However, the situation was dire. Let alone seeing Deirdre in court, Brendan would be surrounded just by leaving the house. Brendan was so furious about the upsurge of the online community’s opinion on executing Deirdre that he smashed his phone. Declan suppressed his unpleasant expression. “Frankly, it is apparent that Charlene is fully prepared to make use of public opinion to exert pressure on the case.”Nonetheless, it was the truth. It was already very difficult for Deirdre to get away now. Sam asked, “Do we still need to release the video clip?”“That won’t work anymore.” Declan said, “Charlene has already acknowledged the incident publicly. If we were to claim that the woman in the video clip is not Deirdre, it would only infuriate the community even more.“Sam, hire keyboard warriors to draw the online community’s attention to the fact that Charlene can no longer dance so that Charlene can draw in a bunch of support. Then, post a few scandals that expose some celebritie
The group of people changed their expressions drastically out of astonishment. “The online community is making a huge fuss. There is no other feasible way to appease the community’s anger other than this!”Brendan remained polite. He rolled up his sleeves and spoke in a cold voice. “You’ll know whether there is a feasible way when you see the solution. I’m here today to warn everyone to keep their mouths shut. After all, we are all in the same boat, and our main priority is to stabilize the company.”Everyone fell silent when his voice died away.Meanwhile, a staff member knocked on the door, and there was already sweat running down his face. “Mr. Brighthall!”“Speak.”“Mr. Jensen is… I don’t know what is wrong with him. He’s spreading rumors downstairs that you have an intimate relationship with Miss McKinnon. That both of you are not only living together but also… that you’ve slept with each other before. He claims that Miss McKinnon is your mistress who became jealous because y
A faint smile shadowed Brendan’s lips. “Thank you.” He meant it.Madame Brighthall said nothing. She left. But the controversy did not end there. Mr. Jensen’s speech had kicked up a storm. As Brendan shut his laptop, Sam remarked, “I have a feeling Mr. Jensen planned all of this down to the little speech he gave. He even had pictures of Miss McKinnon living in the villa so he could strike at the affair’s angle.”“It’s that coward’s only way to stay alive after the grave he dug,” Brendan growled frigidly. The pain seemed to be drilling into his temple, emboldened by the sheer torrent of imbroglios that were all rebelling against Brendan’s control. “And Deirdre?”“Miss McKinnon should be released today, but… I think she’s still in there.”“I see. I’ll be going to see her then. She must be so scared.”-It was the afternoon. A young woman caressed the clothes she had been folding and waited for the police. The door opened, and she heard her name. “McKinnon?”She rose, taking
What did they mean when they said Brendan himself was in hot water? What was going on out there?Deirdre could not stop from asking the police officer leading her away, “C-Can I ask? What has happened while I’m here? Why can’t I be released?”The police officer regarded her visage. Her experience so far had dealt a blow to her appearance—she looked so feeble. She was so beautiful that nobody could expect her to be so capable of murder. A gorgeous sight like her pushing another woman down the stairs to kill the latter!?“Even if I don’t answer your question, I’m pretty sure you can guess it by this point, right? Or are you telling me you don’t know what you’ve done?”Deirdre stared at him, confused. “Jesus Christ, what’s wrong with the world… Everyone knows you pushed an innocent young woman down the stairs in an attempt to kill her, okay? And that’s just the first taste of the whole scandal, apparently!“One of the board members of the Brighthall Group has revealed that you and
”What’s that on your wrist?”Deirdre’s heart skipped a beat. She retracted her hand immediately as if she had touched something hot, her heart racing. “What’s what?”Her reaction was unexpected; Brendan was stunned. “Uh, why is it so dirty? It looks like dust.”“Oh!” Deirdre exhaled a breath of relief. He did not see her injury after all. After all the trouble the scandal had brought to him via the Brighthall Group, the last thing she wanted was for Brendan to be distracted by her affair. “Er, the wall was a little dusty when I accidentally rubbed my skin against it.”Brendan produced a piece of wet tissue. “I’ll help with that.”He gingerly held her wrist with his one hand, but before the wet tissue even made contact, Deirdre suddenly withdrew hers in a state of nervous panic. “What’s the matter?”Deirdre went quiet, but Brendan thought he understood why she balked. “Sorry. I genuinely only wanted to clean your hand for you. If you’re not comfortable with it, you’re welcome to
The sight stung Brendan in the eyes like thorns. Murderous air began to pool around him like the onset of a nuclear explosion. He slammed his hand against the bars, thundering, “What the h*ll am I seeing!?”The warden’s face turned as white as a sheet. He knew all too well what this was—bullying between inmates. What he did not expect was Brendan catching it right when it happened. His hoarse commotion woke the inmates. When they saw who it was, their minds turned blank. They had no idea that a man whose very status would equate him to a modern-day prince would deign himself to visit a dirty cell in a detainment facility! “M-Mr. Brighthall! W-Why are you here? N-No, this is a misunderstanding! It’s all Miss McKinnon’s idea! She found us filthy and decided to sleep in her own clean little corner instead of huddling with our grime. She said it herself! The corner’s clean, she said!”“Exactly! She’s the one w-who’s ostracizing us! Thus, we chose not to force her against her wish!”
Deirdre would never know how much it pained Brendan to see her retreating into the corner like a puppy being bullied. It felt like his heart was being torn into two by someone’s bare hand. The rage—and his helpless ignorance—at the kind of abuse suffered by the woman he loved was coursing through his veins and animating every single fiber in his body. How he wished he could be the one to suffer in her place!The pain from his forceful kiss lingered on Deirdre’s lips. Quivering, she said shakily, “B-Brendan, I…”He threw his arms around her and hugged her tightly. “Why can’t you just… stand up for yourself more, Deirdre? Why?” he murmured, pained.Deirdre did not know how to react at all. She had never heard Brendan use such a voice before—never heard him sound so desperate, so vulnerable, so pleading. “I’m… I’m fine…” It took her a long time to force her thoughts back down to comfort him. “Nothing happened. I’m okay. It wasn’t so bad, you see? If it were, I would have told the w
”Those people were planted there by whoever masterminded this whole thing. They were meant to stay there for only a few days.”“Okay then,” Declan remarked. “Honestly, this turns out to be a backhanded blessing for Miss McKinnon. Since she’s pregnant, after suffering from this incident, the police’s forced to let her stay here, sending only one of their people to watch her. She no longer had to suffer in that sh*thole detainment center now.”Brendan nodded in agreement. This was probably the only silver lining there was.Declan leaned his back against the wall. “Who do you think ordered this attack?”Brendan shot a glance at him and answered, “Charlene.”“I thought the same.” Declan flashed him a smile. “The mastermind behind her is someone meticulous, cautious, and sharp. They couldn’t have possibly done something so stupid that it could frustrate their own plans. So, this is all Charlene for sure.”Brendan’s eyes seemed to be shrouded by a cold, inky mire. “One day, I’ll settle