Just like Madame Brighthall’s remark, Deirdre had been staying at home because she was not presentable.Brendan wanted to add on, but his phone rang. Sawyer’s voice came from the other end when he accepted the phone call. “Mr. Brighthall, Madame McKinnon has arrived. Shall I let her enter the mansion now? Or…”Brendan was about to command Sawyer to let her in when he saw Deirdre abruptly lift her head, and her eyes lit up. Hence, he changed his command to “Just let her wait outside.”He put down the phone and asked, “Would you like to welcome her on your own? Let me take you there.”Deirdre couldn’t restrain her excitement. While nodding her head, she tidied up her messy hair nervously. Even though she had an ugly face, she still hoped that her appearance wouldn’t scare Ophelia.With Brendan’s support, Deirdre went down the stairs and went straight to the door.From afar, Brendan had seen the woman at the door.Even though he clearly understood that the woman was a stranger whos

Deirdre smelled a faint sweet osmanthus fragrance from Ophelia. Although it wasn’t strong, it didn’t escape Deirdre’s nose.It was because she clearly recalled that Ophelia would cover her nose and cough each time they passed by the sweet osmanthus tree at the entrance to the slum. Ophelia was allergic to the sweet osmanthus, so much so that she would feel itchy and cough non-stop with just the smell of it.“What is it?” When Maeve became aware of Deirdre’s stiff reaction, she caressed Deirdre’s face as she asked, “Why did you suddenly get into a daze?”“Nothing…” Deirdre forced a smile. She lowered her head and said, “It’s just that I smell the fragrance on you. It smells very good. What kind of perfume is it?”“Oh.” Maeve was relieved and smiled. “I don’t wear any perfume. I think it’s probably the fragrance in the hotel. After staying there for a day, my clothes are stained.”“Is it sweet osmanthus?”“Yes.” Maeve nodded. “I think it’s this smell.”Deirdre suddenly pressed her

Deirdre’s eyes were filled with uncontrollable joy and reddened from holding back her tears. She inhaled a deep breath and said, “Thank you, Brendan.”She spoke in all apparent seriousness, and there was gratitude in her eyes. However, Brendan was not pleased by her gaze. On the contrary, he felt a knot in the pit of his stomach and felt suffocated. Deirdre was the only person who was unaware that Ophelia was already dead. He was making up a fake world just to delude her.He could not afford to accept her gratitude. “I told you that I don’t like the words ‘thank you’.” Brendan’s dark eyes turned dim, and he abruptly got up from his seat. “I’m sure that both of you have a lot to talk about because you’ve just been reunited after so long. I’m going to do some work in the study room. You can come to me if you have anything important.”He walked upstairs and took a seat in the study room. The desk was stacked with documents, yet he could not bear to read even one word. He felt an

Deirdre knew that Brendan was looking at her from the moment he raised his head.It was because she could feel his intense gaze. She could still feel his gaze stopping on her face even when all she could see was darkness. Deirdre lowered her gaze and felt so overwhelmed with emotions in her heart that she could not even hear her own breathing.Brendan leaned over to kiss Deirdre’s lips. He took his sweet time and kissed her gently but affectionately as if he was conquering her with all his life’s patience.“Brendan…” Deirdre pushed him because she was having trouble getting accustomed to this. “Don’t do this…”“Don’t do what?” Brendan asked her with his deep, dark eyes staring at her, “Don’t stand so close to you, don’t kiss you like this, or don't say what I said to you earlier?”Deirdre clutched Brendan’s arms tightly and felt his warm breath blowing on the side of her face. “Tell me, Deirdre. You can tell me anything. I’ll satisfy you and meet your needs.”At last, Deirdre

Before Deirdre shut her eyes, she wrapped her arms around Maeve’s arm and said, “I feel lucky that you’re still alive, mother. Don’t be saddened by dad's death. I’ll protect you from now on, and I will live well for you.”She fell asleep drowsily while Maeve’s eyes widened. She was so deeply moved by Deirdre’s remark that she didn’t know what to say. What would the real Ophelia say at this very moment? She could not figure out an answer. The phone in her pocket vibrated. She waited until Deirdre was in a deep sleep before she moved away Deirdre’s arms cautiously and got out of bed. She walked out of the room to find Brendan smoking at the door. There were already a few cigarette butts scattered on the ground. His dark eyes were narrowed as he looked up to the first floor and said without even turning to Maeve, “Is Deirdre suspicious?”Maeve shook her head. “It is apparent that she isn’t. Ms. McKinnon is very pure and will go straight to the point and express something that is bot

