"How did you get here? I came out of the house and couldn't find you and Tilly. I thought—" Sterling glanced around and spotted Sean hiding behind Deirdre. He was momentarily stunned and asked, "Who is he?"Deirdre exchanged a look with Sterling. "Is the house ready? Take Tilly inside first."Even though Sterling had no idea what was happening, he nodded and carried Tilly into the villa. The group entered the house.During their entry, Deirdre couldn't help but observe Sean. His face seemed oddly familiar, though she couldn't pinpoint why...She noticed that his gaze lacked the usual naivety for someone his age. Instead, he appeared delicate, like a fragile marionette. He showed no opinion and displayed no fear toward strangers. All he seemed to care about was the puppy in his arms.Deirdre felt pity for him, so she held his hand and said, "I'll give you a shower first while Uncle Sterling prepares a meal. You can eat after you've showered."Sean allowed himself to be led by her.

Brendan's tone was calmer as he admitted, "I take responsibility for not managing your relationship with him properly."He instructed the bodyguard, "Continue searching for Sean. Expand the search area and review all surveillance footage."The bodyguard left, and Emily asked, "Brendan, are you attending the charity ball that Deirdre will be attending?""Why?" Brendan inquired.Emily suppressed the hesitation in her gaze. "I was thinking that you would receive an invitation to the event. It crossed my mind that I could attend as your female companion, allowing me to connect with several people."Brendan remained silent for a moment before speaking. "If you want to go, I'll take you there. I also want to find out if Deirdre knows anything about Sean's whereabouts. If she is indeed involved in his disappearance, I won't let her get away with it."-On the day of the dinner party, Deirdre stood before the mirror, examining herself.She wore a black silk gown that gracefully hugged

Emily glared fiercely at Deirdre from beneath the stage, gnashing her teeth tightly. Deirdre could see now, and she appeared even more beautiful and alluring than before. Emily couldn't deny that she had panicked when she saw Deirdre.She quickly turned her head to look at the man beside her. Brendan's dark eyes reflected Deirdre's image, and he never looked away from her. Restless, Emily couldn't resist tugging at Brendan's sleeve."What's happening?" Brendan asked, lowering his head to hear her.Emily forced a chuckle. "I'm not feeling well, Brendan. Could you please get me some antacid from a waiter?""Sure." Brendan complied without hesitation. He would always fulfill Emily's requests without complaint.By the time he returned, Deirdre's performance had ended, and the crowd erupted in thunderous applause. He handed the medicine and water to Emily. She leaned close to Brendan, grabbing the medicine and stuffing it into her mouth to display their love to Deirdre. It brought her

Deirdre glanced at her reflection in the mirror as an unwelcome guest barged into the washroom. She kept a barely discernible smile and pretended not to notice. Opening her clutch, she took out her lipstick to freshen up her makeup.Unable to contain her impatience, Emily glared at Deirdre's beautiful face with bloodshot, bloodthirsty eyes."I'm curious about who saved your life," Emily said, puzzled by Deirdre's presence when she was supposed to be dead. Accepting this reality proved challenging for her.Emily stubbornly refused to accept responsibility for her foolishness and underestimation of her enemy, which ultimately led to Deirde's resurrection."You bribed that old woman, didn't you? She didn't administer the poison and helped you escape death. I never expected a woman like you to live such a long life."In fact, Emily's muttering to herself bordered on insanity.Leaning against the counter, Deirdre turned her head slowly. "You're wrong. I was indeed administered the poi

"Killed?" Brendan's expression turned cold as he spoke. "If you consider your current condition as being killed, countless people will admire you for your ability to do so, right? But after all this time, have you not missed the child? Why are you only showing up now to see the child?"Deirdre finally lost her cool. She wished she could kill Brendan. How dare he mention the child in her presence at this point? She had never met the child since it was born, and afterward, she was almost poisoned to death. What was she supposed to do?Ignoring the hatred in Deirdre's eyes, Brendan furrowed his eyebrow. "It's fine if you loathe me, but you shouldn't have taken the child without informing me.""What did you say?" Deirdre managed to remain sensible despite her anger. "Please clarify your statement. What do you mean by me taking the child without informing you? What have I taken?"Brendan narrowed his eyes. "Didn't you take the child?""Have you lost your mind? I haven't even seen the c