Deirdre was bewildered. His kiss came in so strongly, passionately, and hungrily that it felt like he had swallowed the air around and between them. All she could smell was pheromones—his. They were all over her, and yet… she did not necessarily hate it.His fingers were usually cold, but they were set alight the moment they grazed her skin. Flames spread across her body. “M-Mm…” She let out a moan.Brendan stiffened for a moment. Then suddenly, he amplified his strength, putting so much force into his arms as if hoping to merge the woman into himself.Suddenly, the young woman curled into a ball and hissed. Alarmed, Brendan let go. His features were overcome with worry. “What happened?”Deirdre’s face turned pale. She was still curling into herself. Brendan looked and found stark bruises on her back. Anger pooled in his eyes, and as he reached out to touch it, his fingers were nothing but featherlight. “Does it hurt?”Deirdre let the worst pass for a moment and shook her he
The leader let out a shaky breath and suddenly thought of the winces and pained grimaces their victim had made. These women had always been the ones throwing punches—they had never wondered about the feelings of those at the receiving end of their abuse.They knew it now—just as they now learned fear and regret. “I… I won’t do it anymore…”Sparing her even a seconds-long glance made Brendan retch. “Sounds to me like you girls aren’t getting enough of it yet.”Finally, the women lost even the strength to cry. Brendan wrapped his fingers with a handkerchief before tipping one of their chins to face him. “So, who gave you girls the order?”-Deirdre stirred, opening her eyes. She instinctively rubbed her hand over her bedside, but there was no one.“Miss McKinnon? Are you awake?”She reeled in realization. Had Brendan left? She nodded nonetheless.“Are you hungry? Do you need me to get you something to eat?” “What time is it now?”“Three in the afternoon.”Deirdre was quite
”You should be detained in a cell awaiting your sentence for suspicion of murder, right? So, why are you here in the hospital? And who is that young woman with you?”“Deirdre McKinnon, why are you panicking? You’re not thinking about running away, right?!”“How dare you hide in the comforts of a hospital instead of facing your trials? What kind of world have we come to when a snake-hearted woman like you can evade justice? Not admitting to your guilt is bad, but trying to run away from tough questions? Honestly, McKinnon, did you really think having your billionaire lover shielding you makes you above accountability!?”“Go to h*ll, murderer!”“F*cking wh*re, stealing another woman’s man and trying to murder her to get her out of the way! H*ll has a special place for you, b*tch!”Their commentaries started becoming more and more inflammatory. At one point, someone even started getting physical and shoved Deirdre as hard as they could. The force knocked her footing awry, and she car
Brendan held Deirdre even more tightly. “Dee… You’re worried about me.”“You… idiot!” Deirdre’s eyes felt warm. God, she had to admit—being in his arms, by his side, made her feel so, so safe. But if the price of this safety was an armageddon of a media firestorm, then she would rather not have any of it. “I.. I am not worried about you! I’m just concerned about myself!”He caressed her hair. “It’s okay. Don’t be scared.”There was no sign of him letting go. He simply held her tightly against his chest.His action ignited a stack of kerosene. The mob rioted.“What the f*ck is this!? Mr. Brighthall, are you protecting a criminal in public!?” “So, the things people said on the Internet about you were right! Deirdre McKinnon is your lover, so you’re protecting her! How could you do this to Miss McKinsey!? This b*tch pushed her down the stairs to kill her, and you, the f*cking fiance, chose to side with the criminal and protect her instead of helping your own fiancee!”“Oh, I get
”I’m fine, Mrs. Engel. Really,” replied Deirdre, smiling, as she felt warmth enveloping her heart. She took a sip of water and turned to Brendan. “Are you going to be okay after, um, today?”“Why? It was nothing.”Deirdre was skeptical of his claim, but she simply could not pry more out of him and decided to get information straight from the horse’s mouth. She waited until Brendan went to his study and asked Mrs. Engel instead. “But Miss McKinnon!”Deirdre flashed a smile. “Don’t worry about how I’m gonna take it, Mrs. Engel. I’ve always been resilient. I’m just curious, that’s all. Just wondering how this whole thing will unravel.”Mrs. Engel searched the Internet for a while and immediately closed the browser. “Those people are acting the same as ever,” she said vaguely. “Uh, Mr. Brighthall’s being dragged into it, but I don’t know if it’s going to affect him that much.”Deirdre's mind turned blank. Of course, it was going to affect him!She shook out of her trance and change
The call was cut short on that hostile note.The finality of the man’s voice made Deirdre’s heart leap. She had expected things to evolve beyond the point of no return, but it did not mean she predicted how far past that point. The deluge of negative public opinion? The civil war within his company? She was the one who had triggered it all.Deirdre’s lips turned pale. She pressed her fingers so hard her nails almost looked transparent.Then, the door was opened. Brendan found her standing right outside, his eyes expressing shock. “Why are you here?”“Because you were inside for so long, I thought I should come to check on you…” she explained. “So, you heard everything?” She nodded with difficulty. Brendan fondled her hair comfortingly. “Don’t overthink it. It has nothing to do with you. The problem lies in me. I should have protected you better.”He lowered his head and leaned his lips close to her hair. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”His sincerity was so overwhelming it got
The sudden weightlessness bewildered Deirdre. She instinctively grabbed his collar as she grimaced in panic. She could feel him opening a door, and then, silently—she found herself gently plopping on the softness of her bed. Her surroundings were too quiet, and she could hear her heart racing. Helplessly, she cried out, “B-Brendan? B-Brendan!”The man in question planted a gentle kiss on her forehead. “I’m here.”She withdrew her fingers into fists. “Please, don’t…”The nervous dread on her face annoyed him enough that he snorted. “‘Please don’t’? Really?” Deirdre parted her lips, but Brendan continued before she could explain herself further. “I’m not an animal, Dee. I’m not going to take advantage of you when you’re still injured. I’m only worried about you. Once I finish administering medicine on your injuries, I’ll leave.”His movement was so gentle that Deirdre blanked and tacitly allowed him to do whatever he wanted to do. As it turned out, Brendan did exactly what he s
Deirdre took a seat on the couch and automatically turned on the TV. She surfed several channels, and as expected, all of them were talking about the incident where Brendan took her from the hospital. It was less of a splash and more of a tidal wave. Several members of the board of the Brighthall Group had released statements clarifying the distance between themselves and the man at the center of infamy. The Internet was even more heated.Deirdre was certain she would be subjected to the full tapestry of Internet mob commentaries if she could see.Brendan seemed to have become public enemy number one—and that fact sucked the light out of Deirdre’s eyes.Mrs. Engel hurried out of the kitchen. “Good morning, Miss McKinnon! I’ve made some herbal soup, so come on and give it a try. If you don’t like it, I’ll change the recipe—”She faltered, freezing in her steps. Then, hesitantly, she said, “Uh, I suggest not listening to all of this nonsense, Miss McKinnon…”Deirdre cast her eyes