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
"In this way, I will be portrayed as an unreasonable person, indirectly giving Brendan the impression that Emily is a victim," Deirdre replied calmly. "And, her motives are definitely not just limited to this."To provoke Deirdre and then be driven away, Emily's motives must be more than that.Moreover, how could Emily's motives be that simple when she utilized her position to vent her anger and resentment on Deirdre and then leave as a victim?Shea seemed to understand but not quite. "Are you saying that Miss Collins has other motives?""Yes." Deirdre nodded. "This is where you need to be more observant. Keep an eye on Emily and see if there's anything suspicious. If there's any issue, report it to me at any time.""Don't worry, Miss McKinnon." Shea promised sincerely, "I've got it covered."But then she couldn't help but worry. "But what if Miss Collins uses these despicable means to go after you?""It won't happen." Deirdre lifted her eyelids. "One chance is all she gets."-
Deirdre's eyes were icy as she said, "So, do you mean that you aren't willing to believe in others' feelings, are you?""It is not that I'm unwilling to believe in others' feelings. I'm just very clear about what will happen next. In fact, I'm looking forward to that day. I wonder what else you have after Mr. Brighthall forgets about you."As soon as Emily finished talking, she left without even saying goodbye.Deirdre's face turned pale.What did it mean for her to have anything left after Brendan forgot about her?How could Brendan forget about her?Deirdre didn't know why, but when she heard Emily's confident and expectant voice, she felt a sense of unease that made her heart pound disorderly.Soon, she tried to calm down. Deirdre was trying to convince herself that it might just be Emily exaggerating her words, but on second thought, she thought Emily shouldn't have stayed…The next few days went by smoothly until one morning, Shea entered Deirdre's room without any warni
Brendan was working in his study when Deirdre entered. Instinctively, he reached out to embrace Deirdre but was rejected. Deirdre merely placed a document in front of him."What's this?" asked Brendan."It's the result of the test I conducted on the breakfast I eat every morning," replied Deirdre.Brendan picked up the document and saw the results. His brows furrowed instantly, and his expression became colder and more terrifying than ever before. Uncontrollably, he crumpled the document."Who did this?" "Can't you guess?" Deirdre asked in return."Emily Collins?" Brendan assumed as he squinted.Deirdre then handed over the video evidence provided by Shea and said, "This is the evidence that Emily Collins has drugged the food. But I know that she won't give up unless she's caught red-handed. So today, you have to watch her closely downstairs. If everything I said is true, I want her to be sent to prison."Brendan couldn't bear the fact that his child almost became deformed, an
Deirdre frowned. She hadn’t expected Emily to have the audacity to resist and boldly claim that she was innocent.The toast from that day and the test report were undoubtedly genuine.And Emily had no idea about today’s plan.Perhaps this was another act of pitifulness, an attempt to delay this on her part?Deirdre didn’t care and just waited for the test results.While she waited, Emily’s eyes were red, as if she had suffered a great injustice and was barely containing her emotions. When noises were heard coming from outside, Shea, who sounded even more excited, said, “Ms. McKinnon, the report has arrived!”Shea reached out to take the report and handed it over to Brendan.Emily also took a step forward unconsciously, but Brendan cast her a warning gaze before he untied the rope and pulled out the test report.Just one glance and Brendan’s cold face showed a hint of surprise.Deirdre was stunned. Brendan’s long silence had made her sense that something was not right. “Bre
“What?!”Shea was so surprised that even her usually expressionless face looked strange.Deirdre was also shocked beyond belief. “Mom, are you sure? You are the one who asked Ms. Collins to sprinkle the powder? Why?”Ophelia blinked, looking puzzled. “Because I thought you’d been eating less vegetables lately, of course. That’s why I wanted you to get extra vitamin C. I’m very busy every day and I have to go to the market to buy fresh supplies before 7:30 in the morning. I was worried that your breakfast would be cold by the time you came down, so I asked Ms. Collins to heat your breakfast and sprinkle the vitamin powder on it.”Deirdre’s face changed.Emily rubbed her teary eyes and said helplessly, “Ms. McKinnon, as your attending physician and the heir of Collins Pharmaceuticals, I have my own professional moral compass… I find it hard to believe that I would encounter such a thing in my life…”As she spoke, she began to sniffle as if she had suffered a great injustice. But in