Deirdre had personally told her that Charlene had information about her father. She had even divulged the knowledge she had gathered so far. Shea was a member of Brendan’s organization—he trusted her, and her loyalty could not be doubted.Thus, Deirdre was left with one last suspect. Her headache intensified into a painful, throbbing migraine. Brendan got down from his bed and pulled her into his arms. He ran his hand down her shaking back in comfort and did his best to hide how sick he really looked. “It’s okay, Dee. Calm down. Don’t overthink. I’m here with you.”Deirdre tightened her arms around him. His scent… It made her feel safe. She finally settled down, but that abject helplessness remained. It was, unfortunately, immune to being banished. “Could it be that I have trusted the wrong person all along, Brendan? I just… can’t believe this. I can’t believe it could be her! She treated me like… I was her own daughter, Brendan. If she wanted something bad to happen to me, s
“It doesn’t matter now that Charlene is dead.” Deirdre hung her head, sighing. “The fact that I didn’t manage to get any information about my father upsets me. I should have known Charlene had a target painted on her back! If only… If only I stayed there and waited for her answer right there and then instead of giving her a few days to mull it over!”“Nobody would have known someone would silence her. Not even me,” replied Brendan, his fingers gently smoothing the creases in Deirdre’s frown. “Don’t blame yourself. You did brilliantly. At least now we know there’s a mole among us. We can use her.”“I know.” Deirdre nodded tiredly. She wished it was all just groundless conspiratorial thoughts in her head. The last thing she wanted was for it to become real. After calming her nerves down, Deirdre thought about her conversation with Charlene before a thought hit her. “Speaking of which… Brendan, do you know a place called Southedge?”“Southedge?” Brendan frowned. “If I recall correctl
“Gosh, Miss McKinnon! What happened to you? You look terrible. Is it the cold? Aww, this is why I told you to wear one more layer of clothing over your first one! Good thing I prepared this coat for you, huh?” Mrs. Engel nagged in concern as she cupped Deirdre’s hands in her own, warming her. Deirdre cast her eyes down as a war of conflicting sentiments raged in her head. How was she supposed to believe this kindly older woman was a mole all along? Or that she was one of them?She could feel her unrestrained, almost sincere care for her. So why was the same kindly older woman working for those people to harm her?Brendan gently pulled Deirdre into his arms, stunning Mrs. Engel, who let go. “Mr. Brighthall! Why have you changed out of your hospital gown?” she asked. “I’m ready to be discharged.”“Discharged? Today?” Mrs. Engel was shocked. “But the doctor told me you’re to stay hospitalized for a week more.”“I know how well my health has recovered, and I know for sure I don’t n
Brendan smiled and pulled Deirdre into his arms. He leaned his head on her shoulder, but a shadow shrouded his mien. “Do you remember when I told you that Southedge lags behind Eastgene?”“Yes?”“Looks like things have changed.”Deirdre froze and shot him an aside glance. “What do you mean?”“Southedge is an island, so its development echoes that of a small country. It’s completely different from metropolises like Neve, especially when its geography and resources could not compare to that of a large country. Southedge was, at most, a second-class city… until now. According to the information Sam gave me back in the car, Southedge is developing at a pace that could possibly eclipse Neve.”Deirdre was bewildered. Neve was the nation’s most prioritized first-class metropolis. Southedge, in comparison, was just a remote island. How could the latter somehow match the first?“But how?”Brendan’s expression darkened. “This is what puzzled me. Maybe local authorities have been working t
“Please! Anesthetics! Please… use anestheti—Aaaggrrhhh!”Agony tormented Charlene. She wished to fall unconscious, yet the very thing kept her all too awake—all too lucid. Thus, she was trapped in a prison of pain, feeling everything.As her ordeal continued, a man sitting on a couch across her watched and smiled unsympathetically. “Oh, you’re not getting any drug or way out of this, Charlene. I want you to carve this pain deep into the crevices of your brain. You’ll never forget who pushed you into this hell.”Charlene screamed and finally blacked out.When she opened her eyes again, the man brought her a mirror. Cold light reflected off his ring as he gave her a window to her new self. She took it. She saw a face wrapped completely in bandages, with only bloodshot eyes peeking out to glare back at her. Hate materialized within her and coursed in her veins, boiling more and more until it reached a fever pitch. The man grabbed and tipped her swollen, brutalized chin to meet his
Deirdre felt her weight leaving her and tried to calm herself down. “Put me down, Brendan. This isn’t going to work.”Brendan carried her all the way to their bed. Then, he lowered his head and rubbed his chin against her shoulder. “I didn’t mean to walk back on my promise. Had I known you’re afraid of a nightmare, I would have never gone to read them!”Deirdre froze for a little before denying indignantly, “I wasn’t afraid!”Brendan let a laugh escape and leaned close to her lips. They kissed for a while before she remembered something and pushed him away. “Go to sleep.”She buried herself under her comforter. Brendan snaked his arms from behind her and cuddled. “Isn’t it stuffy in there?”It took her a while before she finally answered, “No. So go to sleep already.”Brendan’s eyes softened. He laced his fingers with her own. A thought came to him, and his eyes darkened a little. The next morning, Mrs. Engel started her day early with a broth. Ophelia came to the kitchen in
The door to the study was closed. Sam could hardly contain his excitement. “Sir, we’ve got news from the eye specialists!”Brendan’s eyes twinkled in pleasant surprise. “He’s here?”“Not yet. But there’s a young woman who’s close to him. When her grandfather’s eyes were damaged, she brought the specialist to get them cured. She must know how to contact the specialist.”“And who is she?”“Emily Collins.”“Emily Collins?” The name rang a bell. “Oh. The only child of a family of doctors.”“Yes!” Sam nodded excitedly. “She’s been studying abroad for years, right? She returned this week for her father’s funeral. This is our chance to get her to contact that eye specialist.”Brendan mulled over it for two seconds. “Contact her. Arrange our meeting.”Sam immediately went to work. As Brendan looked at the venue and time, he frowned. He had never talked to this Emily Collins before, but he had heard of her prideful nature. The Collins was one of the most elite families in the country, w
Brendan frowned. “No.”Emily leaned against the back of her chair. “Ah, well. This has nothing to do with me, though, does it? But here’s the thing. I always get what I want in a deal. I don’t do second best.”“That’s not a problem,” answered Brendan. “I’ll give you anything I can.”Emily’s voice dropped indicatively. “What if what I want… is you?”Brendan’s eyes turned cold. He deadpanned. A beat later, he finally answered flatly, “You jest.”The severity in his eyes made her heart stop for a millisecond. When she recovered from her trance, she realized her heart was thumping. Wow. That look in his eyes was amazing. She had been so used to being the one ruling above others that she had not felt suffocated by anyone else for a long time. She could not remember the last time someone had managed to make her panic with one glare. “Mr. Brighthall,” she said, pleased. Her eyes were gleaming. “I don’t joke about these things. I’m seriously attracted to you, and I’m sure you’ll find