Chapter 5 - Taking over the mind
"Come in."
Jasper turned from the window as the door opened.
She stood there—still, uncertain—like she wasn't sure whether to step forward or retreat. Smaller than the room. Smaller than the men watching her. Her presence didn't demand attention, yet somehow it bent the air around her.
Brown curls framed her face, soft and uncontrolled, as if she'd given up trying to tame them. Her eyes—wide, alert, caramel—kept flicking from the floor to his face, cataloguing reactions, gauging danger. She was nervous, but not stupid.
Unlike their stoic faces, one could read her expressions like an open book.
"Please have a seat," he smiled at her. She hesitantly walked and seated herself. He could tell how guarded and nervous she was.
"Hi, I am Iris," she introduced herself. "Which you already know. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here." The faint color blooming across her cheeks didn't go unnoticed.
"Yes, Iris," his smile widened. Her name rolled off his tongue like butter. His eyes focused on her rosy blush, which was still pale compared to her plump red lips.
Elias said nothing.
He watched her the way one studied a problem—silently, thoroughly. Not her clothes. Not her posture. Her reactions. The way her fingers twisted fabric when she felt cornered. The way her breathing changed when the room went quiet.
Such a harmless little thing, he thought.
How could such a naïve-looking thing find such information? Again, one should never judge a book by its cover.
Her eyes remained on the floor as she fiddled with the hem of her skirt. Jasper mused on how uneasy she looked. He wondered if they kept the silence. Would she cry?
"Relax," Elias finally spoke up. He frowned at how she looked like a frightened cat.
"Ahh, y-yes," she peeped at him. Her head lifted. Their eyes met for half a second before she looked away again, locking her attention onto a decorative vase as if it held the secrets of the universe.
Jasper suppressed a smile.
"Would you like coffee Iris?" Jasper asked, walking to the countertop, which had a coffee machine. "No thanks," she politely replied. He poured himself a cup of coffee and sat in front of her. Jasper sat beside his brother, his eyes never leaving her.
Jasper knew his brother wouldn't speak much. So he talked instead. 'He always makes me talk,' he grumbled and complained in his mind.
"Long story short. We would like you to work for us," Jasper sipped the bitter coffee.
"No." The word escaped her before she could soften it.
Their eyes darkened at the immediate refusal. A feeling of irritation rose in them. But they threw the plan of killing the person if they do not agree out of the window the moment she arrived, and they didn't know why.
"I meant to say I am not qualified for such a job. I even skipped college. You can hire someone way more deserving than me," she carefully explained.
Better.
Elias didn't believe her for a second.
Elias's eyes remained on her flushed face. He enjoyed seeing her expressions and how she reacted like a nervous cat.
"The note says other things," Elias mused. Leaning back on the sofa, he looked at the little girl in front of him suspiciously. Undeserving? Underqualified? He didn't believe her words at all.
She swallowed.
"It was sheer luck. I heard about it from my friend," she tried explaining. Quickly giving them a sheepish smile, her dimples showing.
A lie. A fragile one.
Working for years, they had made many people. Catching a lie for them was very easy. Not to mention when the girl in front of them was terrible at it.
"Really?" Jasper leaned forward, resting his chin against his hand. He didn't call her out. He let the silence do the work.
She fidgeted. Shifted. Breathed faster.
Interesting.
"Yes," she squeaked out, fiddling with her skirt. She does that a lot when she wants to avoid anything, Jasper observed.
"Hmm."
She is fun to tease, he chuckled internally.
"Iris," Jasper began speaking. He liked saying the name. "It would be great if you don't leave such notes to our rivals or anything about us. It would be both good for you and us. I hope you get what I want to say. Hmm," he smiled at her.
His voice was stern but not cold as usual. He didn't use harsh words, both to maintain the act of a gentleman and not to scare her anymore.
She gulped and nodded.
"Words," he grunted.
"Yes, Mr. Sinclair," she meekly responded. He smiled, extremely pleased with the submissive answer.
"Okay," Elias answered. He took out his card and moved it forward. "If you ever need a job. You can contact us. We don't want to miss on such a talent," he said. His blank face showed no emotion. That was an abrupt action from his side.
