Burning The House Of Cards: taking revenge on my billionaire family
Chapter 106 - 105. Poking The Beehive

Chapter 106: Chapter 105. Poking The Beehive

The monthly dinner was a lavish event. The housekeeper whipped the cleaning staff to polish the house until it sparkled, and the chef used everything in his arsenal to impress the family members—or rather, the chairman and his heir.

It was a stage for the two wives to flaunt their extravagance, and the children to brag about their achievements. If the family were a company, then it was the employees’ presentation day in front of the boss.

At least, that was how it usually was.

The last monthly dinner of the summer, however, felt off. The chairman was already home, looking tired and aging. The employee thought it might be due to the children; one of them was absent, being sent away by another child; another one was being all moody because he had been grounded for weeks.

The flamboyant daughter was quiet and in deep thought, while the youngest one kept on scowling. The proud third wife looked annoyed and anxious, while the haughty first wife looked confused by the state of her son--the one who was there.

Yes. The usually calm first son looked very distraught. People knew he was temperamental behind the door, but seeing him lose control of his facial expression in front of others was surprising.

The one who they thought was causing all of that, on the contrary, looked the most nonchalant. She walked into the living room while humming cheerfully, like she had no care or burden.

And the moment she stepped into the living room, when her bodyguard had to line up with the other bodyguards, the grim-looking first son approached her and snatched her arms, dragging her back to the foyer as his bodyguards held hers back.

The others were startled at first, thinking Mason was trying to throw Sarah out of the mansion. But they stopped before reaching the door, and Sarah signaled her bodyguard to stay put with her eyes.

No matter how crazy Mason became, he wouldn’t do anything in the house where the chairman was only a floor away.

But if he wanted to make a scene, Sarah was happy to oblige.

"Ouch--what are you doing?!" Sarah said loudly while pulling her hand away from Mason’s hold, prompting the others--be it family members, the house staff, or the security personnel--to look in their direction.

Mason replied in a low hiss that only Sarah could hear. "Why is he still here?"

"Huh? Who--" Sarah faked innocence for a second before curling her lips. "Oh, my puppy?"

"Pup--" Mason gritted his teeth; Sarah could clearly see the bulging veins in his neck. "You’re still calling him that?"

"Yeah, what’s wrong with it?" Sarah shrugged. "He’s my cute, pretty guard dog. Also, what’s wrong with keeping him around?"

Mason massaged his throbbing temple as if he could explode any moment. "Are you seriously thinking he’s here without ulterior motives?"

Sarah blinked. "So?"

"What?!"

"So what?" Sarah tilted her head; the blonde hair Hajin had helped curl earlier bounced against her shoulder. "I think it’s better if he really does that."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Mason snapped, forgetting to lower his voice.

Sarah, unfazed, laughed in his face. "Oh, Oppa...you’re so narrow-minded," she even had the nerve to tap his shoulder while shaking her head. "I was indeed angry at first since he said nothing to me before, but then I was thinking...what’s so bad about that?"

Mason looked at the girl incredulously, as if he thought Sarah had truly lost her mind.

"Don’t you think it’s good that my bodyguard is actually an heir?" Sarah whispered, eyes curling like someone who had just won a jackpot. "I can take advantage of that. Besides..."

She glanced at the handsome bodyguard while hammering the final nail.

"Why should I throw that away?" Sarah licked her lips. "This just means I collect another suitor. All I have to do is choose one of them," she shrugged and shifted her gaze back to Mason. "Pretty fun, don’t you think?"

"Lee Seul-ah!"

"Uh-uh--it’s Sarah, Oppa."

Sarah wiggled her index finger and walked away while giggling. She even sprinkled extra seasoning by winking at Hajin as she walked back to the living room.

Mason must have wanted to take her and lock her in his room or something--at least, that was what Hajin said to her later from the look on the man’s face--but unfortunately for him, the chairman came down at that moment after talking with his brother in the office, and the dinner promptly started before Mason could do anything.

