|| IRIS's POV ||

The warm weather of the night was comfortable. I was still trying to catch some sleep until my phone began to vibrate at an alarming rate. Snapping open my eyes, I caught a glimpse of an unfamiliar number. Fear and excitement both washed over me. After coming to this city, I knew that there were only a few people who would contact me at this hour.

" What took you so long to answer my phone?", A cold voice came through the speaker. Instead of asking about my well-being, he started off with his arrogant attitude, ruining the happiness that I felt.

I stuttered, fighting with my tears,

" I...I was sleeping.."

Nightmares have haunted me ever since I shifted into this new apartment. My doctor assured me that I would be making a full recovery from this trauma soon. Another moment of silence passed before he started again in a deep voice,

" Your new ID is lying at your door. Get that fast before someone sees it."

I hummed softly, slowly parting my lips to ask him back but the line went off before I had the chance. Tears fell from my eyes. My brain told me to expect less from him but my heart betrayed my words. Wiping the tears off, I looked outside the window. Twenty years ago, this city was different. I got a bunch of memories here but everything has changed now. Even I turned into a different person, leading a new life. Although I led a decent life abroad, this city had my soul. Now that I was back again, It was for a mission instead of a vacation.

Throwing the blanket aside, I stood on my feet to walk to the door. A yellow envelope was passed down the door already. I bent over to pick it, flipping to see both sides. After a careful look, I took it out and the ID was shown brightly,

" IRIS YOUNG!"

A small smile came on my lips. My mother had the same surname. Probably he did it on purpose. That's how he always showed love to me, ignorant yet concerned.

_________

" I can't believe that you will be working for XAVIER GREY? Fuck! OUR PRESIDENT?"

The yelling from Daisy could be heard from the down floor of the building possibly. She was the only friend that I had in this city. Despite several threats from my man, I kept continuing my friendship with Daisy. He thought that it was a risk since our life was different. However I couldn't just forget the little girl who was the only best friend in my childhood. Daisy was completing her master degree in robotic science. Her obsession with robots was remarkable. It was another reason that I had another guest in this apartment, a mini home made robot with a poker face. I gave him a funny nickname as soon as Daisy gifted it to me ' Stressed Tomato.'

I painted my lips one last time, replying with a shrug,

" Yes, I guess so! I have passed their evaluation."

Daisy hung open her mouth in admiration. Apparently Xavier Gray was the heartthrob of the state. For being the youngest president, he had popularity among young girls mostly. I laughed about how crazy those girls sounded.

Daisy replied munching on her pasta,

" Well..I am just curious..I heard that the president is asexual and he has no female staff to work for him. I wonder why he picked you all of sudden!"

I fell quiet after her remark. This was a difficult question since I had no idea why the change had been made. Our conversation was interrupted by my home robot. It started calling me pretty loudly,

" Best of luck mommy..Best of luck..Mommy.."

I rolled my eyes at the robot. It was Daisy's stupid idea to call me 'Mommy'. Anyone would be thinking that I had my child, hidden in the apartment. Blowing another kiss at Daisy, I bid farewell, slightly nervous and tempted to meet the president,

" Bye, Bitch! Wish me luck!"

Daisy laughed, licking her sauce,

" Yeah yeah.. Just don't end up fucking Xavier Gray!"

I puked blood at her little fun. Unless I had a death wish, I could imagine such dangerous thoughts about Xavier Gray. The only thing that I could do was to seduce him. It was a game and mission to me and it will be till the end.

___________

" Take the elevator and go straight to the 15th floor! Mr.Scott is assigned to guide you."

The lady in the reception explained to me quickly. I was still gasping for breath. Traffic jams have almost sucked the hell out of me. I stormed past immediately. She tried to say something more but I had time to hear. I heard that Mr.Scott was strict about timing and professionalism. I had no way to get out of this place without completing my mission.

Dashing into the elevator, I punched the buttons quickly and started to pray so that the elevator would be going fast. Everything here was so exaggerated. Apart from being the president, Xavier Gray held the status of billionaire. His name came too often in the front page of business magazines.

A beep came from my phone and at the same time, the elevator was stopped in the middle. I dug my hand to pull out the phone and immediately burst into laughter, completely unapologetic of my own behavior in front of the people who just got into the elevator. It was Daisy again, begging me to get a close selfie with Xavier Gray. She was a die hard fan of the president. I was speechless to hear that she knew every details of him probably better than my detective gang.

