"Irene might be rude but she's—"
"It's a good thing you know she's rude," Mary cut in before Joshua could finish, earning a cold glare from him.
"But she's a very nice girl… if Brian hadn't made his move, I would have," Joshua said, half-serious, half-teasing.
"And I would have disowned you," Gloria snapped, eyes narrowing.
"I don't mind being disowned for her. But unfortunately, she belongs to Brian. And remember not to mention Tiffany in front of Brian."
"Because you know he still likes her," Mary said knowingly.
"If that girl hadn't been forced to marry that man, Brian would've been married with kids by now," Gloria added, her tone laced with bitterness.
"Can you guys just eat instead of talking about Brian and Irene? Why not talk to your children about bringing someone home?" Jacob asked, directing a pointed look at his wife.
"Dad, don't worry about me," Mary said sheepishly.
"I think you should worry about her. She's been eyeing Victor for a while now. Hope you don't end up like Victoria," Joshua teased with a mischievous grin.
"No way. Victor will be mine," Mary said confidently, her eyes gleaming.
"I feel embarrassed," Joshua said, dramatically covering his face with a groan.
"Brian should have picked Victoria," Gloria said again, stabbing her food with a bit more force than necessary.
"Can you drop Brian and Irene already?" Jacob said, visibly frustrated.
"I wasn't holding them," Gloria replied innocently, and the others burst into laughter.
---
Richard's Office
"What are you doing here?" Richard asked, surprised by Brian's unexpected visit. On a normal day, Brian either sent someone to fetch him or called directly. His visit the other day had been about Irene, and now here he was again—Richard felt a chill of unease.
"How's your work going?" Brian asked, leaning casually against the desk.
"Have been working," Richard replied cautiously.
"Okay," Brian said, tone unreadable.
"Do you want something?" Richard asked, trying to read between the lines.
"Nothing." Brian turned to leave, but just as he reached the door, he paused. "When last did you talk to Irene?"
"When last I talked to your girlfriend?" Richard asked, confused by the question.
Brian nodded slowly, his eyes fixed on Richard.
"Bro, I didn't know you were the jealous type… Are you saying I shouldn't talk to your girlfriend anymore?" Richard asked with a teasing smirk, still trying to figure out what was going on.
"That's not it. I just want to know if you guys have been talking," Brian said, voice flat but eyes sharp.
"It's been a while since we talked. I've been busy and she hasn't reached out since we went shopping—that was like three days ago, right?"
"Okay," Brian said, starting to leave again but then doubled back.
"Bro, what do you want again?" Richard asked, half-exasperated.
"Give her a call," Brian said, now seated across from him.
"Okay… did you guys quarrel?" Richard asked, starting to get concerned.
"Just give her a call," Brian said, voice firmer now.
"Hi, Irene," Richard said as the call connected. He put it on speaker.
"Hi, handsome," Irene's voice rang out from the other end, cheerful and warm.
"It's been a while," Richard said with a smile, eyeing Brian.
"Yeah, just trying to live a quiet life," Irene replied, her tone nonchalant.
"That's good. So… my brother's been acting weird." Richard continued with a smirk. If looks could kill, Brian's glare would have ended him on the spot. But he went on anyway. "Do you guys have a quarrel?"
"We're breaking up," Irene said simply, like she was talking about the weather. "Don't worry, I'll gist you later—kinda busy. Talk to you later. Love you." A kiss sound followed before she hung up.
"Love you?" Brian repeated, his expression unreadable as his gaze fixed on the phone. Richard's smile vanished instantly.
"Those documents given to you this morning—I need them in an hour and thirty minutes," Brian said suddenly.
"What? I'm supposed to submit them in three days," Richard said, eyes wide.
"Okay," Brian replied coolly, and Richard relaxed for a second—until he heard, "Submit in an hour then."
"Brian, are you crazy?! These files would take at least a day to complete," Richard protested, rising to his feet.
"Forty-five minutes then. Or forget about the car you're shipping," Brian said sharply, finally heading out the door.
Richard froze. His beloved car—he'd gone through hell to arrange its import. Panic flooded him.
"Okay, Brian! An hour. I'll be done in an hour," he called after him.
But Brian was already gone.
"Irrreeennnneeeee!" Richard groaned, dragging his hands through his hair.
---
Irene's phone buzzed.
She picked up, already knowing who it was.
Her superior from County K was on the line, asking her to meet someone from County B—someone who would assist her while she worked there.
She sighed. She hated surprises. And she hated being told what to do.
But what she hated most was being kept waiting.
And today… someone had made her wait.
Her heel tapped against the tiled floor of the upscale café. Her expression was blank, but her narrowed eyes spoke volumes. This was a first—she was always the one making people wait.
She stared at her phone, flicking through her messages, feigning interest.
"Hello, Miss," a stranger called out, voice polite but firm.
"I'm not interested," Irene muttered, not even glancing up.
Unbothered, the man continued, "You're Irene Queens, right?"
She finally lifted her gaze, cool and unimpressed. "And you are?" Her eyes scanned his face, and then she gave a slight nod. The corners of her lips curled into a smirk. "So you're the one making me wait?"
She already recognized him. His information had been sent to her earlier.
"Sorry…" he began, almost sheepishly, then straightened and added, "But is that how you talk to your senior?"
"Senior, my foot," Irene muttered under her breath. "If you were five more minutes late, I would've left." Her tone was flat, matter-of-fact, with no intention of sugarcoating her irritation.
The man brushed off her attitude, either too seasoned to be ruffled or simply too focused.
"I've seen your past achievements, and I must say—you're very good at your work. But your behavior says otherwise. I've been keeping an eye on you, and frankly, you've been disappointing me. This country is different from the others you've worked in. You should be a little more composed as a detective working for the government… not a troublemaker. You should—"
He was still talking when Irene sharply cut in.
"Are you done?" Her eyes were void of patience.
"What do you mean?" he blinked, caught off guard.
"Then I'll take my leave." She stood up, fully intending to walk out.
But he reached out, his hand catching her wrist—an instinctive reaction.
"Let go," she warned, voice low but dangerous.
At that moment, Susan walked in—and saw them.
"Miss Queens, are you just shameless or—?"
Irene yanked her wrist free. "Why do I need to be ashamed?"
Susan scoffed, fire in her eyes. "Some days ago, you were with Richard. Today, you're with this nameless man. Are you trying to make Brian wear a green hat?"
Irene tilted her head, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I think you should change your job from being a dancer to a bodyguard since you love monitoring me. And Brian can wear a red hat for all I care. Either way, it's still not your problem."
"But it's my problem."