Chapter 28 Chapter 28
"Perhaps we should call first," Theodore suggested gently. "Mother has been... fragile since your disappearance. This will be overwhelming, even as it's everything she's prayed for."
"Fragile is a kind way of putting it," Bryce murmured, earning a sharp look from Victor. "What? Iris deserves to know what she's walking into."
Richard nodded slowly, accepting his youngest son's blunt assessment. "Bryce is right. Your mother has lived in a state of perpetual grief for two decades. The doctors call it a prolonged trauma response. Some days are better than others, but none are what most would consider normal."
Iris absorbed this information, her analytical mind already calculating the emotional variables of such a meeting. The weight of responsibility settled over her, not just for her own feelings, but for the psychological well-being of a woman who had lost twenty years to grief.
"I think calling first would be best," she agreed, glancing at her watch. "But I also need to contact the competition committee. If I am Roxanne Lawson, my entry needs to be withdrawn immediately."
Tony admired her integrity even as his heart ached for the complicated situation she found herself in. While most people would be reeling from the revelation of their true identity, Iris was already considering the ethical implications for a design competition.
"The committee chair is actually standing by for my call," Richard admitted, a hint of his business acumen showing through his emotional state. "I asked him to delay the finalist announcements when we confirmed you were meeting with us today."
Across campus, Helga Kennedy was already on the phone with her most trusted private investigator. "I want everything on the Maxwell family," she instructed as Julius drove them back to their penthouse. "Financial situation, health records, any skeletons in their closets. If the girl is going to be part of the Lawson empire, we need to know exactly what connections come with her."
Julius glanced at his wife, recognising the familiar calculation in her eyes. "Helga, perhaps this time we should allow Antony to handle his own relationship. The girl clearly has a mind of her own."
"Precisely why we need leverage," Helga replied coolly. "She's not some simpering debutante who will be impressed by the Kennedy name. If Antony wants her, he'll need our help navigating the Lawson family politics."
Back in the library, Richard stepped away to make his call to Dianne, his weathered hands trembling slightly as he dialled the number. The three Lawson brothers watched their father with varying degrees of tension, each remembering countless disappointments over the years and how each had further diminished their mother's light, but this time they had really found her.
“As for your designs, perhaps even if they have to be withdrawn, we could still showcase your designs as a welcome home.” Bryce suggested. “Your talent should still be allowed to be showcased.”
Iris considered Bryce's suggestion, turning the idea over in her analytical mind. A showcase rather than a competition entry would solve the ethical dilemma while still allowing her work to be seen by industry professionals.
"That could work," she said slowly. "Though I'm not sure I want my designs connected to this... revelation just yet."
Theodore nodded, understanding her hesitation. "The press will be difficult to manage once this news breaks. My team has contingency plans ready, but ultimately, you'll need to decide how public you want this to be."
Victor's protective instincts flared. "The media circus will be intense. Security protocols should be implemented immediately."
Tony watched the Lawson brothers slip into their familiar roles: Theodore the diplomat, Victor the protector, and Bryce the enthusiastic problem-solver. They had functioned as a unit for twenty years, united by the search for their sister. Now that they had found her, those dynamics were already shifting to include her.
"I hadn't even thought about the press," Iris admitted, a rare moment of being caught unprepared. Her organised life had never included contingencies for being identified as a long-lost heiress.
Across the room, Richard Lawson stood with his phone pressed to his ear, his posture rigid as he waited for his wife to answer. When the call connected, he drew a deep breath.
"Dianne," he said softly, his voice thick with emotion. "I need you to sit down, my love. I have news."
There was a pause as Dianne responded, her voice too faint for the others to hear.
"No, not bad news," Richard assured her, tears welling in his eyes. "The best news. We've found her, Dianne. We've found Roxanne."
Another pause, longer this time. Richard's knuckles whitened around the phone.
"Yes, I'm certain. DNA confirmed. And she has the iris pin, Dianne. Your iris pin." His voice broke on the final words.
Across the table, Iris felt a strange tightness in her chest as she watched her birth father's conversation. The reality of what this meant for the Lawson family, for her biological family, was beginning to sink in. For twenty years, they had lived with an open wound, a missing piece. Now that the piece had been found, but it didn't fit seamlessly back into the space it had left. Too much time had passed. She had become Iris Maxwell, with her own identity, her own family, her own ambitions.
"She's here with me now," Richard continued, his gaze meeting Iris's across the room. "She'd like to meet you, when you're ready."
The response from the other end was immediate and clear enough that even those at the table could hear Dianne Lawson's emotional cry: "Bring her home, Richard. Bring our daughter home."
Richard ended the call, taking a moment to compose himself before returning to the table. "Your mother would like you to join us at home, and stay for dinner if that’s alright? I know it's all changing so fast, but your mother doesn’t leave the house much since, like you might one day knock on the front door and say hello, I think I might be your daughter.”
Iris felt a flutter of anxiety at Richard's request. The idea of going to the Lawson home, of meeting her birth mother after twenty years, was both terrifying and strangely compelling. She glanced at Tony, seeking reassurance in his steady presence.
"I can drive you," Tony offered quietly, recognising her unspoken question. "And bring you back to campus whenever you want."
Theodore nodded approvingly at Tony's suggestion. "That might be best. Having someone...neutral with you could help."