Chapter 188

**Chapter 188**

**Third Person POV**

Irene knew exactly what she was doing. The expression on Judy’s face was just what she wanted to see. Irene aimed for Judy to notice Skyla with her father and to feel a sense of envy. She wanted Judy to think about how close they were, and how it might affect her.

Judy was not the right fit for Skyla, and everyone knew it, including Skyla herself.

That morning, they had a long conversation about it.

Irene caught Skyla before she joined the others for their morning meeting.

Skyla frowned when she saw Irene. Their last meeting hadn’t gone well. In fact, Irene had embarrassed herself trying to impress Skyla, who was an actress. But now, Irene had learned something about Skyla, and she was ready to use that information.

Skyla looked at Irene and said, “I’m late for the meeting.” She raised her hand to pause the conversation. “Can’t this wait until later?”

Skyla was used to being surrounded by fans, and she often found it hard to keep up with everything.

In Irène’s eyes, she was just like anyone else.

“I think you’re going to want to talk to me now,” Irène said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Skyla froze and stared at her. There was something about Irène that caught Skyla’s attention, making her curious.

She raised her eyebrows and said, “Okay, you have my attention.” She made sure to add, “For now.”

Irene grinned and leaned against the wall, her eyes focused on the beautiful Skyla. She was captivated by her presence.

Irene found the perfect stepmother. Not only was she the right age, but she was also beautiful. Most importantly, she wasn’t Judy, and that’s all that mattered to Irene. She wanted Judy out of her life for good. In her mind, Judy was a problem that needed to be solved.

Irene had a plan. She wasn’t just using Gavin to get closer to Ethan; she wanted to keep Ethan’s ex-girlfriend far away from their lives. Irene believed that if setting her father up with another woman would help achieve that, then that’s what she would do.

One day, Irene overheard a conversation that made her think even more about her plan.

Last night, Irene and I talked about my father. I mentioned, “I know you have a crush on him.”

Skyla replied, “And why is that any of your business?”

I said, “Well, for starters, if you like him, it’s important to share your feelings.”

“Irene murmured, ‘If things work out for you, you’d be my stepmother. So, who my father dates is kind of my business by default.’ Even Skyla had to admit that Irene had a point, even though she didn’t think that far ahead.”

She just wanted to see if there was any potential with Gavin. Being a stepmother wasn’t something she had planned for, but she thought it might be part of the deal.

“I think you might have a problem with me dating your father,” Skyla said.

“Not at all,” Irene replied, surprising Skyla with her quick answer. “But don’t get me wrong… I think it’s a bit unusual.”

“It feels a bit strange to call you my stepmom… but what matters most to me is my father’s happiness. If you make him happy, then I’m happy too. Matt and I have wanted our dad to remarry for a while now.”

“Matt?” she said.

“My brother,” she answered. Irene knew that Matt was her real brother, but to her, he felt like family in every way. For a moment, she forgot that not everyone was aware of Matt. Even during the film, she lost track of who knew him and who didn’t.

**Chapter 15-0**

The crew was living in their villa. Matt mostly kept to himself. They were so busy that they wouldn’t even notice if he was around or not.

“I didn’t know Gavin had another child,” Skyla said.

Skyla felt a mix of frustration and annoyance when she heard the news, but she decided it wasn’t worth getting too upset over. Shaking off her feelings, she focused her attention on Irene and narrowed her eyes.

“Why are you even telling me this? If you don’t care that I’m interested in him, then…”

“Why are we having this conversation?”

“Because I needed to warn you,” Irene replied. “I have reason to believe that my father is involved with someone. Or at least, he’s interested in her…”

Skyla’s mood darkened as she listened.

almost immediately.

“Why do you believe that?” she asked through clenched teeth.

“Because of the way he looks at her and how she looks at him. They are always whispering and being secretive… not to mention he’s been out of the house most of the time.”

“Irene explained, ‘Nights when she’s not here are tough… but he’s always here when she is. He tries to hide it, but I’m observant and I notice everything.’

Skyla then asked, ‘And who is this woman?'”

Irene was trying hard to control her anger.

“Her name is Judy,” Irene told her friend, rolling her eyes at the name. “She’s Matt’s tutor.”

Irene didn’t like this part of herself. She didn’t enjoy being bitter and wished she could feel differently.

Two-faced… that wasn’t how her father had raised her. But she couldn’t help it. She felt jealous of Judy and guilty for lying to Irene. She had kept her relationship with Ethan a secret while pretending to be Irene’s friend.

Irene felt trapped. Her friend had put her in a tough position, forcing her to pay for something out of her own pocket. She believed she had no choice but to betray her friend in return.