Property of Belmont hotel

IRISI woke up with a sharp pain twisting through my side. I had slept off while cleaning a suite. My chest felt heavy, my legs weak, and for a moment, I couldn’t remember why I was still fighting through this illness that had already taken so much from me. The world spun slightly as I got up from the floor, forcing myself to stand. One wrong step, and I would’ve collapsed.I clutched the wall, taking a shaky breath. “Not today,” I muttered to myself. “Not now.”This was my life. Waking up, pushing through the pain, working long hours at one of New York’s most expensive hotels just to keep food on the table for my dad. I’d barely recovered from yesterday’s shift, but there was no choice. There never was.I had to finish my shift. The gala had begun already and there was still so much left to do. I couldn't afford to get fired. I walked out of the room with my cart, ready to take more supplies to finish up when a hand clamped hard around my arm.Before I could react, I was yanked forwa

IRIS~A sharp knock on the door woke me up.I blinked slowly, confused for a second before everything came rushing back.“Come in,” I said quietly.The door opened and a woman walked in, pushing a tray of food. She didn’t look at me much as she set it down on the table. “Here's your food ma'am” she said as she began to leave. “Oh,” she added, pausing at the door. “After you eat, Mr. Ross wants to see you.”My stomach dropped. Of course he did.The door closed softly behind her, leaving me alone again.I stared at the food for a while. It looked normal. Toast with fruits and sliced avocados. But nothing about my situation made me trust the food.What if it was drugged? What if… My stomach growled loudly, cutting off my thoughts.I let out a quiet sigh. I was already weak. Already sick.If I didn’t eat, I’d probably pass out again.Slowly, I reached for the food.I ate carefully at first. Small bites, waiting for some sort of reaction. Nothing happened.So I ate a little more. Not too

IRISBy the time I got to the penthouse, my heart was already racing.I stood in front of the door for a few seconds, staring at it then I knocked.“Come in.” His voice was calm like always.I pushed the door open slowly and stepped inside.Tristan was standing by the window, his back to me. One hand in his pocket, the other holding a glass. He didn’t turn immediately.“Close the door.” I did.The click echoed softly behind me. “Come here.” I walked toward him slowly, stopping a few steps away.“What do you want?” I asked quietly. He finally turned.His green eyes landed on me, steady and unreadable.“You’ll be acting as my girlfriend.”The words hit me instantly.“What?” I said before I could stop myself. His gaze hardened slightly. “I didn’t tell you to speak.” My mouth snapped shut immediately.Annoyance burned in my chest but I stayed quiet. “From today,” he continued, “you’ll be seen with me. Publicly.”My heart started beating faster.“This is for business,” he added. “Nothing m

IRISI didn’t go far before stopping. “Wear something decent.”His words replayed in my head as I stood in the hallway, my fingers tightening slightly at my sides. “Decent.”I let out a small breath and turned, heading back to the room I had been given. Where was he taking me? What a scumI pushed the door open and walked in. The room was quiet, just like before. I walked straight to the wardrobe and opened it. There were clothes…Loads of them.Dresses, heels, bags. Everything arranged perfectly like it had been planned ahead for me.My stomach tightened slightly. He really thought of everything.I hesitated for a moment before reaching in and pulling out a dress. It was simple. Black. Nothing too loud. That felt safer. I was on my period anyway.I changed quickly, my movements stiff. When I was done, I stood in front of the mirror for a second.The girl staring back at me didn’t look like me.She looked like she belonged somewhere else.Somewhere expensive.I shook my head and stepp

IRISI could have sworn I slept off on the couch yesterday.My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the soft light in the room. For a moment, everything felt… normal.Then like my memories were waiting for me to wake up, I remembered everything. The way Tristan had looked at her. The way he told her to follow him like it was nothing. Like it was routine. Like it meant nothing.I swallowed hard and sat up slowly, my chest tightening. Why did that even bother me?I frowned slightly, staring at nothing.It shouldn’t. We weren’t anything.This whole thing between us was fake. An arrangement. A deal I didn’t even have control over.So why did it feel like something twisted inside me when I remembered it?Why did it stay on my mind like that?I let out a quiet breath and shook my head.“Stop it, Iris,” I muttered.This wasn’t my place. None of this was.I had no right to feel anything.I pushed the thoughts away and tried to get out of bed but the moment my feet touched the floor, my legs gave