Chapter 613

The voice on the phone was soft and calm, telling Irene not to get the wrong idea. She said she was a friend of Yorick’s and wanted to offer him a job at a big company. She asked if Irene knew the Onlyora Group.

Irene’s gut told her this woman had to be connected to Onlyora Group. What shocked Irene even more was that this woman was the chairman’s daughter.

Her name was Liora. She was a year younger than Irene and the same age as Yorick’s younger brother, Werner.

Irene felt she could never measure up to her. Liora’s family lived in a mansion and drove fancy cars. Irene had nothing. Her dowry was small because her biological dad, Gordon, after losing Fiona, spent all the family money.

They had never been rich. Gordon was already sick, and Irene’s stepmom had died long ago. She only had her little sister Heidi. Both of them were young and poor.

The only reason Irene stayed with Yorick was because they grew up together and knew each other’s past. Otherwise, she doubted Yorick would’ve ever chosen her.

Because of her background and situation, Irene always felt insecure. So she worked hard around the house, doing chores and taking care of things.

Everyone said she was a hardworking, capable wife who could handle tough times. She believed hard work was her best quality.

She thought if she kept suffering and played the role of a good wife and mom, she could hold onto Yorick forever. But Liora’s arrival and all her advantages hit Irene’s insecurities hard.

Irene used some tricks and finally met Liora, the young woman from Onlyora Group who had admired Yorick for a long time.

Liora had a strong presence. She wore designer clothes and carried a designer purse. Seeing her made Irene feel even more insecure.

She said little and went home. Looking at herself in the mirror, she touched her face and thought that if she dressed up, she could be beautiful too. She believed she was no less attractive than Liora.

But Liora had the confidence of a rich girl, something Irene didn’t have. Even Liora’s name sounded better. Irene always thought her own name sounded plain, but it was what her parents gave her. She could do nothing.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt she was inferior to Liora in every way. She felt like Liora could take Yorick away whenever she wanted.

Liora knew how to play her game. She often showed up secretly at Yorick’s workplace, pretending their meetings were accidental. Then she made sure Irene saw them together, acting innocent just to get a reaction.

Even though Yorick kept insisting nothing was going on between Liora and him, Irene’s suspicion had already taken root and kept growing.

The happy marriage they once shared slowly began to crack and fall apart under the heavy weight of doubt and suspicion brought on by Liora’s actions.

Yorick realized Irene would never fully trust him. To prove nothing was going on, he talked to Irene, and they decided to move away.

They took their newborn Jonathan and left their old home. The three of them lived in a new city for a while. Slowly, Irene’s anxiety began to ease.

Only Irene knew it. Liora was like a painful thorn stuck deep in her heart. Her presence was like a ticking landmine that might go off unexpectedly.

Irene kept wondering how Liora got Yorick’s phone number, how she kept running into him, and whether their first meeting was planned or just a coincidence.

Yorick said Werner had leaked his number because Werner and Liora were old classmates. But when Irene asked Werner, he denied ever sharing it and claimed he had nothing to do with it.

Irene didn’t know who to believe. She wanted to trust Yorick, the man who knew her best. But she didn’t know what to do if he had already fallen out of love.

Feeling more insecure, she threw herself into working harder. She wanted Yorick to see all the sacrifices she made for the family. She was worn out. She even pushed to get a job.

Yorick told her not to work yet and to wait until Jonathan turned three. But Irene thought differently. She wanted Yorick to understand how hard it was to raise a kid and work.

She wanted him to recognize all she did. She ignored the fact that Yorick was already responsible and wouldn’t change based on whether she worked or not.

Her insecurity made her suspicious and distrustful. She felt like a scared bird, always on edge. Every time Yorick came home and his phone rang, she’d tense up, afraid it was Liora calling.

She had reached her limit. Then one day at work, a manager flirted with her and touched her shoulder. Yorick saw it when he came to pick her up. Usually calm, he suddenly lost it and confronted the man.

Irene told him to stop. He grabbed her hand and said he’d quit his job. He pulled her away from the factory angrily.

Back home, Irene still felt uneasy. She said she wanted to apologize to the manager the next day. The job paid well and had good benefits. She didn’t want to lose it.

Yorick got furious. He asked why she was so stubborn about the job. Finally, Irene spoke what she had kept inside for so long: “Only if I have my own money will Liora respect me.

“She’s better and stronger than I in every way. I don’t want her thinking I’m not good enough for you.”

Yorick said, “Why do you care what she thinks? As long as you’re good enough for me, that’s all that matters.”

Irene replied, “How can I not care? She’s rich and powerful and obsessed with you. She keeps bothering you, trying to break our family. She’s a real threat. I want her gone.”

Yorick sighed. “Don’t be so extreme. We’ve been together for years. Now we have Jonathan. I just want to build our family. She is rich and powerful.

“She even tried to hire me as a senior architect. But I said no, because I don’t want you to doubt me all the time.”

“But-” Irene started.

“Enough,” Yorick interrupted, pulling her close. He sighed again. “Don’t go back to that factory. Wait until Jonathan starts kindergarten. For now, I’ll take care of you. I’ll bring in the money.”

Irene finally nodded. Things calmed down for a while. But the peace didn’t last long. Something happened that made Irene hate Liora even more. It was Irene’s birthday that day.