Deirdre made up an excuse and got Mrs. Engel out of the way before asking Brendan point-blank, “Did you know Charlene was arrested?”“Oh. So, you’ve heard. To be honest, it’s not surprising that you’d know. It’s gotten pretty big,” Brendan replied noncommittally and removed his coat. “I was there when they arrested her.”Deirdre’s lips parted, but nothing came out… at first. She hesitated for a moment and decided to be candid. “Was it you?”It could not be, could it? Brendan could not possibly have done something that could implicate him as well. He must have known that if the whole thing came to light under a thorough investigation, his role in the crime would be exposed and he would be in hot water himself, right?Brendan was unfazed. “It wasn’t me at first.”“What do you mean, ‘at first’?”Brendan thinned his lips. “The people who saw off Charlene’s leg probably thought she was getting off too lightly, so they decided to get her incarcerated. The only thing I added to the mix…
Reparation, he said.Deirdre could not tell just what those words made her feel, but she knew some of it was fear. She was afraid that Brendan was starting to do so much that it was starting to corrode her resolve.“The only reparation I want from you is my mother. I just want to see my mother, healthy and safe, standing in front of my eyes. I don’t need you to do anything else…” Deirdre said, her eyes avoidant. “If this thing backfires on you, it’ll only bring me no benefit. Worse, it might even embolden the conspirators, and then my mother’s return will be impacted.”Brendan’s eyes blazed as he locked them on her, his visage beaming with anticipation. “Are you concerned about me, Dee?”“No. You’re seeing what isn’t there,” Deirdre interrupted him and turned away. “I’ve made myself clear that I’m only worried about you because you’re the only way to get to my mother.”Brendan laughed under his breath. Deirdre caught it and raised her head. His exact expression was a blur to her
Charlene’s only request, after her admission of guilt, was to see Brendan and Deirdre. Deirdre spat out her soup at the tail-end of Sam’s information. “She wants to see me? For real?”She could understand why Brendan was requested—Charlene’s life depended on him, and she was probably still dreaming about the day he would come to rescue her. But why on Earth would she be interested in seeing Deirdre?Brendan shot a look at her before asking Sam, “Did she say anything else?”“Nothing much in particular. She said she wanted to talk to an old friend.”Brendan wanted to reject Charlene’s request right there and then, but Deirdre wiped away crumbs on her lips and said, “I’ll go.”He furrowed his eyebrows. “Are you sure?”“Yep,” she replied calmly. “She’s stuck behind a sturdy glass window and trapped in a room. She can’t hurt me. Besides, I’m curious about whatever she was planning to say.”Brendan hesitated. “She might… say things that could drive a wedge between us.”Deirdre ca
Charlene froze, nonplussed. All she could remember was her driving hurriedly to see Brendan after knocking Deirdre off the stairs and causing her to bleed from her head. It was at that moment of rush when she saw a young girl walking on the zebra crossing.Then, like a flash, a cruel thought just dawned on her.She stomped on the accelerator with no hesitation. The car whirred on her command and ran right over the girl, her bones crushed under Charlene’s wheels.There was a neighborhood surveillance camera nearby, so it had taken a picture of her face. But so what?Charlene had always believed that everyone was going to help her out of any consequences. All she needed to do was to send Deirdre—that one person who posed a threat to her ambition—to prison on her behalf, and everything else would fall onto her lap. Who expected it to turn a big round just to swing back at her like a boomerang?“It’s all my fault.” She bit her lips. “I should have destroyed the evidence more thoroug
What did she mean by ‘your father’s whereabouts?’ She never had a father… not even when she was just a child!Deirdre forced herself to calm down. This had got to be another one of Charlene’s tricks! A stupid scheme to ruffle her feathers—she would make up all kinds of things to confuse her so that she became more and more puzzled the longer she dwelled on it. “I know what you’re thinking, Deirdre. You must be thinking to yourself, ‘My father? But he’s dead! What whereabouts could there possibly be?’” A smug grin surfaced on Charlene’s lips. This was the moment she was finally the one with the advantage. “Well, the answer is simple. Your daddy is alive.”Deirdre clenched her hands into fists and shot Charlene a biting glare. “So, this is why you wanted to see me? So someone can listen to some bullsh*t you made up?” Deirdre retorted frigidly. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I don’t believe a single thing out of your mouth! I don’t even know who my father is, so how can someone who’s n
“How stupid do you think I am, Charlene? I don’t even know if whatever you said is true. Maybe you’re telling the truth, or maybe you’re just making things up! Besides, you said it yourself. You hate me. Why would you suddenly tell me anything just because you got out of prison?”Panic surfaced and settled in Charlene’s eyes.Deirdre nailed it. Charlene never planned to tell her the truth. If this piece of information was enough to get her out of prison, then, Charlene could continue using it as leverage against Deirdre.“Who says I won’t? It’s not like it’s anything useful to me!” Charlene blustered. “I’ll tell you if you make Bren release me from prison within a month.”Deirdre snickered so coldly that Charlene shuddered. “So sorry to disappoint you then, Miss McKinney.”Charlene’s heart raced. “What’s that supposed to mean? You’re telling me you don’t care about your own father? That you don’t care about why he’s never come to see you, or where he is now?”Deirdre deadpanned.
“I’ve been thinking about my mother. Just thinking about how much I owe her… sometimes keeps my sleep away.” She was telling the truth. Ever since the day to see Ophelia drew near, her emotions had just gotten kicked up. Her pregnancy might have amplified it, too. Brendan was silent for a moment. When the car stopped at a red light, he held her hand and squeezed. “You don’t have to think about it. She’s coming back.”“I know.” She turned away from him and said nothing more.They returned to the mansion, where Mrs. Engel heard about Deirdre’s trip to the hospital. Concerned, she began to make a broth according to a herbal home remedy she knew to be effective and helpful. As she brewed, she vented, “It must be that Charlene again, isn’t it? She doesn’t talk with any filters, and she’s a walking jinx magnet. Anyone would catch a cold from looking at her soul. Lord knows how glad I am that her butt is being sent to prison!”Deirdre gave a perfunctory chuckle—until she had to drink
Deirdre swore her strength had just left her entire body. But then, quite suddenly, she felt something pop through her lips. She opened her mouth and realized it was a piece of candy. Mrs. Engel was surprised. “That is brilliant, Mr. Brighthall! I forgot to prepare some sweets myself!”Deirdre was quite taken aback, too. It was the first time she ever noticed how perceptive and mindful Brendan could be. “T-Thanks.”The candy was very sweet. As it melted and spread across her mouth, she felt the broth’s taste subsiding. Soon, all she felt was the sweetness of the candy. “If you like it, I’ll put a can of the same candies in the kitchen. You’re allowed to pop one in every time you finish Mrs. Engel’s herbal remedy on top of your medicine.”Wait! It had to be those two combined!?Deirdre’s expression froze. “How long am I supposed to drink that?”Mrs. Engel smiled. “Just a week! It’ll be over like a breeze!”-Charlene’s sentence came three days later. The police had also cle