Chapter 48 Chapter 48
As Tony parked near her dormitory, he noticed several students lingering outside despite the late hour. News of the Lawsons' campus visit had clearly spread, creating a ripple of curiosity that would soon become a tidal wave once Iris's true identity was revealed.
"I'll walk you to your door," he said, his protective instincts fully engaged.
The security team had already positioned themselves discreetly around the parking area, their presence unremarkable enough not to draw additional attention but sufficient to ensure Iris's safety. Theodore had insisted on this precaution, unwilling to take any chances with his sister's well-being now that they had finally found her.
As they crossed the courtyard, Iris felt the weight of curious stares. Several of her classmates from the design program stood near the fountain, their conversation faltering as she approached. Christy Miller, never one to miss an opportunity for drama, stepped forward with poorly concealed excitement.
"Iris! Everyone's been looking for you," she exclaimed, her gaze darting between Iris and Tony with undisguised curiosity. "The Lawsons were asking for you in the library, and then you disappeared with them. And now you're with Tony Kennedy?" Her emphasis on his name made Tony look at her with narrowed.
“Ah, it’s Antony Kennedy to you, miss, and what I do with my girlfriend is my business.” His words clipped.
Christy's eyes widened at Tony's unexpected declaration. A hush fell over the small gathering of students, several of them already reaching for their phones to spread this latest development.
"Girlfriend?" Christy repeated, her voice rising an octave. "Since when?"
Tony's arm slipped protectively around Iris's waist. He hadn't planned to make such a public statement, but seeing the predatory gleam in Christy's eyes had triggered an instinctive response. Now that the words were out, he found he didn't regret them in the slightest.
"That's not really your concern," he replied coolly. "Now, if you'll excuse us."
Iris leaned slightly into Tony's embrace, grateful for his support even as her mind raced to process this new development. Girlfriend. The label should have felt premature after just three kisses, yet somehow it didn't. In a day when everything else in her life had been upended, this connection with Tony felt like the one thing that made sense.
As they continued toward the dormitory entrance, whispers erupted behind them. By morning, this new piece of gossip would have spread throughout campus, competing with whatever official statement the Lawsons released about her identity.
Rachel was waiting in the lobby, pacing anxiously. When she spotted Iris, her expression cycled rapidly from relief to confusion to intense curiosity, especially when she noticed Tony Kennedy's arm around her roommate's waist.
"Where have you been?" Rachel demanded, rushing forward. "I've been texting you for hours! And why were the Lawsons looking for you? And why is Tony Kennedy calling you his girlfriend?"
Iris sighed, the weight of the explanations ahead suddenly feeling overwhelming. "It's... complicated. Can we go upstairs?"
Rachel's eyes narrowed, her gaze flicking between Iris and Tony. "Fine. But I expect details. All of them."
Tony squeezed Iris's waist gently. "I should let you talk to your roommate. But I'll pick you up tomorrow morning before your first class, if that's okay?"
Iris nodded, suddenly reluctant to part from him. "That would be nice. Thank you. For everything today."
His eyes softened as he looked at her, momentarily forgetting their audience. "You've handled an impossible situation with remarkable grace. I'm in awe of you, Iris Maxwell."
Before she could respond, he leaned down and kissed her gently, a brief but tender contact that nevertheless sent a ripple of gasps through the lobby's occupants. Rachel's jaw literally dropped.
"I'll see you in the morning," Tony promised, then nodded politely to Rachel before departing.
In the Kennedy penthouse, Helga's phone chimed with an alert. She glanced at the screen, her perfectly manicured eyebrows rising as she read the message from her campus informant. The photo attachment showed Tony Kennedy with his arm around Iris Maxwell, kissing her. One thing was for sure: this wasn’t just an infatuation or a crush; there were feelings in there.
Julius Kennedy studied the photograph on Helga's screen with a critical eye. It was unmistakable - the intensity in his son's expression as he kissed the Maxwell girl spoke of genuine emotion, something the Kennedy heir had rarely displayed in his relationships.
"This changes our approach," Julius said quietly.
Helga's jaw tightened as she set the phone down on her marble desk. "It changes nothing. If anything, it gives us more leverage. The boy is clearly infatuated."
"No, Helga." Julius's voice carried an unusual firmness. "Look at his face. This isn't infatuation. This is something else entirely."
In her dormitory room, Iris sank onto her bed as Rachel closed the door behind them, practically vibrating with curiosity. The room felt impossibly small after the grandeur of the Lawson estate, yet paradoxically comforting in its familiarity.
"Okay, spill," Rachel demanded, perched on her own bed across from Iris. "Why were the Lawsons looking for you? And since when are you dating Tony Kennedy? And why do you look like you've been through an emotional hurricane?"
Iris ran her fingers over the silver iris pin, drawing strength from the small object that had connected her past to her present. "Because I have been through an emotional hurricane," she admitted. "Rachel... I'm not who I thought I was."
Rachel's expression shifted from excitement to concern. "What does that mean?"
"It means," Iris said, choosing her words carefully, "that nineteen years ago, I wasn't abandoned at my dad's fire station. I was kidnapped from my biological family. The Lawsons."
Rachel's eyes widened to almost comical proportions. "The Lawsons? As in the Lawson Design Competition, Lawsons? Those Lawsons?"
Iris nodded, the reality of her situation still feeling surreal even as she explained it. "My birth name is Roxanne Lawson. I was taken from my nursery when I was 12 hours old."
"Holy shit," Rachel breathed, momentarily forgetting her usual careful language. "That's... that's..."