If Ophelia was still alive, how could she have been controlled for six long years and yet have been unable to find a way to reach Deirdre?Lost in thought, she didn’t even notice the movement outside the windows. By the time the bathroom door was opened, it was too late.She tried to cover her naked body, but with merely her two arms, she couldn’t cover much.Even though wet hair stuck to her shoulders like glue, Deirdre had striking features, a stunning expression, and snow-white skin tone, which turned rather red as time passed.Brendan’s Adam’s apple moved as he looked at Deirdre’s graceful body. Even if he was a man of honor and integrity, it would be difficult for him to control himself at that moment.He took off his tie, removed his shirt, and squeezed under the showerhead with Deirdre.Feeling Brendan’s burning hot skin, Deirdre was startled and asked stutteringly, “What are you doing?”Brendan increased the flow rate of the showerhead and whispered in Deirdre’s ear, “Di
Brendan saw the entire incident with naked eyes along with Sam.Naturally, Sam was shocked. “Cormac is one of theirs? How is it possible?”Brendan did not speak, but he had already guessed it. Now, his guess had been proven.Cormac was the only one in the company who had connections to the organization. When the person they had kidnapped died in the basement, Brendan knew that there was a spy in the organization. However, the spy was so meticulous that he wasn’t able to find out who he was until Charlene spoke up.Sam was still in shock. “Cormac has been training with us since he was 16 years old. He is not only low-key, but he is also capable. He could easily take over Steven’s responsibilities in just a few days. I thought the spy could be anyone but him…”Leaning back on his chair, Brendan looked into the distance. Sam controlled his complicated emotions and asked, “Mr. Brighthall, what should we do now? Should we stop him?”“No,” instructed Brendan. “I installed a locator i
Cormac didn’t care.“Sam, you’ve been my brother since we were young. You should know that I’m quite weak when it comes to martial arts skills, and I barely made it out by relying on my brain. I won’t hurt Mr. Brighthall, so you don’t have to be so guarded around me.”“You know that we’ve been brothers since we were young? Yet what did you do?” Sam was so furious that his eyes turned red. “Cormac, didn’t Mr. Brighthall and the organization treat you well? Yet, is this how you repay them?!”“You don’t understand,” Cormac said, remaining calm.“I don’t understand?” Sam laughed in anger. “But even though I don’t understand, I know that betrayal is not acceptable. Do you have a skeleton in your closet?”Sam finished by asking a question in an urgent tone.Cormac smiled and looked at Brendan in response.Brendan’s eyes remained calm, his expressionless handsome face neither angry nor disappointed, as if Cormac was a stranger.Cormac signed to himself but said, “No, there are no skel
Brendan’s smile faded, but his attention remained transfixed on Deirdre. “I was just thinking… I’m not that great of a boss, after all.”“Why would you say that?”“Because if I were, if I did everything as well as I could, why would any of my subordinates want to betray me? In fact, he would rather die than let me know anything?”He did not sound too emotive, but Deirdre could hear forlornness and melancholy undergirding his tone.“I admit to being a terrible, unforgivable husband, Deirdre, but I’ve always thought that I was at least good at looking out for my people. But today showed me how wrong I was. I haven’t done anything right at all.” He continued. “My life, the choices I made, might seem brilliant and genius to other people, but in truth, I have nothing.”He sounded jocular, but still… Brendan rarely put himself down. Deirdre could not help but fall silent. Right now, she really wanted to offer him comfort. “Brendan, nobody’s exempted from criticism. Even if God was p
Brendan’s expression darkened. His motive had always been securing Ophelia McKinnon—that much was true. Still, he asked, “How can I be sure that you’re not going to send me an impostor in exchange for Connor’s life?”“You don’t have to worry about that, Mr. Brighthall,” replied Louis. “You’ll be receiving a spectacular gift at your villa. Once you take a look at it, I’m sure you’ll start to understand.”Exactly at the moment the call ended, they heard the doorbell. Brendan answered it and found only a parcel-delivery guy. He texted Shea, telling her to check all surveillance cameras in proximity remotely before receiving the parcel.Deirdre could not sit still at all. Wrapped in her blanket, she strode straight toward him, her hands shaking. “W-What is it?”“It’s okay. It’s just a delivery,” consoled Brendan. He opened it and found useless trinkets crowding out its true core: a tube of blood. While he held it, though, Brendan suddenly understood what it meant. Deirdre could not
Louis chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about this, Mr. Brigthall. Ophelia McKinnon is an important asset to us, so if any harm befell her, the loss would be ours to bear! So, we provided her with quite a comfortable lifestyle. In fact, it’s even better than the life you gave her the last time, Mr. Brighthall.“We’ve planned to reveal her in the most dramatic fashion, but Mr. Brighthall’s sharp wits removed our surprise by tripping us up, didn’t you?”Louis’ last line was quite the insinuation. Brendan snickered. “How’s this exchange supposed to work?”“There will be a cargo ship arriving at the eastern port a week from now. Mrs. McKinnon will be there,” said Louis. “Before the ship docks, you’ll be able to observe her from a distance of ten-odd meters. Should you release Connor then, he’ll leave on his own accord.”“Fine.”The call ended. Louis turned to the man behind him. “Sir, it is done.”The man stayed silent, but the air seemed to be heating up. It grew hotter and heavier
Charlene poised as a long-suffering fiancee who just wanted to vent out injustice, but her word choice was specifically meant to degrade Deirdre’s personality by insinuating that she was only popular with males because she was a flirty pick-me girl.Brendan’s eyes turned cold, but that disappeared almost as soon as it appeared when he appeared to frown. “You’re overthinking it. I’m not interested in any woman who’d make eyes at any man in her vicinity.”Charlene bit her lips. “But… What about today? You…”“When I came home from work, Deirdre fainted from some unknown discomfort, so I brought her to the hospital. She fell asleep in the car while we were on our way back. I couldn't possibly leave her there, so I carried her to her room.”“Oh! So that’s what happened!” Charlene’s eyes twinkled with joy. A faint shadow of smugness—she believed Brendan’s excuse, after all—surfaced to her grin before it faded from new doubt. “But you were staying in her room for a long time.”Brendan ca
“Alright,” Charlene said and showed Brendan a smile. As the days passed, things began to settle. The Internet had bigger scandals to fry and gravitate toward, and slowly but surely, the commentaries were reduced. Charlene felt great. She was sure that given more time, she would finally be the undisputed Mrs. Brighthall who bore him a child. She would no longer have to fear anything. As for Deirdre McKinnon…Malice pooled into Charlene’s eyes. She had never planned to let that fiasco during her botched wedding go, and now that she was finally freed from the storm, she could go back to plotting for that.She knew a doctor privately and asked if he could recommend any slow-acting but potent poison. “I want it to be the kind that can ruin that person’s face over time. I want it ruined so badly, not a single surgeon in the world can recover it!”“There is such a drug, but you can’t get it from my clinic.”“Then give me a venue. I’ll take it from you personally.”The doctor gave h