Before I could type my replies, the chill was sent down to my spine. It felt though a pair of cold eyes were watching me in pure fury. I shot my head up. The following moment, my mouth hung open in disbelief, meeting the most familiar face of the nation,

" Mr..Mr... President...You..."

|| IRIS's POV ||

I was visibly shaking, breaking into cold sweat. The only prayer that I had in my mind was to swallow me whole. Thankfully, he was still on his phone. His British accent sounded pleasing to ears. I wondered how a person could sound and appear sexy at the same time.

As he turned from me, I noticed the tattoo on his neck. It was of a dragon’s head. The tattoo was intricately detailed and the black ink boldly stood out in contrast to his pale skin. It truly looked like a work of art. This man was rightfully nicknamed, “The National Husband”. Not only was he breathtakingly handsome, but his whole persona radiated strength and authority. President Gray’s striking features made it impossible for anyone not to stop and admire him. Even under the white neon lighting, his silhouette resembled that of a Greek god. His dark hair was combed back and a pair of penetrating blue eyes rested under dark defined eyebrows. The sharp and straight nose, along with his chiseled jawline, gave him an aristocratic look. Speaking in a heavy British accent, his thin lips twisted into a frown–conveying extreme displeasure. The navy blue suit he wore increased the domineering air around him. I concluded that his presence resembled that to a king of Hell. Warning bells rang loudly in my head and it felt like this damn elevator wasn't going fast enough.

The elevator stopped somewhere. I attempted to leave without checking the floor. A sharp voice stopped my track, taking my breath away,

" STOP!!"

I shut my eyes off and turned, drooping my head low. His deep icy voice resonated in the small space,

" Who are you? Are you the secretary hired by Scott?"

I nodded weakly, still maintaining a confident feature. The color of his face faded, displeasure taking over his features. He spoke again, pointing at the elevator door,

" Didn't you see before coming into this elevator? Is this how you show your professionalism on the first day of your work?"

I blinked in puzzlement then noticed the bold worded board ' President & Approved official only'. A curse almost left my lips but I swallowed it back, starting to beg quickly,

" I..I am sorry, Mr.President. I was in a hurry. Please discipline me."

He let out a snort, his one hand going down to put the cellphone. As he took a step closer, the scent of his rich cologne washed over me. My heart skipped a bit but his rude tone slapped me back to reality,

" Careful from next time! Otherwise you won't be able to survive more than a week here just like others."

Was he looking down on me?

I hated to be misjudged the most. It was no secret that none of his secretaries made it longer than a week. But I wasn't his other secretary. Lifting my head haughtily, I replied with a confident smirk,

" Don't worry, Mr.President.I am not the girl to give up."

____________

|| XAVIER'S POV ||

I hated troublesome women. I thought that my new secretary was one of them as well especially since she made the mistake on her very first day. My assumption crashed down when she replied on my face, something no secretary had ever done before. Something in her drew my attention to her. She was the first ray of attraction that got my attention.

As I entered the elevator earlier, I was having an urgent meeting with the chief commander. Seeing the small woman, I assumed that she was the secretary Scott had hired for me. But why the hell was she in my elevator? Honestly, I was firmly against hiring a woman from the beginning. However, it was painfully pointed out to me that I needed a female employee to accompany me to certain foreign gatherings, corporate parties and any other functions that required a companion. Scott had hired out a couple of celebrities to join me a few times, but they were all incredibly annoying! I even took steps to ban those girls from even setting a foot into any of my facilities ever again. What I hated most about the whole damn situation is that these women tried to gain my favor by offering to sleep with me. What a joke! After all of that, I avoided women like the plague.

However, a few months ago Scott informed me that my sexual preference was being called into question since I was almost thirty and didn’t have a woman beside me. I had a feeling that my mother was the mastermind behind these baseless rumors. She had been pestering me for almost a year to get married or, at the very least, find a girlfriend and I really haven't felt any attraction towards any woman–until now. Truthfully, I would say this girl looked different from any other woman that I had ever met. Her head barely came up to my shoulders, despite the fact she was wearing heels. When our eyes met, the blush that crept into her cheeks accentuated the green tint in her hazel eyes. She looked ethereal with her wavy hair going past her shoulders, cute turned up nose and small red lips. While wearing a black sleeveless dress that fitted her petite figure, she still maintained her girlish features. To me, her appearance was refreshing. I was immediately drawn to those hazel eyes. She seemed different than all the women who came across me once.

Turning off the thoughts, I headed for my office, trying to think about my upcoming speech until a call broke my attention. Switching on the phone, I saw my father calling who didn't contact us in the last 4 or 6 months possibly. Whenever I needed him, he never appeared on my side. His unexpected call threw my mind into bitter memories, the taunt from people for having no father by my side.

|| IRIS's POV ||

" Tell me! Why should I hire you among all the talented women? You have 3 minutes. Either you continue the job or fail."

