Despite being afraid of Deirdre, Emily still carried the fear of Brendan waking up again. The consequences could have been disastrous if Ryker hadn't hypnotized him once more."Thank you, Bren, for trusting me so much." Emily promised. "I assure you that I will treat this child as my own and protect her from any harm."Brendan nodded in agreement. "I believe you."Taking advantage of the moment, Emily suggested, "In that case, it would be better for Ms. McKinnon to live with me. As a woman, I can provide more convenient care, and I know a well-known maternity nurse who can take excellent care of Deirdre."Deirdre's tension spiked as she looked up at Brendan, her eyes filled with urgency.Pretending not to notice, Brendan replied, "Okay."Emily's smile widened. "Ms. McKinnon, my car is parked at the back. You can follow me to the Collins residence. Don't worry. I'll take good care of you."Deirdre felt a sense of danger in Emily's words, her voice sounding like a growl in her ear
Deirdre clenched her teeth, suppressing the disgust welling up inside her. "I'll sit in the front.""Sitting in the front?" Brendan's dark eyes paused, and then his emotions surfaced. "Do you hate me?"Deirdre found the question absurd. "It's pointless for you to ask that yourself."Brendan didn't respond but pulled her forcefully toward him. Unexpectedly, Deirdre's body tilted and fell into Brendan's arms. The warmth felt the same as before, but his heart no longer belonged to her."Sit still," Brendan commanded, gripping her waist. "Don't hide from me."Deirdre was momentarily stunned and almost wanted to laugh. "Brendan, don't tell me you still possess some unexplainable desire to control me.""Possessive? You?" Brendan sneered at her, then stepped away for a moment."Deirdre, being overly confident isn't a good thing. I won't allow you to evade me because I don't want you scheming against me. After all, if a malicious woman like you resorts to heinous acts involving our chil
Deirdre laughed, dismissing the significance of the room and villa. "It's okay. Emily will own this place now. I stopped caring about it long ago. If I still did, I'd be devastated by now."Mrs. Wanner smiled wryly and commented, "Ms. McKinnon, it's good to see your positive mindset. You're so beautiful. I'm sure you'll have a bright future."Deirdre laughed heartily. As Mrs. Wanner began preparing tonic soup, Deirdre wandered around the house alone. However, her lack of familiarity led her to bump her knee a few times. When the meal was ready, Deirdre went downstairs, but Brendan was nowhere to be found.Mrs. Wanner explained, "Mr. Brighthall always eats in the study. He's too busy with work and can't be without his documents."Deirdre responded with a simple "Mm," not disappointed but a bit unfortunate that she couldn't see him. She planned to have a conversation with Brendan, ask to meet Joseph and Josie in person to confirm their situation, and request that Brendan return the $
Deirdre felt a tinge of sadness upon hearing his words, yet she maintained a calm expression. "If you hate me so much, we do no need to have this conversation, Brendan. Let me go."They shouldn't have been in such a position. Deirdre struggled to free herself from Brendan's lap, but he held onto her tightly, unmoving."Don't leave," he said with a frown, his voice soft. "Stay like this for a while."Deirdre found his words amusing. "Brendan, you claim to hate me, yet you're embracing me at the same time. Don't you see the contradiction?"Brendan paused for a moment, looked up into her reddened eyes, and took a step further. He pulled her closer, holding her in a more intimate embrace."What does it matter if I'm contradicting myself? As long as it makes me feel better, that's enough."Deirdre bit her lower lip suddenly. He still had that familiar arrogance, but she glimpsed a trace of the Brendan she once knew. It reminded her of how he had treated her tenderly even when he was u
"Why are you here?" Brendan asked.Emily said softly, her voice filled with tenderness, "I came because I miss you. Is there a problem? Bren, don't you want me here?""It's not that." Brendan's voice was unusually loving and tender. "I was just surprised. It's late already. How will you get back?""Then I won't go back." Emily adjusted his collar. "Bren, can I stay here tonight?"Brendan hesitated for a moment, then covered his mouth. "I was just joking. I know you're tired from your work, so I won't disturb you.""I'm sorry." Brendan's eyes showed guilt.Emily leaned against him. "Don't apologize. It's not just your fault. I should have been more careful and not used the incense without knowing its effects on you."She sighed. "Let's not dwell on this. Where is Ms. McKinnon?"A flicker of emotion crossed Brendan's eyes. "She's asleep.""She goes to bed so early?" Emily was surprised."Well, pregnant women tend to do that. Let's go downstairs and talk."Listening from inside
Brendan's eyes fell on the woman's pale face and then on her frozen red hands. "You're mad?" he said. "I thought you had already returned to your room."Deirdre felt resentment and helplessness welling up in her heart. "Brendan, stop pretending. I don't believe you didn't know I was in the study. You purposely didn't come here. You left me alone on purpose."Brendan's eyes remained calm, and he didn't bother to refute her."I'm glad you recognize that. I did it to teach you a lesson. Otherwise, you might develop misguided feelings for someone you shouldn't be coveting."He spoke self-righteously, causing Deirdre's eyes to turn red with anger."So you just left me here to freeze in the cold? Brendan, was I the one who pursued you? You are shameless. From the beginning to the end, you held me by your side and embraced me. And now you tell me not to have delusional thoughts? How could you be so disgraceful!?"Brendan looked ashamed but didn't say much. "It was just a misunderstandin
Deirdre's ears burned, and shame and embarrassment filled her face. She asked, her voice trembling, "Is that enough?"Brendan didn't respond and walked away with determined steps. Shortly after he left, Mrs. Wanner came upstairs.Brendan instructed her, "Go and make Deirdre some hot tea."Mrs. Wanner nodded repeatedly, cautiously glancing at Brendan. She wanted to speak but hesitated.Brendan noticed and furrowed his brow. "Just say it."Unable to hold back, Mrs. Wanner asked, "Mr. Brighthall, after Ms. Collins left, did you go to your room to take a medicated bath? Were you feeling unwell and neglected Ms. McKinnon because of it? You didn't intentionally leave her alone in the study, right?"Brendan's black eyes turned icy, and his gaze grew even colder after hearing her questions. He didn't nod or deny, only saying, "Go and make hot tea."Mrs. Wanner felt a little happy in her heart. Wasn't that an implicit confirmation? It seemed that deep down, Brendan still cared about
Back when Deirdre had a congested nose from the cold, she couldn't smell anything. Curious about a particular scent, she asked, "What's that smell?"Mrs. Wanner's eyes shifted, and she replied, "What smell are you referring to?""The scent of herbs," Deirdre clarified.Mrs. Wanner chuckled nervously and said, "Oh, that must be the tea. I added some medicinal herbs to it."Deirdre didn't pay much attention to it and casually responded, "I see. I'm going back to my room."As she made her way out of Brendan's room, she had to pass by the study. Just as she reached the door, it swung open, revealing Brendan standing there, observing her slightly flushed complexion."Are you finished?" Brendan asked.Deirdre didn't feel like responding, and Brendan seemed unfazed. "Since you've finished the tea, you should rest early.""I don't need your concern. I can take care of myself," Deirdre retorted."Very well." Brendan closed the study door.As Deirdre walked past Brendan on her way to h