Madame Russell was still speaking, yet blood drained from Deirdre’s face. -Somewhere in a room, Sam took away Madame Russell’s phone and said to the man on the sofa, “The call has been hung up, sir.”Brendan sat on the sofa in the corner, and his chiseled jawline was perfectly separated into dark and light under the dim lighting. His dark pupils were hidden in the shadows and glistening like obsidian. His well-fitted suit complemented his tall, lanky figure, yet his entire person exuded a threatening yet cold presence. He tapped on the sofa’s leather with his finger.It was his first time hearing Deirdre’s voice in the past two weeks. She seemed to be living very well, judging by her voice, much better than when she was with him. At the thought of that, he could not help tightening his fist so strongly until his knuckles turned white.Yet, why would she live so well when she was away from him?She had no money and no lavish lifestyle, but she sounded like she lived every

Henry Walker sized him up and said, “I’m just going to put this out there first. I will allow you to join my company but only because of our past friendship. You won’t be getting the paycheck like other ordinary employees, for sure. Moreover… If you were to commit any crime…”“Don’t worry. I won’t.” Tobey said, “I’m very grateful you’re willing to help me, Mr. Walker. Why would I implicate you? I understand that the medical scene in Substate is quite impressive, so I brought my girlfriend here to seek medical attention. I won’t do anything that is against the law.”At the mention of a girlfriend, Henry looked toward Deirdre and discovered that she had a gentle, beautiful face. Even though she had a blank stare and was dressed plainly, her mannerisms and facial features were extraordinary. His jaw dropped, and he almost dropped the cigarette in his mouth to his pants. “Deirdre? You’re Deirdre? We used to go to the same middle school too! Have you forgotten already?”Deirdre nodded

Deirdre felt drowsy the more she thought about it and shut her eyes as she drifted to sleep. All of a sudden, she felt her calf being touched by someone’s hands. She was jolted awake and opened her eyes to pitch blackness. She heard Tobey’s even breathing sound next to her. Could it be that Tobey touched her in his drunken state?She relaxed her racing heart and was preparing to shut her eyes again when the pair of hands touched her once again and crept upward to her thighs in a chaotic manner. “Who’s there!?” Deirdre was scared out of her wits and struggled in an attempt to get up. In the next moment, a man lay directly on top of her and breathed heavily. Deirdre became fully awake when she smelled the alcoholic stench on the man’s breath. “What are you doing!? Mr. Walker!”She was deeply terrified. ‘How did Henry get into the room? I didn’t hear the sound of the door being unlocked at all!’Henry caressed Deirdre with his hands eagerly and greedily smelled the scent of h

The manager’s interest was piqued upon hearing Deirdre’s final sentence. “Leave your number, and I’ll see if there’s anything up your alley.”Deirdre did not have a phone, so she left Tobey’s phone number. A few days passed, but there was no response. Just as Deirdre thought that she would not be able to land a job, Tobey returned from work at night and told Deirdre, “A woman called me today wanting to talk to you. Her name is Ms. Reed, and she is a manager somewhere.”Deirdre perked up. “What did she say?”Tobey said, “She did not explain in detail after learning that I’m not you. She told me to let you call her back when I’m home.”Deirdre hastily instructed Tobey to call the manager.The manager picked up the call after a while and said before Deirdre could speak, “Is this Miss McKinnon?”“Yes, it’s me!”The manager chuckled and said, “You hit the jackpot. I chatted with a highly-respectable professor with whom I have a rather close relationship, and he wanted to commis

Julia was especially displeased. “Why are you smiling?”“Nothing. There’s something that I need you to know. Professor Ward hired me, so it ought to be Professor Ward who speaks to me in person if he wants to fire me. Only then I’ll leave. Even if you have the courage to infuriate me, I will not leave here either.”Julia narrowed her eyes. “Why? Do you love this job so much that you will put up with a person like me?”Deirdre said honestly, “It’s because I need money and need to make a living to support myself. If you were to pay me a full 40,000 dollars, perhaps I might consider not working as your piano teacher and tender my resignation on my own accord.”Julia was stunned for a moment before she said angrily, “You wish!”Then, the lesson lasted until night.Deirdre could tell that Julia was rather interested in playing the piano because she stopped being so cynical when she was engrossed in the lesson.Deirdre met Professor Ward at night, and he sounded like a kind, easygoing