Chapter 1026 I Can Not Reach His Number

As Mrs. Engel laid the food on the table, Deirdre beckoned to her. "Come on, eat with us." "M-Me?" Mrs. Engel was apprehensive. "I, uh, don't think that's appropriate! Domestic workers like me don't eat with their employers on the same table like that, Mrs. Brighthall. I'll just have my meal in the kitchen…" "Oh, it's nothing. Brendan cares about these rules because it's part of his upbringing, but we don't. Since he's not here with us today, just join us at the table. Makes cleaning up easier, too." "Exactly!" Ophelia chimed in. "You're not some servant or domestic worker to us. You're family. And family eats together, so join us already! Where are your fork and knife?" Mrs. Engel's eyes reddened. "T-Thank you." Mrs. Engel and Ophelia chatted after dinner while Deirdre rose the stairs and went into her room. She had not slept well last night and needed an early rest. Unfortunately, even as she lay on her bed, her eyelids too heavy to even be opened, she could not sleep. Her brain refused to turn dark. In fact, she was so awake she could discern sounds from outside. The wind. The rustling leaves… 'Hoping that one of them turned out to be the sound of his car,' she thought shamefully. At that moment, she knew that deep down inside, she had never really given up on their relationship. It did not matter if he was Brendan Brighthall or Kyran Reed. She was shackled to him. Worries and concern would always dwarf her simply because she thought about him. It was now late at night. Even Ophelia had gone to bed, and still—no car. Deirdre knew she could not sleep tonight, so she rose from bed and left her room. Mrs. Engel was alone, doing her cleaning, when she noticed Deirdre coming downstairs. "Mrs. Brighthall?" she said, instinctively lowering her voice to a whisper. "You're still up. Are you worried about Mr. Brighthall?" Deirdre was visibly flustered. "Oh, come on now. What's there to be shy about?" Mrs. Engel chuckled lightly. "Mr. Brighthall said he would return by late afternoon, yet he's not here despite the time. It's only natural to be worried. Oh, wait here. I'll call Mr. Brighthall right now with our home number." That was precisely Deirdre's plan before her own embarrassment stopped her. Still, Mrs. Engel did it for her anyway. She was moved. Mrs. Engel really cared for her. She would always put her welfare first and never slacked in any of her interactions and treatment. She had never harmed Deirdre at all. So what was with that Charlene incident? Deirdre's conviction was shaking. Could it have been an accident? Maybe it was not Mrs. Engel after all? She snapped out of her trance and saw that Mrs. Engel had begun making her call. It did not connect. "Maybe he's busy," she said. "Maybe he didn't catch his phone before the call was over. I'll call again." Deirdre nodded, and Mrs. Engel tried two more times. Yet, none of them reached him. "What in the world?" Mrs. Engel placed the phone down. "It's a little too late to be this busy, isn't it? Certainly not to the point of missing your calls…" Deirdre took a deep breath. Her heart felt like a sponge being dropped into a deep, bottomless lake. With every breath, she felt more suffocated, as if more water was being drawn inside. "Do you have Miss Collins' number?" "Miss Collins?" Mrs. Engel thought for a moment. "Oh, I think I saw her business card on the desk yesterday when entering the room. I put it into a drawer after that. I'll get it!" Mrs. Engel called the number when she got her hand on it. Emily saw an unknown caller on her screen. She was about to answer it but stopped and put it back down after a thought. "Mrs. Brighthall, I can't reach Miss Collins either!" Deirdre clenched her fists. "How about Sam? Call him." Mrs. Engel did as she was told, and the call immediately connected this time. Deirdre took over the phone and asked, "Sam, where is Brendan?"