“Either you jump, or your family business is wiped out of the face of this city. Your call,” Brendan sneered. He pulled Deirdre even closer in his arms and smirked. “I bet someone who knows I’m a Brighthall would also know who I am, right? I can destroy a small-fry company with a snap of my finger, so maybe don’t try my patience.”“N-No, Mr. Brighthall! No!” Zinerva pleaded, alarmed.Deirdre had almost died just now because nobody helped. Judging by Brendan’s tone, nobody would dare to even rescue Zinerva unless he allowed them to! “I can’t swim, Mr. Brighthall— I’ll die if I go down there! Please, show some mercy! It was just an accident!”Brendan’s tone was as frigid as permafrost. “Three. Two.”Zinerva’s lips trembled. Everything she had worked hard for—her image, her reputation, everything—was going to ruins. If news of this got out… she would become the joke of the circle. She could kiss her dream of becoming a socialite goodbye!But Brendan would punish her family’s company

”What is it for? To call that man?”Deirdre did not try to deny it. “I haven’t been in contact with him for a while by now, and with my phone going awry… I worry that he might try to call me and get no answer. So, I thought I had to call him first. Tell him I’m doing fine.”Brendan’s thoughts began to clash with one another. The phone he used to roleplay Kyran was damaged as well when he dove into the pool. If Deirdre called it now, Brendan could not answer it. And Deirdre would definitely begin to imagine paranoia-fueling scenarios.He turned to the bellboy. “It’s alright. You can go now.”The bellboy stiffened a little. “Uh, what about the phone?”“Take it away.”Deirdre’s eyes trembled. Grabbing Brendan’s robe by his collar, she protested. “No, don’t do this. Just this one call, Brendan. One call. I just need to tell him my phone is busted. Please…”He frowned. “Have I ever stopped you from talking to that man, McKinnon? I’m not trying to drive a wedge between the two of you.

Brendan shot her a sideways glance. Deadpanned, he asked, “And how did you guess that?”“I knocked on your door a while ago, and no one answered, so I went to ask the front desk,” answered Deirdre candidly. “She was the one who told me you went out last night.”Brendan shut his eyes tiredly. “That’s true,” he said flatly. “I went out.”Deirdre sank into silence. She looked at him, her confusion growing as seconds crawled. Was he not going to explain himself? Explain why he went out?She took a deep breath and asked, “The receptionist said you were looking for phone stores. Now, why would you do that?”He rested for a bit before twitching his lips into a smirk. “What answer are you hoping to gain, McKinnon?”Deirdre was stunned. “Do you want me to say, ‘Oh, I went to look for a phone store late at night for your sake? Because I don’t want you to be sad anymore?’ Or do you expect me to say, ‘Because I really care for you!’, hmm?”Deirdre was hard-pressed to answer him. If anythi

The room was unusually cold, too. Someone had opened the window, or the stench would have been even starker. Deirdre was silent for a bit before she asked, “You were smoking?”“Mm.” Brendan coughed and cleared his throat. Once his voice regained clarity, he ordered, “The clothes are on your bed. Change into them. We should get going.”There was no stylist with them. After changing into her getup, Deirdre let her hair free, where it dangled around her shoulders. Before stepping outside, she put on some lipstick on her lips to look a little more alive.Brendan stared at her. “Did you put on lipstick?”“Yes.” She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and dodged his gaze. “I can’t possibly see them without makeup, but I don’t know what else to do. Why? Something wrong?”“Everything’s wrong,” he replied brusquely. Stepping forward, he pressed his finger on her supple lips and wiped her effort away. “You did a crappy job.”Deirdre was not at all offended. “Sorry. I was literally

Joy probably sensed the enmity between these two adults. She suddenly balled her fists and bawled loudly, causing Deirdre to panic a little. “Hush, hush. Don’t cry, Little Joy. Joy is happy, isn’t she? Aunt Deirdre is here with you.”Laura led Cillian down the stairs just in time and stepped forward, her arms outstretched. “Don’t worry, Miss McKinnon. She’s throwing another tantrum again, really.”The child’s crying seemed to have spoiled Cillian’s good mood. Irritated, he snarled, “Can you put a cork to it already? This thing doesn’t stop crying, whether it’s day or night! And now she’s throwing a stupid fit in front of my guests? Christ! Take her upstairs! You two embarrassed me enough!”Laura’s face turned pale. She hurriedly apologized and brought the kid with her upstairs. Incensed, Deirdre spoke out. “Mr. King, if I may… Every child cries. It’s a very common, natural thing to do.”“Natural?” Cillian snorted. “A boy would have been less of an emotional nuisance.”Deirdre na