Iris Dalton drove her flashy sports car, heading to a plot of land in the suburbs according to the address.
Along the way, the AI surveillance system kept giving her voice prompts. [YellowFish], the AI in charge of monitoring, was incredibly excited, chattering away nonstop.
[YellowFish]: "Your Highness, Your Highness! This morning I watched 500 gigs of high-society secrets! It was so freaking lit, absolutely amazing! I've decided to share the video details with you."
"[YellowFish], I told you to perform real-time surveillance, not go through my email and snoop on my files!"
Yesterday, Iris Dalton had logged onto UmbraNet, connected with an "intel-peddling scumbag," and through a mix of bluffing and sweet-talk, managed to haggle the price down to its absolute lowest to get her hands on 500 gigs of high-society secrets.
The files had just arrived in her inbox, and before she even had a chance to look, [YellowFish] had swooped in and snatched them.
So infuriating!
"Aiya, don't be so stingy! When Your Highness, the Pond Lord, gets her hands on good stuff, isn't she supposed to share it with her little buddies? Spilling the tea is always better together, am I right, Your Highness?"
[YellowFish]'s androgynous electronic voice had the air of a seasoned pro as it clicked its tongue in admiration. "Reality is always more exciting than fiction. Even I didn't expect this! They're all Sherwoods, but Tristan Sherwood is a love-struck fool while Claire Sherwood is a King of Players. This gossip just gets juicier and juicier."
Iris Dalton: "!!"
She'd bought the high-society secrets mainly to have some gossip to enjoy when she was bored. Who would've thought there'd be some major dirt on the Sherwood Family!
Her interest was instantly piqued.
"Quick, tell me! What's the scoop? Is it confirmed?" Forgetting her earlier anger, Iris Dalton's eyes lit up as she engaged with [YellowFish].
Curiosity is human nature. As an unemployed free spirit, she enjoyed a good gossip session in her free time.
"Your Highness, let me tell you! Tristan Sherwood's current wife is his first love's old roommate. The woman faked a pregnancy to secure her position, and he's completely in the dark. He actually thinks he's some kind of stud who hit the jackpot on the first try. The hilarious part is he has photos of his first love hidden on his phone and looks at them every night before bed. HAHAHA! The title is priceless: *My Ex's Bestie Stole Me Away, But My Wife Can't Compare to My First Love*."
"Serena Sherwood is having a thing with Shaun Adler, but at the same time, he's also stringing along the budding actress Mia Miller and two minor online celebrity mistresses. The title for that one is especially vicious: *Childhood Sweethearts, Yet Unengaged: My Heartbreaking Story with a Scumbag Playboy*!"
"Then there's Claire Sherwood. She's flirting with several guys and even gets them to fight over her. And get this title, tsk tsk, it's so juicy: *The Asura Field of Backup Boyfriends and Simps: You're a Naughty Boy for Getting So Jealous*."
"But the funniest one is about that Vincent Thorne, the President of Elysian World. He broke his back being a simp for Claire Sherwood, so now, you know, 'doing it' is a real struggle for him. Haha, that's hilarious."
All of Pike: "..."
Iris Dalton: "..."
'I almost got KO'd by [YellowFish]'s dirty jokes!'
Just then, a black Bentley was driving slowly by. In the passenger seat, a male secretary held a tablet, busy reporting on work.
"President Thorne, the variety show planner just called. They said Tristan Sherwood has rejected the invitation for *Idol Brother and Sister*. The show is now short two male guests. They're asking for your instructions."
The man in the back seat was dressed in a black suit, his long legs crossed. He exuded a stern, ascetic aura as he reviewed a document in his hand.
Hearing his secretary, Vincent Thorne raised an eyebrow slightly. "Who are the female guests?"
"These four: Serena Sherwood, Mia Miller, Sophie, and Susan Hughes." The secretary turned and handed the tablet to Vincent Thorne. The photos and profiles of the four female guests appeared on the screen.
"This one, Susan Hughes, she's a student at Lumin-Umbra University's College of Sciences?" Vincent Thorne furrowed his brow and zoomed in on her photo.
The girl had delicate features and eyes that curved into a smile. If not for the faint, hidden trace of ambition in their depths, she would have looked like a sweet, well-behaved girl next door.
Vincent Thorne stared at the school insignia on the girl's collar for a few seconds. He pressed his lips together slightly, a flicker of interest seemingly sparked.