Jasper looked at his brother with unusual amusement in his eyes, but maintained his usual charming smile. His brother never gave his card to anyone.
"Sure," she mumbled, picking up the card. "You may leave," Jasper dismissed her. She thanked and apologized, taking her to leave.
Jasper let out a low laugh when she left the room. 'She is not a threat," both the brothers communicated through their eyes and went back to work.
---
That night, Elias didn't sleep.
Her presence lingered long after the city outside his windows had gone quiet—uninvited, persistent. It wasn't her appearance that followed him so closely, but the details he hadn't expected to remember. The way her voice dipped when she was unsure. The way she avoided eye contact yet absorbed every word. The fact that she never begged.
She had stepped into a room built to consume people and walked out whole.
That unsettled him.
The bedroom felt wrong—too large, too silent. His thoughts circled endlessly, returning to the same image: Iris seated across from them, spine straight despite her nerves, fingers betraying her restraint as they twisted fabric in her lap.
When he finally closed his eyes, she was there.
Not touching him. Not speaking.
Just standing close enough to feel.
Watching him the way he had watched her.
His body responded before his mind did.
He took a step toward her. Then another.
He narrowed his eyes at her. Elias's hand wrapped around Iris's neck, bringing her closer. He slammed his lips on hers. His hands snaked around her waist, bringing her even closer. A satisfied hum escaped his lips at how soft those plump lips tasted. That alone sent something dark and satisfied through him.
Their lips moved in sync as he moved them towards the bed. Elias pinned her to the bed, his lips leaving wet kisses on her neck. He couldn't help but start grinding on her. He moaned at how soft her skin felt under the touch.
His hands wantonly moved around her body. He looked at her caramel eyes and how innocent she looked beneath him. His hands caressed her curls softly. His touch was light as a feather, thinking he would break her if he applied more pressure.
A content sigh escaped his lips.
He could have stayed there forever.
But when he opened his eyes, she was gone.
The room was gone. He was alone, standing in a black space.
A wave of loneliness hit him.
His eyes abruptly opened as he realized it was just a dream. But he wished this dream were real.
He sat up abruptly, breath uneven, irritation curling under his skin. The dream clung to him, vivid and frustrating, leaving behind a restless heat he couldn't ignore.
A cold shower did nothing.
Neither did the night air.
He walked out to get some fresh air. He didn't look surprised to find his twin there already. "Couldn't sleep?" Jasper looked at his brother, taking a puff of his cigar. "Kinda," Elias grunted.
Jasper raised an eyebrow at his behavior. "You took a shower," he said, looking at Elias's wet hair. He could tell the answer. Iris. He wouldn't lie; he also couldn't help but think about her. A smirk crept on his lips.
"Yes," Elias didn't deny it. "A cold one at that," Jasper teased. Elias let out a low growl in response, earning a chuckle from him.
It had been over a week since the meeting.
They both had been busy with their work. But the girl with brown curls and dimples was taking over their mind till they couldn't focus on their work.
"It is weird," he admitted. Jasper was a known flirt. Though he didn't sleep around much, he would usually flirt with the ladies. But the past week, he didn't feel like doing it anymore. The same applied to Elias.
Models. Parties. Attention—none of it registered anymore. Everything felt dull, distant, colorless compared to the memory of a quiet girl with shaking hands and honest eyes.
They were attracted to her when they first saw her. But they thought it was a normal reaction, thinking any man would be attracted to such beauty. They brushed it off. But even when a week passed, they couldn't get her out of their mind.
It got to a point where she was invading their dreams and every single thought. This never happened before.
Even the glamorous models looked dull compared to her innocent face. Her cute dimples when she sheepishly smiled at them.
"She got under your skin," Jasper said.
"No," Elias replied. Then paused. "She didn't try to."
That was worse.
Jasper exhaled smoke slowly. "We should meet her again."
Elias looked out over the city, lights sprawling endlessly beneath them.
"Yes," he said.
They needed to see her again.
And this time, they wouldn't let her leave so easily.