Irene grinned, the mischievous glint in her eyes as she casually suggested, "Let's go to my father's house and pretend you both are staying with me."
Esmeralda's face lit up with excitement. "That's nice! I wanna see your father's face."
Irene turned to Justin, raising an eyebrow. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
He sighed dramatically, leaning back in his chair with a slight smirk. "Do I have a choice? This is what I get for hanging out with troublemakers like you."
Irene's smile widened, playful and confident. "You know you can't do without me."
Justin shook his head but couldn't suppress a chuckle. "So when do we go?"
"The family is always complete at breakfast," Irene replied, a little mystery in her voice.
"Tomorrow morning then," Esmeralda said with an eager nod.
Justin smirked, crossing his arms. "You're staying here tonight. We need to celebrate."
Irene leaned back, a teasing grin crossing her face. "Of course, even before you ask."
---
The next morning, Irene walked into the dining room with her usual mix of confidence and nonchalance. "Hello, guys," she greeted everyone, her voice light, but with an underlying sharpness.
Roland, not looking up from his meal, frowned slightly. "Where were you all night? I've been trying your number, but no one picked up."
Irene shrugged, unaffected. "My friends got back yesterday, so I decided to party with them." She casually pointed at Roland. "You guys greet him— that's the man who gave birth to me."
Esmeralda blinked, a bit thrown off. "Your dad?"
"No," Irene replied dryly, her lips curling into a sarcastic smile. "The man who impregnated my mother."
Justin's eyebrows raised, his tone teasing but concerned. "Are you still drunk?" He immediately looked apologetic. "Sorry for the manner. I'm Justin Skye."
Esmeralda, ever poised, introduced herself as well. "And I'm Esmeralda Gold."
Roland looked at them both, offering a polite but distant smile. "You're welcome." He then shifted his focus back to his meal as Irene and her friends took their seats at the dining table.
Victor, who had been sitting quietly at the far end of the table, finally spoke up. "It's nice meeting you… Victor Brown."
There was a slight pause, the atmosphere tense but curious as everyone sized each other up in silence.
"Hello, handsome," Esmeralda greeted Daniel with a playful smile. "May I know your name?"
Irene couldn't help but interject with a teasing smirk. "His name is Daniel, but he's not a Brown."
Rosalyn's eyebrows shot up in confusion. "What do you mean he's not a Brown?"
Irene shrugged casually, an air of mischief in her voice. "I thought he was adopted, since he doesn't look like Mr. Roland."
"Mr. Roland? Who's that?" Justin asked, his curiosity piqued.
"The man who gave birth to me," Irene replied, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. Justin's eyes widened, and he muttered, "Oh."
Victoria, overhearing, bristled at the attention. "Beautiful, are you also not a Brown?" Justin asked, his words dripping with mock curiosity.
"What do you mean I'm not a Brown?" Victoria snapped, her tone sharp with anger.
Esmeralda smoothly intervened, offering a calm explanation. "Don't mind him. It's just that Irene says people from the Browns aren't rude. They know the etiquette of greeting their guests."
Daniel raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Esmeralda's remark. "If that's the case, don't you think Irene shouldn't be called a Brown?"
Esmeralda couldn't help but laugh softly. "That's true though."
"But when did you become a Brown?" Justin asked, his voice holding a note of confusion.
Irene leaned back in her chair, a smirk on her lips. "It's funny, I never claimed to be a Brown… I'm Irene Queens."
A moment of silence passed before Daniel's voice cut through the tension, laced with authority. "If you guys are here to cause trouble, it's better to just leave."
Irene's eyes narrowed, her posture suddenly shifting to one of defiance. "Don't talk to my friends like that. I won't take it."
Daniel's eyes met hers with intensity, his voice still authoritative. "And what if I do?"
Before Irene could respond, Roland intervened with an air of calm, his voice soft but firm. "Enough. Let's not embarrass ourselves in front of our guests."
Irene flashed an innocent smile, though her eyes betrayed a playful defiance. "I don't mind being embarrassed though."
The conversation shifted again as Roland, sensing the tension, asked with casual detachment, "So, what do you guys do for a living?"
Irene leaned back in her chair, her tone relaxed but with a hint of mischief. "We're jobless for now."
"Birds of the same feather flock together," Victoria mocked, a smirk on her face.
"How can you guys be unemployed?" Daniel asked, looking surprised, his gaze flickering between the group.
"Irene loves playing around. Don't take her seriously," Justin said, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
Irene grinned, stepping forward theatrically. "Let me reintroduce my friends." She pointed at Esmeralda. "This is Esmeralda Gold, my female best friend, top model for the Queen." She then pointed at Justin. "And this is my male best friend and ex-boyfriend…"
"Did we date?" Justin asked, raising an eyebrow in mock confusion.
