‘This is preposterous,’ thought Deirdre inwardly. In the past, she would most certainly have been overjoyed if Brendan had promised to be with her for the rest of her life. However, she found it amusing now and nothing else. Brendan’s gaze dimmed little by little and turned icy. He did not look away from Deirdre’s face for even the slightest bit, but the warmth in his expression had vanished into nothingness at that very moment. “Will you die if you don’t meet Ophelia?” he said mockingly. Deirdre paused for a moment and said confidently, “Yes, I will die if I don’t meet my mother.”Brendan tightened his grip abruptly and swept her away from his thigh in a rage. Deirdre lost her balance and landed on the carpeted floor. She did not find it unusual despite being surprised as it had already been a long time since Brendan had experienced any mood swings. Noticing that Brendan was about to leave, she did not care about the pain anymore. Instead, she got up in haste and said, “B

Charlene said, “Why would he bully me, huh… It’s just that…”Her eyes were red from tears, and she assumed an act of grievance, saying, “He picked up a woman’s call after he left with me yesterday. He left me all alone suddenly, and I couldn't help asking the people around him, only to find out that…”Madame Brighthall frowned. “Find out what?”“I found out that he has a woman stowed away in the villa,” Charlene explained in a haste. “But I’ve always trusted Brendan, and I know that he is not that kind of man. Perhaps the woman is just Brendan’s friend, but it’s possible that it was just a fling… I’m fine. I just don’t feel very good. I don’t have a family, so I regard you as my biological mother and I couldn’t help telling you. Please don’t blame him, mother!”Madame Brighthall looked angry. “Is that true? I have to get to the bottom of it! If Brendan has a mistress, I won’t allow it, and the rest of the Brighthall ancestors won’t allow it, either!”Upon saying that, Madame Brigh

“You’re not? Do you think I’m blind? Anyone can see the love bites on your neck!” Madame Brighthall was so furious that she felt dizzy and her head began to throb in waves. It took her quite a while to continued, “I know that my son is to blame as well. I’ll punish him properly, but you must leave this place immediately! You’re not allowed to have any contact with Brendan from now on!“As a woman, you should be ashamed of yourself. Hasn’t your mother taught you that it’s immoral to be someone's mistress? Do you know how much your behavior has hurt Charlene?”Deirdre’s eyes reddened with tears abruptly. Madame Brighthall was the family member that she thought the highest of, other than her own mother. On the other hand, Madame Brighthall had spoken to her with immense coldness and disgust today just to defend Charlene, the most scheming woman she knew. Her eyes stung, and she felt pain tugging in her chest. She had never been that shameless or agreed to be someone’s mistress. Sh

Charlene covered her mouth in a haste as if she had misspoken. She then explained in a flurry, “No… Ms. McKinnon didn’t do that on purpose. It’s possible that she loved Brendan too much at the time and did it out of spite… I choose to forgive her!”“Why are you still putting in a good word for her when she almost crippled your leg? You’re too kind, Charlene!” Madame Brighthall looked at Deirdre as if she was protecting a young child. She said in a voice tainted with anger, “I didn’t expect that you’d not only enjoy ruining their relationship but you’d also hurt people despite your young age. I was still rather fond of you when I met you previously. Leave at once! Don’t let me see you again from now on!”Madame Brighthall used to be the only person who defended her in the past, but she was protecting the real Charlene now, as she had just ordered Deirdre to leave the villa. Deirdre’s hands were shaking behind her back, and she lowered her head. “I’m sorry…”‘I’m sorry that I disgus

Madame Brighthall was stunned for a moment before she said furiously, “Where is she? She’s gone, of course! This is the house you share with Charlene. Why would a nobody like her show up at the villa? She left a long time ago!”“Left?” Brendan’s pupils constricted. “She can’t see! How could you just let her leave like that!”Madame Brighthall had been blinded by rage at the time. Now that she realized what she had done, she felt guilty but she still said stubbornly, “So what if she can’t see? She’s not a fool. She’s a grown woman. Can’t she make a call herself or borrow a phone from someone else to call her family or friends after leaving this place?”Brendan felt his head spinning and his heart racing. ‘Family or friends? How could Deirdre still have any family or friends?’Her mother was dead, and the only person she could depend on was Madame Brighthall, who had spoken to her harshly. As for Sterling, she had already been forced to break ties with him thanks to Brendan. She wo

