05 - A Grand Entrance at the Gala

A loud, relentless ring from the phone vibrating on the nightstand forced Irish to open her eyes with great difficulty. Morning sunlight peeked through the gap in the curtains of her luxurious bedroom. Gasping for air and her head still slightly throbbing, Irish grumbled in annoyance, snatching her phone without looking at the caller ID.

"Who is it at this hour?!" Irish grumbled in a raspy, morning voice, pressing the phone to her ear. "Hello?"

"Are you out of your mind, Irish?!" Joey's hysterical scream instantly erupted from the speaker, making Irish reflexively pull the phone away from her ear. "Why did you suddenly withdraw all funding and terminate Valence Capital's partnership with Sterling Group yesterday without discussing it with me?!"

Irish rubbed her face, letting out a soft yawn before hitting the speaker button and tossing the phone onto the bed.

"Could you tone it down a bit? My ears are hurting, Joey," Irish grumbled while stretching under the blanket.

"How on earth can I tone it down?!" Joey snapped in frustration from the other end. "Our contract with them isn't even finished yet, Irish! We're getting hit with a penalty f*e for unilaterally breaking the agreement! Our own company is taking a massive financial hit because of your impulsive stunt!"

Irish rested her back against the headboard, a cold smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "So what? That fine is nothing compared to the satisfaction of watching Sterling Group scramble in chaos."

"But, Irish —"

"Miss Irish's decision is spot on this time, Joey."

The deep, calm voice of Professor Chen — the trusted financial advisor of Irish's late mother — cut through Joey's protest over the three-way call.

"Professor Chen?!" Joey gasped in shock. "You're actually backing this crazy stunt too, Professor?"

"It's not a crazy stunt, Joey. It's a rational analysis," Professor Chen explained coldly. "Sterling Group's cash flow reports over the past few months show severe signs of asset manipulation. If Valence Capital keeps propping them up, our own company will get dragged into the abyss of bankruptcy when their scandal inevitably blows up."

Joey went dead silent on the other end, letting out a long sigh. "So ... we're really just letting it go?"

"It's not just Sterling Group, Joey," Irish added in a firm, uncompromising tone. "Sever all of Valence Capital's investment lines in my father's company as well."

"What?!" Joey shrieked hysterically once more. "Uncle Arthur's company too?!"

"Yes. Don't leave a single penny for them," Irish demanded, hanging up before Joey could nag any further.

Knock! Knock!

The bedroom door pushed open. A maid stepped inside carrying a beautifully wrapped, elegant black evening gown.

"Miss Irish, this is the gown for tonight's event prepared by Mrs. Elena," the maid said politely.

Irish furrowed her brow. "Tonight's event?"

"Yes, Miss. The annual charity gala downtown. Mr. Arthur asked that you get ready by late afternoon, and Mr. Axel will be coming to pick you up."

Irish gently slapped her own forehead. Right. Tonight's charity gala ... the exact place where her past life began to fall apart.

Before the maid could even set the gown down, the heavy footsteps of Arthur Ryder echoed into the room. The middle-aged man's face was contorted with anger.

"Step out for a moment," Irish commanded the maid in a cold voice. "I have something important to discuss with my father."

The maid bowed quickly and rushed out, slamming the door shut behind her.

Arthur stood with his arms crossed, glaring at Irish with a piercing stare. "Good thing you have some self-awareness! Just remember, Irish, do not cause a scene at the charity gala tonight! Your barbaric behavior yesterday, choking Chloe and slapping Axel, was more than enough!"

Irish let out a mocking laugh, scanning her father from head to toe. "Causing a scene? I was merely teaching those two shameless leechers a quick lesson."

"Irish!" Arthur barked, his breath coming in hot. "Watch your mouth!"

"Instead of fussing over Chloe and Axel, there's something far more important I want to ask you, Dad," Irish cut in, stepping toward Arthur with a fearless, direct stare. "Straight to the point ... what actually happened when Mom died?"

Arthur's face instantly stiffened. "What kind of ridiculous question is that?!"

"Did you kill Mom, Dad?" Irish whispered sharply.

"Watch your tongue, Irish!" Arthur shouted, his face turning beet red as his eyes bulged in pure rage. "Your mother committed suicide! The doctors and the police confirmed it ten years ago!"

"Suicide?" Irish let out a bitter chuckle, crossing her arms over her chest. "Mom got frustrated and committed suicide because she caught you cheating with Mrs. Elena to the point of having a child out of wedlock, which is Chloe, right?"

"Shut your mouth, Irish Ryder!" Arthur roared, trembling violently as he fought back shame and anger. "Don't you ever bring that up again if you still want to be recognized as my child in this house!"

Without wasting another second arguing, Arthur spun around harshly and stormed out, slamming Irish's bedroom door violently behind him.

Brak!

Irish stood frozen, her chest heaving as she reined in the burning rage inside her. But from her father's panicked, defensive reaction just now, Irish's sharp eyes caught one crucial fact.

Dad only knows as far as the suicide assumption ... Irish analyzed in her mind. As for the poison and the real mystery behind Mom's murder ... Dad seems to know absolutely nothing about it.

Irish took a deep breath to calm her racing pulse. She quickly snatched her phone off the vanity table and dialed a number.