"I wish we did," Irene responded with a mischievous smile, blowing a kiss in Justin's direction. He pretended to grab it, causing both of them to laugh.
Esmeralda rolled her eyes playfully. "Don't mind them. They just play a lot."
Irene continued with a wink. "He's the son of the top millionaire in Country B, Raven Skye."
"Wow, that's great," Victor said, nodding in admiration.
Irene turned back to Victoria with a sly smile. "So, what were you saying again? Birds of the same feather flock together?"
Victoria's eyes narrowed as she scoffed, "Even if you're useless, at least your friends are worth it."
Irene shot back without missing a beat, "Whatever. To cut all these long stories short, my friends are staying here for the time being."
"That's not possible," Daniel echoed, his tone flat with resistance.
"And why not?" Irene asked, her tone turning sharp.
"It's enough that you're staying here," Victoria added, her voice laced with disdain. "Your friends smell like trouble."
"I don't care what you say. They're staying here," Irene said, her voice firm with finality.
Daniel's patience thinned. "Don't tell me you guys can't afford a hotel room?" he asked with an edge to his voice.
"We can afford to buy a whole mansion, Mr. Brown," Esmeralda said, her voice laced with confidence and a touch of sarcasm.
"Then do it," Daniel replied sharply, his gaze cold. "What are you doing here?"
Irene shot back without hesitation. "Mr. Roland, can you see your bastard son?"
Rosalyn flared up immediately. "Don't call my son a bastard anymore, Irene," she snapped, her voice full of venom.
Irene rolled her eyes. "This son of yours is over 30, why do you keep speaking for him? Is he stupid or can't he defend himself?" she asked, her tone dripping with disdain.
"Can you stop saying bad words about my brother?" Victoria interjected, her tone sharp as she glared at Irene.
Justin stepped in, holding up his hands with a charming smile. "Hey, baby, it's okay. I don't want to stay here either."
Irene smirked and nodded. "It's okay, guys," she said, turning to Roland with a look of mock sweetness. "You guys can stay here for the time being."
"No, they won't," Irene shot back instantly. "My friends can't stay in a place where they're not respected."
Roland sighed deeply, clearly trying to maintain some peace. "Darling, don't get mad."
"I'm not mad," Irene replied, her voice cool but firm. "I'll only go mad—like, crazy—if I let them stay here."
"Irene…" Victor called softly, trying to calm her down.
"I'm sorry, we can't stay here anyway," Esmeralda said with a small shake of her head. "I can't cope with these two," she added, pointing at Victoria and Daniel. "I might hit their heads on the wall."
"She's got anger issues," Irene added, nodding sagely as she glanced at Esmeralda. Justin chuckled softly at the playful jab.
"But babe, how are you coping in the midst of these insane people?" Justin asked with genuine concern, looking at Irene.
"And what do you mean by insane, Mr. Skye?" Victoria shot back angrily, her tone hard.
"Insane means when you interfere in stuff that's none of your concern," Esmeralda said smoothly, not even flinching.
"So the question wasn't meant for you, Victoria," Victor added, trying (and failing) to hide his grin.
Irene gave a dramatic sigh. "I'm trying to cope," she said with an exaggerated sorrowful expression, then smiled mischievously. "As the only sane person trying to drive everyone else crazy."
"Get out of my house," Rosalyn seethed, her eyes narrowing.
"Ignore her," Irene said with a shrug, turning to her friends with a smirk. "Don't worry, we're leaving anyway." The three of them burst out laughing as they left the dining room.
Irene stood up, gesturing toward her room. "Let me show you my room before we leave," she said with a wink, leading her friends out for a quick tour of her room.
"Do you see your good daughter?" Rosalyn said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"If you guys had let her friends stay, none of this would have happened," Roland said, shaking his head.
"Dad, can you stop being biased toward Irene?" Victoria asked, her voice laced with frustration. "I'm sorry, but I've lost my appetite," she said, pushing her chair back and storming out.
"Are you saying you can't see she's intentionally provoking us?" Daniel asked, his tone accusatory as he looked at Roland.
"It's good that you can see, but you were still provoked," Victor said, calmly challenging Daniel's logic.
"Why are you always supporting that girl who has no respect for your mother?" Rosalyn snapped, her face flushed with anger.
"Put yourself in her shoes," Victor said, his tone softening as he spoke to Rosalyn. "IMAGINE she's your daughter and a man acted that way with you. Won't you be disappointed if she wasn't causing trouble as your daughter? Irene is a sweet soul, she's only rude to people who are rude to her."
"All of this is my fault, so I'm sorry on her behalf," Roland said, his voice heavy with guilt. He stood up, looking defeated, and made his way toward the door.