ANGEL INLAW

WHO CARES WHO YOU ARE?

Penelope was so thrilled at the chance of seeing such an important person. "Khloe, let’s go check out the elevator later!" she whispered, tugging at Khloe's sleeve.

"I'll pass," Khloe replied, slightly tipsy after a few glasses of wine. "I have to go back with Quincy later."

Penelope sighed in disappointment. "You're still thinking about that idiot? This is a golden opportunity! If we make a strong impression on these people, your family won't have to worry about money anymore, and we could land some big deals."

A while later, Geoffrey received a phone call. Everyone instantly became nervous. Was the VIP finally coming out? Geoffrey slowly put down his phone, looking defeated. "My father just called. The dinner is over. The important person has left."

"How unfortunate! I thought we could at least catch a glimpse of them..." Everyone groaned.

Penelope scoffed. "We need to go be with Charles. I guess you totally forgot they are waiting downstairs." She and the others quickly giggled and hurried down to the third floor.

"Khloe, are you finished?" Quincy asked softly, gently massaging her shoulder. He had followed them down immediately after they left the ninth floor.

"Quincy, what are you doing here? Go away!" Penelope was still furious about missing the VIP. She almost felt like physically attacking Quincy, as if he were the reason the important person had left without making a grand appearance.

"Why are you still so angry?" Quincy asked calmly. "I gave you an opportunity to enter the Emperor Hall, and you received first-class treatment. I could see the excitement on your face as you devoured the food and wine. You kept ordering the most expensive wines you could think of..."

Penelope cut him off sharply. "You wish! Please, wish for something real! Your imagination is insane! For your information, I was able to get into the ninth floor because Innocent paid for the whole night and made it an open event for anyone who could at least get to the third floor. Let that sink into your blockhead."

Still smiling and still gently patting Khloe, Quincy replied, "Relax, calm down. Just ask, and I will happily teach you how these things are done."

Penelope scoffed again. Charles narrowed his eyes but nodded, ridiculing him, "Sure, Quincy. You can show me how it's done." He didn't want to waste his time on a fool. With his wealth, he could already give Khloe a queen's life. He figured he might as well let Quincy embarrass himself.

Vincent simply decided to ignore the whole scene. Kimberly completely dismissed Quincy and asked Charles, "Can you invite Kubus to Khloe's birthday party? We should thank him for paying us back."

Charles’s smile froze. He had called Kubus earlier, only to be harshly scolded and hung up on before he could say anything. He hadn't expected Kubus to actually pay the money. He wasn't sure if he could invite him, but when he saw Quincy watching him, his heart clenched. He bit the bullet and said, "Kimberly, don't worry. I will definitely call Kubus and invite him."

He pulled out his phone and dialed the number, his heart pounding wildly. After the first and second ring, Kubus didn't answer. "I'll just leave him a message since he's not picking up," Charles said, secretly relieved the call failed.

Penelope managed to control her anger long enough to address Khloe directly. "You know your idiotic husband isn't getting into my car—he smells like bad luck. I wonder how you plan to get home. It’s certain you can't afford a taxi, so are you going to get up and follow me to my car right now, or are you going to walk home with this fool? Remember, home isn’t close. We're talking about an hour's walk from here."

Quincy stared at Khloe's face, watching her eyebrows furrow. He saw her gaze drift down to his shoes, then back up to meet his eyes. He slightly raised his brow. Sensing the confusion in her look and reading her thoughts, Quincy quickly spoke to clarify.

"This shoe, this brooch," he touched it with a smile, "it’s a fake one, if you were wondering if it was real." He leaned closer, his lips near her ear. "I borrowed it from a friend to look sort of presentable."

His breath felt warm against her skin. Khloe immediately pulled back, visibly resisting the intimacy, putting distance between them. Quincy's eyebrows subtly furrowed at her reaction. He gazed at her for a long moment.

As he stood there looking at her, they didn't notice when Penelope and the others huffed and left.

He briefly closed his eyes as all the memories they shared flooded his mind—the painful ones. The insults and the humiliation she endured because of him. His breathing hitched, and he clenched his fist. He hated remembering those moments; they tore him apart. He hated that he couldn't yet tell his Khloe that their suffering was over. Why should we walk home when I can take her home in a Ferrari? Isn't that what she deserves?

"Where is that useless idiot husband of yours?" Kimberly didn't even wait for Khloe to fully enter the house.

"I’m just going to grab a cup of green tea; it's on the counter," Khloe replied, walking straight to the kitchen without bothering to listen to her mother's next words.

After getting her tea, she kissed Kimberly on the cheek and said with a tired smile, "Mom, I’m so stressed, truly stressed. Can we discuss this tomorrow morning?" With that, Khloe went to her bedroom, where Quincy was already waiting for her so they could take a bath together.

He knew she had many questions to answer. "What was the exact reason that party was thrown? Was it really for us? And why would Innocent Chim host a party for us in such an expensive place? No! Why would he throw us a party at all? To apologize? For what exactly? And why was it so easy for us to recover the debt from Kubus? How were you able to get a pass for the Emperor Hall on the ninth floor at Cubana? Let’s assume you got a job—how did you get the job? You just recovered! When did you apply, and why wasn’t I informed? I need answers to these questions, either tonight or first thing tomorrow morning."

Quincy was lying on the bed, admiring her beauty as she flared up. "Tomorrow is your birthday. We won't be starting the day with questions, we will be starting the day with love and celebration," he replied with a wide smile. He rolled over, immediately fell asleep, and began snoring heavily.