“Tobey is coming back?” Deirdre could not help feeling surprised. “Why? Isn’t there still some time until Christmas?”Madame Russell looked toward Deirdre with a smile. “He called me up some time ago, and it was only natural that I brought you up in our conversation. Then, he applied for a long leave of absence from his company, claiming he missed me after not seeing me for more than six months. However, I’m quite certain that he is coming back to see you.”“To see me?” Deidre wrung the towel and was confused. “Why is he coming back to see me?”“Silly girl, I refuse to believe that you don’t have the slightest idea about this.” Madame Russell cracked a gentle smile. “Didn't you know that Tobey has liked you since he was a child?”Deirdre choked on the water she was drinking. Madame Russell hastily soothed her. Deirdre recovered from the cough, but she was still in a daze.She regarded Tobey as her elder brother all this time, and they did not interact much with each other before

“Is that so? That would be amazing!” Madame Russell beamed widely. “If that is the case, don’t even think about leaving anymore, Deirdre. You can stay in the village to run a business, and I will also be able to take care of you.“Ophelia is gone, and I don’t want you to go through hardship anymore. Otherwise, I will be too embarrassed to meet Ophelia in the afterlife when I’m gone,” exclaimed Madame Russell.Tears welled up in Deirdre’s eyes because she knew Madame Russell sincerely cared for her. She kept her head lowered.Madame Russell held her hands tightly and said, “Be my daughter-in-law, Deirdre. I like you sincerely, and so does Tobey.”Deirdre could not bring herself to reject Madame Russell, so she paused for a moment before saying, “We’ll see what Tobey thinks about this.”Madame Russell smiled joyously. “Sure, sure, sure! We’ll see what Tobey thinks about this. If he has feelings for you too, I won’t bear to let you leave us anymore.”‘Speak of the devil.’Tobey’s

’First there was Sterling, then Sam, and now there is this Tobey Russell. She has no lack of people who fancy her, so she left without hesitation.’“Mr. Brighthall…” The man at the door was feeling slightly uneasy. When he saw the blood in the intravenous line, he hastily said, “I’m calling the doctor.”“Don’t.” Brendan opened his eyes—they were bloodshot beyond his control. He pulled out his intravenous infusion without any concern for the blood dripping down the back of his hand. “Get me the bus ticket. I’m going to Village Alnwick now. Do it at once, now!”The man said rapidly, “Mr. Brighthall! You still can’t—” He shut his mouth in fear after he met Brendan’s sharp gaze, yet he could not refrain from saying, “Moreover, now is not the best time. We’ve just found Ms. McKinnon and can’t fully confirm if she will stay there. If you show up now, your presence will only hurt her.”“Could it be that you still want her to run away again, Mr. Brighthall? Just recuperate until your bod

Yet, Deirdre could not feign the agony and hatred shown in her body language.She could not bring herself to answer his question within a short period. Tobey expressed his dejection. “So, you do have someone already?”“No,” Deirdre blurted and exhaled a breath.She suppressed the tremble caused by the resistance she felt in her heart and forced a smile with great effort. “I was only caught by surprise. Why did you suddenly ask me this? You also know about my current situation and how I don’t meet many people. How can I possibly have someone I like, huh?”“Really?” Tobey’s eyes glistened with a glint. He leaned closer to her and asked in a lowered voice, “So, Deirdre, can I?”Deirdre was stunned. Tobey continued to say, “Deirdre, I’m not scared to make a fool of myself, but I have liked you since high school. You were very outstanding, and I could not help being attracted to you because you were like the sun. Yet, you were too young, and I was ashamed because of that. I strived t

Soon afterward, the man seemed to notice Deirdre and said in a surprised tone, “Is this… Ms. McKinnon from the Russells?”Deirdre could not answer, but she could only glare at the area before her in fear. Who was the person Declan called out to earlier? Kyran? Who was that?Declan came to understand the situation and chuckled softly. He said in an apologetic tone, “I’m very sorry, Ms. McKinnon. Did my friend scare you? He’s a mute and can’t express himself with speech. He always does something that causes misunderstandings. However, he is a nice person. Please don’t take it to heart.”‘Mute?’ Deirdre was stunned. ‘This man is mute? So… He’s not Brendan?’Deirdre calmed down gradually. If that man were Brendan, he would have already exhausted all sorts of threatening measures to deal with her by now. How would he be so calm and composed that he did not even speak or respond after she hit him?“He…” Deirdre pointed at her forehead and furrowed her eyebrows deeply. “Wiped my forehe