Feeling as if she had caught on to Irene’s vulnerability, Robin’s arrogance rose as she continued haughtily, "I can guarantee everyone that you don't know a thing. You're a swindler, and you’re pretending to be a judge and waste every contestant's hard work as well as their parents' time! I just want to know, how did you get here in the first place?"Her words were hardly vague, and someone promptly chimed in, "Just look at how weak she is. Most definitely the casting couch—"Before the man could finish, Irene turned and leveled him a glare so sharp that he stopped immediately.Even the male judge who had been siding with Irene since the start was stunned by her glare—her delicate air seemed to fade right away, and there was fire in her eyes.A far cry from the delicate kitten just now!"You've been insisting that I can't dance, but what if I can?" Irene asked.Robin naturally doubted that. "There's no way you can. If you prove that you can, I’ll wipe this entire building with my
Robin was shaking with rage. "You tricked me! That doesn't count!"The sporting complex they were at was so huge she would never finish wiping it for days, not to mention that she had to do it with her bare hands. Moreover, after suffering such ignominy, how was she supposed to stay in her department? Most importantly, how would others see her now?Robin wanted to harass Irene because Irene used Robin’s naive trust in the first place, and that caused problems for Ian. Unable to stand the indignation, Robin wanted to humiliate Irene in public, only to let Irene turn the tables on her.She wanted nothing less than to run at Irene and strangle her!Irene walked up to Robin, unfettered. "I can let that go, as long as you answer my question truthfully.""What is it?" Robin thought that she was saved as Irene offered an alternative. "You sent those anonymous texts to Ricky, didn't you? Did you also extract Samantha out of jail and hide her?" Those were questions Irene wanted very
The male judge had brought the jacket Irene forgot. He was about to help when he saw Robin grabbing Irene’s hair, but someone beat him to it."Miss Spencer? You forgot your jacket," he said, holding it out to Irene.Irene was going to reach for it when Isaac took it, casting a cool glare at the male judge and showing no inclination of thanking him.He had seen how mesmerized the male judge was when Irene was dancing—the man was just using this as an excuse to talk to Irene.Irene, however, thought that Isaac was being impolite since she did forget her jacket. She smiled at the male judge. "Thank you. You've helped me a lot today.""It's nothing," he smiled back. "This gentleman is…""My husband," Irene replied.Isaac had been keeping a profile, which left the male judge thinking that he was an average Joe.He couldn’t resist sizing up Isaac at that—deciding that Isaac was just a little taller and handsome, but nothing else, and certainly was not as gentlemanly as him.Those
As Isaac kept laughing, Irene was left mystified. "What are you laughing about? Me?""No," Isaac replied. "I'm laughing at myself for falling for your dad's ploy."Irene was silent for a while, and laughed as well when she came to a realization."You like that about me?" she asked."I do," Isaac said, composing himself as he continued, "And I like that it's you."Even if Irene knew none of that, he would have fallen for her anyway. Knowing that simply made her a more colorful personality.Irene naturally did not try to nitpick, since it was her either way."She may have been foiled this time," she said, returning the conversation to Robin. "There's no telling what she’ll be up to next.""I’ll have Stan keep an eye on the Jeffersons," Isaac replied calmly and quietly—as if they didn’t matter to him.Irene knew she couldn’t be of help when it came to work. "I’ll do my best to not get in the way.""Right, I should go to the hospital," she added, since she had yet to check on Ric
Ricky quickly tried to hide it. "Nothing…""Really?" Irene asked as she passed him his glass of water, clearly sounding doubtful.Ricky averted his gaze, but soon came up with an excuse. "The logistics issue we had? It's been resolved."Irene nodded. "You did well.""But you came up with that idea," Ricky reminded her.In fact, he was a little jealous. He must admit, their father had insight. Even though it wasn’t one of Irene’s strengths, Lionel left Spencer Holdings in her care anyway, and she learned quickly enough to resolve a potential crisis."I'm not that older than you. Just keep your mind working, and you’ll surpass me in a few years," Irene said encouragingly—the boy had matured considerably since Lionel's passing.Ricky flashed a rare smile. "Alright. Anyway, I think I'm fine here. You still have to take care of Tommy, don't you? You should go.""Okay. Contact me anytime if something comes up," Irene said as she stood. "Don't forget your water.""I won't," Ricky r
When Irene returned to the house at Rose Garden, she washed her hands before going to Tommy. She was surprised to find someone carrying her baby."Mrs. Watson?" she exclaimed.Mrs. Watson smiled. "Mr. Jefferson sent me. He said there must be someone caring for Tommy at all times."Isaac certainly wouldn’t be comfortable with asking a stranger's help, and hence sent Mrs. Watson.Irene was pleased that it was Mrs. Watson, since the latter had always been a kind person who was also genuinely nice to her at Isaac's other mansion."I'm so relieved to have you here!" Irene smiled.Mrs. Watson then passed Tommy to Irene. The baby was wide awake, but suddenly started to frown. Knowing that he had just pooped, Irene pinched his button nose. "Made a stinky, did we?""I'll get him changed," Mrs. Watson offered."No, I'll do it," Irene insisted—in her mind, she owed her own son much for being unable to care for him before. Now that she had all the time to do it, she certainly would."
Isaac entered, and asked, "You're not sleeping yet? Did I wake you up?""No, I was waiting for you," Irene replied. She got off her bed and gave him a hug, resting her face on his chest.The move surprised Isaac, and he stiffened for a while before asking with a smile, "What's gotten into you?""Nothing," she replied. "Just wanted a hug."Isaac looked at her, "Let go. I’ll be back after a shower. I'm filthy right now."Irene tightened his embrace instead, gluing herself to him. "What is it?" Isaac asked quietly, feeling as if she was not in her right mind.Irene rubbed herself against his chest. "From now on, I'm your family wherever you go. I love you."His quiet voice turned raspy right then. "Really, now… What's gotten into you?""Nothing. I just missed you and wanted a hug," Irene stood on the balls of her feet to kiss him.He was stunned, and though he responded enthusiastically, he pulled away spoon enough. "I need to take a shower."Irene actually found that odd abou
Irene did not get in bed immediately. She went to check on Tommy instead, just taking a look since Mrs. Watson was taking care of the baby.Tommy was sound asleep, so she tiptoed out of his room and returned to the master bedroom. There she sat on the bed, unable to sleep, resting her hand on her head and wondering who their adversaries were. However, she could not come up with anyone other than Robin and the Jeffersons. Meanwhile, Isaac stepped out of the shower to find her sitting on their bed. He made her lay down as he moved on top of her.As he retained warm, moist kisses on her, the mood was getting just right when they heard Tommy’s sudden cries. Both of them paused, though Irene came to her senses first and tried to push Isaac off. "Tommy's hungry.""Mrs. Watson would feed him.""But…"Her comeback was stopped by a kiss right there and then. Soon, she was drowning in a night of unending passion.…The lights were still up at the Jefferson Manor—both Henry Jeffer