Charlene tutted repeatedly. “Deirdre, do you think that the woman who talked and laughed with you was really Ophelia? Why are you so naive that you would believe it’s true when Brendan just hired someone casually to portray her?“Would the real Ophelia be so much taller than you, so young, and shop for clothing with you like an ordinary person? Besides, you couldn’t see her face because you’re blind. Don’t be a fool. The woman takes care of her complexion very well, and not even a trace of wrinkles can be found on her face. Could you not have noticed it when you touched her with your hands? It would be utterly impossible for a woman like her to be the mother who lived in the slums and endured hardships with you!”“Shut up!” Deirdre widened her eyes in shock and felt a heavy weight bearing down on her chest. It felt suffocating. ‘What?‘What is Charlene talking about?‘Is the woman who was talking and laughing with me earlier not… Ophelia? Is she not the mother who raised me?‘Ho

Deirdre’s lips were trembling, and she stretched out her hand with great effort. “Mother, can I… touch your hands?”She knew Ophelia’s hands. They were a pair of old hands covered in calluses that felt very different even at a very young age, especially in some spots. She had not felt out Ophelia’s hands seriously before this but she had grown suspicious after Charlene’s remarks. Maeve’s heart was racing. “What’s going on? What’s going on with you… Deirdre?”“I’m fine…” Deirdre took a deep breath and cracked a fake smile with great difficulty. “I used to hold your hand frequently in the past and I missed doing that all of a sudden. I yearned for the feeling of you holding my hand when you walked me home after school…”“I see.” Maeve smiled, but her heart was still on guard. She had figured out that Deirdre must have noticed something. At the same time that a feeling of uneasiness grew in her, she had no choice but to stretch out her hand. “Alright, I shall hold my little Deird

“Ah, ah.” Dr. Ginger adjusted his tie and said, looking unconcerned, “From Ms. McKinnon. Didn’t she go shopping today? She came home with gifts and brought me this tie. Sam got a gift too. His gift was a phone accessory.”Sam, who was following Brendan, was caught off guard for a moment. Brendan’s sharp eyebrows were tightly furrowed. He had given Deirdre permission to go out yet she seemed to be thinking about other men too. “Where is the phone accessory?” Dr. Ginger pointed at the coffee table and said, “I have one more appointment today, Mr. Brighthall. I shall…”“Go.”Brendan waved his hand to dismiss Dr. Ginger impatiently and made his way to the coffee table swiftly. There was a phone case with a puppy print in the gift box on the coffee table, and the case looked unusually adorable. When Sam’s gaze landed on the case, he could not look away. Brendan turned around and glared at Sam with an icy gaze. “Do you like it?”Sam shook her head and said hesitantly, “Ms. McKi

When those words were spoken, Brendan did not realize what was happening yet. “Money? What money?”“The money I spent to buy the gifts… I don’t have a source of income for the time being, so I spent the money on your ATM card. I’ll figure out a way to pay you back.”There was agitation in Brendan’s eyes. He had never cared less about things like money and he was delighted that Deirdre had spent his money. “Why do you have to draw such a clear distinction?” He then said in an unkind tone, “Did you think I’d care about a few thousand dollars?”Deirdre was silent. ‘If that is not a problem, why did he bring up this issue?’Brendan took a deep breath and got straight to the point by saying, “Where’s mine?“What is it?“You brought gifts for Dr. Ginger and Sam, so do you have one for me too?”Deirdre was stunned upon hearing that. Brendan furrowed his eyebrows, his gaze darkening when he saw Deirdre’s surprised expression. “You didn’t get me anything, huh, Deirdre?”“I…” Deirdre

Brendan’s body tensed up without him realizing it. It had always bothered him that Deirdre might discover the truth, so he immediately inquired, “Where is she? Is she still suspicious?”Maeve shook her head and raised her calloused hands. “I’m lucky that I prepared in advance and dispelled Ms. McKinnon’s doubts at once.”“Great then.” Brendan’s expression was gloomy. “It is apparent that something happened while you were in the changing room. It’s highly possible that some loudmouth talked to her, and I’ll look into this matter. Just do your part of the job.”“Alright.” Maeve was sensible enough to get ready to leave. “Hold on.” Brendan called out to Maeve. He furrowed his eyebrows and said, “Were you by Deirdre’s side at all times while she bought the gifts?”“Yes. How can I help, Mr. Brighthall?”“Did she purchase anything else other than gifts for Sam and Dr. Ginger?”Maeve pondered it for a while before she said in frustration, “I don’t remember so well. I remember walking

