain? Can she be hiding somewhere? I'm so worried for her!"

This was getting out of hand. Where did that man get that name? Kyro swiftly went through everything he'd learned about Iris' life through the detective and what she herself had said.

But neither of them had mentioned a significant male figure. Iris had grown up under her aunt's care, without the intervention of any other relatives. It didn't seem like she was close to anyone else from her family.

And there was no way that her teachers or friends would know about the possibility of her turning into a fox if she herself didn't know about it.

Unless they caused it.

"I really don't know where the fennec is. I met a woman who claimed to be its owner, and the fox ran away after being frightened by the thick smell of perfume."

"And you didn't look for her?" The man sounded furious, as if Kyro had abandoned a child. Or someone as precious.

He still wasn't convinced, though. When he got home, he'd ask Iris and she'll call the stranger again if there really was such a person in her life. If not, it was better to lead him away. "I searched for some half an hour, but since it didn't show up, I gave up. Hopefully it found someone else to pick it up."

"But she's mine!" the middle-aged man roared. His fury abated quickly, though. "What I meant is, she's my precious fennec. You must have seen how beautiful she was, and how smart. There's no one else like her."

"Yes, but I really can't help you. And I'm at work, so I'll have to excuse myself now."

"Right, right, sorry for bothering you. If you learn anything about her, do call me, all right?"

"That is highly unlikely, but sure."

Once the call was over, Kyro massaged his temples, feeling like the world really hated him. Every few hours, something new happened, and it all required him to solve it. He hadn't gotten to taking care of the first problem when a mountain of others were thrown onto him.

What was this about Iris now? It didn't sound like that person's appearance bode anything good. He spoke of Iris as an item, which made it hard to believe that he was a friend of hers.

It required some looking into, so he put it aside for the moment and took up the task that he could finish right away. His mom still needed a reminder about how the real world worked.

After a moment's consideration, he chose to call his dad first. It would be better if he got a warning before Kyro brought hell on his mom's head.

"Do you know what she did now?"

There was a slight paused on the over end. "I heard from her… She… Kyro, please—"

"No, dad. I've had enough. If she doesn't clean up her act, I'm leaving for good. I know how she cares about me, and the worries that plague her, but this is too far. I've tolerated her for long enough. Back when I sent you two back, it was me giving you two a last chance. It's over now."

"But Kyro… your mom is just really afraid for you. There have been so many instances of… of us thinking that we'll never have anyone, and then of not being enough for you. We can't help but worry for you all the time."

There was sorrow in his dad's voice, and Kyro could almost swear he was crying, but he steeled his heart. "You were more than I needed when I was young, but I'm not a child anymore. You have to understand that I'm strong enough to carve my own path now. If I decide to stay alone for the rest of my life, it's my decision, and so is finding someone for myself. You don't have the right to choose these things for me.

"And so I'm stepping away." His own voice was strong, cold, business-like. "For the next half a year, don't look for me and don't try to get into contact, I won't respond. I've had enough of your interference with my life. If you still try to sabotage my relationships and get in my way, I'll go as far as to disown both of you. Don't test me again, this was the last straw."

After this grand speech, Kyro ended the call and leaned back against his chair, eyes closed. He didn't want to do this. They probably didn't even realize how much it pained him, but it was necessary. He couldn't live out his life with his parents continuously doing things that infringed on his personal space and his relationships.

A memory of him standing all beaten up and mom cradling him to her chest as he asked why the other kids didn't like him this bad rose up in his head. He had been some six or seven years old at that time, unaware that children often followed how adults acted and mocked him for no fault of his own. At that time, he had called Jessica mom for the first time, and she had promised to never let him get this hurt again, to protect him so that never again would he have a bad day.

'But times change and people grow up, but she doesn't seem to understand that I no longer need her absolute protection.'

[Don't contact me again. I'm blocking your number, and if I see or hear of you trying to force your ideals on me again, it will be the end. You've had your last chance and screwed it up.]