"Can you stop embarrassing the family?" Daniel snapped.
"Did I?" Irene raised her eyebrows. "I never wanted to be here. I was called—and I can't say no to free food."
Beside her, Victor quietly continued placing food on her plate. Irene leaned close and whispered, "It seems you want me to grow fat."
"No, I just want to take care of my little sister," Victor whispered back, smiling.
"Why does it feel like this brother wants something from this sister?" she teased.
"Nope," Victor said quickly, almost flustered, trying to sound sincere. He truly just wanted to be a brother to her.
"You two seem to be close," Edward noted, intrigued.
"This might be my only family here," Irene said softly, pointing at Victor, her expression never serious,only pretending to be.
Raphael leaned forward slightly. "What do you think about becoming part of my family?"
"I told you Dad wants to talk about marriage," Richard whispered to Brian, whose jaw tightened slightly.
"That's such a great offer," Irene said, flashing Raphael a smile. "But I don't want to be your mistress. I don't mind if you're divorced, though."
Monica's face flushed with rage. "You dare?"
Irene only smiled—sweet, smug, and devilish.
"She not only flirts with young men,women but now an old man," Mary muttered to Victoria, rolling her eyes. Meanwhile, Roland pressed his fingers against his temple, feeling a headache slowly forming.
"I meant one of my sons," Raphael said, chuckling.
He meant it. He genuinely liked her. Ever since Roland had shown him photos of Irene as a child, he'd always admired her. Even without meeting her in person, he had silently promised to one day make her his daughter-in-law.
"Oh?" Irene tilted her head. "But your sons are grown men. They should talk for themselves, don't you think? I don't like mommy or daddy's boys."
"My bad then," Raphael replied good-naturedly, still smiling. He seemed like a genuinely kind man.
"Raphael, don't you think you're running too fast?" Jacob teased. "Thinking of stealing my daughter-in-law already?"
"Daughter-in-law? As if I'll ever accept her," Gloria snapped, shooting a glare at Irene.
"Seems a lot of people don't like you," Victoria said under her breath, amused.
Gloria, known for being warm and agreeable, somehow couldn't stand Irene—and that tension was beginning to show.
"Not my fault," Irene replied coolly, still smiling. "Not everybody deserves good stuff."
The tension crackled.
"Is this dinner set to insult someone," Brian's voice cut through the air like a blade, "or to eat and celebrate the friendship between our families?"
The entire table went silent.
For the first time, Irene didn't speak. She lowered her gaze just slightly, playing the part of the poor girl being ganged up on.
After dinner, the awkward atmosphere lingered like perfume. People began saying their goodbyes, exchanging strained pleasantries as they made their way out to their cars.
"Irene, bye," Joshua said as he got into his car.
"Bye!" Irene replied, blowing him a kiss.
Joshua pretended to catch it and slip it into his pocket.
"Brian, we'll talk later," he said, making a phone gesture. Brian nodded, and Joshua drove off with his family.
"Irene, you're going home with me," Roland said.
"Since when did I start taking orders from you, Mr. Brown?" Irene asked with a smirk.
"I want to talk to you," Roland replied firmly.
"That's what phones are for," she shot back, then turned to wave.
"Bye, everyone! Bye, Victor!" she blew him a kiss.
"Love you, Daniel. Hate you, Victoria," she added with a cheeky smile.
To be honest, Irene didn't truly hate anyone in the family—she just treated people the way they treated her.
"I hate you too!"
"Keep your love to yourself!" Victoria and Daniel snapped in unison.
"Edward, bye!" she said flirtatiously, waving at Edward, who stood beside Brian.
"Why don't you let Brian drive you home?" Richard suggested with a knowing smile.
"I don't think I can afford the fare," Irene said dramatically.
"Then let me drive you," Edward offered.
"Don't worry, he won't charge you. In fact, you should charge him for the ride," Richard joked, nudging Brian toward Irene's car. Victoria sulked in silence, visibly annoyed.
Brian sighed.
"Let me drive you home."
"Okay then," she said casually, as if she had no other option.
They got into the car and drove off.
"We'll head out too," Daniel said as the rest of the family began to leave.
---
At Irene's Villa
After parking the car, Brian turned to her.