It only rang twice before a deep, firm baritone answered from the other end.

"Yes, Irish?"

Irish's crimson lips curved into a subtle, fearless smile.

"Tonight," Irish whispered resolutely. "We're attending the charity gala together."

...

The magnificent crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over the grand ballroom of the five-star hotel. The clinking of champagne flutes blended with the soft melody of classical music, filling the annual charity gala attended by the city's entire business elite.

In the center of the room, the Ryder and Sterling families gathered with arrogant smirks on their faces.

"Congratulations, Mr. Arthur, Mr. George!" a senior business colleague praised, raising his glass. "Word on the street is that Axel and Irish's official engagement will be grandly announced tonight, along with the arranged match between Xander and Chloe?"

Arthur laughed heartily, patting George Sterling on the shoulder. "Thank you! Yes, the young folks should indeed be united soon to strengthen our business alliance."

"Precisely," Elena chimed in, her face beaming with delight. "Irish and Axel have been an inseparable match since childhood. The same goes for Chloe and Xander. Everything has been arranged flawlessly."

In another corner of the room, Chloe, dressed in a pink evening gown, looked around frantically, scanning the entire ballroom. Her eyes glinted with deep malice.

"Where on earth is that Irish?" Chloe muttered under her breath. "Tonight, she's going to pay dearly for what she did to me yesterday."

Chloe then approached a waiter carrying a tray of drinks, giving him a subtle wink. The waiter nodded quietly in response. Chloe smirked, fingering a small pouch hidden in the folds of her dress.

You won't get away tonight, Irish, Chloe thought, her mind full of sinister schemes. I will make sure you embarrass yourself and crumble right in front of all these VIP guests tonight!

Meanwhile, George Sterling furrowed his brow as he saw his son walking toward them all by himself.

"Axel!" George called out in a low whisper. "Why are you here alone? Where's Irish?"

Arthur and Elena turned around in surprise as well. "Yeah, Axel. Why aren't you with your future wife?"

Axel grumbled in irritation, rubbing the back of his neck with a sour look on his face. "I went to pick her up at home, Mr. Arthur. But the maid said Irish left an hour ago. She said someone picked her up."

"Someone picked her up?" Arthur's brows knit tightly. "Who? She didn't say a word to me!"

"Probably Joey," Elena guessed casually. "Never mind, as long as she shows up. The main banquet is about to start anyway."

Tring! Tring! Tring!

The host stepped onto the main stage, tapping a spoon against his crystal glass, drawing the attention of every guest in the ballroom.

"Good evening, distinguished guests," the host greeted into the microphone. "Before our banquet and charity auction begin, please join me in welcoming our guests of honor for tonight!"

The massive double mahogany doors at the far end of the ballroom suddenly burst open.

Every single pair of eyes reflexively turned toward the entrance.

A pair of graceful, confident footsteps sliced through the silence. Irish Ryder stood there in an elegant black evening gown that hugged her curves to perfection. Her hair cascaded beautifully, and her red lips held a cold, captivating, yet intensely intimidating smile.

Yet it wasn't just Irish's stunning appearance that left the entire ballroom breathless.

Standing right beside Irish was a tall, imposing man in a custom-tailored black suit. He walked with a powerful, dominant aura. And in the most natural manner, Irish's delicate fingers were tightly wrapped around his arm.

That man was Xander Wilson!

A wave of shocked whispers instantly erupted like wildfire among the hundreds of guests.

"Wait ... isn't that Irish Ryder? Axel Sterling's fiancée?"

"Good lord! Why is she walking in arm-in-arm with Xander Wilson?!"

"Why is she holding onto Xander so tightly?"

"Honestly though ... they look ridiculously good together! Their aura is so high-class and dominant!"

"Right! Compared to Axel, Irish looks way more suited to stand beside Xander!"

Hearing those flattering whispers, Axel's face instantly flushed a furious red. His jaw clenched so hard that the veins on his neck popped out. His eyes bulged in utter disbelief at the sight of Irish's hand hooked onto his arch-nemesis's arm.

"I-Irish ...?!" Chloe gasped, her mouth wide open in utter shock, the glass in her hand nearly slipping from her grip.

Arthur and Elena stood rooted to the spot, their faces turning deathly pale as they endured unimaginable humiliation right in front of their business peers.

Having completely lost his cool, Axel stormed through the crowd of guests, blocking the path right in front of Irish and Xander, his breathing heavy and ragged.

"Irish! What on earth is wrong with you?!" Axel barked sharply, his voice trembling as he fought back his rage. "How could you show up with this bastard and hold hands like you have zero dignity left, huh?!"

Irish halted her steps, looking Axel up and down with a cold, piercing glare of pure disgust.

"Take your hands off him right now!" Axel growled, reaching out to grab Irish's wrist.

Greb!

Before Axel's fingers could even touch Irish, Xander's firm grip knocked his hand away and pinned Axel's arm in midair. Xander's intimidating aura flared so intensely that it forced Axel to reflexively take half a step back.

"Watch your manners in front of my future wife, Mr. Sterling," Xander whispered in a deep baritone that cut through the silence like a blade.

"F-future wife?!" Axel screamed hysterically, plunging the entire ballroom into dead silence.