04 - The Bride Swap Proposal

"Bride swap?" Xander repeated, raising an eyebrow high. Leaning back in his chair, he stared at the woman across from him with a searching glare. "Miss Irish, did you hit your head that hard to be talking such nonsense?"

"I'm not talking nonsense, Mr. Xander. I'm completely serious," Irish snapped back, locking eyes with him without a hint of hesitation.

"What on earth made you suddenly want to dump Axel and propose to his arch-enemy?" Xander let out a cynical scoff.

"Because I'm sick of watching their hypocrisy," Irish hissed coldly. "And I need your protection and power to destroy the Ryders and Axel. We ... share the same enemy, Mr. Xander. What's the harm in joining forces through marriage?"

Xander narrowed his eyes, studying her face closely. "For a woman who was broadcasting her love story with Axel just last night, this change of heart is a bit too drastic, Miss Irish. How can I be sure you aren't setting up a new trap with Axel?"

Seeing Xander still eyeing her with deep suspicion, Irish took a long breath. She knew her past as a woman hopelessly obsessed with Axel would make anyone write off this sudden shift as a cheap act.

Irish leaned forward across the table, lowering her voice so it remained strictly between the two of them.

"If you need proof, how about we start with a little secret between my uncle and Mr. Antonio?" Irish whispered sharply. "For instance ... a secret Swiss bank account under the name of Antonio Wilson, used to bribe ministry officials to freeze Mr. Charlee's renewable energy project permit this week. Is that enough to prove I'm not playing around?"

Xander's eyes widened instantly. The shift in his expression lasted only a fraction of a second, but it didn't slip past Irish's sharp eyes. The information regarding the ministry bribery account was a massive secret that had only been exposed during the final years of her first life.

Xander froze solid. The atmosphere at the table turned suffocatingly tense.

"Where ... did you learn about that?" Xander's voice dropped cold, demanding a serious answer.

"That's my trade secret," Irish answered smoothly, crossing her arms over her chest. "So, Mr. Xander? Our bride swap offer ... deal or no deal?"

Xander stared straight into Irish's eyes, searching for a single grain of doubt or deceit. But all he found was a vivid flash of pure hatred and unwavering steel determination.

"Fine," Xander finally spoke in a deep baritone. "I accept your offer. But this marriage requires proof of commitment, Irish. Don't expect me to trust you right off the bat."

"Test me however you like," Irish fired back without flinching.

As she observed Xander's movements up close, Irish was suddenly hit by a wave of curiosity. Throughout this whole crazy business discussion, there hadn't been a single spark of interest, a flirtatious glance, or any romantic gesture from the Wilson heir. The man treated her strictly as a suspicious political ally.

Does this guy actually like me or not? Irish wondered to herself. If he does have feelings, since when?

Tring!

The sudden ringing of her phone inside her bag snapped her out of her thoughts. Irish quickly reached into her bag and saw Joey's name flashing on the screen.

"Hello, Joey?" Irish answered quickly as soon as the call connected.

"Irish! Where on earth are you?!" Joey's panicked voice instantly blasted into her ear from the other end. "I've been at Grandma Margaret's house for ages! But you're still not here! You suddenly screamed over the phone earlier too! Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine, Joey. Really," Irish cut in softly, trying to soothe her cousin. "I just had a quick errand on the road. I'm on my way over right now. Just wait a bit, okay?"

"You better not give me another heart attack!" Joey nagged before hanging up.

Irish let out a sigh of relief, slipping her phone back into her bag. She looked at Xander, who had been watching her every move.

"I have to go now. My grandmother is waiting for me at home," Irish excused herself, standing up from her seat.

Xander stood up as well, adjusting his jacket casually. "Want my driver to drop you off?" Xander offered on impulse, blurting out a sentence that caught even himself off guard. He assumed Irish would instantly turn it down out of pride.

Contrary to his expectations, Irish blinked for a second, then let out a bright, cheerful smile toward him.

"Sure, why not? There's no harm in accepting help from my future husband, right?" Irish answered.

Deg.

Xander went completely blank. His body froze in place at the sight of the bright smile playing on Irish's lips—a smile that felt so genuine and dazzling, a far cry from the cold woman who had just roped him into a conspiracy.

