Edward felt like he came to the right place at the wrong time.

He went back to join the adults at the bar a while after parting ways with Cassidy and Adrian. Miraculously, his sons went to bed earlier than he expected. There are a few bodyguards on duty in front of their hotel room, so he has some time to spare with the others.

​​

Yet as soon as Edward arrives, he finds himself wondering what exactly he is trying to join in.

The dance floor appears to be on fire at that very moment.

Loud cheers and applause echo all around along with a burst of colors that light up the entire place in the form of beams. The bar is practically bouncing up and down right now, swaying with the beat of the music. Perhaps, the most conspicuous detail here is that the song that is currently playing has set a hot and steamy mood among the bustling crowd.

Edward is at a loss for a moment. That is until he finally spots the people he is looking for.

"Adrian! Cassidy!" he called out to them as soon as he saw them sitting at the bar counter.

"Oh, Edward! I thought you're not gonna come anymore?" his sister-in-law replied, pleasantly surprised to see him.

"The boys slept early, and I had nothing to do. Guards on standby, though. They'll be fine."

"Well then, sit down, sit down~ You're gonna miss the show!"

"Huh? What show?"

While Cassidy only keeps beaming, Adrian just heaves a sigh and points his finger at the stage.

That's when Edward looks at what they're pertaining to - but only to end up nearly stumbling backward in nonplus. It's a scene that will certainly stun anyone. Now, he knows what is up with the sultry atmosphere.

It turns out that Irish is doing a sexy dance on top of the stage - with a chair as her prop.

Dressed in a black velvet number, net stockings, and high heels, she presents herself in a way that gets every man fantasizing. While her apparel already nearly leaves little to the imagination, her movements are sensuous and tantalizing. The language of her body is so passionately expressive that it's somewhat hypnotic.

Most of the people who are shouting from the crowd are men, which is already expected. There are also some women who can't help but enjoy her performance.

Of course, everyone there would recognize Irish. She is that dazzling beauty who has taken the entertainment world by storm. Everywhere she stands on is a stage. That's why it's not that much of a surprise that she's more than capable of giving them quite a spicy, inflaming show tonight.

"Oh, Irish is doing it again, huh... She really never changes. Then again, I already expected this as soon as I learned that there's a bar here," Edward mused out loud before sighing and pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Again...? So, this is already a common sight? And you guys let her?" Cassidy asked in surprise.

"She loves entertaining people. This kind of thing has always been a part of her work, anyway. Try watching the movies she played the lead role in. They're all adult films."

"Doesn't she like... get into trouble sometimes? I mean, no offense, but she reminds me of a stripper."

"That's what we're worried about most of the time. Well, she never really experienced anything like that before. She's a Millicent, and that's enough to warn most guys. Olivia is also always there to make sure that she doesn't get carried away. We'll stop her if it gets too much."

"I see... What a troublesome sibling."

"Okay, enough about Irish over there. Onto a more serious business, Cassidy..." Adrian suddenly chimed in, joining their conversation at last.

"What exactly are you gonna do for this mini showdown of yours?"

"Showdown...?" Edward blurted out while raising his brow in puzzlement.

"You're having a showdown with Irish, Cassidy?"

Now, both men are staring at her intently, much to her chagrin.

They're probably thinking that she is no match for their sister. Otherwise, they're just baffled. Regardless of their opinion, she is still going to see this through. Her opponent may look overwhelming since the audience has been cheering and applauding for quite a while now, but then, their agreement is not really about how long they have been doing that.

"Cassidy, I'm asking you..." Adrian called out again, making her snap out of her thoughts.

"What are you going to do?"

"Well, since Irene did a sexy chair dance..." Cassidy cooed with a smirk, deciding to mess with him for a bit.

"Maybe I'll do a sexy pole dance-"

"Okay, that's it. Let's go home."

Completely provoked, he then bolts out of his chair and grabs her hand out of nowhere.

While all his brother can do is blink at them and react stupefied, he proceeds to haul her out of her seat. She squeals a little in surprise when he tugs her away, not expecting that he is going to respond like this. He looks like he is about to erupt at any given second.

It may be part of her goals tonight to rile him up, but this is already going beyond what she intends.

"H-Hey, bossman, wait! Hold your horses!" Cassidy exclaimed as she continued to get dragged away by her husband.

"Hold my ass! We're leaving," Adrian hissed in vex, giving her the impression that he himself knew that he was already at his limits for tonight.

"You're treating me like this but not your sister?!"

"As Edward already said, Irish is an actress. She knows what she's doing. Are you an actress or any of that sorts?"

"Ummm... No... But wait a minute! This is not about that! I also know what I'm doing!"

"Pole dancing? Yeah, right. You think I'm gonna believe that you'll just stick to some pole like a koala?"

"I'm joking! I'm joking! I ain't gonna do no pole dancing!"

Cassidy really couldn't take a break with this man. Adrian just has no sense of humor.

Though what she said already made him halt on his tracks, he still looked intimidatingly serious when he turned back to face her again. As much as she doesn't want to admit it, his sharp and incandescent gaze gets her gulping in fear.

"Sorry. I almost lost my control there..." he then apologized, calming himself for a moment.

"It's just that... It's not only about that... I really can't stand this place anymore."

"Huh? The heck are you saying now?" she deadpanned, finding him unreasonable.

"Men keep staring at you - even that bartender over there. Didn't you notice that? It infuriates me."

"Oh, so that again?"

"Don't make it sound like a small deal. I've been holding back for a while now. Either I'll confront every man who looks at you or we're going home."

"I don't want to go home! I still have an agreement with Irene!"

Cassidy is convinced that this revealing outfit has only turned out to be a handicap for her after all, but even then, she doesn't regret wearing it. If anything, it's Adrian who needs to control his temper here, which he seems to be trying to do now. He suddenly went silent after she opposed, settling with just staring down at her and squeezing her hand tightly.

Adrian must be regretting letting that out, considering how he looks away all of the sudden.

"You're still not going to tell me about what's going on?" he then asked out of the blue, much to her confusion.

"Tell you about what exactly?" she asked back with a raised brow.

"I can sense that you have something going on with my sisters. I know I've been unaware of a lot of things for a long time, but is it already too late for you to open up to me?"

"They're your family. Just what can you do?"

"What do you mean?"

"No. Nothing. Forget about it."

It just as Cassidy thought. Adrian is starting to be sensitive about what's going on in his family.

Still, she thinks that simply telling him about it will not do things justice. There's a possibility that he'll only go soft with them once he learns since they are his family members. At any rate, she still prefers moving on her own in the meantime. She might need him to step in at one point, though - like what she did with Cecile and the other maids before.

"Anyway, let go of me already. Irish has finished up her performance," Cassidy muttered and tried to retrieve her hand but to no avail.

"You're still not saying what you're gonna do..." Adrian trailed off with a scowl, his tone still calm yet icy.

"If you're gonna flash a leg, I'm seriously gonna-"

"I ain't flashing nothing, bossman! Geez... And here I thought you wanted to hear me sing."

Then, he paused.

His eyes widen a little at that before his expression softens at last. She only sighs in exhaustion and makes a straight face in return, taking that as him finally approving.

"Why don't you just do me a favor? Make the loudest clap for me, okay?" Cassidy then quipped with a small smile to which Adrian only smirked in reply.