‘Am I being jealous?’

At the thought of this, Deirdre felt her chest suddenly tighten, and her heart was pounding.

Brendan lost track of time until he freed himself from work.

He felt a sharp pain radiating from his temples. He suppressed the feeling of lethargy and could not help cracking a smile at the thought of the woman waiting for him in the room.

He left the study and walked along the corridor to Deirdre’s room. Yet, he was caught off guard when he saw an enchanting figure standing there.

“Miss Collins?”

Emily turned around with a cigarette between her fingers. She put out the cigarette in embarrassment the moment she saw Brendan.

“Mr. Brighthall? You’re actually still in the study so late at night?”

Emily was astonished. Then, she smiled and said, “You caught me smoking, and it’s really quite embarrassing. Have I ruined my graceful image?”

Brendan was unbothered. “It’s a person’s choice to smoke, but it doesn’t ruin one’s image.”

“Is that so?” Emily appeared to b