Chapter 25
Mysterious Than Wolf
[Iris’s POV]
Waiting patiently in the guestroom, I glanced in the mirror and I took in my appearance. I looked like I was in a cocoon. His jacket swallowed me! As I lifted the sleeves to my nose, I inhaled his fragrance. I felt a fluttering in the pit of my stomach. Why was I so comforted by his closeness? Noticing that it was taking some time to find me some dry clothes, I distracted myself by letting my eyes wander freely around the room.
I spotted a family photo on the furthest wall and walked over to it so I could get a closer look. I chuckled at seeing President Gray stoic expression. His sister was grinning and his mother was smiling softly. They all looked wonderful together. However, my smile faltered when I noticed that his father wasn’t present in the picture.
“Well, that’s interesting,” I mumbled.
Hearing light footsteps approach the room, I turned towards the door just as it creaked open. The housekeeper entered and, giving me a warm smile, held out a bag towards me. I shifted my eyes down to the bag and felt my mouth drop open. The logo on the bag was of a renowned designer. The reality of who I worked for hit me and I thanked her as I took the bag.
She gasped from the realization that I was soaked. “Oh, dear! No wonder Xavier instructed me to give you these clothes. I’m so sorry that I didn’t get here sooner. You’re positively drenched! Change clothes immediately or you will catch cold,” she said as she headed towards the door.
I nodded and thanked her for her concern. Locking the door after she left, I took out the dress from the bag. My brows furrowed at the bold face logo, which read, “ZX.” Seeing such an expensive dress made me a little hesitant to wear it. But considering the state of my current clothes, I had no choice. The dress was a beautiful deep red color and perfectly fit my figure. Tying my hair into a quick ponytail, I threw the bag into the dustbin and hastily made my way downstairs.
I heard noise coming from the dining room and I walked carefully up to the door. I stopped at the beautiful sight in front of me. Everyone was sitting around the table together and a warm feeling caressed my heart. I hadn’t seen or experienced a family meal since I was a child.
Contemplating if I should go in or not, Mrs. Gray quickly spotted me and waved for me to join them.
“Come in, dear. No need to be shy.”
Warmth crept into my cheeks as I felt slightly embarrassed by my intrusion. I stole a glance at the president and seeing him unbothered by my presence, I nodded as I walked towards the table.
With a wide smile the president’s sister looked at me while she patted the seat next to her. “Come sit by me! My brother still needs time to finish his breakfast.”
I smiled back and sat down at the place she had offered. Pushing a big bowl of fruit towards me, she said, “By the way, my name is Rosie Gray. That thing over there is my older brother. You can call me Rose or Rosie, whichever you like.”
I smiled wholeheartedly at her friendly manner. She was adorable!
“My name is Iris Young. Please, just call me Iris.”
She grinned and was just about to start speaking when the sound of the TV interrupted her. The news anchor started announcing the morning’s headlines.
“Breaking news, this morning it was reported that Xavier Gray, the current president of USK State, has ordered his guards to burn the empire of Mr. Jackson. Is this another power play by our young president?
“Our sources have gathered information that Xavier Gray has been involved with certain crime organizations to secure his position. Citizens are curious and want to hear the facts from our president.”
I anxiously glanced over at President Gray. My gaze drifted over to Mrs. Gray and I saw her questioning expression as she looked at her son. However, the man himself looked completely unruffled and kept eating his breakfast as if he had just heard the weather report. I wanted to inquire what this was all about. However, in the next moment, the anchor touched his ear piece.
“This news just in. Reports of Mr. Carter Cullen, president of HG, has been seen with the cinematic rising star, Viona, as of yesterday. Both, Mr. Cullen and Viona, were spotted entering a motel. Mr. Cullen, who is currently the biggest opponent of Xavier Gray in the upcoming election, is rumored to have had a long standing affair with the movie star. What exactly is going on between this two and will this influence the voters?
“This is the second scandal that the Cullen family has experienced in the past month. As two weeks ago, Rebecca Cullen, the older sister of Carter Cullen, was proven guilty dealing with illegal substances and was shown having an illicit affair with Graham Jane, the local Don. With all of the affairs surrounding the Cullen family, voters are bound to go crazy.”
President Gray grabbed the remote and turned off the TV with a satisfied smile on his face. He reached for his juice and softly chuckled before taking a sip. I felt the hair stand up on the back of my neck as I saw malice flickering in his eyes. I take back whatever I thought when I compared him to Wolf. This man was way more mysterious and dangerous than Wolf!