“I was about to go abroad then. At that time, I had decided never to come back, so I used that opportunity to tell him upfront. Told him it’s best we never talk to each other again.”

“Then why did you come back? When you showed up when Brendan needed you the most!”

“Miss McKinnon?” Declan was baffled by Deirdre’s accusatory snap. Frowning, he explained, “I came back for two reasons. One, I wanted to see my mother’s grave. Two, I changed my mind.”

He exhaled a breath. “My mother’s death is connected to Cillian and his mother, Miss McKinnon. I was too young to protect her… I couldn’t save her from them. But now, I’m older. I have more means now. I came back because I wanted to start my business empire here and… avenge my mother.”

Deirdre froze. She had not realized that the enmity between Declan and Cillian ran this deep. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…”

“All’s good.” He flashed a smile. “I doggedly insist on hiding all of this history from people, so it’s only natural that you knew nothing o