Iris POV

Slater and I are sitting in my room watching Moana 2 when Carmine rushes in, looking like he's just about ready to murder someone. He glares at Slater before muttering something under his breath.

"You're a fucking dick." Carmine finally says out loud, making me look at him in confusion. What the hell is going on?

"I'm aware. What'd I do this time?" Slater drawls out casually.

"Oh, I don't know, maybe you knew about the contract the whole time and never told me? Or Iris for that matter?" His words make Slater pause for a second.

"I was waiting for the right time. I couldn't just drop that bomb on her right now."

"Too damn bad, I'm telling her now," Carmine pauses, turning to me, "you're arranged to be married to Slater."

What? Out of all the things I thought he would say, this is not one of them. I furrow my brows in confusion, looking toward Slater for confirmation.

Slater nods slightly, indicating that Carmine is correct. To his credit, Slater does look a bit guilty. Unfortunately, I couldn't care less about his guilt when my life is no longer in my control.

Not that I was used to having much control over it in the first place, but having whatever little I could control ripped out of my hold backed me into a corner. I'm done being told what to do, and I'm done letting everyone get away with, well, everything.

"Why?" Is all I can manage to ask, my voice sounding betrayed even to me own ears.

"Solnyshko, your father made the deal when he was still alive." Slater elaborates, his tone apologetic. I don't want to hear it though, he could have told me, and I'm willing to bet that he could have stopped it too.

"And why did you not tell me?"

"Because I was waiting for the right time, Iris. I couldn't just throw this news on you when your father has just died."

"So what? Were you going to randomly hand me a wedding dress and say 'Oh, get dressed because we're going to get married'?" I ask, absolutely seething. Sure, a few minutes ago I would have cried, but I'm done with crying, I'm done with being weak.

"No, solnyshko. I would have told you eventually. I was just waiting for a more appropriate time. Besides, we still have a few years to go before the marriage absolutely needs to be made."

"So I'm just a means to an end for you? Is that why you've been hanging around me, Slater? To make sure your wife wouldn't be broken?" It's Carmine who flinches at that, realisation dawning on him too.

"No, solnyshko. I genuinely do like you beyond this contract. We haven't known each other for very long, but you're already my heart."

I keep quiet for a few moments, absorbing the heaviness of what he's just said.

"I don't want to be your heart, Slater. I just want a choice. I want something that's hardly ever given to me, my voice. I want what I think to matter; and with this contract, you've proved that you will not hear me out either."

Slater flinches as though I've hit him," I will hear you out, solnyshko. I will never stifle the fire within you, but this marriage does need to happen eventually."

"Get out of my room, Slater. If you will not hear me, I will not hear you either."

"Iris, please. I swear to not push you to be anything you're not, I swear to not be the type of person who will not listen to a word you say, but please, don't shut me out." He begs, his voice desperate, but his pleas fall upon deaf ears because I will not be stomped on again.

"Out of my room, Slater."

"Fine. But only because I want this to prove that I will listen to you, solnyshko. I will not take away your voice; if anything, I'll help you make it even louder." He gets off the bed and walks out of my room, leaving me alone with my brother.

"What the hell, Carmine?" I ask, turning toward my brother.

"I don't know either, I just found out because I went to Leandro. I just wanted to see why everything has been so tense lately and with a lot of prodding, he finally told me the truth. He's been trying to break off this engagement since he found out."

"But he didn't think it was important to tell me about it? Does he think I'm too fragile to handle it?" I ask, even angrier now. Why does everyone think that I don't deserve to know anything?

"I don't think that's it. He hasn't told the others either, I think he's just trying to prove that he can handle things on his own, Iris."

"That makes no difference to me. This is my life, not anyone else's and I damn well had the right to know as soon as he found out. Judging by the look on your face, you agree with me too. Strange." I muse, looking at Carmine who sighs in response.

"I don't think he had any bad intentions with this, Iris. And niether did Slater. He was probably thrown into this as well."

"But Slater knew from the beginning, and don't lie to yourself, Carmine. Slater could've stopped everything if he'd wanted to." I retort, crossing my arms over my chest.

"Yeah," he sighs heavily, "with the way things are going though, I'm glad it's Slater you're shackled to. I think if dad hadn't signed this contract to marry you off to him, he would've married you off to some other family."

"I know, but that doesn't change that my choice was taken away from me again. It doesn't change anything, actually, because nobody ever bothers to tell me things about my own life. I feel like I'm repeating the same point over and over, but honestly, Car. I'm so tired of this crap."

"So, what are you gonna do, Iris?" Carmine asks, intrigued.

"I don't know, but I have a feeling Leandro won't like it."

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Hi baessss. If y'all celebrated Eid, how was it???
Mine was awesomeeee. My one uncle was like "girlll u look stun-ning and u need to come dressed up to my house someday so we can go somewhere and make people's heads turn because you're looking so beautiful"

Man is legit 67 years old. But LOL. Anyway, I totally have blush blindness, I think. Which is crazy. Maybe I'm wrong tho bc my cousin was like "no it looks rlly pretty" I feel like she's lying but like.....

ANYWAY, I'm done now. It took soooooo long to write this. I needa make Iris have her villain arc now. Lolll.

Anyway
Love y'all
Byeeeeeeeeeee