Meanwhile, Madame Brighthall and Brendan returned from their conversation in private.Charlene was not planning to stay longer since her goal had been achieved. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and said, “Since I came at the wrong time, I shall make a move first. I’ll come and visit you again another day, Madame Brighthall.”Madame Brighthall nodded uneasily. Charlene walked away for two steps before she turned around and stared at Brendan with gentle eyes. “I’ll wait for you, Brendan.”Brendan stared at Charlene without any expression on his face. Charlene smiled and left. The house’s atmosphere turned awkward all at once. It was Madame Brighthall who broke the silence first. “How do you find the soup, Deirdre? It has been a few years since I cooked personally, so I don’t know if my cooking skill has deteriorated.”Deirdre restrained the emotions in her eyes.“The soup you cook tastes scrumptious. I enjoy it very much, Madame Brighthall.”She felt alienated by Deir
“However, I’m extremely disgusted that you are with me but still get yourself involved with Charlene at the same time.”Deirdre furrowed her eyebrows. It was apparent that she was still thinking about the scene of Charlene in the family mansion earlier.“I won’t.” Brendan immediately stated his true intention clearly. There was only sincerity left on his flawlessly handsome face. “From the moment I decided to become Kyran, I had already made up my mind to only love you in my heart and no one else.”Deirdre wanted to ask, “If that is the case, why are you still deeply involved with Charlene now?” Yet, she could not bring herself to speak. She knew that Brendan was incapable of answering that question for sure. At the thought of Charlene’s meaningful remark before she left, Deirdre asked, “Are you hiding something from me, Brendan?”Brendan’s eyes turned solemn. He thought about the injury on his shoulder and also…He tucked a strand of Deirdre’s hair behind her ear and answered
”How was I supposed to stay asleep after the racket you made? Besides, what are you making? Because something is definitely burning.”“Nothing.” Brendan wore a self-conscious expression, not unlike a thief. In fact, he quickly put the blame on Mrs. Engel. “It was Mrs. Engel! She forgot to turn off the stove before she left, and I smelled it burn. It’s basically coal now.”Deirdre was skeptical. Mrs. Engel would never do something so careless. “Oh, really? Or were you trying to play chef again?”Brendan knew his lie was coming apart in real-time, so he just told the truth. “Fine. I asked my mom for the recipe for the chicken soup she made for you yesterday because you seem to like it. I thought maybe I should make one for you every day. But… I didn’t expect cooking to be so hard.”Deirdre was stunned. Amusement crept into her face. “Why are you so obsessed with something you’re not cut out to do?”Brendan looked down, his eyes transfixed on her slightly plump lips. “It’s not an obs
“Oh, he’s right, Miss McKinnon! I just remembered that I have a lot of work cut out for me. I guess I can only try your cooking some other time.”With that, Sam left. Brendan turned to Deirdre’s deadpanned stare and said placidly, “He knows he’s too busy to quietly and slowly enjoy these simple things in life. I’ll have to do.”Of course, Deirdre knew Brendan had threatened Sam into leaving. “It’s a big pot of soup, for crying out loud. Can you finish it by yourself?”“I can,” Brendan replied under his breath. “If you’re the one who made it, then I’ll drink it all.”Deirdre thought Brendan was exaggerating, but it turned out he made do with his promise, after all. It even shocked Mrs. Engel by the time she returned to the mansion. Brendan was not known for his appetite, which had only grown smaller after his injuries. Deirdre drank about half of her own portion and believed that there was nothing especially delicious about her soup, anyway.Brendan pulled her into his arms when
It took Deirdre shaking out of her stupor to realize she had been smiling.It stunned her. Was she… falling in love with Brendan? Again?“Miss McKinnon? We’re here,” said Mrs. Engel. She nodded and got out of the car. They made their way to the shopping district and visited some interesting places. When they passed by a shop selling baby clothes, Mrs. Engel could not help but stop. “Oh, the clothes inside are so adorable, Miss McKinnon! I want to buy one for your kid. Is that okay?”“That’s too soon, Mrs. Engel! My baby isn’t even born yet.” Deirdre tittered.“But if we wait for that, that adorable outfit will become someone else’s possession, and I’m not gonna let that happen. You know what they say: seize the moment!” the older woman replied excitedly before pulling Deirdre into the store.Helplessly, Deirdre let Mrs. Engel drag her inside.The lighting was warm as it enveloped Deirdre. It eased her tension, and she began to feel the fabric used for those tiny clothes. Their
What is going on? Had Brendan been deceiving her all along!?Mrs. Engel was trying her best to comfort the distraught young woman. “Miss McKinnon, please calm down! You can’t just listen to something she said and immediately believe her, right? Why is whatever she said automatically real? Mr. Brighthall’s gunshot wound is real, you saw that. There was no lie about that!”She was right. Brendan’s injury was real, or he would not have been so hurt he could not sleep. Henry’s sister could have lied just to gain forgiveness and sympathy. And yet, Deirdre’s mind was in disarray. Any mood she had to stay in the shopping district was gone. She hailed a cab and quickly returned to the mansion. She strode into the living room and found nobody there. She rose the stairs to where the study was, and right before she pushed the door open, she heard sounds—a conversation.“Have you found our wanted person?”“We’re close. The mole hides well, so it’s not easy to sniff them out for the time be
”No, that’s not true,” said Brendan, battling his impulse to pull Deirdre into his arms. He poured his sincerity out as he declared, “I mean it when I say I love you.”Deirdre sneered. “You really think I’m going to believe you the second time? You’re only going to throw another gut punch over and over again! Get away from me, Brendan. I can’t stand a second of breathing the same air you do!”She gnashed her teeth and descended the stairs hurriedly.Mrs. Engel, mortified, hurried after her. Brendan rubbed his brows tiredly. No matter how accustomed he had grown to the caustic words she said, it still hurt him like a knife sinking into his chest. Sam was rueful. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Brighthall! I shouldn’t… I didn’t know she was standing behind the door… I shouldn’t have said that…”“It’s not your fault.” Brendan opened his eyes. He felt as though his body was crumbling. “Even I couldn’t have predicted her return at this time, let alone someone like you. The real fault lies with m
”Mr. Brighthall, if I may?” Mrs. Engel began worriedly. “I don’t know what happened between you and Mrs. Brighthall, but I haven’t been blind to how you’ve been treating her. I’m hard-pressed to believe anyone who says you don’t care about her, okay? I also don’t really understand why you had to lie to her, but if I may… Mrs. Brighthall is a very sensitive person. She needs security, Mr. Brighthall. Lying to her once is enough. Please, don’t do it again… before her heart turns to stone.”A fog seemed to have dawned on Brendan’s eyes. “I understand what you say, but I’m afraid this is more complicated than you might have imagined. For now, please focus on taking care of Deirdre.”Mrs. Engel raised her head. “Are you leaving?”Brendan remembered the things Charlene had said that day, his expression darkening. “No, not leaving. I simply have something important I must settle.”He went upstairs. Naturally, the door to Deirdre’s room was locked, so he knocked. “Can I come in, Dee?”The