"Miss Brown—"
"Just call me Irene. Sounds better. But if you prefer, go with Miss Queen."
"Alright, Miss Queen," Brian said, amused.
Such a useless guy, Irene thought, though she only smiled.
"Um… can we have lunch tomorrow?" Brian asked.
"Just the two of us or is the whole family invited?" she teased, leaning a little closer.
"Just you and me."
Pretending to think for a moment, Irene finally said,
"Okay then. You can take the car back with you, so I'll have a reason to see you again."
Brian smirked, and Irene smiled back.
"You look beautiful tonight," he said.
"Thank you."
She was wearing a mini, off-shoulder yellow flare gown with royal blue heels and a matching bag.
"My assistant will send you the location of the restaurant tomorrow morning—and also return your car."
"I'll be expecting it."
"See you tomorrow."
Brian got into her car and drove off.
---
The Next Day – At the Restaurant
When Irene arrived at the restaurant, all heads turned—as expected. She was wearing a purple sleeveless mini gown that stopped at her upper thighs, paired with black heels, a black bag, and a delicate necklace. Her dirty brown hair was left untied, cascading down her shoulders. And of course, she was fashionably late like always.
She approached one of the attendants.
"Hello, I'm here to meet Mr. Brian Black."
"May I know your name, ma'am?" the assistant asked.
"Irene Queens."
"Alright, ma'am. Let me lead you to him."
She was escorted to the private room Brian had reserved.
"Enjoy your day, ma'am," the assistant added politely.
"Thank you."
"You're 15 minutes late," Brian said.
"It takes a lot to look this beautiful," Irene replied as Brian helped adjust her chair.
"You look beautiful," he commented, as usual.
"Thank you. You don't look bad yourself," she said, raising a brow flirtatiously. "But I never knew Mr. Black liked flaunting his wealth this much."
"Did I do something wrong?" Brian asked.
"Of course not. I like it."
"Let's order then," he said.
After they ordered and finished eating, Irene leaned forward.
"So... do you have anything to say to me?"
"Like?" Brian teased.
"Like?" Irene flirted, making him smirk.
"You know everyone's trying to ship us together. So why don't we give it a try?"
"So you want to give it a try because others want us together, or because you like me... even just a little?" she asked, sipping her water.
"To be sincere... I like you a little."
"May I know what you like about me?"
"What if I don't want to say yet?" Because he doesn't really know why he like her
Irene shrugged. "Fair enough."
"What do you like in a man?" he asked.
"Nothing much. Handsome, rich... and good in bed," Irene replied.
Brian didn't even flinch. His expression was so blank it looked like he was in a board meeting.
"You're rich and handsome," she added, grinning. "Not sure about the last part, though."
Brian simply nodded.
"I don't like bossy men," she continued. "I don't like being told what to do."
Brian nodded again, like he was mentally taking notes.
"I don't need to ask what you like or dislike in a woman," Irene said confidently.
"Oh? And why do you think that?"
"Because you like me. Which means I'm exactly the type of woman you like."
Brian chuckled. "Alright, if you say so."
---
Later That Night – Irene's Villa
"So what's going on now?" Esmeralda asked the second Irene stepped inside.
"Can I get in first?" Irene huffed.
"Okay, welcome," Esmeralda said with a sarcastic smile. "Now spill it—what's the deal?"
Irene flopped beside her on the couch. "He said we should give the relationship a try."
"That's good! Why do you sound annoyed?" Justin asked.
"Because the guy is too slow for me. I don't even know if we're dating now or just testing the waters," Irene said, frustrated.
"But he said you should give it a try," Justin said. "What's slow about that?"
"Don't tell me you expected him to jump into bed already," Esmeralda asked in surprise.
"You don't understand. You will... in a few days," Irene said, then got up and went to her room.
---
A Few Days Later
"How's the relationship going?" Esmeralda asked.
"What relationship?" Irene replied blankly.
"Your relationship with Brian, of course!"
"He hasn't called since that day. Not even a message."
"Why don't you call him?" Esmeralda snapped. "We're not here for vacation, Irene. We need to wrap this up and return to our country."
"You think I'm playing around?" Irene asked.