Sam stood in the same spot while Deirdre walked ahead for two steps before she noticed that Sam was not by her side. “Sam?”“I’m here.” Sam caught up to her in a few steps, and they walked together on the flat ground. Deirdre said, “What happened? Why are you suddenly so quiet? I thought something bad had happened.”Sam felt a tight knot in the pit of his stomach as he looked at Deirdre’s lively mannerisms, her smile, and her gentleness. He suddenly empathized with Brendan’s feelings. ‘If this lie can be sustained forever, will that be a good thing for Deirdre?’“Nothing much. I saw a child running about on the road earlier, so I stopped to check the traffic.”“Children are always mischievous.” Deirdre’s smile became frozen for a moment, but she quickly changed the conversation topic. They were not far from the villa, so they chatted harmoniously while they walked and arrived at the courtyard soon.However, Sam saw a tall and huge figure from afar, even before they reached

It would be impossible that he did not feel angry because of his icy cold answer. Deirdre sat on the sofa in a daze and attempted to test his mood by pouring him warm water. “Warm your hands first. It must be cold outside.”Brendan stared at Deirdre and felt his anger diminish substantially after seeing her nose and hands reddened by the cold. He received the mug and said, “Do you know why I’m angry?”Deirdre shook her head. “You could have informed me before you left the house, and I could have kept you company. You left without saying anything, so how am I supposed to explain to Ophelia if she’s worried?”Deirdre lowered her head. “I didn’t know that you’d be up so early.”“Remember to come and knock on my door right away if there’s anything next time.”He did not wish to see Sam and Deirdre walking together anymore. Even though Sam was obedient, it did not signify that he was prepared to tolerate Sam spending time with Deirdre. “Alright.”Deirdre nodded without the s

“Don’t move!”He suppressed his anger and waited until Deirdre’s finger stopped bleeding at last before he went looking for the first aid kit left by Dr. Ginger in haste. The temperature of the man’s lips was still lingering on Deirdre’s finger. She was supposed to feel the stinging pain of the cut, yet the finger felt burning hot for no apparent reason. She could clearly remember that Brendan was a neat freak, yet he did not mind doing that for her.‘Has he lost his mind…’“Give me your hand.”Brendan’s tone was filled with intense anger, but he had not lost his temper. Instead, he dressed Deirdre’s wound with a bandaid meticulously. He did not speak even after he was done. Deirdre was rather anxious. “Are you angry, Brendan?”“Is there nothing else that you can say other than this?”Brendan answered in a hostile manner. He was so fueled by anger that he could lose his temper at any moment.Deirdre bit her lower lip tightly. “It’s because you are angry… but you’re not v

It was Brendan’s first time relenting and giving her permission to go out. Deirdre’s empty eyes were glistening with a glint. Brendan said, “Sam won’t be coming, so only both of you are going. Remember to be back before six and don’t catch a cold.”“Alright.” Deirdre was delighted. “We will be back soon.”“Hmm.” Brendan was done with his breakfast, so he was preparing to leave. He tossed an ATM card to Deirdre before he left. “There are four million dollars in the card, so there should be more than enough to cover the expenditure for both of you today. Call me if it’s not enough. You know my number.”“It’s fine…” Deirdre swallowed her words after blurting out her rejection. They were a married couple now, so it was very normal for Brendan to give money to his wife for shopping. If she were to reject him, it would make them appear estranged and stir up Ophelia’s suspicion easily. “Alright.”Brendan did not speak more but left with Sam.Deirdre and Maeve waited until the weath

“Is there anybody else with them?”The sales associate shook her head. “Just the mother and daughter. I have yet to see anybody else with them.”Charlene’s pupils constricted abruptly, and she clutched the sales associate’s arm. “Mother and daughter? What do you mean by mother and daughter?”She was really agitated. The sales associate looked anxious because she had no idea what she had done to trigger Charlene’s anger. She answered cautiously, “You asked about those two. They are mother and daughter… The first thing the young woman with the disfigured face said when she entered the shop was that she’s shopping for clothes for her mother. What else can they be if not mother and daughter…”Charlene was extremely shocked. No one knew better than her that Ophelia was already dead. She had died a year ago. Hence, Deirdre could not have a mother. She pressed the sales associate with a gloomy expression by saying, “Are you sure? Are you sure that the young woman acknowledged the othe