"In that case, I'll take my leave first, Mr. Xander. See you!" Irish bade farewell with a wave of her hand, turning on her heel and hurrying out of the cafe.

Xander stood rooted in front of the table, staring at Irish's receding back with his brows deeply knit. His heart thudded strangely, feeling an unfamiliar flutter he had never experienced before.

Moments later, firm footsteps approached his table. Logan, his trusted bodyguard, stood beside Xander in a ready stance.

"Sir," Logan greeted respectfully.

Xander instantly wiped the expression off his face, shifting his features back to solid ice. Slipping both hands into his trousers pockets, he stared straight out the cafe window.

"Logan," Xander instructed in a low, commanding tone.

"Yes, Sir?"

"Keep tabs on every single move Irish Ryder makes from now on," Xander ordered sharply. "I don't fully trust her yet. Set up people to shadow her quietly. It doesn't hurt to be careful."

"Understood, Mr. Xander. I'll get right on it," Logan replied dutifully before turning to leave.

...

Lunchtime in the main dining hall of the Ryder estate felt stiflingly formal. The rhythmic clinking of silver spoons and forks against porcelain plates echoed across the large dining table laid out with lavish dishes.

"Eat up, Axel," Elena coaxed with a warm, attentive smile. "You're going to be an official part of this family soon anyway. Consider this practice for getting comfortable with your future in-laws."

Arthur chuckled softly from his seat at the head of the table. "Your aunt is right, Axel. No need to be shy here."

"Thank you, Mr. Arthur, Aunt Elena," Axel replied politely, though his eyes repeatedly stole glances across the table toward Chloe.

Noticing his gaze, Chloe intentionally kept her head down, holding her spoon with trembling fingers. She merely stirred the soup in her bowl without any intention of taking a single bite.

"Why, Chloe? Why are you just stirring your soup like that?" Arthur asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion. "Eat up, before it gets cold."

"I... I can barely swallow, Dad..." Chloe whispered in a frail, fragile tone, tears welling up in her eyes. "My neck ... my neck still hurts so badly from where Sis Irish grabbed me earlier. It feels like it's burning all the way down to my chest."

"Goodness, my poor baby..." Elena gasped in panic, rubbing Chloe's shoulder. "That girl is truly heartless! How could she be so cruel to abuse her own sister to the point she can't even eat?"

Axel clenched his teeth tight. Seeing Chloe's pale face and the faint red marks on her delicate neck, a surge of fiery rage instantly boiled in his chest.

"You don't have to be scared anymore, Chloe," Axel interrupted with a firm, protective tone. He looked straight into Chloe's eyes with an intensely fierce glare. "I promise you. The pain and suffering you went through today ... I'll personally make sure Irish pays for it twice over."

The dining room went dead silent.

Arthur stopped chewing, staring at Axel with a deeply furrowed brow. "Axel? Why are you talking like that?"

Axel snapped out of it, realizing his reaction had been far too emotional.

"I mean, isn't Irish your fiancée?" Arthur pressed with heavy suspicion in his eyes. "So why do your tone and concern for Chloe seem so much bigger than your remorse for failing to calm Irish down?"

"I... I..." Axel stammered, his throat suddenly going dry. "What I meant was, Mr. Arthur... Irish's behavior earlier was way out of line. She didn't just ruin the mood, she actually dared to slap me and hurt Chloe. As someone who's about to join this family, I just can't stand by and watch Chloe get treated like trash. She's ... she's going to be my sister-in-law too, Sir. Isn't it normal for a brother-in-law to protect his sister-in-law?"

"Of course it is, dear!" Elena chimed in quickly to cover up Axel's awkward slip. "Axel is just taking a firm stand as a protective future brother-in-law. Don't go overthinking things, Arthur."

Arthur let out a heavy sigh, just about to open his mouth to reply, when the loud ringing of a phone in Axel's suit pocket cut through the tension.

"Pardon me, Mr. Arthur. I need to step out and take a call from my father," Axel excused himself as he pulled out his phone.

He swiped the screen and brought the phone to his ear with the friendliest face he could muster.

"Hello, Dad? What's up —"

The relaxed look on Axel's face lulled instantly.

"W-what?!" Axel snapped in a hushed scream, unable to process what he had just heard. "T-terminating our partnership?! How can Valence Capital pull out that much funding out of nowhere?!"