Iris stared at Richard.
"Marriage?" she asked, almost in a whisper.
For a moment, nobody said anything.
Iris looked at her parents, waiting for one of them to laugh and tell her that this was some kind of joke.
But neither of them did.
"You're serious?" Iris asked.
"Yes," Richard said calmly.
Iris slowly stood from the sofa.
"You want me to marry a man I've never even met?" she asked.
"Iris, we understand this is a lot to take in," Eleanor said.
"A lot?" Iris asked, letting out a small, disbelieving laugh. "You just told me I'm supposed to marry a complete stranger."
"It's not as simple as that," Eleanor replied.
"It sounds pretty simple to me," Iris said.
Richard looked at her calmly.
"Damien isn't just some stranger," he said.
"To me, he is," Iris replied.
Richard sighed.
"Damien is the heir to the Blackwood company," he explained. "My father, his grandfather, has made it clear that Damien will not take over the company unless he gets married."
Iris frowned.
"So he needs a wife to get the company?" she asked.
"Essentially," Richard replied.
Iris shook her head.
"That sounds like his problem," she said.
"It is his problem," Richard said. "But it affects all of us."
"How?" Iris asked.
Eleanor looked at her.
"Damien has refused every marriage arrangement they've presented to him," she explained.
Iris stared at her.
"Then why would he agree to marry me?" she asked.
Nobody answered.
Iris looked from Eleanor to Richard, then to her parents.
"Exactly," she said.
Anthony sighed.
"Iris, we're not asking you to do this because we don't care about you," he said.
"It certainly feels that way," Iris replied.
"We're asking because we've run out of options," Anthony said.
Iris looked around the room.
The expensive furniture.
The enormous windows.
The beautiful paintings.
Everything she had grown up believing would always be there suddenly felt fragile.
"So that's it?" she asked. "You lose the company, and I become the solution?"
"No," Eleanor said quickly. "You're our daughter."
"Then don't ask me to do this," Iris said.
Eleanor looked at her sadly.
"We don't want to lose you either," she said.
Iris looked away.
She could feel the anger building inside her.
"I need some air," she said.
"Iris—" Anthony called.
She stopped but didn't turn around.
"I'm not a business deal, Dad," she said.
Then she walked out of the room.
Iris grabbed her handbag from the hallway and headed toward the front door.
"Where are you going?" Anthony called from behind her.
"To Sienna's," Iris replied.
"Iris, we still need to talk," he said.
"I know," she said, turning to look at him. "But I need some time to think."
Before he could respond, Iris walked out of the mansion.
Thirty minutes later, Iris arrived at the Brooks mansion.
The Brooks home was just as beautiful as the Wells mansion, with its tall windows, elegant architecture, perfectly maintained gardens, and large driveway. But somehow, it felt warmer and more welcoming.
Iris walked toward the front door and knocked.
A few seconds later, the door opened.
Sienna stood there.
She was a beautiful Black woman with long, dark curly hair that fell naturally around her shoulders. Her warm brown eyes immediately focused on Iris, and the moment she saw her expression, her smile disappeared.
Sienna was confident, lively, caring, and fiercely protective of the people she loved. She always had a way of making Iris feel comfortable, even when everything else around her felt like it was falling apart.
Sienna stepped aside.
"Okay," she said. "Something is definitely wrong."
Iris walked inside.
"You have no idea," Iris replied.
Sienna closed the door behind her.
"Come on," she said. "We're going upstairs."
They walked up the staircase and entered Sienna's bedroom.
The room was spacious and beautifully decorated, with a large bed, soft pillows, a sitting area near the windows, and several little details that made the room feel completely like Sienna.
The two girls settled onto the large cream-colored sofa.
On the coffee table was everything they needed for an emergency best-friend session: two tubs of ice cream, popcorn, chocolate-covered strawberries, cookies, brownies, and a plate of mini sandwiches.
Sienna picked up one of the ice cream tubs.
"Chocolate or vanilla?" she asked.
"Chocolate," Iris replied.
"Good choice," Sienna said, handing it to her.
Iris took the tub and grabbed a spoon.
Sienna opened the vanilla ice cream and sat back.
"Now," she said, "tell me everything."
Iris took a spoonful of ice cream.
"My parents want me to marry Damien Blackwood," she said.
Sienna stared at her. She didn't say a word.
"Please say something." Iris said.
Sienna's eyes widened, and she sat completely still for a moment.
"Wo–wow, that's…" she stammered, struggling to find the right words. "Oh my gosh… this is… oh shit."
"Please finish your sentences, Sienna." Iris said.
"Sorry, I'm just wondering how we got here." Sienna said.
Iris let out a sigh.
"Same."
Sienna grabbed a cookie from the plate.
"Okay. Start from the beginning."
Iris sighed and began telling her everything.
She told Sienna about the bankruptcy, the Blackwoods, the condition, and everything that had happened during the meeting.
Sienna listened carefully, occasionally taking a bite of her cookie or spoonful of ice cream.
When Iris finally finished, Sienna stared at her for a few seconds.
"Girl…" Sienna said.
"I know," Iris said.
"No, seriously," Sienna said. "Your life just turned into one of those dramatic romance novels you always talk about."
Iris rolled her eyes.
"This isn't funny."
"I know it's not," Sienna said, her expression softening. "I'm just trying to make you smile."
Iris looked down at the ice cream in her hands.
"I'm scared, Sienna," she admitted.
Sienna immediately put her spoon down.
"Hey."
Iris looked at her.
"Whatever happens, you're not dealing with this alone," Sienna said.
Iris gave her a small smile.
"Thank you."
Sienna smiled back.
"Always."
Sienna stared at Iris for a few seconds before shrugging.
"Okay, look on the bright side," she said.
Iris raised an eyebrow. "What bright side?"
"Damien Blackwood is hot as fuck," Sienna said.
Iris's eyes widened. "What?"
Sienna laughed. "What? Haven't you seen him?"
"No," Iris said. "Why would I have?"
"Girl, seriously?" Sienna asked. "You don't know what he looks like?"
Iris shook her head. "I've heard his name. That's about it."
Sienna immediately reached for her phone. "Wait right there."
"Sienna, what are you doing?" Iris asked.
"Educating you," Sienna replied.
She quickly searched for Damien and turned her phone toward Iris.
"Here," Sienna said.
Iris stared at the screen.
For the first time, she saw Damien Blackwood.
She went completely silent.
Sienna watched her reaction with a knowing smile.
"See?" she said. "I told you."
Iris blinked and looked away from the screen. "Okay…"
"Okay what?" Sienna asked.
"He's…" Iris paused.
"He's what?" Sienna asked.
Iris sighed. "He's attractive."
Sienna burst out laughing. "Attractive? That's all you're giving me?"
"I'm not marrying him because he's attractive," Iris said.
"I didn't say you were," Sienna replied.
Iris gave her a look.
"Your face did."