Chapter 11

★★★★★

Harrison immediately jolted out of his crazy world of senselessness on realizing what he had just said..

He wasn't hallucinating..

Neither was he dreaming or imagining things..

"Stop being too forward!" he scolded himself like a third-party.

"Err.." he stuttered, trying to justify his words despite knowing deep down that those words were like eggs which, when broken, can't be adjusted again.

Iris on the other hand kept staring at him in awe, wondering what he was up to.

"Last night, he kissed me and today, he's being flirty.. " she paused her thoughts, staring deeply into his eyes as if searching for an answer in it.

"Is he a rapist like Gilbert?.." she thought again.

"No, he doesn't look like one" another thought crossed her mind.

"But.." she was about to think otherwise again when he spoke.

"I'm sorry. I was just trying to… you know.. compliment your body's beauty.." he said and she nodded slowly, trying her best to believe him..

"If he really has an ulterior motive, he won't let me stay in a hotel, quite distant from his house right?.." she thought..

At that moment, Harrison's phone beeped and he immediately took it out of his pocket..

It was a mail from his dad, Austen.

"A second please.." he muttered to Iris before scoffing silently at the mail notification..

"What happened to texts and calls" he mumbled under his breath before clicking on the message..

The message was boldly written in capital letters that even a man with eye issues would read without squinting his eyes.

'YOU KNOW YOU HAVE LOTS OF EXPLANATIONS TO MAKE, EUN!

I WANT TO SEE YOU SOON, DON'T KEEP ME WAITING'

The message read and Harrison smirked before tossing the phone into his pockets.

"Seems like this is gonna work out.." he silently soliloquised.

"The kitchen is right there.." he said to Iris, pointing towards a black door at his right hand side.

"Brew me a cup of coffee there. Don't add too much sugar" Harrison said, speaking like a boss since the first time they met.

"What's coffee?.." Iris muttered innocently but Harrison clearly heard.

"Huh?.." he asked with furrowed brows.

"You don't know what coffee means?.." he asked shockingly..

"Seriously?.." he muttered in shock again

"I.. I'm sorry, I have been having issues with recognising or remembering things since I lost my memories" she admitted.

"You lost your memories?" His brows raised on their own.

"Yes. My parents told me I was terribly sick so it affected my brain.." She said, recalling what Nina and Gilbert had told her a few days back.

"That's so ridiculous.." Harrison muttered.

"Well, Coffee is a popular beverage made from roasted coffee beans, which are the seeds of the Coffea plant.." he said.

Both of them were really still standing with aching legs, yet none of them realized it yet..

"Coffee is brewed by infusing the beans in hot water to release its distinctive flavor, aroma, and stimulant properties." Harrison found himself explaining further.

Crazy right?..

Truth be told, he had never been this patient and gentle with a lady before.

She was really the first lady to see his soft side asides his sisters.

"She really put me under a spell.." he found himself saying inwardly

Or ..

Was it because he needed her to be his fake fiancee as time goes on?..

Could this be the reason?..

Questions upon questions..

Predictions upon predictions..

Assumptions aren't excluded too..

But still..

He himself didn't know the reason..

"And as a secretary, you brew me coffee everyday and early in the morning.." he said again, walking over his seat upon realizing for the first time that morning that he had been standing since he came in..

"Okay sir.." she said with a bow, walking over to the direction he pointed at, earlier.

Immediately she left for the kitchen, his phone coincidentally rang and the caller's ID, 'PERSONAL MAN', triggered realizations in him..

How could he have forgotten his search for the one night stand lady?!!..

"For the love of business, I haven't thought of the search in twenty hours"he said immediately he swiped green, without even bothering to mutter a reply to this agent's pleasantry..

"Oh really. I guess that's because you stress yourself a lot these days.." the caller chuckled, letting out his assumptions..

"No matter what stress I'm going through, it doesn't replace my priority.." he muttered.

"Well, boss, that aside" his agent said with a deep breath..

"What's the update?.." Harrison asked seriously and once again, Cole sucked in a deep breath.

"There's really no one bearing Iris Norbert in the whole of California. We even partnered with the officials in charge of the citizen accreditation to confirm identities of people, yet there's no update" the agent spoke.

"Did I meet a ghost that night?.." Harrison thought.

"It's definitely not possible of course!" he shook off the thought and released a sigh.

"You know what, I need you to do something else.."Harrison said again, after a few minutes of silence.

"I need you to search in full, the details of Velvet white, my new secretary. I need the feedback before dusk" he instructed.

