Fox Life

"I didn't take you for a pet lover," the woman said, eyeing Iris with a half-smile.

Iris growled in answer. She was not going to be used as something for the woman to get closer to Kyro. No weird business was happening in this apartment. Ever.

"Forget the small talk. What is it that you know?" Kyro sounded a touch annoyed, and Iris looked up at him with approval. Was he catching on that the strange woman was a vile temptress?

"Aww, but it's not every day you see your boss holding a baby pet. You were so cold last time we talked, I thought you certainly had no heart. Yet here you are, clearly loved by this… Is that rabbit hybrid? Or is it supposed to be a fox?"

'She- she!' Iris screamed at the top of her lungs, clawing at Kyro's hands to get to the woman. This was too much. A rabbit? In what way did she look like a rabbit? And that tone of voice, that damn tone of voice. It sounded like she was genuinely puzzled, and was amused by it.

"Iris!"

Now Kyro was annoyed at her. With a pout, she calmed down. If he decided to lock her up in the bedroom, things would happen here without her interference. It was something that couldn't be allowed.

'Seems like I'll have to be a bit more overt.' She cooed at him lightly, like she was scared, and folded her ears, looking at him with a pitiable expression. If force wasn't the way to go, then charm had to be the weapon.

The result was instantaneous. He smiled and patted her head, squeezing her lightly as if to reassure her it was fine. Satisfied, Iris looked over at the woman with a smirk. 'Your turn.'

"That's some amazing management skills," the woman said with a laugh. "That little thing has you all wrapped up around its little finger."

"Sit," Kyro told her, motioning for the sofa, "and tell me why you're here. Or get out."

"Fine, fine." The woman sat down and crossed her legs so her dress rode up a bit.

Iris rolled her eyes internally, but didn't do anything yet. She needed to find out more. Now that she thought about it, the woman had mentioned the word 'boss' before. Did that really mean what she thought it did? Kyro was actually someone important and not some washed up businessman?

Once Kyro also sat down with Iris still in his hands, the woman opened a portfolio and took out a bunch of documents. She swiftly sifted through them, choosing one with a photo to show to Kyro.

"This is Jeffrey, not Frank."

The names meant nothing to Iris once again, but based on Kyro's expression, she could tell that it wasn't good. Or at least he didn't like what he was seeing. She tried looking up, but the paper wasn't see-through, so she couldn't really see what was written on top of it.

"I know," the woman replied in a soft voice. It was quite different from her confident manner before, and Iris looked over.

Kyro also noted her actions, but didn't say anything. He read through the document she gave him, then skimmed through the others she had brought. His eyes narrowed with every new page he picked up, but that was all. The rest of his face remained impassive, controlled.

When he finished, he brought the papers together and put them into a neat pile. His eyes then shifted to the woman that looked anything but comfortable after such a long silence.

"What's between you and Jeffrey? Why did you dig all of this up?"

"I thought you didn't care for chit chat?" The woman laughed, but it was a brittle sound. Kyro didn't say anything, just stared at her, and she soon looked away. "Fine. If you really want to know, we're not really blood related.

"His mother really wanted a daughter, and when she found out that she couldn't have another child for risk of death, she decided to adopt one. I came into their family at around five. Jeffrey was five and a half by then, and he didn't want a little sister. He saw it as an invasion of his life, a theft of his parents' love."

"And you want to prove him right, now? Destroy his career for good?"

The woman's eyes flamed up at Kyro's accusation. She instantly straightened up, and her voice next was fury-etched. "I want nothing of the sort. I told him he was gonna get caught if he did this shit. I warned him again and again. But no, who would listen to me, this stupid orphan that even her mother couldn't love?

"I was going to let the events run their course, but you know what? Yesterday I heard the bastard talking on the phone about how he almost had me out of here. He said it had been so easy to help me dig my grave by passing Frank's case forward, and that he was now ready to hammer in the last nail and have me fired with a review that'll make it impossible to find a job again."

"So you decided to strike first?"

There was no smile on the woman's face, just grim determination. "Yes. I worked my ass off for this company not to be thrown out like a used sock. Back then, I could have joined any place I wanted, but I joined this one, and I'm not gonna lose it. Not even if I have to sacrifice Jeffrey for it. He dug his own grave by thinking to scheme against me."

Her words were harsh and full of conviction. This woman was ready to destroy the whole world if it stood up against her.

Iris jumped out of Kyro's hold, which he had loosened while she was calm, and ran to the other end of the sofa. She found herself admiring the woman's strength to do what she wished, and her ruthlessness when she was crossed.