"Hence, that is the problem." Ophelia said, "I stayed by the door for a while after seeing that, yet Emily did not leave the room. Moreover, I heard them talking to each other inside. What do you think is going on?"Ophelia said anxiously, "Could it be that Brendan and Emily have been putting on an act to you all this time? Then, they seize the opportunity to interact with each other in private when you're asleep?""Mom…" Deirdre cracked a smile even though she was not amused at all. "I trust Brendan's feelings for me, and I believe there is something they need to discuss."Ophelia caught her by surprise by saying, "You trust him, but does he respect you? If he cared about you, he would have kicked Emily out of the study when she showed up. On the other hand, it has been ten minutes now, and they are still engaging in a heated conversation. You can listen and see yourself if you don't believe me!"-"Miss Collins, it seems that you still haven't learned your lesson after the previ

Brendan said in a righteous tone, "Emily has evidence that Mrs. Engel is someone else."Deirdre was stunned for a moment. "Emily? How could she…""She had a note that she found in her room. The note invited her to meet at the Eastmont Villa's Green Square. Who else could leave the note to her other than Mrs. Engel?"Deirdre was shocked and refuted, "If Emily found a note in her room, how do you prove that Mrs. Engel wrote the note? What if Emily wrote it and used it to frame Mrs. Engel so she could gain your trust while she was at it?""Hence, we will understand the outcome tomorrow at Green Square." Brendan's dark eyes were calm yet gentle. "If Mrs. Engel is innocent, she won't show up tomorrow."Deirdre fell silent and felt a heavy weight on her chest. She could feel that many things beyond her expectations would occur after this. Brendan could see her confusion and struggles. He lowered his head and comforted her by touching her lips with his. "Deirdre, Mrs. Engel used to t

"How… How could this happen?" murmured Mrs. Engel. The weight of realization set in, and she suddenly understood she was well past the point of struggle. Her face turned ashen. "I'm sorry, Mr. Brighthall. I'm sorry, Mrs. Brighthall," she said finally. Emily sneered. "What's the point of that, exactly? I am glad that I'm not so easily goaded into working together with the enemy! Anyone else would have jumped at your offer, I bet. Really, though, wouldn't your conscience hurt if anything were to happen to Miss McKinnon? Won't you feel at least a little… I don't know, queasy?"Mrs. Engel was shaking, but she kept her mouth shut. Deirdre tried to get herself out of the mind-numbing buzz in her head. She stared at that vague, blurry figure before her, and her mind began to recall all the times she had spent with Mrs. Engel. It was just so hard to believe. Mrs. Engel, the housekeeper who was ever so attentive as she was stalwart—that Mrs. Engel was in cahoots with the same syndicate w

Mrs. Engel felt as though someone had pressed bristles of needles into her skin. Her face turned pale, and she closed her eyes. "I know you're not going to trust me no matter what I say, Mr. Brighthall, but I have never hurt Mrs. Brighthall in my entire life. She… She's always been so kind to me…"She faltered and turned to beg Deirdre instead. "Please, let me bid you farewell, at least?"Brendan was about to reject her again, but Deirdre took a deep breath and said, "Okay.""Dee?""I'll talk to her somewhere you can see, Brendan." Deirdre comforted him. "And she's right about one thing. She can't really harm me in any way. So, don't worry."Brendan's forehead creased from the strength of his frown, but since this was Deirdre's wish, he ended up letting her have her wish. He shot one last warning glance at Mrs. Engel before removing his coat and putting it around Deirdre. "Talk in some place shielded from the gale. I don't want you to catch a cold.""Okay."Deirdre pulled the

Deirdre knew she was demanding, but Brendan might start accepting Emily into his trusted circle if she did nothing. "You can think of this as me being unreasonable and juvenile. You can suspect me of picking a bone with her, too. I don't care. I just don't want to see you and Emily getting closer."And! I don't want the two of you texting each other, either. I want the two of you to be strangers to one another. If you're talking to her because you're wondering how my recovery is going, ask me instead. I'm going to be the middlewoman between the two of you!"The room sank into a strange, prolonged silence after she finished. As time ticked on, Deirdre felt colder and colder in her chest. Her face became a steely frown. "Oh, is it too much for you, Brendan? Never mind, then. Forget what I asked."She was about to turn away from him when Brendan's arms around her waist tightened.Then his lips merged with hers. They came in strong. Effusive. Like flames. Deirdre also could not handle