"A cross-dressing act, huh?"


    Cross-dressing performances, as everyone knew, involved women dressing as men and men dressing as women for the act. This kind of performance required a high level of skill and was a true test of one''s acting abilities. Especially when men dressed as women, they not only needed to move gracefully and speak in a soft, sweet voice, but also must capture and portray the elegance and charm of a woman.


    Since his debut, Michael had always yed the roles of distinguished wealthy young men or domineering CEOS. Chloe came up with a mischievous idea, suggesting that he y a woman. For him, this indeed presented quite a significant challenge.


    At first, Michael resisted the idea vehemently. The notion seemed preposterous to him, but Chloe convinced him that this daring act of cross-dressing was the only way to truly exhibit his versatility and capture Jessica''s attention. Atst, Michael begrudgingly agreed to Chloe''s bold n.


    He rifled through Chloe''s wardrobe and selected a long, elegant dress-one prone to a few impromptu alterations to fit his form. Next, he meticulously applied makeup, affixed a long wig, and painted his lips a striking shade of red. With his transformationplete, he practiced a sashay and made his grand entrance downstairs.


    The moment everyone saw their typically on-screen yboy or CEO transformed into a sultry woman, they erupted intoughter. They knew only Chloe could get Michael to do something so out of character.


    Michael, embodying the role with unexpected finesse, swayed his hips and flirted shamelessly, eliciting endless amusement from the crowd.


    Chloe couldn''t help butugh uncontrobly. For a moment, the Martin Family gathering reached its peak of merriment. Even Grant, who had been sitting in his room working, couldn''t resisting out to see what was causing all theughter outside.


    Just then, Chloe got a message from Zara in the dining room: [Chloe, help.]


    Worried that something was wrong, Chloe left Michael to entertain the guests and rushed to the dining area. As soon as she arrived, Zara, visibly flustered and stammering, pulled her aside. "Chloe, I... oh my..."


    Zara''s nervousness was infectious, and Chloe couldn''t help but feel a knot of anxiety tightening in her stomach. "Zara, what''s up? You called me over in such a hurry. What''s going on?"


    Zara hesitated before covering her face with her hands and speaking in a barely audible whisper. "Well, Liam almost kissed me just now."


    "What?" Chloe was taken aback by the news. The thought of Liam being so forward stunned her.


    But, on a deeper level, Chloe felt a surge of satisfaction. If Liam had feelings for Zara, it could solve a significant problem for her. This unexpected development might finally distract him from pursuing her, or rather, the mysterious biker, which would reduce the pressure on her to marry into the Martin Family.


    "Zara, why are you so scared? If he wants to kiss you, it means he likes you. I think you two would make a great couple," Chloe assured her with a supportive smile.


    Chloe''s words made Zara look even more troubled. "Oh, it''s not like that. He doesn''t have feelings for me; I''m just chatting with him pretending to be you. I''m not his dream girl. If he finds out I''m not his idol, he might freak out. I''m telling you, I can''t keep pretending to be you anymore."


    Chloe felt a headacheing on. She tried her best to sell Liam to Zara, singing Liam''s praises. "Zara, Liam''s a great guy. He likes you; he wouldn''t do anything out of the line if he finds out. And about the idol thing, if we keep quiet, he''ll never know. I think you two could really hit it off. Why not give it a shot with Liam and see how it goes?"


    But Zara wasn''t having it. She waved her hand, refusing, before leaving the room. "Forget it, I don''t want anything to do with him. I need to be clear with you, the guy I like is Michael."


    Chloe felt dizzy, every n she had crafted for this party crumbling to dust. She had thought organizing this gathering would finally set things right with the three brothers, but everything seemed to be falling apart.


    When Moira arrived, Grant hid upstairs, refusing toe down, clutching hisputer tightly and not letting go. When Chloe ventured upstairs to fetch him, he had the audacity to kiss her. If she''d not evaded him swiftly, Grant might have pushed further. She thought Grant''s taste was very unique; even when she dressed so poorly, he still kissed her.


    Michael, on the other hand, was super cooperative, performing in front of all those women. But he wasn''t trying to find a partner; he was just trying to impress Jessica. Setting him up with Karlie seemed increasingly remote, if not impossible.


    Zara and Liam had been doing well enough that Chloe had hoped for a breakthrough. Yet Liam''s sudden, impulsive move earlier unsettled Zara, pushing her to quit the pretense altogether.


    These three troublesome heirs were back in her hands, leaving Chloepletely frustrated. She struggled toprehend why they remained unpromoted.


    Chloe stood in a corner of the dining room, feeling defeated. At this moment, a woman pushing a trash cart, bundled up tightly, walked past Chloe. When she nced sideways and saw Chloe fiddling with her phone, she picked up a prepared stick and swung it at the back of Chloe''s head.


    Chloe waspletely caught off guard. She felt a sharp pain at the back of her head, and her body went limp before copsing to the ground with a thud. The phone that Zara had just slipped into Chloe''s hand also fell to the ground as Chloe lost consciousness.


    Seeing Chloe unconscious, the tightly wrapped woman quickly dragged Chloe''s body and stuffed her into the garbage cart. Then, after looking around, she pushed the cart, kicked away the fallen phone, and quickly left.