"What did he say? And what right does he have to run a background check on your daughter? That's wrong, no matter what!" Rosalyn snapped, anger flashing in her eyes. She couldn't understand why Raphael would go so far. She felt protective of Irene, despite their strained relationship, and this was crossing a line.
Roland chuckled bitterly, the sound devoid of humor. "I can't believe you're saying that…" His voice was hollow, as though he didn't even recognize himself anymore.
Rosalyn's eyes softened, but her tone remained firm. "It's true. I don't like your daughter. She's rude, and yes, she's the daughter of the woman you love," she paused, the pain in her voice so raw it made Roland wince. "But Raphael has no right to do a background check on her... right?"
Roland smiled, though there was no joy in it. "I'm a failure… I failed you as a husband, I failed my children as a father, and I failed Helen... I failed you all." The weight of those words crushed him, the guilt so overwhelming that it took all his strength not to break down.
"You just realized you're a failure? Isn't that a little late?" Irene's voice cut through the tension as she entered the room, her tone dripping with sarcasm and disdain.
"Irene?" Roland's voice was low, barely above a whisper.
Rosalyn's voice came down hard, sharp with authority. "Irene, Roland is your father. Learn to talk to him with respect." She glared at her daughter, frustration and disappointment evident on her face.
Irene, however, didn't care. She smirked, her tone dripping with defiance. "Ohhh, I forgot, but do I look anything like him? Maybe just our nose," she said, clicking her tongue and flashing a mischievous grin.
Victoria descended the stairs, eyes narrowing at Irene. "It's understandable that you don't respect my mother, but you not respecting Dad? That's questionable. Are we even sure you're not some wild seed?" She crossed her arms, a skeptical look on her face as she eyed Irene.
Irene shot back immediately, her words cutting. "Your mates are out there working their asses off, but you? You're always at home, wasting time. If you hadn't wasted all that time doing nothing, you'd have Brian by now." Her voice was mocking, a cruel smile on her face as she poked at Victoria's frustrations.
"You bastard," Victoria managed to say, her voice seething with anger, hands clenched at her sides.
"Enough," Roland said, his voice low but menacing. The tone of his words sent a clear warning to both women. "Irene, see me in my study." His words were firm, brokering no argument.
Irene raised an eyebrow, an amused look in her eyes. "And why should I?" She smirked. "Wait, I'm not here to talk family over tea. I'm here to pick out some of my clothes. I don't want to talk to you." She shot him a look that dared him to challenge her.
"I'm not joking with you," Roland warned, his voice steely.
"I'm not laughing either," Irene retorted matter-of-factly, her tone dripping with defiance.
Roland's patience was thinning fast. "Don't get me mad," he warned, his voice dangerously calm.
"Get mad, I don't care," Irene responded coolly, rolling her eyes. "Anything you want to ask, ask me here. I don't want to talk to you in private."
"Dad, are you sure you gave birth to this thing called Irene instead of Rude?" Daniel's voice interrupted, his tone full of disbelief. He walked into the room with Victor by his side, both of them eyeing Irene warily.
Irene gave Daniel a look of disdain. "Look who's talking," she shot back, her eyes scanning him from head to toe. "Have you forgotten we still need to run a DNA test on you?" Her words were biting, a mockery of the family tension.
"IRENE!!!" Roland roared, his voice full of fury and frustration, his patience officially at an end.
Irene smirked, unfazed by his anger. "Hey, you really need to take a chill pill or you might pass out to glory," she joked, clearly enjoying the chaos she'd stirred. Which clearly means wishing him death.
"See me in my study," Roland said, turning to leave.
"These are your family," Irene called after him. "Ask me or tell me whatever you want to say right here."
He paused, then turned back. "Okay. Why didn't I ever know you were addicted to drugs back in high school?"
Irene burst into laughter.
"Are you kidding me? How can you laugh about something so serious?" Daniel snapped, clearly not amused, while Victoria and Rosalyn stood in stunned silence.
"Irene, can you be serious for once?" Victor asked, his voice laced with frustration.
She shrugged. "Since you all want the truth… I'll tell you. Yes, I got addicted. But I'm fine now."
She looked straight at Roland. "You asked why you didn't know I was a drug addict back in high school? Really? Tell me, how would you know? How many days do you spend with us in three months?"
Her voice rose, laced with fury. "I don't know how my mom didn't realize you were cheating on her. Or maybe You're cheating with her on someone else.You claim she's the woman you love," she pointed at the floor in anger, "and this one," she gestured at Rosalyn, "you married because of your parents. So why does she get better treatment than my mother?"
"Don't change the topic!" Roland barked.
"I'm still on the topic!" she snapped. "Because you—you are the reason for everything! Just like you said—you're nothing but a failure!"
"Irene, calm down," Victor pleaded.
"I don't know why she hid it from you," Irene said, her voice shaking now. "Maybe when you meet her in hell, you can ask her yourself."
She turned to leave but stopped and faced him one last time.
"You know, if you had just told her that you wanted her to be your mistress, and she agreed, I would've proudly been a mistress's daughter. But no—you hid your name, faked a marriage, and now you have the audacity to say you loved her?" Her voice cracked. "You're nothing but a wicked, callous man. You ruined my mother's life."
For the first time in forever, Irene's voice trembled. She sighed, as though trying to calm the storm within her—
"Irene, calm down," Victor pleaded.
"I don't know why she hid it from you," Irene said, her voice shaking now. "Maybe when you meet her in hell, you can ask her yourself."
She turned to leave but stopped and faced him one last time.
"You know, if you had just told her that you wanted her to be your mistress, and she agreed, I would've proudly been a mistress's daughter. But no—you hid your name, faked a marriage, and now you have the audacity to say you loved her?" Her voice cracked. "You're nothing but a wicked, callous man. You ruined my mother's life."
For the first time in forever, Irene's voice trembled. She sighed, as though trying to calm the storm within her—
"It's enough, Irene," Victor said, holding her shoulder.
"I really don't know who gave you the effrontery that makes you think you got the right to ask me what's going on in my life. You know what? If my mother hadn't begged me, I would have loaded tons of bullets in your head and proudly served my term in jail..." she said and left.
---
"Dad, I really don't know what to say..." Victor said and left to meet Irene.
"Let me drive you," Victor said.
"I'm okay," she said.
"You're not," Victor replied. "Where are you going? I will take you."
"Just back to my friend's place."
"Okay, let's go," Victor replied.
---
Back in the sitting room
"Though your daughter is very rude, she's actually saying the truth," Rosalyn said.
"Mom, what are you saying?" Victoria asked.
"Sigh... I'm a woman. I understand that feeling, but you need to calm down," Rosalyn said.
"Dad, addiction dies hard. You need to do something about it before she ruins everything we worked for, like just sending her back to the hole she crawled out from," Daniel said.
"That's enough," Roland echoed.
"You know what the problem with Dad is? He can't hear anyone saying anything bad about his mistress' favorite daughter," Victoria said with anger.
"That's really enough for you all, and I mean it," Roland said and left the sitting room.
"I really wish I could see Irene's mother and ask her what value she taught her daughter," Victoria said.
"I would ask what the h*ll have you given birth to?" Daniel said.
"Or who gave her the name IRENE?" Rosalyn laughed.
"We can ask Dad that," Victoria said, laughing also.
"Probably Dad and her mom don't know the meaning. They just want to name their daughter beautifully... because I don't know why someone whose name literally means Peace could cause so much trouble," Daniel said annoyingly.
"That's enough," Rosalyn said, still laughing before going to meet her husband in the room.