The Heir's Secret Bride

"I'm not joking with you." Maeve said, holding back the tears in her eyes. "Previously, you said we would go to the family court to settle the divorce procedures after Gilbert's health improved. Now that it's been so long, it's time for us to get a divorce." "It's up to me whether we get a divorce or not, Byron said. "When did it become your place to bring it up?" "You're being unreasonable!" Maeve said.

Buzz.

Suddenly, the elevator shook violently. As it stopped descending all the lights went out.

It was pitch black all around, so dark that one could not even see one's fingers.

"What's going on?" Maeve was so frightened that she grabbed the thing beside her, but she felt a warm sensation.

"Maeve, where are you touching?" Byron's anger was interrupted by the sudden stop of the elevator. He removed her hand from his chest and held it instead. "It's an elevator malfunction. It won't be long before it's fixed.” bit her lip, not responding

Maeve The constricting darkness reminded her of the torment of being locked up by her parents and counting the seconds in the dark/It was like a fire burning her heart. Fear and panic surged in her heart, and her body trembled.

afraid now. hub into a l

She was

into a broad and warm embrace.

Byron's cold

s cold voice reached her ears. "Weren't you very bold when you brought up divorce earlier? pull away from his embrace.

re

Maeve pursed her lips, wanting to pull However, he

he gently pressed her head down and

"Don't move. If you're afraid, just hold on tighter Pulled her back into his arms.

Maeve was stunned. Her cheek which was pressed against his chest was slightly raised. In the darkness, she couldn't see his current expression.

She smelled a fait cedarwood scent on him, giving her a sense of security as if she had descended from the clouds to solid ground.

She absorbed the warmth in his arms with some longing. She knew that it did not belong to her, but she could not bear to let go..

It didn't take long for the elevator to return to normal and the lights to come on.

Maeve snapped out of her thoughts and used her remaining strength to pull away from Byron's arms, not daring to look into his eyes. "Th-thank you."

Byron raised his eyebrows. "You hugged me so tightly just now and kept nuzzling against me. Why are you so shy now. Maeve's cheeks flushed as she retorted angrily, "I'm not shy. It was out of necessity. You told me to hold on tighter." She thought, He made it sound like I took advantage of him on purpose.

Chapter lob

Just as Byron's thin lips curled up, he heard Maeve continue, "We're about to get a divorce. It's best to avoid this kind of physical contact in the future." eyes

His

s instantly darkened.

Maeve, haven't I treated you well enough?"

"You've been very kind to me, but..."

Byron stared at t her and asked coldly, "You dissatisfied with my identity then, right? You think I'm worse than a driver, huh?"

She thought,

"What does this have to do with drivers? Isn't the real issue the gap in our backgrounds?"

Maeve wanted to

to explain something, but she could not say anything. She bit her lip and remained silent for a long while.

Byron squinted. "You don't want your Christmas present anymore, right?"

Maeve's heart skipped a beat.

"Of course, I understand what he meant. That night he said he would give me both the Christmas gift and his answer when he returned. If it had been before this point in time, I would have been thrilled. But now... I'm no longer in a position to receive it.

She thought, her gaze to hide the disappointment in her eyes. Even her mouth felt bitter. "I don't want it anymore."

Maeve lowered

Byron's expression became colder and colder. The last trace of warmth in his eyes as he looked at her disappeared.

"Very well. Maeve, you're really something."

At that moment, a "ding" could be heard, and the elevator doors slowly opened.

Byron pushedainst the elevator wall and slid down a few inches. She bit her lip hard to prevent herself from losing control of her emotions on the spot.

Maeve away with a cold expression and walked straight out of the elevator. His slender legs moved quickly. Soon, he disappeared from Maeve's sight.

Maeve leane

Mae

She thought, "Of course, I want that gift. I want it so badly. But I don't dare to accept it. I don't want to be treated like before, where I was merely a decorative object controlled by others, and expressing my own opinions led to being dismissed. Even, more so, I don't want to give everything and end up with only disdainful and perfunctory responses. He even tried to hide my status when introducing me in public, believing that I was not worthy. I don't want to be so meek anymore. There's no equality if there is a mismatch in backgrounds. This isn't his problem. It's mine."

The black Rolls-Royce sped all the way and arrived at Starlight Pub half an hour later.

In the Byron

others.

private room on the top floor, Ray and Jarrett were already having a great time. The place was quite lively.

pushed the door open, walked to the bar expressionlessly, and took out a bottle of alcohol to drink without regard for

Ray walked over and asked curiously, "What's going on? Did those fogies from Mcdaniel Group cause trouble for you again? That shouldn't be the case. Aren't they always severely dealt a blow by you? Would they still dare to bother you?" Holding the glass with his fingertips, Byron said in a deep and serious voice, "Let me aşk you. What does it mean when a woman loves you a lot but still wants a divorce? What is she thinking?"

"Then her saying she loves you is a lie," Ray said without hesitation. "A woman's words are just lies."

Byron's expression instantly darkened, his eyes showing a state of emotional instability. U8.14 MUI, VCT 21

On the last day of leave, Magye was dragged out for a meal by Honnie, who said that it was her cousin's treat and that Maeve and her cousin could get to know each other. Maeve then realize that the meal was just a pretext, and Bonnie's real intention was to play matchmaker. When Maeve entered the restaurant and saw Bonnie's cousin, she was even more surprised.

"Mr.

III.

Mr. Brown?" she said.

Alex was stunned for a moment. Then, he smiled gently and stood up to pull out the chairs for the two ladies. "So the good friend my cousin insisted I meet is you."

"I didn't t expect that you and Bonnie are actually relatives."

Bonnie saw her cousin's enthusiastic expression and immediately understood something. She snickered and said. "So you two already know each other. The self-introduction can be skipped then."

Alex smiled and handed the menu to them. "Feel free to order whatever you want. It's my treat today."

Maeve took it and said. "We won't stand on ceremony then."

After ordering. Bonnie leaned in close to Maeve's ear and said, "Maeve, my cousin is twenty-six this year. He's single, owns a

think?* car and a house, is rich, and handsome. Most importantly, you guys already know each other. What do you

think

Maeve cleared her throat and said, "When did you become a matchmaker? I was wondering why you tossed that booklet

away.

Bonnie chuckled. "As the saying goes, don't let benefits go to outsiders. Anyway, you and the Great Demon King are about to get a divorce. I'll reserve a spot for my cousin first."

"Bonnie, I know you mean well, but even if I get a divorce, I don't think your cousin will be interested in me," Maeve said seriously. "Besides, I work in your cousin's company. We see each other all the time. It would be so awkward."

She thought, "I know that in Bonnie's eyes, she believes I deserve any man, no matter how good his qualities are. But the reality is, we can't just talk about feelings alone."

"Let's ask him directly then." With that said, Bonnie asked Alex, "Alex, what do you think of Maeve?"

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