"You hired a new secretary?.." the agent asked, surprised.

"Yeah, Kingsley was trying to ruin the company by—" Harrison was still giving a reply when he suddenly heard a scream from the kitchen..

At first, he thought it was his imagination but when the scream came again, portraying agony this time, he sprang up immediately.

"I'll call you back.. i think she's in trrou–" he didn't even complete his words before dropping the phone and rushing to the kitchen with an unexplainable level of worry..

He pushed, with full force, the kitchen door and entered immediately, having no other thought in his mind other than saving her..

"Are you okay?!.." he panicked, rushing over to Iris who was right in front of the brewing machine.

She had accidentally burnt herself while trying to use the machine for the first time in her life history.

"Damn!"he cussed, rushing over to her immediately.

"It hurts!" She cried like a toddler as he grabbed the affected hand gently, while still staring at the reddish spot at the back of her palms..

"Do something.." she pleaded, letting out tears for real..

"Oh my.." Harrison kept panicking, unsure of what to do..

He could hear the opening sound of his office door but of course, none of them were bothered about who was coming in..

"It's burning me.." Iris cried again, increasing his panic and worry.

And so..

Without thinking twice or hesitating, he raised her palm to his mouth, pressing his lips gently on it..

That was literally the only solution he could find at that moment.

"Big brother, I can't stay in that house any—" that was Karen's voice from his office, but none of them heard..

Their gazes were fully fixed on each other's and Harrison's lips were still on the back of her palm..

You could imagine..

The contact seemed like he was kissing her ring finger after proposing..

Exactly how it seemed!

"Big –" Karen's words were interrupted when she saw the contact..

For a second she blinked before widening her eyes..

"Woooooooowwwwwwwww!!!" she screamed in excitement, alerting the duo.

But before Iris nor Harrison could turn to see who it was, Karen was already out of the office in happiness..

"Harrison Brooks finally found his woman!!!"her voice echoed loudly even from the exterior wall of the office..

Iris gasped without realizing..

*

•INNER CHAMBERS•

"I'm waiting.." TCK said, starting the conversation with her worker who always gave feedback..

As usual, her back was turned to him and the silicone mask which gave her the face of Ashley smith was right on her black table, alongside two other masks.

No one had seen her real face.

No single person..

Well of course, except the people she grew up with but.. since she became what she is, she never revealed her real face..

Each time she turns to a worker or spy, she's with either of her three fake identities..

"There isn't any update about the Iris Norbert you told me of!.. " she suddenly growled, startling the guard behind her.

"I will never lie to you, your majesty. Iris Norbert is the lady Harrison slept with and he himself hasn't found her yet." He said, trying his best not to stammer.

Without looking back nor giving him a slight warning, TCK threw the knife she was holding towards the direction where the hapless guard was and it immediately slashed his ear into two before he could even dodge it..

Her hand was so straight and she never missed her targets even without looking at the direction where her weapon was going through..

"Arrgh!.." the guard cried in pain, holding his blessing ear and staining his palms in the process.

"Make one more sound and I'll target your balls this time.." she threatened fiercely and despite how terrible the pain was, the guard stopped groaning immediately.

"Now go on with the feedbacks" She said with a devilish smirk while the envelope the man came with continued burning in the fireplace where she had thrown it.

"He fired his secretary, Kingsley Hills, after getting to know about his fraudulent activities in the company's fund ." the agent spoke, wincing inwardly in agonizing pains.

"And then, he employed an unfamiliar lady who claims to be Velvet White by name..

She's currently his secretary and though she slept in the hotel last night, he's trying to rent or buy an apartment for her.." he explained further..

Define anger..

Define rage!!

What about fury!..

Definitely, no definition will be enough to describe how TCK felt upon hearing that particular update..

"Harrison has never hired a female assistant, talk less of sorting out accommodation for her!" She growled, feeling like destroying every precious thing in that particular room..

The agent couldn't even say a word.

How could he anyways?.. with such a level of pain and fear?..

The pain he was feeling from his bleeding ear was nothing to write home about..

Of course!

Nothing is more agonizing than being forced to endure your pains without a sound nor groan!!,..

"I'll give the lady just two weeks.." TCK suddenly said after a few seconds of silence..

"If I notice any suspicious move in her that seems like she's having a more intimate connection with Harrison.." she paused, folding her fists tight..

"I'll eliminate her!" she suddenly yelled, filling the atmosphere with dreadful echoes of her voice.

And then, a mumble came from under her breath..

"No one touches what is mine.."

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