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Chapter 608 You Were Smoking?
The room was unusually cold, too. Someone had opened the window, or the stench would have been even starker.
Deirdre was silent for a bit before she asked, 'You were smoking?"
"Mm." Brendan coughed and cleared his throat. Once his voice regained clarity, he ordered, "The clothes are on
your bed. Change into them. We should get going."
There was no stylist with them. After changing into her getup, Deirdre let her hair free, where it dangled around her
shoulders. Before stepping outside, she put on some lipstick on her lips to look a little more alive.
Brendan stared at her. "Did you put on lipstick?”
'Yes." She brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear and dodged his gaze. "I can't possibly see them without
makeup, but I don't know what else to do. Why? Something wrong?"
"Everything's wrong," he replied brusquely. Stepping forward, he pressed his finger on her supple lips and wiped her
effort away. "You did a crappy job."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtDeirdre was not at all offended. "Sorry. I was literally doing it blindly."
Brendan cast his eyes to the floor. "Give me your lipstick."
She passed it to him, and the man began to work. He cupped her chin and tipped it higher before grazing her lips
with its rouge tip. Steadily, he worked with the precision of a surgeon until a gradient of red materialized.
The intensity in his gaze was starting to send shivers down Deirdre's spine. It was only when his phone rang that she
had the opening to move, opting to cast her unseeing eyes down to the floor frantically. "Are you done?"
Brendan stopped. 'Yes. Let's go."
The call came from Wynne, who had been waiting for them downstairs. Seeing Brendan and Deirdre, he eagerly
stepped forward and greeted them. "Mr. Brigthall! Miss McKinnon! I'm Mr. Cillian King's assistant, Wynne. The
weather's too cold to stay out here for long. Please come inside.”
Brendan helped Deirdre into the car and took his seat. Wynne started the engine and added, "Sorry for keeping the
two of you waiting. Traffic is terrible today."
"We've only just gotten ready," Brendan replied nonchalantly. After watching the road the car took for a while, he
asked, "Aren't we heading to Southmont?"
"The family doesn't stay there anymore, sir. Mrs. King said the family should stay somewhere new and fresh, so
they bought a new place in the city."
"I'm sorry?"
Wynne forwent details. "She believed a house that old would only be haunted sooner or later."
Brendan nodded, but he knew it ran much deeper than that. An old mansion was the pride of many long-standing
elite families, a symbol of their longevity and history. The real reason Mrs. King insisted it must be haunted was that
the death of Declan's mother haunted her. She needed this change of location.
The house was not too far from the hotel Brendan and Deirdre were staying at. Half an hour later, they arrived at
their destination. Even before Brendan got out of the car, Laura was already waiting by the door with a face
brimming with smiles.
"Welcome, welcome! Gillian's upstairs, choosing our wine for the day. Welcome to our home, Mr. Brighthall, Miss
McKinnon!"
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmHer hands were sore from the nipping air. When Deirdre got out of the car, the young woman reached out to hold
her, and the former immediately shuddered at the temperature.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Laura apologized and pulled her hand back.
Deirdre shook her head. 'You've been waiting out here for a while now, haven't you? Aren’t you cold?"
Laura smiled. "Oh, it wasn't that long!"
It had to be at least ten minutes, and Cillian had left his wife in the cold while he himself enjoyed the warmth of his
abode. The callousness of it all pressed against Deirdre's chest and stoked a small fire in her. Brendan would not
have done something like that, even in the past.
The three of them walked side-by-side as they made their way to the entrance. Brendan could not help but notice a
barren patch at the right side of the fountain, which clashed with the surrounding area. "Was something planted
there?”
Laura froze. She turned to see if Wynne followed them. When she saw he was not, she answered, "It used to be a
bed of roses."
Brendan fell silent. It was Deirdre who continued the conversation out of curiosity, "What happened to the roses?"
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