Iris’s POV
Marcus recovered first, forcing a laugh that came out thin and unconvincing.
“Ryder? Please. Everyone knows Mr. Lancaster doesn’t bother with family gatherings. I doubt he even remembers her name.”
It was such a small, petty attempt to save face that I almost felt sorry for him.
“What? Just because you married into his family means nothing. Don’t you know?”
David frowned, watching the both of us.
He didn’t know what to believe exactly.
I smiled instead, slow and unbothered.
“Actually, Ryder and I are very good friends. You and I both know I wouldn’t have called out his name so casually if I wasn’t telling the truth.”
It was true.
And if they needed proof, maybe I could brag by calling Ryder.
Meanwhile, David’s whole demeanor had already shifted.
His smile had vanished as he sat up straighter, cleared his throat.
Marcus opened his mouth to speak but David cut him off right then.
“Is that so?” Then he quickly turned to Marcus.
“Why didn’t you lead with this first!” Seeing the confidence on my face, it cracked something in him.
His hand reached for his wine glass in a not so steady manner.
Clearly David too was weary of Ryder.
Seeing as I was close to him, he wouldn’t want to try anything that could offend me.
Marcus could see that fear in his eyes too.
“Well,” he said again, after a while.
His laughter was awkward as he faced me, “small world, isn’t it?
Lancaster Holdings and Whitfield Realty, we’ve actually done business before, you know.
Good people.”
Nobody asked him to clarify that “good people” apparently now included me.
He finished his drink quickly after that, glancing at his watch like it had personally offended him.
“I should get going, actually. Early meeting tomorrow.” It was, without question, the worst excuse I’d heard all night, but nobody at the table was in a position to challenge it.
I stood before Marcus could even open his mouth.
“Why don’t you let me see you off, Mr. David.”
David brightened immediately.
“Oh… yes, of course. Please.”
We left Marcus sitting there, red-faced and silent, and I didn’t look back to see how he was handling the humiliation.
In the elevator, David turned to me with a new kind of respect in his eyes, the kind that only existed because he thought I had powerful connections, clearly not because I’d suddenly earned it.
“I do hope we get the chance to work together sometime,” I said, keeping my tone light and professional.
“It would be a pleasure.”
”The pleasure would be all mine,” he said quickly, and he actually meant it now.
The elevator doors opened onto the lobby, and that was the exact moment my luck decided to test me.
Ryder was standing near the entrance, deep in conversation with two men in suits.
He wore a dark suit cut close to his frame with the jacket open, the top button of his shirt undone.
His dark hair was swept back, slightly messy, one strand falling loose over his forehead.
He was looking so serious, very handsome with those piercing eyes focused on one of the two men.
David froze mid-step beside me.
“Is that…” His voice cracked with excitement.
“That’s Ryder Lancaster.”
”Iris.” David grabbed my arm, way too excited for a man his age.
“You know him, introduce me. Please. This could be huge for us.” He wet his lips, adjusting his outfit like I was about to introduce him to his future wife.
“Tell me first, how do I look?”
I blinked, taken aback.
“Uh…perfect, Mr. David.”
Ryder didn’t raise his voice.
He didn’t need to. This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
The two men beside him leaned in a little when he spoke, and people passing nearby slowed their steps without seeming to notice they’d done it.
Then his eyes lifted and found mine across the lobby.
Ryder’s gaze held mine as he crossed the lobby, unhurried, like the two men he’d been talking to had simply ceased to matter.
A faint smile touched his mouth, “There you are.” His voice was low, almost warm, entirely too pleased with itself.
“I’ve been looking for you.”
”You have?” I asked, caught off guard.
“Weren’t you supposed to be visiting your mother tonight?”
”I— the plans changed,” I said, which wasn’t even a lie, technically.
David, who had been standing there vibrating with excitement since the word “Lancaster” left his mouth, finally found his opening.
He stuck his hand out toward Ryder with the enthusiasm of a man sensing an opportunity.
“Mr. Lancaster, what an honor. David Whitfield, Whitfield Realty. We’ve actually worked with Lancaster Holdings before, and I have to say, it will be a huge pleasure working together again.”
Ryder looked at David’s outstretched hand like it was something mildly inconveniencing his view.
Then he turned to him, facing him directly.
“Mr. David, call my assistant,” he said, not in a rude tone exactly, but with a flatness that made it clear the conversation was already over.
“I’m sure he can find you some time.”
David’s hand hung there a beat too long before he lowered it, laughing awkwardly to cover the sting.
Then Ryder’s hand closed around my wrist.
“Come with me.” His voice had dropped, cold now, nothing like the warmth from a moment ago.
“Ryder, what are you—”
He didn’t answer.
He didn’t slow down either, pulling me along beside him, out through the glass doors and into the cool night air before I could get another word out.
A black car was already waiting at the curb.
The door opened at once as a man rushed there, nudging us a low ‘good evening’ greeting.
I nodded slightly in response but Ryder was not in the mood to chat.
He guided me in before I could even mutter a word to the driver, “inside now, sweetheart.”
I barely had time to pull my legs in after me before the door shut, sealing us both inside.