Chapter 92

Third Person POV

Irene knew exactly what she was doing. The look on Judy’s face was exactly what she was going for. She wanted Judy to see Skyla with her father and to think that Skyla was a better match. Judy was no match when it came to Skyla, and everybody knew it. Including Skyla.

Just that morning they had a whole conversation about it.

Irene intercepted Skyla before she joined the others for their morning meeting. Skyla frowned when she saw Irene because her last encounter with her hadn’t been great. In fact, Irene had made a fool out of herself trying to impress the actress. But Irene knew something about Skyla now, and she was going to use that to her advantage.

“I’m late for the meeting,” Skyla told Irene, holding up her hand and stopping what she had to say. “Can’t this wait until later?” She was used to being bombarded by fans, and in her eyes, Irene wasn’t any different.

“I think you are going to want to speak with me now,” Irene said, folding her arms across her chest.

Skyla froze and looked at the girl; something about her made Skyla interested and she raised her brows.

“Okay, you have my attention,” she said curiously. “For now,” she made sure to add.

Irene grinned and leaned against the wall; her eyes fixed on the beautiful Skyla. She would make the perfect stepmother; not only was she age-appropriate, but she was also gorgeous… not to mention she wasn’t Judy and that’s all that Irene cared about. She wanted Judy away from her life. In her head, Judy wasn’t only using Gavin to get close to Ethan. Irene wanted her as far away from their lives as possible and if that meant setting her father up with another woman, then that’s exactly what she was going to do.

“I overheard you speaking about my father last night,” Irene went on to say. “I know you have a thing for him.”

“And why is that any of your business?” Skyla asked.

“Well, for starters, if things work out for you, you’d be my stepmother. So, who my father sees, is kind of my business by default,” Irene murmured. Even Skyla had to admit, she had a point, though she didn’t think that far ahead. She only wanted to test the waters with Gavin to see if there was any potential in that. Being a stepmother was not something she was signing up for. But she supposed it was the price she was going to have to pay.

“I’m assuming you have an issue with me pursuing your father?” Skyla asked.

“Not at all,” Irene surprised her by saying without hesitation. “Don’t get me wrong… I think it would be a little weird to call you stepmom… but my father’s happiness is all that matters to me and if you make him happy, then I’m happy. Matt and I have been wanting our father to remarry for some time now.”

“Matt?”

“My brother,” she answered. Of course, Irene knew that Matt wasn’t her real brother, but he was basically her brother. For a moment, she forgot that not everybody knew about Matt. Even while the film crew were living in their villa, Matt mainly kept to himself. The crew was so busy, they wouldn’t even notice if he had been around or not.

“I wasn’t aware Gavin had another child,” Skyla murmured, displeased by this information, but it wasn’t a deal breaker. Skyla shook the thought out of her mind and narrowed her eyes at Irene. “Why are you even telling me this? If you don’t care that I’m pursuing him, then why are we having this conversation?”

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

Skyla’s mood soured almost immediately.

“Why do you believe that?” She asked through her teeth.

“Because of the way he looks at her and vice versa. They are always whispering and secretive… not to mention he’s been out of the house most nights when she’s not here… but he’s always here when she is here,” Irene explained. “He’s been trying to hide it, but I’m observant and I notice everything.”

“And who is this woman?” Skyla asked, trying hard to contain her temper.

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

Irene didn’t like this side of herself; she didn’t like being bitter and two-faced… that wasn’t how her father had raised her. But she couldn’t help herself. Her jealousy over Judy and the fact that she had lied to Irene, keeping her relationship with Ethan a secret while pretending to be Irene’s friend, made Irene act out of pocket. She felt she had no other choice but to betray her in return.

If Judy wanted to play games, then Irene could play ten times better.

“And what does this Judy have that I don’t?” Skyla asked; she had noticed that Gavin barely spared her a second glance and ignored her subtle advances. Now she knew the reasoning behind that… it was because of Judy.

“Nothing,” Irene murmured. “Judy is my age… she’s too young for him. My father deserves a real woman. Not to mention you are way prettier.”

Skyla smiled at that thought. That was perfect; that meant she still had a fighting chance. She wasn’t going to let this Judy girl win Gavin’s heart.

“Skyla, we are waiting for you!” Chanse called to her from the parlor.

“I need to be going,” Skyla told Irene. “But thank you for this helpful information. I’m going to make sure your father chooses the right woman.”

Irene smiled, her plan in motion.

“That’s all I ask,” she said innocently. “I’ll do my part and maybe try and get Judy to walk away as well.”

Skyla nodded; she pegged Irene all wrong. She thought Irene was a spoiled little princess who could do no wrong and had no evil bone in her body. Maybe she was a spoiled little princess… but she was no saint. If things worked out with Skyla and Gavin, she might enjoy being a stepmother to this girl.

She said a hasty goodbye before she retreated and went to the Parlor, pleased to see Gavin already there. She used that opportunity to sit beside him and make her move.

Meanwhile, Irene waited outside the parlor door, knowing that Judy would be here soon. Her father told her to let Judy know that the tutoring session would be moved to a new location for today because of their last-minute meeting. He was busy and wasn’t able to text her himself, so he asked Irene to do it for him. She told him she would, but she didn’t. She wanted Judy to come to the parlor and see Skyla with her father. She wanted her to see what a good couple they made.

Telling from the paling expression on Judy’s face, her plan had worked wonderfully. Now she had it in her head that Gavin was moving on with someone much better than her and it wouldn’t be long before she left.

She didn’t want to break her father’s heart, but she knew Skyla could put the pieces back together. Plus, Gavin was the strongest man that she knew… he wouldn’t let a simple fling weaken him. That’s all Judy was… a fling.

“I overheard Skyla talking last night,” Irene went on to tell Judy who appeared frozen as she stared at Skyla and Gavin communicating. “She’s very interested in my father. I’m already starting to think of her as a stepmother.”

“I see…” Judy said in a breathy whisper.

She looked utterly crushed and, in a way, it kind of surprised Irene. She thought that Judy was only using Gavin to get close to Ethan and that she wouldn’t be as hurt as she was. But seeing the many rays of emotions crossing her face, gave Irene some pause. Then, she shook the thought out of her head… it was only an act. She had been acting since the moment they met, and she was good at it. There was no way Judy was actually hurt over seeing Gavin with another woman. She was only upset that her plan to get close to Ethan was failing and now she was going to have to come up with a new plan that didn’t involve Irene’s father.

Irene was determined to expose all her plans though; she wasn’t going to let Judy win.

“I’m sorry…” Judy said, stepping away from the parlor. “I think I’m not feeling well. Can you apologize to Matt for me and tell him that our session will be moved to tomorrow.”

Irene gave her a fake concerned frown.

“Of course,” she said with fake sweetness. “Is everything okay? You are looking pale.”

Judy nodded numbly and pulled her eyes away from the parlor door to look at Irene. She froze when she saw the tears in Judy’s eyes. She was trying hard to hide them, but they were clear as day. Judy was hurt and upset…, but that didn’t make any sense. Why be upset over something like this when she didn’t truly want Gavin in the first place?

It was Ethan she wanted…

“Yes,” Judy said, turning her face away. “It was good to see you, Irene.”

With that, Judy left without another word, leaving Irene confused.