Deirdre was ungrateful no matter how well he treated her. On the contrary, she loathed him for meddling in her business and wished that he would leave her.

If Sterling had given her the dog as a gift, he figured that she would have immediately given herself to him as a sign of appreciation.

Brendan felt jealous at the thought of this possibility. He clenched his fists tightly, and his expression turned even colder. “You’re overthinking. A woman like her doesn’t deserve to be treated well by me. I thought of doing it at the time because the dog died in my backyard.”

“Is that so?” Charlene’s eyes turned gloomy, yet there was nothing she could do to object. She bit her red lips gently and said, “So it turns out that you’re now showing concern for Ms. McKinnon on purpose, Brendan. In that case, my mind can be at ease. It’s possible that I’m not magnanimous enough and I want to have all your attention. Am I being selfish?”

“How can you be?” Brendan looked at Charlene’s conflicted expr