Chapter - 27
"Ughhh—!" Iris gasped as her eyes grew wide in panic.
Lucius's hand was tight around her throat.
"Let… go… Let…" she choked as she barely managed to whisper. Her nails scratched at his hand weakly, trying to loosen his grip on her neck.
"Luc… I… can't breathe…" she slapped her hands against his wrist as her body trembled and a single tear slid down her cheek.
But for a long second, his eyes were locked on her, but they did not recognise her.
But then Lucius froze and his grip loosened. He blinked hard as if shaking off the fuzziness in his head.
Then, as quickly as it happened, he let go.
He stumbled back as he watched Iris cough hard, clutching her throat. She lay there on the bed, struggling to pull in air. Her breaths came in sharp gasps.
Her eyes met his… Filled with anger and shock.
"You bastard!" she screamed, her voice hoarse, "What the hell is wrong with you?! You nearly killed me!"
Lucius waved his hands, looking apologetically at Iris, "I... I am sorry, I didn't mean to… I woke up and I… It happened," he tried to explain.
"You crazy punk," she growled, "Is this what you are? Bite the hand that feeds you. Fucking ungrateful."
"Look, I know I am wrong here," Lucius looked apologetic, "But it's a misunderstanding. When I woke up, you were suddenly on my face… It took me by surprise, and…"
"And then you tried to kill me," Iris had finally caught her breath and she was looking at Lucius with dangerous eyes.
"You know that it is totally not true. It is all a…" Lucius tried to apologise again, but then something struck him, "But what were you doing?"
"You were so up my face. That's why I was so alarmed suddenly." Lucius squinted his eyes as he looked at Iris with suspicion.
"Were you…???"
"I… I was just looking at–" she started to speak but then her face suddenly flushed red and she looked away. She just noticed that Lucius was standing in front of her in nothing but pants.
Lucius narrowed his eyes, "Yeah, right. You were looking at my body."
"Girl, you are such a pervert... You don't miss a chance of touching me," he smirked, despite his injuries.
"Shut up, you are the pervert!" Iris huffed, crossing her arms, "I just saw your bruised face."
"So I was just checking your wounds. Where were you last night? When did you even come home? And how did you get hurt?"
"It would have been so good if you hadn't asked," Lucius's smirk faded. He looked at her for a moment before sighing, "It's all because of you," he told her.
Iris frowned, "Me? What do you mean? I wasn't even with you."
Lucius sighed, "If you had just let me go with you in the car last night, none of this would have happened. I had to take that fucking taxi."
"Taxi?" Iris interrupted, as she got to the edge of the bed, "Did you have an accident?"
"No," Lucius let out another sigh, "Worse than that."
And then he told her everything.
How he hitched a taxi. The perverted taxi driver. How he took him to an abandoned house. The creepy puppets, and how things escalated.
Hearing how dangerous of a situation he was in, just because they couldn't let go of their inflated ego, Iris's heart sank.
Guilt weighed heavily on her chest, "I am sorry Lucius. I shouldn't have just left you," she said softly, looking away.
"Well you can say that," Lucius replied, as he put his finger on her lips, "So why don't you make it up to me? I can surely use a hand."
"It sure was my fault," Iris locked her eyes with him, "But even if it was, you aren't getting lucky with me," Iris smirked and pushed her hand away.
Lucius sighed, throwing his arm, "You… Are a tough nut to crack. But I will one day."
"You can always try," Iris got up from the bed, "But more importantly you should rest for today."
"But I need to start deducting your salary. You do find ways to skip on work," she added.
Lucius scoffed, "How mean of you. I am HURT."
"Whatever," Iris rolled her eyes, "Freshen up and get some rest. I will send someone with your breakfast."
Saying that, she turned to leave, but Lucius's voice stopped her, "Iris, I feel scared."
"I was very scared."
"I didn't know if I would make out alive."
"I am scared to be alone even now," He looked into her eyes and let us his heart out.
"Lucius…" Hearing him, the expression on Iris's face softened. Even she could understand how traumatic it might be for him.
He had just survived a life threatening accident a couple of weeks back. And now he was forced to fight for his life against a serial predator.
"You don't have to be alone, Lucius. I am there for you," she empathetically looked at him and took a step towards him.
"Then why don't you join me in the shower? None of us will be alone," Lucius looked at her with a lecherous grin and asked.
