His Housewife Had Secret Identities novel Chapter 168

His gaze was a tangled knot of emotions.

Anger. Disappointment. Pain.

So many feelings swirled in his eyes that they couldn't be put into words.

Jonathan spoke in a flat voice. "What's this? Are you jealous?"

Niamh said nothing.

With nothing left to say, Jonathan turned and headed for the door.

Just as he was about to leave her office, Niamh's voice rang out behind him—clear, almost trembling.

"Jonathan… Do you really want me out of the competition?"

Jonathan paused and glanced back.

He didn't answer, but his silence said everything.

Niamh drew a shaky breath. "Then how about we make a bet?"

For the first time, a flicker of interest sparked in Jonathan's cold, distant eyes.

"What kind of bet?"

She could tell she had his attention now. "Let's bet on the Nova Jewelry Design Awards. If I take first place over Marina… you agree to divorce me."

At the word "divorce," a storm seemed to pass through Jonathan's dark gaze.

Niamh looked calm on the outside, but inside, her nerves were a wreck.

It wasn't that she was afraid of losing to Marina in the jewelry competition.

No—what truly terrified her was the possibility that Jonathan wouldn't accept the bet.

The silence in the office stretched on, longer than Niamh had anticipated.

"So Niamh's competing in the Nova Jewelry Design Awards too?"

When Jonathan shared the news, Marina's eyes widened in surprise.

"That woman—honestly. She's hit so many dead ends, but she just keeps copying me!" Marina feigned a sigh. "I opened my own studio, so she opened hers. I reached out to collectors, so she did too. I got an invitation to Luminous Divas Fashion Week, she wanted in as well… And now, I sign up for the competition, and she follows along right after."

"It's the classic copycat syndrome," Jonathan replied dryly.

Marina hid a pleased smirk. As long as Jonathan's impression of Niamh remained this way, the title of Mrs. Thomas would soon be hers.

"Niamh's already skipped the preliminary selections thanks to Peter and made it straight to the qualifiers. The Thomas Group might not be one of the world's top ten jewelry houses, but leave it to me—I'll make sure you get into the qualifiers as well. Whatever Niamh gets, you'll have too."

Jonathan's tone was calm and certain, as always.

Marina never doubted he would keep his promise.

They discussed the upcoming competition a while longer, but Jonathan never breathed a word about the bet—or the possibility of divorce.