n

n

nIrish is having a great dilemma at this very moment.

nThe main course of their dinner is already over, but she still can't gain an opening that can get her hands on Cassidy. With her brothers and nephews surrounding her the whole time and ultimately joining her at that table, there is no way she can just barge right in and put her evil plot into action - all in the open for her family to see.

nIrish knows that both of her brothers are discerning and sharp-eyed.

nAdrian and Edward can easily see through her acting even if she's one of the best in the entertainment industry, considering that they're siblings who grew up together. What's more, though she doesn't want to admit it, the two of them have come to care so much for Cassidy that they even gift her a bouquet.

n

"Ughhhh...!!! How vexing! Why did they become like that all of the sudden? Those two hardly batted an eye on her before...!

" Irish ranted to her twin sister, talking only loud enough for her to hear.

n

"And what the heck is up with all the flowers?! They never gave me a bouquet like that! And I'm supposed to be their dearest sister! What's with my lovely nephews too?! Were they brainwashed by that woman?! Even Hugo kept acting chummy with her!

"

n

"Calm down, Irish. No matter how much you want to be stealthy with your rant, others will hear if you keep your voice like that...

" Olivia told her with a sigh before looking at the main subjects of their conversation from a distance.

n

"What is it you wanna do with her, anyway? If you're gonna humiliate her in front of everyone again, it's really gonna be hard with all of them around - especially with how Adrian is acting.

"

n

"Huh? Adrian? What do you mean?

"

n

"Couldn't you see, Irish? Since when did our brother treat Cassidy like that? Adrian was holding her waist the entire time, he kept touching her intimately, he could barely look at her without looking like a love-struck idiot, and he even nearly got angry at Edward for something as simple as a bunch of flowers.

"

n

"Y-You mean h-he is...?

"

n

"He is in love, sis.

"

nAt that, the brunette made the look of someone who just heard that the world was ending.

nThis might be the worst case scenario. After all, their brother's indifference used to play a very big role in turning their sister-in-law into an easy target. Even though he is younger than them, he holds more power and influence - in and out of the family, that is.

nHowever, that is not really what makes Irish somewhat afraid of Adrian. Rather, it is the fact that he closely resembles their grandfather whenever he loses his temper. Almost everyone in the family greatly fears the former head, especially since he is a man of a whole different level.

nAmong all of them, only Adrian can get close to their grandfather's caliber in terms of his preeminence, intimidating presence, and capability to lead a business empire. That's one of the apparent reasons why he succeeded their deceased father as the conglomerate's owner instead of Edward.

n

"I already had my suspicions that he somehow softened up with that vixen when he allowed her to fire my maids. Who would have thought that she'd be able to seduce him eventually? Maybe that's why she's wearing such a bold apparel! The nerve of her!

" Irish proceeded to bolt out, fuming in anger.

n

"Well, that's the thing, sis. We all know that Adrian dislikes that kind of clothes on women, but he doesn't seem to mind that Cassidy is dressed like that. Realizing that was the last push I needed to believe that he was really in love,

" Olivia pointed out as if explaining how an insensible theory was proven.

n

"Okay, enough with the whole 'falling in love' thingy. Gross...! True love doesn't exist! Our brother is just probably delusional! Or confused! Or mistaken! Badly mistaken!

"

n

"That thinking only applies to a player like you-

"

n

"Shut it, Olivia! This ain't about me! This is about our precious lil' bro! Now, let's make a new plan.

"

nTrying to come up with a different scheme, Irish calms down for a moment and thinks things through. That's until she catches sight of Sophie who is quietly eating her dinner. She is aware of how Gertrude is still trying to hook her and Adrian up together even though he is already married.

nIrish then smirks meaningfully as a mischievous idea lights up in her head.

nLittle did she and Olivia know that Sophie overheard almost everything that they were talking about.

nAfter hearing that Adrian has fallen in love with Cassidy, the tumultuous storm that's been stirring within her has gotten a lot worse. Of course, she's still pretending to be demure and composed.

nBut in reality, she really feels like stabbing a certain redhead with the small knife that she is currently holding.

nIt shows with how she is gripping it tightly along with her fork. Her utensils are making quite a loud clanging sound as they continue to hit the surface of her plate, somehow displaying how agitated and inflamed she is at the moment.

n'No. That can't be. Adrian's not in love. He can never be, especially with that... that...' Sophie silently brooded before looking at Cassidy from a distance.

n'That parasitic bitch... Can't he see that she has become a lot more useless now that she has no memories? He can't gain a single thing from a dead weight, piece of garbage like her-'

n

"Why are you fretting so much, Sophie?

"

nAll of a sudden, Gertrude discreetly whispered from beside her.

nSophie halted her train of thoughts and looked at her through the corners of her eyes. Unlike earlier, she seems to have calmed down now. She is drinking her wine with the kind of unparalleled grace and elegance that she always strives to have.

n

"Me and my father support you no matter what. As long as you have us on your side, there is no need to fret. On the other hand, that woman no longer has my mother and husband to back her up. So, don't worry. You will eventually come to stand by my son's side...

" Gertrude continued with an enigmatic look on her face.

n

"My daughters will start the game soon. Go and play along to your heart's content.

"

nLike gas lighting up a trembling flame, Sophie is now all fired up after hearing Gertrude's reassurance.

n---

nThough it's great to spend time with her nephews like this, Cassidy is troubled over the possibility that she might not be able to confront the threats in the family at this rate.

nShe's still not sure which one of those people back at the table is Irish. That blonde woman who attempted to make her look bad earlier was also not making a move. She really wanted to know more about her, especially after she sensed the thick air of envy around her.

nNot wanting to end the night without learning a thing or two, Cassidy decided to ask Adrian if she could meet the other members of the family.

n

"Huh? You want to get along with them?

" he asked in surprise.

n

"Yeah, I do. But since I lost my memories, I couldn't really remember what were they like,

" she reasoned out.

n

"Well, you already met my mother. I should introduce you to my sisters, then.

"

nAdrian didn't expect his wife's enthusiasm to know his family better.

nHe himself wasn't sure what kind of relationship she had with his sisters before, but he never heard her complain or say any notable thing about them. That's why he isn't certain how to feel about this.

nWith those thoughts in mind, Adrian excused himself for a moment and made his way to the other table. As soon as he reached both of his sisters and almost caught them talking stealthily among themselves, the two perked up and hurriedly turned to look at him in flummox.

n

"A-Adrian, hi there...!

" Irish greeted a bit nervously before putting on her self-possessed front.

n

"What is it? Finally recalled greeting your sisters?

"

n

"Oh, right. I forgot to greet both of you,

" Adrian said bluntly, making her pout.

n

"Still as frank as ever, I see...

" Olivia sighed with a small smile.

n

"Do you want something?

"

n

"I remembered that you haven't introduced yourselves to my wife yet. You know she lost her memories, so she-

"

n

"Oh, Adrian, my little bro~!

"

nThat's when Irish practically jumps up from her seat and embraces Adrian out of nowhere. This is the opening that she needs. She can finally approach Cassidy without looking suspicious.

n'Good, good~! Fortunately, Adrian wants us to meet that woman-'

n

"Cassidy said she wanted to meet you. If you were this ecstatic to do the same, you could've just approached us first, you know.

"

nAt that, Irish came to a standstill. Realizing that it was actually Cassidy herself who wanted to summon them, she suddenly had an ominous feeling. It gave her a foreboding impression for some reason.

nNow, as Irish glanced at Cassidy's direction and found her smirking at her - mischief dancing in her glinting half-lidded crimson orbs, that feeling intensified.

n