Deirdre knew she was demanding, but Brendan might start accepting Emily into his trusted circle if she did nothing. "You can think of this as me being unreasonable and juvenile. You can suspect me of picking a bone with her, too. I don't care. I just don't want to see you and Emily getting closer."And! I don't want the two of you texting each other, either. I want the two of you to be strangers to one another. If you're talking to her because you're wondering how my recovery is going, ask me instead. I'm going to be the middlewoman between the two of you!"The room sank into a strange, prolonged silence after she finished. As time ticked on, Deirdre felt colder and colder in her chest. Her face became a steely frown. "Oh, is it too much for you, Brendan? Never mind, then. Forget what I asked."She was about to turn away from him when Brendan's arms around her waist tightened.Then his lips merged with hers. They came in strong. Effusive. Like flames. Deirdre also could not handle
The glow in Deirdre's eyes dimmed a little. She thinned her lips. "Mrs. Engel was just saying that so you wouldn't feel down if she said her goodbye.""Goodbye?" Ophelia took a sharp breath. "What?""Mrs. Engel left. Her youngest son is moving abroad, and she's following him. She's been working for so long, so now that her son is willing to provide for her for retirement, she really doesn't have a reason to keep working as a domestic worker.""I… see." Ophelia could not even hide the dejection in her tone. "Well, maybe it's a great thing! Living with her son like that, no longer needing to rise early!""Exactly."Ophelia kept her mood up. "Well, I guess I'll take over Simone's work from today! I'm good at making food and doing chores, too. I know I'm not as efficient and fast as Simone, but I'm close enough if I do say so myself! That will save hiring costs, too."Deirdre froze. "Wait, you don't have to—""Why not? You're pregnant! This will make it easier for me to take care of
The Sullivans were one of the Brighthall Group's partners, so Brendan should likely attend the event as a show of support. Thus, he nodded.Emily smiled sweetly. "They invited me to the event, too! Will you drive me to the venue together?"Brendan frowned and replied steelily, "No. We aren't going together.""Why not?" Emily's expression froze. "You're not going to the Sullivans'?""I'm only going to show up at the end of the event to give them a gift. Are you only going to appear when the event's about to end?"When the event was almost over? No way Emily could afford to go only then! This was the sort of event she needed to expand her connections!Her moping aside, she smiled graciously. "Oh, that's too bad. I was hoping to gain some peripheral attention when everyone's looking at you, Mr. Brighthall. It will really help Collins Pharmaceuticals' business, I bet."She was at least smart enough to make it sound like she was just trying to use Brendan, not because she was vying f
"Wait."Brendan left the kitchen all of a sudden, leaving Emily nonplussed. Still, she did not necessarily find that a problem at first. She simply slowed down in her task while waiting.She then heard someone coming into the kitchen. She turned around and smiled. "Mr. Brighthall, pass me the veggie in the bag!"Her smile evaporated. It was not Brendan at all. It was a short-haired woman she had never seen!Shea nodded and greeted her. "Hey, Miss Collins, right? Mr. Brighthall told me to help you out."Emily's face turned stormy. "Where's Brendan?"She pushed Shea away and looked out of the kitchen, and there he was—sitting in the living room with Deirdre, cuddling and acting all lovey-dovey! God, Emily's offer to help out in the kitchen had ended up giving those two a chance to be lovebirds!Shea sounded impatient. "Oy, can we get this started already, Miss Collins?"Emily seethed. What the f*ck was with her attitude? She was acting as if Emily was some domestic worker under t
Deirdre shook her head. "I don't think she dares."What happened the last time should be enough of a painful lesson for her. Shea calmed down. She had heard about what Emily had done and had been paying close attention to what that woman had been doing. It prompted her to remark, "That Emily Collins smells like a rat."Deirdre nodded and smiled. "Oh, tell me about it," she replied. She looked to the horizon and added, "But she's not gonna be able to do much alone."-The first thing Emily did after returning from the event was to throw her bag on one of her maids' faces before directing her destruction to whatever brittle was lying about.Madame Collins, alarmed, blocked her daughter from causing more damage. "Oh no! Not these babes, dear! Those are antique stuff!"Emily loosened her grip, but it did not mean her rage had necessarily dissipated. "What's wrong, honey? Did someone cross you in that event? Or did some idiot walk all over you? All you have to do is to tell me, an
Emily showed up at the mansion early the next morning. There had been a drizzle at that time, so what was supposed to be an outdoor morning jog became a run on the second-floor treadmill.After jogging for half an hour, Deirdre's face went pale. She got down from the treadmill, panting, but Emily expressed disapproval. "Now is not the time for rest yet, Miss McKinnon. You have half an hour more to go.""But why?" Deirdre wiped the sweat off her face with a towel, thinning her lips. "I jogged for half an hour outdoors, too. What's the difference?"Emily smiled sweetly. "You said it yourself, Miss McKinnon. Jogging outdoors requires only half an hour, but indoors? A treadmill could never be the same as doing it outside, so you need to do more than that."The furrow in Deirdre's eyebrows deepened. "I want to take a short break.""Nope," Emily denied her request instantly. Her smile turned cold. "You're not gonna get your intended benefits this way."Deirdre clenched her jaw and got
Deirdre frowned. "Me, hitting her? When?""Her right cheek is red all over.""Her what?" Deirdre was aghast. She did not even touch her at all—the only thing she did was swing Emily's grip away. She did not even touch Emily's face. "Don't tell me she put on some make-up just to make it look like that to you." Deirdre intoned, "All so you'd think I bullied her or something."Brendan's smile widened. He grabbed her hand and brushed it against his lips. "Do you think I'll care even if you do bully her?""Okay. You've got a point."Deirdre relaxed. She had no idea what Emily was trying to do, but at least she knew that Brendan would not get lured into her bait either way. She drank several gulps of water before finally descending the stairs."Anyway, I went out just now and got you something.""What's that?" Deirdre wondered aloud. After Brendan placed it on her hand and she brought it close to her nose, she realized it was a piece of carrot cake. Her favorite.Her appetite ros
Deirdre wrinkled her nose at the smell of the rice porridge. It was infused with a strong herbal scent as if it had been mixed with traditional holistic medicine. The porridge and the herbs were blended together, making it seem like a dark and unappetizing dish."I'm not eating this," Deirdre declared, pushing the bowl away. She wasn't about to fall for Emily's trap.Emily had criticized her for eating greasy and salty food for a long time, but why didn't she say anything at the beginning? It was obviously just a way to take out Emily's frustration on her."Miss McKinnon…" Emily looked hesitant. "You're pregnant right now, and being picky won't do you any good."Brendan also noticed something odd and spoke softly to Deirdre. "Dee, don't be stubborn. You really should listen to Miss Collins. Eat the porridge, and I'll make you something more suitable to eat tomorrow."Deirdre turned her head, considering if she was being stubborn.Emily was just trying to create a rift betwe