It felt as if he was using this frantic action that came from the bottom of his heart to tell her something. Deirdre’s knees buckled, and she leaned her head on the man’s chest. She could not see him but she could feel his heartbeat racing. “Deirdre.” Before she could say anything, the man’s voice turned hoarse and his thin lips were already moving closer to her ear bit by bit. He asked imploringly, “Can I?”The answer to what Brendan was asking was obvious. Deirdre had not expected that Brendan would actually take it upon himself to seek her consent. It was as if he would loosen his grip without the slightest hesitation no matter how aroused he was as soon as she shook her head. Deirdre shut her eyes tightly and did not speak. Brendan’s thin lips curled into a smirk. “I’ll consider it consent if you don’t speak.”…Deirdre’s head was dizzy when it ended. She was carried to the bathroom to take a shower by Brendan. Then, he cuddled her in his arms as though he was protecting p

Brendan knew she was only compliant for Ophelia’s sake, but the result alone was satisfactory. He asked for a digestion pill and pushed it into Deirdre’s mouth. He checked the watch on his wrist. It was almost time. “Time to go.” He wrapped Deirdre in a coat and led her outside. Sam was about to follow too, but Brendan stopped him. “You’ll be staying at home today. Deirdre and I have some private business to attend to.”Dr. Ginger waited for the two of them to leave before ambling close to Sam and leaning on the bodyguard’s shoulder. He had a cheeky grin on his face. “Do you ever read the room, lad? Can’t you tell that these two are going on a date?” “A date?” Sam frowned. “No way.”“Why not?” Unlike him, Dr. Ginger knew precious little about the couple's messy history. Still, as he shook the hand towel clean, he pointed out, “Mr. Brighthall and Miss McKinnon’s relationship might be, uh-hem, complicated. But it’s obvious that their hearts are bound to each other. Misunderstandi

“You’ve got nothing to worry about then.” Deirdre said, her eyes downcast. “I’m not his girlfriend. His lover is someone else.”“I f*cking knew it!” The woman cried. Her eyes twinkled in joy as she considered Deirdre. The more she examined her, the sorrier Deirdre looked in her eyes. “Jesus, how the hell did you even get someone as hot as him to be your amusement park partner? Oh, wait. I think I know—he pities you, right? Must be tough, growing up with that sort of face and being blind at the same time. So he brought you here to grant your wish out of charity!”Charity? Deirdre froze. The woman saw her, thought it must be a gotcha moment, and beamed. “I got it all right, didn’t I? You thought the same, didn't you? Why else would a man this perfect even want to hang around?”While she was busy putting Deirdre down, Brendan reappeared. He stared at the woman next to Deirdre and frowned. “What’s wrong?”Deirdre shook her head. “Nothing.”He looked at the woman pointedly. “Who’s th

“No, I want something longer.” Brendan insisted with a frown, obviously not taking no for an answer. He came up with a hasty excuse too. “She might catch a cold if it’s too short.”Deirdre almost never stepped out of the house, but still… He was far from the only man at home. What about Dr. Ginger? Sam? They were around her all the time. This dress would leave her legs exposed and he really, really hated how that imagery made him feel. Laia let out an awkward chuckle. “Oh, my bad for… neglecting that very important fact. How about this one?”“The neckline is too low.”“This one?”“Her back would be exposed.”In the end, Deirdre felt her way to a white fur coat. Laia’s eyes twinkled, as she had just had a good idea. “I’ve got this skin-tight black dress that is just perfect for her. She won’t feel cold, and it’s—”‘Conservative. It covers every inch of her so that there is nothing left to be seen!’Laia stopped herself before she could say those words aloud. Instead, she change

‘Do you think she is presentable?’Just like a sharp knife, every word pierced Deirdre’s heart and twisted.Deirdre was trembling faintly while Brendan stood before her and said with a frigid face, “Mother, your words are too harsh!”“Harsh?” While looking at his furious face, for the first time, Madame Brighthall sensed the estrangement between her and her son and felt disappointed. “Do you expect me to greet the third party in your relationship with a smile and treat her like my daughter?!”“Deirdre is not the third party!” Brendan gritted his teeth. “We’ve registered–”“Bren!” Charlene, who had intended to be a bystander, suddenly chimed in. Her eyes revealed how panicked and incredulous she was.Did Brendan want to tell Madame Brighthall the truth? Did he want to tell Madame Brighthall that the woman who had been spending time with her in the past few years was actually the third party?That Deirdre and Brendan were true husband and wife?If Brendan did it, what would her s