Irene was more scheming than imagined. It would be a disaster if they were opponents, but fortunately, she was on Julian’s side. If she became an ally, she would indeed provide great reassurance. Aurora had originally planned for Zachary to cause trouble that would enrage Oswaldo. Julian’s help was indeed like pushing Zachary to the edge of a cliff. Irene, from what Aurora saw, was no easy character, and now Genevieve had no way to help Zachary.
“Irene, go wake up that useless brother of mine now. I’m still waiting to see a good show. It’s quite a spectacle here,” Aurora surveyed the surroundings. The decor of this upscale bar was already expensive, not to mention the bottles of wine that were each more costly than the last.
“Sure, I’ll wake him up now.” Irene had Aurora and Julian temporarily hide in the surveillance room.
She then had someone wake up Zachary, who was fast asleep, shirtless, and dreaming sweetly.
“Mr. Montgomery, time to wake up.” Irene gently tapped his cheek.
“Mom, stop bothering me. I want to sleep more.” Zachary didn’t even open his eyes.
“How dare you call me ‘Mom’? You must be tired of living!” Irene’s slap was so swift that Aurora could hear the crisp sound in the quiet room.
“Pfft, it seems Irene is quite a character,” Aurora laughed out loud, seeing her decisive action. Zachary probably had never been slapped in his life.
“In this world, you can offend anyone but not Irene,” Julian commented nonchalantly.
“Julian, Irene really is a very strong-willed person. You mentioned earlier that she is very important to you. How did you two meet?” Aurora asked.
“It’s a long story. I’ll tell you another time, but I promise it’s definitely not a romantic relationship.” Julian quickly clarified, fearing she might misunderstand.
“I know. I can see whether someone loves another just by their eyes. She doesn’t love you, and you don’t love her.” Aurora thought about the way Irene looked at him, like an elder looking at a child.
“Exactly.” Julian casually pulled her into his arms to continue watching.
Irene’s slap was strong enough to wake Zachary instantly. “Mom, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again!”
In Zachary’s heart, Genevieve still held some authority. He thought it was Genevieve coming after him for oversleeping, but when he opened his eyes, he met a captivating face.
“Irene? Why is it you?” Zachary was still disoriented, not realizing where he was.
“Mr. Montgomery, since you’re awake, let’s start calculating my losses.” Irene stood beside him, looking down.
“Losses? What losses?” Zachary was utterly confused.
“Mr. Montgomery, are you playing dumb with me? Have you forgotten about last night?” Irene’s smile was radiant but seemed to hide a threat.
“Last night?” Zachary had a hangover, not knowing how much he had drunk, and he couldn’t remember everything about last night.
“Maybe this will jog your memory.” Irene casually knocked a porcelain vase to the ground where it shattered, the sound sparking a recollection.
Last night, he had been carousing with a bunch of reckless friends when someone came in and told him his recent girlfriend was seen with another man.
Unable to tolerate this, Zachary stormed out, only to find that the other party was not to be trifled with, constantly provoking him.
Fueled by alcohol, Zachary had gotten into a brawl with another man, completely losing his head. He vaguely remembered smashing many things.
“It looks like you remember now. Come on, Mr. Montgomery. Let’s go and assess the damages,” Irene said with a sly smile creeping across her face.
Zachary’s head was still fuzzy, but when he followed Irene to the main area of the destruction, the sight instantly sobered him up. The floor was littered with broken glass, various alcoholic beverages mixed together, and overturned furniture. The hall was a complete mess.
“Did I do this?” Zachary could only recall fragments of broken memories.
“Of course, you did this. Who else has Mr. Montgomery’s boldness? If you don’t believe it, you can check last night’s security footage.”
“It was me. I remember. You saw how drunk I was last night,” Zachary explained.
“I know. I’ve seen many a drunk making a fool of themselves. I understand. Just clear the damages and we’re good,” Irene said, clapping her hands as a man walked up from behind her with a bill.
Zachary took the bill and when he saw the amount, his jaw dropped. “Irene, isn’t this a bit too much?”
“Too much? Look at what’s on the floor. You know what this place is, don’t you? How many bottles did you smash last night? You even flipped my liquor cabinet. Several of my staff were injured and are still in the hospital. Do you know how many people you offended last night? Plus the cleaning fees, redecoration costs, lost wages, do you think all these can just be written off?”
Irene, a shrewd businesswoman, easily rattled off a list of expenses, causing Zachary to sweat profusely.
“Irene, we have known each other for a long time. Since I’m a regular here, can’t you cut it a bit?”
Although the sum wasn’t astronomical, Zachary couldn’t just produce it immediately. Previously when he bought cars and other items, at least he had something tangible in return, but now it pained him to just hand over the money.
“Alright, I’m not one to be greedy. I’ll just round down the change for you,” Irene offered.
Zachary, looking at the total of thirteen million eight hundred seventy-two thousand three hundred dollars, suggested, “Then how about just paying ten million?”
“Mr. Montgomery, are you joking? When I said I’d round down, I meant the three hundred dollars. You still owe thirteen million eight hundred seventy-two thousand,” Irene chuckled, covering her lips.
“Irene, that’s not a small sum.”
“For the average person, no, but not for you. After all, you have the Montgomery family to back you up. What’s this amount to you?”
Zachary looked distressed. He had just spent millions on a car not long ago, and now millions more were needed at the worst possible time.
“Irene, could you possibly extend a few days? I’m a bit strapped for cash at the moment,” Zachary pleaded.
“That won’t do. My bar needs to run its business, and many people depend on it. Do you know the cost of each day’s delay? I’ve already given you a friendly price. If you can’t come up with the money by noon tomorrow, I’ll have to speak to your grandfather.”