Deirdre was hesitant. ‘Would I have been unhappy? In the past, I wouldn’t have been happy indeed. ‘Not only would I have been unhappy, but my heart would have bled, and I would have felt suffocated. ‘But how could the all-superior Brendan share the same way of thinking as my past self?’“I’ll think about it.”Deirdre lowered her gaze as she answered. Soon, she heard the pleasant sound of a piano playing next to her. It was apparent that the piano was a high-quality one, and the tune it played was immersive. She could not help feeling tempted. Maeve could see that and said in an exploratory tone, “Would you like to play it, Deirdre?”“Me?” Deirdre was embarrassed. “I can’t. I have very limited skills because I only took lessons for a short while. Besides, I can’t see anymore, so perhaps I have already lost those skills.”“How can you be certain that you can’t do it if you don’t try?”Maeve called over the waiter and asked if they could play the piano. The waiter did not r

’Oh, right. Brendan…’Deirdre’s eyes were filled with disappointment, as she knew that Brendan would never agree to that. Maeve’s heart melted with pity when she saw how dejected Deirdre was. “Deirdre, isn’t it nice to stay in the villa? Why do you want to get a job so badly?”“I suppose it’s because I need the slightest sense of recognition and I want to feel needed by the world?” Deirdre said in a self-mocking tone. “Plus, I can’t keep depending on someone else to provide for me. If I perform well at this job, it will signify that I could survive somewhere else from now on. In case… In case you need help, I will be able to fork out money for you without relying on Brendan.”Maeve was surprised to learn that Deirdre wished to be independent. She found it hard to imagine that a woman who was almost incapable of living independently would think like that. She realized that Deirdre wanted to rely on herself if she could instead of being content with her current life. At that ver

“I can give you money if that is what you want, and the villa has never treated you shabbily if all you want is a place to live. But you still insist on going outside and claim that you’re not trying to run away?”Brendan spoke in a stern voice. He got up from the chair, moved closer to Deirdre, and clutched her shoulders. “Deirdre, I spoiled you by letting you go outside in the past few days and you’ve become wildly ambitious. Now you think you’re strong enough to leave?”Deirdre was pinned against the door and felt deeply powerless when she heard Brendan’s furious remark. “Brendan, I’m a living human being. Don’t I even have the right to go and get a job?”“You have to be capable of taking care of yourself if you want to go out and get a job. Could you live through the winter out there without me? I’m afraid no one would know even if you froze to death out there!”Brendan had initially intended to tell Deirdre that the outside world would never tolerate a blind person, yet his re

“I’ve never seen Ms. McKinnon being so lively. I believe that you will certainly be pleasantly surprised if you see her perform one day. You want to give Ms. McKinnon a reason to live. I can see that Ms. McKinnon loves to play the piano deeply. Just give her a chance to do that and perhaps it will become the gleam of hope she needs to hang on to life.”Brendan shifted his gaze to Maeve’s face, his expression emotional and his flawless, gorgeous face overwhelmed with complicated emotions at that very moment. “So you’re implying that I should agree to her suggestion, right?”Maeve smiled. “I’m only working for you, Mr. Brighthall. Other than performing my job with great effort, there’s nothing else that I’m trying to do here. I’m only telling you what I can see, Mr. Brighthall.”She adjusted the scarf she had wrapped around her body. “You stay here for the night, Mr. Brighthall. I’ll sleep in the guestroom.”Upon saying that, Maeve began to walk away. Then, she stopped halfway and

She had bought him this gift at the very least. Brendan wanted to smoke a cigarette to calm the burning sensation in his chest yet he realized that his hand was shaking. He grasped his hand, the one that was holding the cufflinks, with his other hand and got up to leave after a while. He pulled out his phone to make a call. “Help me look into the Oak restaurant to see if there’s anything fishy about it.”…Deirdre had lost track of time by the time she opened her eyes and saw that the other side of the bed was still neat. She removed the blanket and walked out of the room just in time to bump into Maeve. “You’re awake? What happened? Why are you in such a rush?”“Nothing happened.” Deirdre calmed down. She had assumed that Brendan would get rid of Ophelia since she had offended him yesterday. “Why didn’t you sleep in the room yesterday, mother?”“Ah.” Maeve answered casually, “I felt sick and I was afraid that it might be contagious, so I slept in the other room.”She chan