Chapter 2
Irene was on her way back, just pulling up to her apartment building when her phone rang.
The caller ID said “Grandma.”
Seeing Grandma’s call, Irene was momentarily lost in thought.
She had been raised by her grandma, the two of them relying on each other, the closest of kin.
But this summer, Grandma, who lived alone in the countryside, accidentally fell into a pond. By the time Irene checked the house’s surveillance after work, the old lady was already floating on the water.
Dorian had been by her side the whole time, helping her handle the funeral arrangements and giving Grandma a grand send- off, which had solidified Irene’s decision to marry him.
Irene carefully picked up the phone.
Before she could even speak, Grandma’s loud voice boomed through the receiver. “Rini, have you had lunch yet?”
Rini was Irene’s nickname, and only Grandma called her that
Hearing the familiar voice of the old lady again, Irene was overwhelmed with emotion. The moment she spoke, a sob came up into her throat “Grandma….
Hearing her granddaughter’s choked voice, Grandma was silent for two seconds, then asked with concern, “Tell Grandma, did your parents mistreat you, or is that Barnes kid bullying you?”
“I just miss you, Grandma,” Irene said as she entered the apartment, took off her shoes, and slid down the wall.
She crouched in the corner, whispering, “Grandina, I want to eat your grilled salmon. I’ll come back tomorrow to see you. okay?
“You’ve got work to do. I’ll come to see you instead. The peaches in the backyard are just ripening. I’ll bring some over. It’s rained a few times recently, and there are little mushrooms in the mountains…”
Hearing Grandma’s rambling, Irene bit her arm and silently cried.
When she finally held back her sobs, Irene agreed, “Okay, then I’ll pick you up at the rail station tomorrow.”
“No need. I can take the subway to your place. I know the way… Grandma was eager to go pick the fruits in the backyard and hung up after a few words.
I need to figure out a way to convince Grandma to live with me, to avoid the tragedy of the previous life from repeating. Irene thought to herself.
Grandma was 78, but her health had always been robust. If she could avoid this calamity, she could live another ten years easily.
After her shower, Irenejcooked herself some pasta. Just as she was eating, she got a call from her dad, Henry Jackson.
No small talk, Henry got straight to business. “Irene, tonight is Grandma’s birthday. Don’t be a no–show. Remember to ask Dorian if he’s free, and come back together.”
So, it was the old lady of the Jackson family’s birthday.
The Grandma Henry mentioned was actually Gwen, a wealthy heiress. Irene’s Grandpa, Liam Jackson, married by hook or by crook after ditching his first wife to climb the social ladder.
So, Gwen wasn’t exactly the third wheel who wrecked Grandma’s marriage.
But Henry, eager to suck up to his rich stepmom, ignored his birth mom, just like his dad.
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Chapter 2
Irene would never forget that, after Grandma drowned, her father was heartless enough to skip the funeral.
Poor Grandma’s funeral had no one to carry the coffin.
After Grandma passed, Irene unilaterally cut ties with the Jackson family.
She s
slurped her pasta loudly, her voice icy cold. “My grandma’s picking mushrooms in the countryside.”
“Irene, are you trying to piss me off?” Henry sternly reminded her, “It’s Grandma’s birthday. If you don’t come, it’ll make me look bad in front of everyone.
Irene kept eating her pasta, mumbling, “I just got out of the hospital, still weak
Henry impatiently cut her off, “You’re as strong as an ox. Find a more realistic excuse to fool me,”
Irene stared at the needle marks on her hand, her eyes wet for a second.
Then, she went on offhandedly, “I recently started a company, super busy. I have to work overtime tonight on design plans.”
Irene did open an interior design studio after graduation and was really busy.
Hearing this, Henry knew what Irene meant. He snapped, “How much?”
Irene didn’t specify a number. “That depends–what’s your clout worth and how generously her ladyship chooses to value her whims today?”
With that, Irene hung up decisively.
Soon, the bank app notified her of a 150 thousand dollars transfer.
When Irene was little, she lived in the countryside with Grandma. Henry only gave Grandma 1500 dollars a year, and that was their living expenses.
In contrast, the sheer clout dripping from Henry’s stepmom alone spoke volumes.
Her scumbag dad had no feelings for her. Extorting money from him, Irene had no guilt.
Getting the money, Irene was satisfied.
He sent Henry an okay gesture, then carried her bowl to the kitchen.
Just as she finished washing the dishes, her phone rang again.
When Dorian’s name popped up, Irene’s heart clenched reflexively, and all the hatred from her previous life flooded her
mind.
Leaning on the kitchen counter, she pressed her chest to calm down for a while. Once the hatred subsided, she answered the
call.
“Irene. Dorian, a wealthy elite, was good at controlling his emotions and always spoke in a gentle tone
“I just got a call from Mr. Jackson and realized tonight is Mrs. Gwen Jackson’s 70th birthday. I heard she collects art, so I got someone to find a painting of the Holy Grail by Ms. Anika Graham.
“What do you think?”
“A piece by Ms. Anika Graham?” Irene smirked mysteriously. “If you picked it yourself, she’ll definitely love it.”
Back in his middle age, Liam had an affair with Anika. And Gwen caught them in the act in a car during her late pregnancy, which led to an immediate premature birth out of her
Rumor had it that the premature baby was a girl.
anger.
Gwen and Liam had two sons and always dreamed of having a sweet little daughter. The death of their premature daughter was a lifelong pain for her.
Chapter 2
So. Gwen harbored an intense and lifelong hatred for Anika.
Dorian’s gift sure hit the bullseye of Gwen’s dislike.
Irene remembered Dorian had picked the same painting in her previous life.
Back then, she still held some hope for her father and wanted Dorian to make a good impression on Henry, so she suggested he choose another gift.
But
now…
She’d love to see Henry and Dorian tear each other apart.
Over the phone, Dorian asked again. “Are you at the studio? I’ll pick you up later and we’ll go to your place together.”
“I’m not feeling well today, resting at home. Come to my apartment after work to pick me up,” Irene replied.
Hearing Irene wasn’t feeling well, Dorian immediately got anxious. “What’s wrong? Should I take you to the hospital for a check–up?”
In the past, whenever Dorian showed concern for her health, Irene felt like the luckiest woman in the world.
“Now! Hmph!
The more he cared about my health, the deeper his love for his little childhood sweetheart, Amaris.
“Ugh! I must’ve been cursed to run into that piece of crap! she thought, her mind a turmoil of hatred and regret.