And her steps stopped. All the Sympathy, Empathy or the fuck whatever things there were were flushed down the drain in an instant.
The softness on her face stiffened and it began to vanish. She stood there, looking at him with a stupefied face not knowing how to react.
'This bastard. One day I will…'
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Iris sat at the head of the long conference table, her eyes on the big screen as slide after slide of charts and data moved in front of her. The atmosphere in the room was silent. Except for the one delivering the presentation, everyone else patiently listened.
One of her senior managers, and one of the very few men in her company, Rahul was speaking, "Ma'am, the tourism numbers are finally climbing after the pandemic."
"Domestic travel has gone up by 18 percent in the last quarter compared to last year. And 28 percent compared to the year before that."
"But our international bookings are still low and not up to our target. Especially in our Europe and Southeast Asia properties."
Iris didn't answer right away.
Her eyes were on the screen, but her mind was somewhere else. Flashes of Lucius's hand around her throat came back like a slap. Her fingers trembled for a second. She quickly folded her hands on the table to hide it.
"Ma'am?" Another manager, Megan, spoke up gently, "We are also facing major staffing shortages. Some of our top hotels are operating at just 60% staff strength. Guests are complaining and our reviews are dropping."
"Many of the experienced employees left during the pandemic. But we haven't been able to replace them."
"What are our occupancy rates right now?" Iris asked, putting the thought about Lucius on a hold for now.
"In Pakistan it is about 2 percent. In India, it is about 46 percent. In Europe, 31 percent. Maldives, just 18%. Bangladesh it is… "
"Wait, why is Maldives so low?" Iris interrupted them and asked, "From what you guys told me before, Maldives had potential."
"They are a small island country. And it's a hot destination spot. So what's the issue there?" Iris asked.
"Well, ma'am. With Maldives it is not because of something we did wrong," Alisha looked at Iris and told her.
"Then?"
"They actually pissed off India," Alisha told her, "These Indians, they are quite a bully ma'am," Alisha looked at Rahul with a mischievous smirk.
"So India put a ban on them?" Iris asked, 'Since when did a Pakistani look at an Indian like that? Am I missing something?' She thought.
"Actually they didn't," Alisha spoke, "It's just that Indians decided not to go to Maldives any longer. And they make up 40 percent of the tourists in Maldives."
"That explains it. But still. Isn't 18 percent still relatively very low?" Iris tried to pry further.
"India also provides fresh drinking water to Maldives," This time Rahul spoke up, "And there were apparently some 'technical' difficulties regarding that as well during the same time."
"Bloody genius, but bloody hell. We got screwed up for no reason whatsoever," Iris sighed helplessly, "This won't do. We have spent so much money getting into the hospitality service. At this rate, we won't ever be able to break even."
"Services are slow, kitchens are understocked, and staff is exhausted. How can we expect to survive in the market like that?"
No one said a word.
She looked around the room, "Tell me about the new property we were planning to acquire. The one in India."
Alisha quickly pulled up a slide, "The deal is still under negotiation, It's a heritage palace hotel in Udaipur, they also call it the Venice of the East."
"It has 17 suites, lake-facing, with huge potential for high-end weddings and luxury events."
"Well, Indians do love to spend on their weddings," Iris asked, "So what is the problem?"
"They are asking for 15 million dollars," Rahul replied, "That too for only 49% stake for a period of 10 years."
Iris narrowed her eyes, "Is it worth it?"
"Actually yes," Alisha nodded, "Actually apart from the high profile rich weddings, Rajasthan is also a major tourist hub."
"If we wait too long, someone else might grab it."
Iris tapped her pen on the table, thinking hard, "Okay. Put together a team and send someone to inspect the property. I want pictures, floor plans, staff records, and a legal check on the land within 3 days."
"But… there is one issue," Alisha said hesitantly, glancing at the others before continuing. "From what we heard, Marcus Drone is also after the same property."
Iris's expression hardened instantly and her eyes narrowed, "Of course he is," she muttered.
She stood slowly, "I want every document, every financial report, and every legal clause ready before the bid. I want no mistakes. No delays."
"Luc…" She spoke, but stopped mid-way, "Alisha, cancel all my meetings for the next week. I am going to Udaipur."
Everyone looked up in surprise.
"You are going there yourself?" Alisha asked.
"Yes," Iris nodded firmly, "If Drone is showing up in person, then so am I."
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