“I’m not referring to your relationship with Miss McKinnon, but I believe that it should be very difficult for you to go public with the relationship, right?”Emily’s remark reminded Brendan there was nothing he could do to make his relationship with Deirdre go public. He was bound to Emily now. If he were to be seen interacting with Deirdre, the latter would most certainly be under attack, and his reputation, which he had salvaged with great effort, would be affected as well. It was possible that the next step would be what those people wanted him to take. Moreover, Brendan discovered that those people were not just targeting him after Ophelia’s incident. The doubt in Brendan’s eyes faded bit by bit.Emily smiled just as gracefully as she usually did. “Mr. Brighthall, I understand your concerns. An outstanding person of any gender would be noticed by others, let alone someone as exceptional as you. I wasn’t aware of your relationship initially, so I had feelings for you for
Moreover, Brendan had actually used the word ‘lover’ to introduce Deirdre. Emily felt extremely unpleasant in her heart. ‘Who the heck do you think you are, Deirdre?‘You’re just a pretty face. If you were just a little uglier, Brendan would be so disgusted that he wouldn’t even be bothered to take a second glance at you for sure!’“Ah, it’s Miss Collins.”Deirdre was aware of Emily’s visit, so she was not surprised. She stretched out her hand in a courteous manner. “Hello, I’m Deirdre McKinnon.”Emily was jolted back to reality. She shook Deirdre’s hand and complimented her. “I heard of your name long ago and heard that your beauty is so breathtaking. You’ve enticed Mr. Brighthall so much that he can’t be bothered to check out other women. Now that I get to meet you in person, I find that to be true. I figured that everyone would only want to look at your face if you were to show up in public.”She smiled sweetly. Deirdre was stunned for a while.For some unknown reason, Emi
“Sure.” Brendan held Deirdre’s fingertips. “I’ll wait for you at home.”Deirdre smiled and headed out with Emily. After leaving the house, Emily teased with a spurious smile, “You seem to have a really close relationship with Mr. Brighthall, Miss McKinnon. This is my first time seeing Mr. Brighthall care so much about a woman. He couldn’t take his eyes off you. Had I not declined his offer, I figured that he would be following you without leaving.”Deirdre had no idea how she should respond, so she said, “He’s just worried about me.”“Is it because you’re pregnant?”Deirdre nodded.Emily smiled and said, “I think so too.”Then, she got into the car and helped Deirdre to open the door. Deirdre took a seat. She was under the assumption that Emily would inquire about something else, yet she did not speak much along the way. Instead, she kept herself busy with her tasks. She made calls over and over again as if she was trying to show Deirdre that her status was equal to Brendan
It would not be bad to involve Deirdre anyway. Could it be that she did not have a right to know about her condition?Or was Emily creating an opportunity to spend time with Brendan on purpose?Deirdre indulged in wild conjectures, and her head began hurting without her noticing. She was worried that she was being overly sensitive. She was more afraid that what she speculated was true because she would be utterly powerless in this situation. When Brendan and Emily’s conversation ended, Brendan’s gaze landed on Deirdre, and his eyebrows furrowed tightly in concern at the sight of Deirdre’s slightly pale face.“Mr. Brighthall, I think that we will need to figure out a way to deal with the blood clot in Miss McKinnon’s brain. If you’re free tomorrow, we can go out together and get a second opinion on the brain CT scan. I have a colleague. He…”Emily spoke endlessly for a long time and raised her head only to discover that Brendan’s gaze was already stuck on Deirdre.Her breat
“She didn’t tell you beforehand because she was afraid that you’d be worried before a treatment was decided.”“Really?”Deirdre was still doubtful. “Hmm, if you’re not happy with everything being hidden from you, I’ll get you to join the next time.”“Forget it.” Deirdre felt rather powerless because one could never forcefully involve oneself in a conversation. “It will be fine as long as you update me about my condition without any reservations.”Perhaps she was being over-sensitive. After all, she would be rather concerned to know that there was a possibility of recovery from her blindness. “Hmm.”Brendan leaned over subconsciously in an attempt to kiss her. Deirdre could feel Brendan’s movement and did not resist it. She held her breath and waited attentively, yet in the next moment, Brendan suddenly loosened his grip over her and removed himself from her.“It’s time for dinner. I’ll see you to discuss your current condition after dinner.”She caressed Deirdre’s hair.
Deirdre felt mixed feelings in her heart all of a sudden. Yet, it would be possible that Mrs. Engel’s behavior would only put her and Brendan in trouble. Deirdre shut her eyes slowly and opened them again. She cracked a smile and said, “It’s fine. They’re only talking about important work matters, and I’m incapable of joining the conversation.”“Why can’t they discuss the work matters after dinner instead of doing it in your presence?” Mrs. Engel shook her head. “Silly girl, you must learn to be cautious of nasty characters. You may find someone to be nice, but that person may not necessarily appreciate your kindness.”Deirdre’s mouth tasted bitter. “Mrs. Engel, you do care about me sincerely. If only I got to meet you sooner.”Mrs. Engel’s eyes were reddened with tears, and she hugged Deirdre. “It’s not too late now. I’m still waiting to hold your child, Mrs. Brighthall!”“Hmm…”“Oh right, you must watch out for Miss Collins. Even if Mr. Brighthall isn’t interested in her, he
‘Am I being jealous?’At the thought of this, Deirdre felt her chest suddenly tighten, and her heart was pounding. Brendan lost track of time until he freed himself from work. He felt a sharp pain radiating from his temples. He suppressed the feeling of lethargy and could not help cracking a smile at the thought of the woman waiting for him in the room. He left the study and walked along the corridor to Deirdre’s room. Yet, he was caught off guard when he saw an enchanting figure standing there. “Miss Collins?”Emily turned around with a cigarette between her fingers. She put out the cigarette in embarrassment the moment she saw Brendan. “Mr. Brighthall? You’re actually still in the study so late at night?”Emily was astonished. Then, she smiled and said, “You caught me smoking, and it’s really quite embarrassing. Have I ruined my graceful image?”Brendan was unbothered. “It’s a person’s choice to smoke, but it doesn’t ruin one’s image.”“Is that so?” Emily appeared to b
'Because he's busy chatting with Emily?'At that moment, Deirdre's entire body felt cold.'What sort of conversation is so engaging that he would lose sleep over it?'Is it about work again? Or is he just staying to talk to Emily more? After all, Brendan has never been one who enjoys chatting…'This isn't right…'Deirdre patted her face. She could not allow herself to indulge in wild conjectures anymore. She knew that Brendan was not that kind of person, and she could feel his love all along. 'Perhaps… Perhaps he really has something important…'Deirdre suppressed the chaotic thoughts in her mind, shut the door, and returned to the bed soundlessly. Emily noticed the shutting door through her peripheral vision and returned to the conversation topic about Deirdre once again.Brendan refused to yield to her this time. "Miss Collins, I've already told you everything that you want to know. As for everything else, I wonder if I'm overthinking, but it feels like you're going ar