Flashback-

Xavier sat at his desk, staring blankly at the documents in front of him. His mind was far from his work, lost in the whirlwind of last night’s events. He could still feel the weight of his father's words pressing down on him. The moment he confessed his love for Iris, the room had gone cold. His father’s eyes, usually calm, had turned hard as steel.

The ultimatum had come swiftly, almost cruelly:

“Choose between her and the company.” And for the first time in his life, Xavier was stunned by his father, but he  chose Iris without a second thought.

It was the first real conflict he’d ever had with his father, and the sting of it still lingered.