Chapter 103 - Facades At Their Finest

Cassidy didn't mean to get caught smirking, but when the brunette she thought as Irish showed her an appalled expression, she was glad she did.

Perhaps, she saw through her mischievous thoughts. Her perplexed reaction is understandable either, especially since she knows how she used to see her as this meek and brooding little woman who probably never smirked this way at her before. 

'Cecilia told me a lot of useful things about Lady Irish over there. She said that she could easily oppress me because I never fought back before. I also couldn't defend myself since everyone was always dubious of me due to my reserved nature...' Cassidy mulled silently as she continued locking eye contact with the brunette.

'Now, it's time to change people's impressions and turn that to my advantage.'

Olivia had to put her hand on her sister's shoulder just to make her snap out of her thunderstruck state.

Irish turned to look at her with a slightly weary expression, baffling her for a bit. Adrian was also puzzled as to why she stiffened for a second there. Before he could ask anything, though, his siblings already started making their way to his wife.

Cassidy was talking with her nephews about something that had to do with ice cream when the three of them arrived at their table. Silence stretches for a moment as she looks up and examines both Irish and Olivia.

It's just as she thought - the two were so breathtakingly beautiful that they appeared as ethereal as their brothers.

"Great to see you again, Cassidy. It's been a while..." Irish greeted first with a lovely smile before leaning in and lightly touching her cheek with hers.

"Considering that you had amnesia, let me introduce myself again. My name is Irish. Let's get along once more, my dear sister-in-law."

Cassidy has to admit that she's quite good.

As expected of an actress, her acting is on point. She can't even feel a single trace of malice. If she didn't know any better, she would fall for her trap and believe that her intentions were genuine. 

However, Cassidy does know better, and she is aware that what Irish is aiming here is to show everyone that she has nothing but good will towards her. That way, she'll be able to get away from any offense that she'll secretly inflict on her.

With that in mind, Cassidy goes ahead and pretendS too. She holds her hands and puts on a purely joyful expression - the purest one she can muster, catching Irish off guard. 

"I heard a lot about you, Irene! I'm so happy I get to meet you! Cecilia told me how kind you were to me before! Thank you so much for taking care of me," the redhead enthused with an ear-splitting grin, pretending to be on good terms with her.

"H-Huh? Cecilia...? O-Oh, right... my maid..." her sister-in-law trailed off in surprise, not expecting that she would greet her back so amicably - though she thought it was a good thing that Cecile backed her up like that.

"Wait, what Irene? That's Irish for you, okay?"

'Good. Lady Irish didn't suspect my overdramatic compliment...' Cassidy quietly mused as she only giggled at her and apologized.

'Now, let's see the other one.'

As she looks at her twin sister, she is a bit taken aback to find the blonde staring at her with a mystified expression. Her eyes are nearly as wide as saucers while her mouth hangs open for the tiniest bit. She gets an impression that she has sensed something incongruous about her.

'Oh, this one is quite sharp,' Cassidy pondered, narrowing her eyes for a bit.

"Hello there. I heard that both of you are twins. Though you don't look exactly the same, you two are very pretty," she then proceeded to greet, making her blink in surprise.

"Thank you, Cassidy... My name is Olivia. It's good to see you again. I'm glad that you're fine now," Olivia replied with a calm and poised demeanor.

Compared to Irish who is a voluptuous beauty, she is quite the cool belle. Her aloof expression reminds her a lot of Mia. Apart from that, she has this decorous air around her that makes her appear respectable and somewhat formal. 

"Hey, why's she looking at you intently now?" Irish whispered to her twin, nudging her elbow.

"Stunned by my beauty, I guess?" Olivia mumbled back, straight-faced. 

"That can't be. I'm prettier than you-"

"Say, Ofelia..." Cassidy called her attention again while eyeing her curiously. 

"What are you?" she then asked, much to everyone's confusion.

"Firstly, it's Olivia, not Ofelia. And as you can see, I'm human-"

"No, I mean your job. Your profession. The vibes you're giving just seem... very familiar, I think?"

"Oh, ummm... I'm a college professor."

"A teacher! I see!"

As Cassidy beams at Olivia with awe and wonder, she can't help but jolt a little in nonplus. Irish, Adrian, Edward and the three young boys are also thrown off guard by her thrilled reaction. For some reason, she appears as if she is meeting her idol. 

"W-What? What's up with you?" was all Olivia could blurt out in bewilderment.

"My late father also used to be a teacher, you see! A college prof too! My guardian, who was a teacher as well, told me that. That's why I admire teachers!" Cassidy gushed about in genuine excitement, feeling delighted that she met a teacher for the first time in a long while.

Little did the redhead know that her speech was no mere compliment.

After all, it's the first time everyone was hearing her talk about her past.

Adrian and his siblings are so flummoxed that they only fall silent. She used to be so adamant in hiding every single detail about her background. But now, she just went ahead and revealed quite a big information about her father as well as this guardian of hers.

'Late father? Guardian? Why does she...? Then, what about her mother?' Adrian wondered silently in bafflement.

Unlike the a.d.u.l.ts, Damien was surprised for only a second. Though it's also his first time hearing about Cassidy's father being a college professor, he knows more than what she just revealed. 

'Should have I told Aunt that she didn't want to disclose her background before? Now, she's carelessly saying it. She must have a good reason for hiding her past in the first place,' Damien pondered, realizing that he might have done something thoughtless and consequential.

"I see that everyone is getting along quite well."

Then suddenly came Gertrude. 

In the middle of the prevailing silence, she arrived at their table with the other guests trailing behind her and chattering among themselves. Her sons, daughters and grandchildren immediately turn around to look at her. Cassidy, on the other hand, only steps away from the twins and scowls.

As if proving her true intentions for barging in their conversation, Gertrude locks eye contact with her daughter-in-law and smiles schemingly.

"I believe that you have also finished your dinner already. Instead of getting desserts here, why don't we move to the upper floor for a change of scenery? I heard that there's a lot of good stuffs there," Gertrude continued, much to their surprise.

"The upper floor? But, Mother... That place is..." Edward trailed off hesitantly before looking at his sons.

"I won't let the children go there. I'll get them a hotel room for the meantime and stay with them." 

"What's in the upper floor?" Adrian asked his brother in bewilderment.

"Well, ummm..."

To see is to believe, so instead of answering and painting the whole picture for him, everyone goes ahead and packs up their things before leaving the dining hall.

As soon as they all get to their destination, they are greeted by an ostentatious display of gaudy and flashy lights. The entrance alone already speaks of how extravagantly fancy the whole place is. Going by the strict security, though, anyone can tell that minors are not allowed to step a foot inside.

"A bar and casino, huh?" Cassidy thought out loud as she took the entire setting in.

"Don't go there with that outfit," Adrian sternly muttered from beside her before taking off his suit jacket.

"Huh? But you allowed me to walk down the halls in this-"

"Just don't."  

Though annoyed by his self-assertive tone, she just let him dr.a.p.e his jacket over her shoulders. She's already getting cold anyway, and she can feel that he's only trying to look out for her. It shows with how he keeps fastening her cover around her chest area before appearing troubled again the moment he lays eyes on the trim on her cutout skirt.

"You should've at least worn a black stocking, Cassidy. Better yet, don't wear this anymore in public..." he chided, still bitter about the fact that she dressed like that just to repel him.

"I'll tell you this now - even if you try on as many revealing clothes as you can, you can never push me away..."

That's when Adrian suddenly leaned closer to Cassidy and murmured in her ears with a smoky tone, making her blood run all the way up to her ears. 

"You can dare to undress too. I won't mind as long as we're behind closed doors."