Perhaps because of that, he was visibly in a bad mood and emptied his first glass of wine before the last glass--Ruby’s--had even finished getting filled. He ordered a refill with his glare, and was already on his fourth glass by the time they finished the appetizer--which Mason didn’t even touch.

He had more interest in a staring contest with Sarah’s bodyguard who, instead of lowering his gaze like the other servants, met Mason’s gaze steadily instead. The man stayed nonchalant, even curling his lips slightly as if challenging Mason.

Perhaps he was. After all, if he took Chairman Yoo’s offer, he would be an heir--just like Mason.

And he didn’t have a shackle of ’blood’ relationship.

Everything--everything just frustrated Mason more and more.

"What’s wrong with you?" the first wife grabbed Mason’s hand, who was just emptying his fourth glass of wine, hissing quietly to not garnering attention.

Mason had been acting weird the whole week. He wasn’t replying to his mother, who kept begging him to bring Axton back from his rural punishment. He was busy doing something, and then busy getting angry. What was even that business earlier, taking Sarah away and whispering all angrily?

And now, what? He was halfway to getting drunk before the main course was even out!

Mason, who always maintained courtesy with his own mother, shook his hand off the first wife’s grip and ignored her. Rather than involving himself in the conversation around the table--which was about the third wife’s plan for Ruby’s graduation project or whatever--he downed his fourth glass and called for the fifth, eyes panning to Sarah this time instead of her irritating bodyguard.

Amber frowned at the blatant stare and whispered sharply. "Oppa, I don’t think you should drink so mu--"

"Shut up!" Mason hissed, face already a bit red from all the drinking.

Thankfully, he wasn’t seated beside the chairman this time--unlike before, they didn’t bother to arrange the seat anymore since it became confusing with Sarah there. Amber couldn’t imagine the humiliation if Mason drank that much right beside their father, who looked like he wasn’t in his best mood either.

To be fair, no one looked to be in a good mood but Sarah, who ate and drank while ignoring everything around her, as if drowning in her own world.

The aunt was confused, curiously shifting her gaze between Sarah and her bodyguard, as well as Mason. She knew Mason wanted to get rid of that bodyguard, but she thought it was because Mason didn’t like Sarah getting what she wanted and living the rosy life.

Wasn’t that how the other children always were? They didn’t like the perfect Sarah, who always got praised by the previous chairman and showered with genuine affection by her mother and grandfather.

A shining jewel invited two kinds of reactions; either people covet it, or they want to dim its light so their own could shine.

The children had exhibited the latter, but this reaction from Mason...

Why did it feel like someone who got angry because he couldn’t covet the jewel he wanted?

The aunt blinked, shaking her head at the outrageous insinuation her own mind suggested. And yet...it couldn’t leave her mind easily, so she felt a bit mischievous and threw a nonchalant bait.

"My second niece, it seems like you’re quite a player, mm?" the aunt spoke loudly, interjecting the third wife’s rant about Jasper’s new elite tutors or whatever. "Collecting men like trading cards."

The corner of Mason’s eyes twitched, and the grip he had on the wine glass got so tight his hand started to tremble. A reaction that did not slip the aunt’s observation.

Sarah stopped slicing her halibut and tilted her head, lips stretched into a sweet smile. "Oh, my...thanks for the compliment, Auntie. I learn from the best."

She chuckled and turned her head to the chairman, giving the old man a wink. Lee Hyuk, looking as tired as he was the day he summoned Sarah the last time, just shook his head exasperatedly. Well...what did it matter? It wasn’t like the whole country didn’t know he had affairs all the time.

"How unbecoming," the aunt let out a dramatic gasp. "It’s not good for a woman to be like that, Sarah."

"Oh, what an outdated view, Auntie!" Sarah laughed softly while cutting her seared fish. "Isn’t it fine as long as none of them had a lover--or, you know...a wife?"

She dropped her tone and smirked at the end, flicking a gaze at the third wife across her. Mina narrowed her eyes and asked sharply. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

Sarah curled her lips even deeper. Oh--what fun!

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