AN: here's chapter 17. Enjoy, people.

Iris thought that would be the end of the matter- it should have been, considering her outburst and the cruel words David had spoken.

But, of course, life is never that easy.

"Grounded? My phone taken away? Triple chores for the next three weeks?"

"David, that does seem a little harsh–"

"Quiet Lisa, this is the decision made by both DeLano and I–"

"Bullshit!" Iris exclaimed, crossing her arms as a thunderous scowl contorted her expression. "Dad would ever allow such a thing!"

Iris had not grown up to fear punishment for minor wrongdoings. Instead, every time she made a mistake, Harry and Elise would take the time to explain to her why her actions were wrong. It also gave Iris the opportunity to confess her thinking, and often ended with hugs and promises to never do it again. Only in extreme cases was Iris punished- but this was rare.

"That's another thing we have to talk about." David cleared his throat and clasped his fingers together. "I would appreciate it if you called me Father or Dad."

"Oh shit," Lisa sighed, burying her face in her hands as she sensed a devastating storm brewing to destroy her family.

A fury unlike anything Iris had ever known boiled inside of her, robbing her of the ability to speak more than garbled words and violent hand gestures.

David seemed to wrongly interpret her words as confirmation for he gave a swift nod of satisfaction. "Excellent. Now, please hand over your phone–"

"No. What if I need to contact someone?"

"Your brothers will be there."

"I don't care. It's not fair on them either to have to babysit me."

"It's their–"

"Oh I'm tired of this!" Lisa slammed her palms on the table and her shout reverberated in the room. "Iris, go to your room! David- we need to talk."

Iris took the opportunity to escape the stifling room, hands clenched into tight fists by her side.

"What's going on, Lisa?" David sighed, pulling out a thick stack of papers from his drawer.

Lisa waited until the door closed and Iris's footsteps disappeared around the corner before rounding on her husband. "I should be asking you that."

"What? What did I do wrong?"

"Are you seriously asking that? David, you haven't seen Iris in ten years- do you honestly expect her to be the same little girl? Do you honestly expect your relationship to be exactly the same?"

"I don't see why–"

"Exactly. You don't see. That girl has been through hell in the last few weeks. She's lost her mother, been torn away from her family- don't you dare say you're her family or I'll rip out your throat- and now has to deal with an overbearing stranger demanding he's her father?"

"You've gone too far, Lisa!" David snapped, slamming his palms on the desk. "You wouldn't know what it's like to have a daughter anyways!"

In the silence that followed, he wished he could snatch the words back from the air and stuff it back into his stupid brain.

Lisa reeled back, her chest stilled and face collapsed into a blank stare. "I can't believe you just said that to me."

"Lisa–"

"No. I- you know what I've gone through. I have played the part of a perfect wife for a decade. I did everything you asked of me and this is how you repay me?"

"No, I didn't mean–"

"Shut up." Lisa walked to the door and rested her hand on the handle. Without looking back, she spoke, "If you continue behaving like this, Iris won't be the only person you lose."

Slamming the door shut on his protests, Lisa sighed and leaned against the wood, casting her gaze to the ceiling. Laughing quietly, she pressed a hand to her face and drew in a shaky breath.

"Hey."

Snapping her head to the right, Lisa was surprised to see Iris standing there. Her blue eyes shone with some foreign emotion, and she scuffed the carpet with the toe of her shoe.

"Hey Iris." Lisa's expression collapsed into a practised smile. "Are you hungry? I can make you something to eat."

"Um, thanks Lisa, but I'm not. I was just wondering... do you want to go out for some coffee?"

X

"So, what did you want to ask me?"

Iris slurped on her frappuccino, surveying the cold interior of the cafe with quiet contemplation. There were only three people inside and a bored cashier who spent more time scrolling on their phone than they did taking orders.

"Who said I wanted to ask you something?" Iris shrugged, trying to play it cool even though curiosity burned a blazing inferno in her eyes.

"Call it intuition."

"I... heard what you said to West- I mean, to David. I just wanted to say thanks for defending me."

Lisa grinned and sipped her black coffee. "You could've said thanks by paying for the meal."

"Don't push your luck."

Lisa laughed, which caught the attention of the slightly creepy man huddling in the shadows. He smirked, licking his lips, and waggled his fingers in what seemed to be a wave. Lisa swiped her thumb across her neck and tapped her knife against the table, causing him to quickly turn his attention away.

"I suppose you want to know what David meant at the end of that unpleasant conversation?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued, but I don't want to pry into your privacy."

"It's okay. I'd rather you hear from me. On one condition." Lisa pointed her fork at Iris and then stabbed it into her cake. "I tell you this, and you tell me exactly why you hate the others so much."

"Deal." Iris rested her head on her splayed fingers. "You go first."

"Okay." Lisa took a deep breath and leaned back. "About six months after your parents... divorced, I met David. I was under a lot of stress at the time. You see, my previous husband- that is, the boys' father- was... not the nicest man in the world. He had caused me to lose my precious baby girl a month before by–" Lisa broke off and turned her head to the side. "I don't want to get into that now, but David offered me a contract marriage. I would play the role of a perfect wife and he would protect my boys."

"So... David didn't cheat on Mum?" Iris couldn't stop the question from pushing past her lips.

She remembered seeing Elise hunched over her phone, eyes brimming with tears as she stared at the article of David's remarriage. It happened so quickly that there were rumours of an affair. Iris didn't realise the slight bitter resentment she held towards Lisa until it melted away at that moment.

"No, he didn't. David, for all his faults, still loved- loves your mother very much. I could never take her place in his heart, and I have no desire to anyways."

Iris let out a shuddering breath, squeezing her eyes shut. She pressed a fist to her heart, wishing her mother was here to hear these words. Although Iris herself detested her biological father, she knew Elise loved him- even after all the pain he put them through.

"Then why did he kick us out?" Iris asked quietly, an old rage pushed away the brief flicker of hope in her chest. "He left us to die on the streets without so much a backwards glance."

"I don't know," Lisa answered honestly. "I can't claim to know what's going on in that man's head, but I do know this isn't healthy for you."

"What do you mean?"

"In the last few weeks, David has been..."

"Overbearing? Pretentious? A really huge prick?"

"Well, yes, but also think about how you have been acting. Of course, you have every right to be mad- but have you asked David why he left you both years ago? Have you actually had a proper conversation with him?"

"I don't care about all that stuff." Iris scoffed, crossing her arms and staring out of the glass window. "Besides, he won't listen to me anyways."

Lisa stared at her with unwavering amber eyes. "I think you do. Otherwise you wouldn't have asked me to join you today. I think that it's time you and David have a serious conversation."

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I hope you guys liked it!

Stay safe and thanks for reading :)