The Invitation From a Bigshot

Irene took a deep gulp of wine from a bottle and then wiped the wine drops that stained her chin. A strong smell of alcohol emanated from her body as she had consumed more than four bottles of wine in one night.

Her apartment room looked as chaotic as if a typhoon had hit it. The broken television screen displayed static and was the only light source in the dark room.

Yesterday's incident had taken a toll on Irene's mind, making her look like a mannequin with only a blank stare. She lifted her head, staring at the room's ceiling with foggy eyes.

Irene grimaced softly, feeling her headache from constantly chugging booze without consuming any other food. "Am I going to die today?"

Perhaps death could take away the pain in her heart and body, but unfortunately, she could not get revenge on Daniel and Catelyn if she died so soon.

Had she died, Catelyn and her asshole ex-boyfriend would have laughed over her grave. While Irene would be buried six feet under the ground, the bastard couple could still roam freely and achieve fame using her stolen designs.

DING. DONG.

Irene's eyelids that had been closed suddenly opened as soon as she heard the sound of her apartment bell. She furrowed her brow, wondering which crazy bastard had come to see her before sunrise.

DING. DONG.

"Damn it! Don't fucking ring my bell like you're going to die tomor—"

The words were hanging by her throat as she opened the apartment door. A woman wearing a gray suit and black tie stood in front of her apartment. She had a stoic expression and didn't flinch after hearing Irene's thunderous shout.

Irene rubbed her eyes a few times and slapped her cheeks to make sure that she wasn't hallucinating from drinking too much alcohol. "Mrs. Cain?"

Irene's voice sounded hoarse, and her mouth emitted such a strong scent of alcohol that the woman in front of her frowned for a moment.

"Long time no see, Miss Russell." Amber Cain, the woman who disturbed Irene's peace that morning, slightly curved her lips and spoke with soft intonation. "Do you have free time today?"

Irene chuckled, then leaned her body against the doorway. With her relaxed demeanor, she said, "Such a bold question to a jobless woman."

Amber was silent and held her breath for a few moments. The woman who upheld the principle of politeness thought she had made a fatal mistake and wanted to apologize to Irene.

However, before Amber could say anything, Irene laughed again and said, "Yeah, I have plenty of free time today."

She continued, "However, it depends on what you came here for. If you came at the behest of that bastard Daniel, then forget it. My stomach gets sick every time I think about his disfigured face, and I will probably throw up if I see him again."

What a disrespectful woman!

Amber repeatedly said that to herself whenever she heard harsh words coming out of Irene's mouth. She didn't even understand why she didn't feel embarrassed when meeting guests in messy clothes.

"You don't have to worry. I am not Mr. Hawkins' secretary anymore." Amber emphasized her words, "Therefore, I have nothing to do with Mr. Hawkins."

All this time, Irene had known Amber as her ex-boyfriend's secretary, and had only met her a few times because Daniel had always forbidden her from coming to his office. Therefore, Irene did not understand why Amber would suddenly come to her apartment and ask about her free time.

"Oh, really? Did Daniel fire you?" asked Irene to the point.

Amber let out a tired sigh. She tried to maintain her composure even though Irene repeatedly spoke with impolite intonation.

"I'm not here to talk about my job, but I want to give you a dinner invitation from someone."

Irene narrowed her eyes and looked at Amber skeptically. "Are you going to offer me an illegal job knowing I went bankrupt? Wait, how did you know I was broke—"

"No, Miss Russell." Amber cut Irene off and said, "I don't want to offer you an illegal job."

"Then, who is this person who wants to invite me?" asked Irene.

Amber was sure Irene would not want to attend the dinner if she did not mention the inviter's identity. She handed Irene a business card and said, "Do you know the owner of the Delacroix company?"

Irene frowned in confusion. "Of course I do."

She bowed her head, reading letter by letter on the silver business card. "Sebastian Delacroix?"

Irene rounded her eyes and straightened her back. "Sebastian Delacroix?! Wait—What is this, Mrs. Cain? Why is a big shot's business card suddenly in my hands?!"

With a calm intonation, Amber replied, "Mr. Delacroix has invited you to have dinner with him tonight."

What actually happened here?! 

Why did Irene feel like a pie had suddenly fallen on her head today?

Sebastian Delacroix.

Everyone on the Groria Continent must have heard of the Delacroix family at least once because the Delacroix family has become the king of the Groria Continent's business market. 

The Croix Company established many businesses in fashion, beauty, and even jewelry. Every year, their business grew rapidly and was impossible to beat by other companies.

Among the great people in the Delacroix Family, a talented man has made Croix Company his playground since he was young. Croix Company has been above the clouds for the past few years, thanks to his business skills.

He was Sebastian Delacroix, the tyrant who could destroy a company on the Groria Continent if he wanted to and could control thousands of companies in his hands.

Everyone had heard of him, but only a few people had seen his face in person, even his age was kept a secret from the public.

The media couldn't find Sebastian's parents even though they knew the Delacroix family tree.

He was a mystery and an ace under Irene's sleeve if she could make a good impression on Sebastian.

"Would you be willing to meet him, Miss Russell?"

The corners of Irene's lips curved upward, revealing a broad smile that looked rather sinister to Amber's eyes. "How can I ignore a chance to meet a gold mine? I mean, yes, of course, I will meet Mr. Delacroix."

Amber could read Irene's real intentions as easily as she could read the sentence on the paper, but she didn't offer any protest because her Boss had wanted to meet with Irene from the start.

"Then I'll pick you up at six o'clock," Amber said as she looked at her watch.