"Correct. Susan Hughes is a junior. She's also Miss Rosalind's junior in school. They are both prize students of Mentor Miles." The secretary, sensing his boss's interest, made sure to emphasize this point.
'Claire Sherwood's junior... on a variety show funded by President Thorne. Out of respect for Miss Rosalind, President Thorne will surely look after her a little.'
"Alright, I'll personally be a male guest on the show. Inform the planners to give Susan Hughes a heads-up to stick with me during the program. Give the other male guest spot to Xavier Kendrick and arrange for him to be on the show as well."
He enunciated the three words "stick with me" with particular weight, making them sound suggestive.
The secretary froze for a moment. His eyes flickered, and he quickly took the tablet back, pretending to think in order to hide his shock.
'Miss Rosalind is still abroad. Is President Thorne so sick with longing that he's personally joining a variety show to... start a ship with her junior?'
'This is a clear case of looking for a substitute!'
The secretary felt his worldview collapsing. He couldn't bear to look, his gaze darting around, unsure of where to land.
SCREECH—
Red light ahead. The driver slammed on the brakes.
The secretary glanced over and was stunned to see a red Maserati.
"President Thorne, that's Miss Rosalind's car." His eyes widened as he quickly alerted his boss.
Vincent Thorne turned his head slightly and sat up straight. His chillingly cold eyes glanced out the window, landing right on the red sports car.
The young woman in the sports car was wearing headphones. Her face was like white porcelain, her long hair flowed freely, and her delicate side profile bore a slight resemblance to Claire Sherwood's, but she was younger, more vibrant, and utterly captivating.
'This girl... I've seen her at the club.'
The man's gaze was profound, a cool detachment mixed with a hint of scrutiny and amusement.
"Miss Rosalind isn't back in the country yet, right?" the secretary said, coming to his senses. He clicked his tongue in disapproval. "Who is that driving Miss Rosalind's car?"
Vincent Thorne's lips tightened. His deep eyes, fixed on the figure in the red sports car, gradually grew sharp.
He had that car custom-made as a birthday gift for Claire Sherwood. There wasn't another one like it in all of Stellan.
'Claire Sherwood isn't even in the country, yet someone dares to drive her car around and show it off.'
"Go investigate that woman..." He stared at the young woman's side profile, his deep eyes narrowing. "Find out who she is."
In the Maserati, Iris Dalton was engrossed in [YellowFish]'s gossip exposé when a piercing, mechanical alarm suddenly blared.
[WARNING! WARNING! Real-time scan of target individual to the rear-left. Hostility Index: seventy. Danger Index: sixty. Predicted Aggression Index: sixty-seven. Safety threshold has been exceeded. Requesting permission for defensive counterattack! Requesting permission for defensive counterattack!]
"..."
'Someone wants to kill me?'
'How unexpected!'
Iris Dalton turned her head to the left and met a gaze that was cold and sharp.
A man was sitting in the luxurious back seat of the Bentley, watching her impassively.
His eyes radiated a bone-deep chill, like a keen hunter that had locked onto its prey, filled with ruthless aggression and a predatory desire.
'Who is this guy?'
'Don't know him.'
Iris Dalton averted her gaze, not wanting to deal with him.
[Scanning target individual... three-dimensional scan in progress... Vincent Thorne, male, 24 years old. Member of the Direct Line of the Thorne Clan, current President of Elysian World entertainment media company, one of Claire Sherwood's rumored boyfriends.]
[System has detected hostility from Vincent Thorne toward Your Highness. Awaiting Your Highness's command on whether to initiate a counterattack. Please select continue or cancel.]
"Vincent Thorne? The one [YellowFish] just exposed for having a bad back?"
Iris Dalton pursed her lips, feeling a little sorry for him.
"Cancel attack mode." She was always lenient with men who had health problems.
[YellowFish] sighed with regret. "Your Highness, I was just about to order The Golden Arowana to attack. Now that you've canceled, you've totally killed the mood."
[The Golden Arowana]: "Someone bears ill will toward Your Highness. Please heed my professional advice: kill him!"
"..."
Iris Dalton turned her head, glanced at Vincent Thorne, and a wild smile spread across her lips. "The poor guy's back is shot. It's only natural for him to be impotently furious. It's not easy being a man, you know. We should cut him some slack."