Help... help with what!?
Kian awkwardly rubbed his forehead, subtly covering his face as his mind raced.
How exactly was he supposed to help with that?
He couldn't exactly pull Holden’s pants down, hold him in place, and force him to sleep with her.
This was a disaster.
He stole a nervous glance at Iris.
Suddenly, his heart skipped a beat.
She was crying?
Iris was staring at him, her eyes brimming with tears, her red lips pressed tightly together in a picture of utter, delicate vulnerability.
Oh, God.
Every protective instinct in Kian’s body flared to life.
It broke his heart!
She had already been neglected on the most important night of her life. If he rejected her now, she would be completely alone.
Kian’s Adam's apple bobbed as he desperately searched for the right words.
That’s when Iris spoke, her voice whisper-soft. "I want to do IVF."
"What?" Kian jumped slightly.
Why would she take that route?
IVF was notoriously grueling.
As the heir to a supplement empire, Kian had recently crash-coursed through medical literature to prove his worth to his demanding father. He knew exactly what the IVF process entailed.
It wasn't something a woman should have to endure lightly.
The thought of Iris being poked with needles and subjected to cold, clinical instruments drove him insane.
"No way," Kian blurted out.
"You won't help me?"
She looked at him, her face streaked with tears, looking utterly devastated.
He completely crumbled.
All of his reservations vanished into thin air.
"No, no, please don't cry," he panicked, instantly grabbing a box of tissues, standing up, leaning over the table, and offering them to her.
Iris pouted, her lips trembling. "So you'll do it?"
Knowing Holden had practically drank himself into a coma the night before, Kian carefully selected a spread of hangover-friendly breakfast items and diligently waited on him.
"Hey, Holden. A private hospital I partner with gave me a few VIP health check-up cards. I’m giving you one. Let’s go get checked out together."
Holden took a slow bite of oatmeal. "No thanks."
Yes, you have to!
Iris needs you to go, so you are going.
Whatever it takes! I will solve Iris's problem.
Kian casually eyed Holden's head. "You shaved your head for three years while you were in mourning. Technically, it should grow back thicker, but looking at you... now that you're growing it out, it looks a little thin."
"You need your eyes checked," Holden shot back, entirely unfazed.
Just as Kian expected—a brick wall.
It wasn't going to be easy.
But the image of Iris’s tearful, heartbroken face flashed in his mind, making his chest ache.
He found a renewed surge of courage.
He’d walk through fire again if he had to.
"Come on, Holden, just go with me," Kian coaxed smoothly. "I mentioned it to Iris yesterday, and she completely supported the idea. She explicitly told me to make sure you get a proper check-up. You drink way too much. This hospital has the most advanced, non-invasive diagnostic tech in the world. It’s a totally painless, comfortable screening."

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