A bucket of ice-cold water was poured all over her face. Deirdre’s opened wide from shock. She realized she could not move. Her limbs were tied.The woman who had woken her up scanned her. Disgust was dripping from her words. “Eew, what the hell? It’s bad enough that she looks like a horror movie—she’s way too skinny and frail to even satisfy a customer! I swear, Mr. Brighthall is unbelievable.”Someone was quick to appease her, saying, “Well, it’s more about doing Mr. Brighthall a favor, right? You know he’s gonna remember this and repay you with lots of goodies in the future, Madam Rouge!” “Pfft. A favor. I’d love to do him a favor, but God! This b*tch can’t even attract a man in heat,” Madam Rouge sneered. Clamping a cigarette between her fingers, she strutted toward Deirdre and frowned. “Holy sh*t. Hell, no! This b*tch is blind!”Deirdre felt a chill crawling up her spine. ‘So Brendan… is the one behind this?‘Has he finally grown sick of me, after all? He has grown weary o

The man’s eyes blazed at the suggestion, but in the blink of an eye, his hesitation stopped him. “Madam Rouge told me never to take it off, sweetheart…”“I-It’s… okay… Take it off… K-K-Kiss me…” Deirdre was slurring through a bloody foam. Her voice was quivering, but to the ears of a red-blooded man in flames, it was as if she was mewing in welcome.She had such a mellifluous voice. A lithe body so fine that her appearance must surely reflect this even if she did not look like a literal goddess. Besides, the mask was starting to get in his way. How could anyone enjoy this without seeing the face a woman made?He yanked the mask away from Deirdre’s face without any reservations. “Here comes the sun, princess!”His gleeful eyes fell upon her visage. The light in the hotel room, dim as it was, hid nothing.He realized he had been lusting after the face of a freak. Her features, in turn, were seared into his eyes. The man cried out and jerked away, losing control of his balance an

Brendan’s mien turned stormy. He espied a bucket of water next to a mop nearby and poured it all over Deirdre’s face. The chill woke Deirdre from her drug-induced stupor. Her newfound sobriety was met with more abuse. “Are you awake now?! I’m your husband! Who else could you possibly want other than me?! Are you really the kind of cheap sl*t who can’t help but spread her legs for anyone with a di*k as long as he’s nice?”‘My husband?’ Deirdre parroted inwardly.Tears welled up in her eyes. She wanted to laugh. For two long years, she had suffered so much because of this stupid title, and what had she gotten in return? This arduous, inescapable hell. This proclamation had ceased bringing her joy. “Yes! I am that kind of cheap sl*t! I’ll let any man screw me! Anyone!” Her knees were wobbling, but she willed herself to stand firm. “Anyone except you, Brendan Brighthall.”“How dare you!” he howled before he raised his hand.Deirdre could feel the breeze of his motion. She then c

Brendan’s temper reached its boiling point. His grip around Deirdre’s wrist tightened like a clamp intended to grind human bones. Fire was burning in his eyes, and if homicide was legal, Deirdre would be dead right there and then.“Congratulations, Deirdre. You’ve really pissed me off!”Pain drained the color from Deirdre’s face. Before she even knew what was happening, Brendan had forcibly trawled her away despite her fumbling, staggering footsteps. He lugged her all the way to his hotel room and chucked her against the bathroom floor. There was not enough time for the pain to subside. Deirdre had barely opened her eyes when chilling water from the showerhead above poured mercilessly over her. The cold was biting, and Deirdre trembled. “Stop! Brendan, stop!”“Stop? Stop?!” he scoffed. Instead of honoring her plea, he lifted her head up so he could spray even more water over her head and body. “How else am I gonna cleanse you of your filth, you wh*re? The last thing I want is sm

Brendan’s other two bodyguards stood behind Sam. They clearly had their own opinions about the entire incident, but even they knew better than to speak loudly between themselves.“What the hell has been up with Mr. Brighthall lately, man? He’s been acting like he lost his soul and his will to live just because a blind-*ss woman went missing,” one of them whispered. He was wearing a look that was not subtle by any means. “You don’t think… he’s fallen in love with that freak, do you?”“Bro, you’re really acting like this couldn’t just be the concern and worry of a decent human being,” the other man replied. “Come on, man. Mr. Brighthall and that freak? It’d be like an elf prince marrying an ogress, bro! Hell, I bet there are ogresses who are even more pleasing to the eye. She looks like a pile of shi—”“Shut uuuuuuup!” Sam suddenly snapped, shattering his self-imposed silence. His eyes were wild with fury. It was genuinely unsettling to see someone famous for being approachable and