The rudeness of his tone gave me the urge to throw my resignation letter at his face right away. I sucked a deep breath, trying to work on my bad temper. A distant voice echoed in my memory, loud and clear,

" Remember! I don't fail in my mission! This mission isn't for the organization. This mission is for me."

That one last sentence hit me hard. Maybe I was fool in love but I wanted to prove myself desperately to him. He sounded so serious when he said those words to me. For the first time, he asked something personal apart from our bloody games and other missions. I worked hard to get into this mission and I wasn't going to back away without completing it.

I blurted with a fake smile, ignoring his burning eyes on me,

" Because I am professional in many sectors. You don't have to bother to find out other people to do your task. I believe that you have studied my history already."

He looked uneasy by my words. It was true that my top-notch grades left no room for arguments. Only god knew how hard it was to fulfill all of his darn requirements. He hummed softly, his eyes reading my CV which I submitted. Throwing the letter in the dustbin, he asked out of nowhere,

" One last question! Who will you save first if one of us falls in danger?"

I held back a ridiculous laugh. Mr.President didn't know that I was the danger that he should get scared of. After taking a few moments, I replied honestly, irritated by his bossy attitude,

" Of course, Me! I am not your bodyguard,Sir. A woman will save herself first unless it's her child."

His gaze narrowed at me for a short moment. Looking back at his laptop, he replied ironically,

" Consider it pass.One mistake and you will be behind the door, Miss Young."

A triumphant smile curved on my lips. Bowing at him shortly out of respect, I walked outside, keeping my head high. Once I was out of everyone's sight, I clicked my phone open to write down a text.

" IT'S DONE!"

For the rest of the day, Mr.Scott explained me all the work ethics. Basically I had no access to Mr.President's personal staffs. This one strict rule reminded me of something interesting.

" Where you are restricted, your answers will be there!"

Artemis said it before sending me here personally. It seemed like Mr.President trusted no one but I was bound to cross the border. I needed time to make him, believing in me.

__________

I headed back to my apartment happily afterwards. It was probably the first mission that I was doing alone. Camila wanted to take this job badly but it required someone to be patient and loyal. I was the right choice for this mission. Staying next to the president wasn't an easy job.

After having dinner, I fell asleep with relief in my heart, hoping to fulfill my mission and leave this city soon. One hour later, my thoughts were lost in my dream. There was a little girl, desperately trying to run away. I saw my mother in my dream, laying on the floor, half naked under a bunch of men. In her weak voice, she made a small sound,

" IRIS...Ru...Run....Run..."

That little girl listened to her mother. Finally she started running through the dark streets, forgetting the fear of dogs that she had once badly.

I woke up with a scream again, gasping for breath. In the whole department, I met the darkness in my heart, tears were already rolling down from my eyes. After a few moments, I finally turned sober. It had been a long time since I saw my mother in my dream. My psychiatrist told me that it was good to forget some certain things. It still pained me to remember that I could do nothing to help her off.

Remembering something, I walked to the closet, picking out my disguised clothes. Thankfully I brought it along with me.

_______

SATIN CEMETERY

" Did you miss me, mama?"

I dropped her favorite white roses on the side, my eyes tearing up. It pained me to think that I wasn't even allowed to visit her grave. Artemis, my one and only sworn brother believed that it was a huge risk. It was the first time that I broke a rule. I couldn't fall asleep after the nightmare again. It felt like my mother was calling me to meet her once. My father didn't play vital role in my life. But it pained me to think that his life was sacrificed as well. In a flash of night, I was left alone in the world. Unfortunately, I had no siblings as well.

Dropping on my knees, I talked to her for a while. Except for the light from the moon and the cold breeze of the cemetery, nothing was my companion. Out of nowhere, I felt a presence in my back. Without turning my head, I could feel the cold aura, coming from my enemy.

Subconsciously I dug my hand down to find my cellphone. Then I remembered my biggest mistake. Due to these unsettled emotions, I left it in my car. Casually, I always got alarmed when an unprepared attack came on my side. Gosh! Couldn't I have a peaceful day? Sometimes it sucked me off to remember that I would never lead a normal life. Whenever I went, the shadows of my enemy would be following me. I thought that it would be safe to come in disguise but their sudden appearance shocked me for real.

Curving my lips into a smirk, I spoke loudly, letting those people know that I was well aware of their existence,

" I hate slow playing the most, buddies!"