LOGINPlak!A sharp slap landed on her cheek, forcing her head sideways."You insolent brat!" snapped Edward Ryder, Irish's paternal uncle, standing with his chest heaving with rage. "How dare you pull such a stunt in public! Announcing a marriage to Xander Wilson without family approval? Xander was clearly meant for Chloe!"Uncle Edward stepped closer, glaring at Irish with a look of disgust and condescension as he pointed a finger right in his niece's face."Just look at your sister, Chloe! Chloe is a kind, innocent, pure girl, and she always knows how to uphold our family's honor!" Edward raged fiercely, comparing the two of them relentlessly. "How could a girl as good as Chloe ever do anything wrong? There is no comparison between her and you! You are stubborn, selfish, and contribute nothing to this family except bringing shame and ruining our grand plans!"Mr. Arthur, Irish's biological father, jerked in shock and moved to step forward. "Brother Edward, wait—""Quiet, Arthur!" snapped
"Before the main event starts, let me take over the stage for a moment," Xander said in a heavy yet firm voice, snatching the microphone from the host.His steady strides led him up onto the main stage, capturing the full attention of the still-stunned guests. With a sharp gaze and a dominant aura commanding the room, Xander announced news that shook the entire ballroom."Tonight, in front of all of you, I want to announce my engagement and marriage to Miss Irish Ryder," Xander stated calmly yet with deep emphasis. "Irish, come here."From the crowd, Irish stepped gracefully toward Xander on the stage. The two of them stood side by side, presenting a harmonious and compatible sight that drew a wave of cheers from the mesmerized elite guests.Not stopping there, Xander spoke again with a faint, triumphant smile. "And I would like to specially invite all the guests present tonight to come celebrate our wedding exactly three weeks from now. Invitations will be sent to all of you, Sirs, M
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
"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 suspic
The scent of leather seats filled the quiet cabin of the luxury sedan. Leaning back in the rear passenger seat, Xander stared intently at his phone screen as he pressed the call button."Luke, track Irish Ryder's position right now," Xander ordered as soon as the call went through. "I need her location in five minutes.""Understood, Mr. Xander. I'll check the signal right away —"Brak!A violent jolt suddenly slammed into the rear side of the car. Xander was thrown forward, his phone slipping from his grip and clattering onto the cabin floor."Sir! Are you alright?!" Xander's personal driver yelled in panic while trying to stabilize the steering wheel.Xander's expression instantly turned ice-cold, his breath coming out ragged as he suppressed his burning anger. "Who drives like a lunatic in broad daylight?""I'll step out to check, Sir. Please wait inside," the driver said anxiously, quickly opening his door and stepping out to inspect the damage.Meanwhile, inside the sports car wit
"All investors pulled out this morning, and the permit for our main project was frozen without any reason," Uncle Charlee said with a grim expression, throwing the file onto the mahogany conference table."It's not surprising," Xander replied flatly from near the window. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stared out at the skyline of skyscrapers. "A freeze this fast could only happen under a direct order from Mr. Reginald's faction.""They really want to lock down our every move," Charlee whispered, rubbing his temples. "So, what should we do, Xander?"Before Xander could give an instruction, the double doors of the conference room suddenly burst open without a knock.Antonio Wilson stepped in alone, a crooked, arrogant smirk on his face."This room always feels way too crowded with idealists like you, Charlee," Mr. Antonio called out, his heavy voice filling the room.Charlee immediately stood up straight. "Antonio? What are you doing here? We are having an internal meeting. Please







