"What is this place?" asked Brndan.Deirdre explained, "This is Madame Russell's place. She is my mother... Ophelia's good friend. I stayed at her house temporarily when I left you. She took care of me.""Madame Russell?" Brendan found the name familiar but couldn't recall her. He wondered, "Is that Tobey's mother?"His voice deepened as he asked, "Tell me she didn't take care of you because she saw you as her daughter-in-law."Ignoring his question, Deirdre coughed and proceeded toward the house. Despite his partial memory loss, Brendan was still perceptive and connected the dots easily.Her actions displeased Brendan, and he grabbed her wrists, pinning her against the wall. He asked, "Feeling guilty?"Lowering her head, Deirdre appeared overwhelmed with emotions. She replied, "Why should I feel guilty? It's as if you're accusing me of cheating. We were separated at the time, so I didn't disclose our relationship to Madame Russell. She treated me like a daughter. What's wrong wi

"You're right." Deirdre perked up, pulled away the blanket, and got out of bed. As Deirdre was brushing her teeth, Brendan informed her, "Joe came and invited us to breakfast this morning."Deirdre, not surprised, asked, "How did you respond?""I told him that you were exhausted from being with me last night and needed to sleep in a little today, so he left," he replied.While gargling with water, Deirdre choked and coughed repeatedly.Brendan patted her back, grabbed a towel, and wiped away the foam from her lips. Teasingly, he said, "You're an adult, yet you get choked while gargling. Luckily, you didn't swallow the water."Blushing, Deirdre retorted, "It's all your fault!""My fault?" Brendan raised an eyebrow. "How is it my fault?"Too embarrassed to say it, Deirdre muttered, "What do you mean by 'exhausted from being with you last night'? Joe will surely misunderstand...""Misunderstand what?"Deirdre couldn't voice her thoughts, but Brendan continued. "Deirdre, differe

Deirdre patted Brendan's hand, and he loosened his grip around her waist. He spoke in a righteous tone. "Be more careful next time.""Don't listen to his nonsense." Deirdre glared at Brendan as a warning. "We were just fooling around."Joe, you're here so early. Is lunch ready?"Joseph nodded. "Yes, yes. My wife works quickly, and she has already finished cooking lunch. We're just waiting for you to come and eat."As the three of them headed to the Talbots' home, they noticed a pregnant woman getting water from a hand pump. Joseph quickly stepped forward to stop her, concerned about the situation."Josie, didn't I tell you to leave these back-bending chores to me? What if you hurt yourself?"Josie Schooler appeared frustrated. "This is the time for me to exercise. Besides, I can't stand doing nothing. Why would pumping water be bad for me?"Joseph tried to appease her. "But you're already going through so much. You purposely prepared lunch for my friend and her boyfriend today.

Joseph also recovered from his surprise and furrowed his eyebrows tightly. Previously, he had looked at Brendan in fear, but now his gaze held pity."It's no wonder Mr. Brighthall is so guarded against me. So, it turns out that you... have a history, Deirdre!" exclaimed Joseph.Joseph continued. "When did you have a relationship with Tobey? But let it be! You shouldn't think about other men since you've decided to be with Mr. Brighthall. Mr. Brighthall is good-looking and rich. He treats you well too. Where else would you find a man like him?""That's right, Deirdre." Josie chimed in, her heart melting as she looked at Brendan's grievous yet dejected expression. "Since you're pregnant, it means that the past is in the past. As the CEO of Brighthall Group, Mr. Brighthall is still willing to come to our humble place for you. He helps with the dishes and removes the weeds. What more could you ask for? Be good with Mr. Brighthall, and don't talk about leaving him anymore!""Right, don'

Brendan smirked and nodded. "Sure, noted. I can provide the funding for the tram in the name of the Brighthall Group."He then added, "However, I have a request."The village head's excitement turned to nervousness, anticipating a difficult request from Brendan.With a hint of fear, he asked, "May I know what your request is, Mr. Reed?"Brendan glanced inside the house before answering. "You will persuade Deirdre to visit the resort when she wakes up. Just be careful not to mention the hot spring."When Deirdre woke up, the village head used every means possible to persuade her. He pulled out all the stops, using his seniority, boasting, and various tricks. Deirdre, in a state of confusion, agreed to go.It wasn't until later that Deirdre realized something and questioned Brendan, "Why is he so enthusiastic today? He's determined to make me agree to go to the resort. It's not a trap, is it?"Brendan quickly refuted her suspicions. "How could it be a trap? As the village head, he