The Heir's Secret Bride

After leaving the Graves family, Maeve felt a wave of relief wash over her. The thought of no longer having to live in fear of Jeff's sudden retaliation filled her with excitement. She couldn't resist skipping a few steps in joy, like a carefree rabbit.

She thought Nestor had already left and hadn't noticed, but he was still standing there, catching a glimpse of her lighthearted hop. Nestor couldn't help but smile, thinking, 'It is a good thing she and Jeff haven't ended up together; it would have been such at

waste.

Maeve then went to the supermarket, bought some ingredients, and returned to her apartment to make some soup. She packed it in a thermos and headed to the hospital. The hospital meals were fine, but they were bland and tasteless. Byron would barely take a few bites before putting down hist utensils. utensils.

With lunchtime approaching, Maeve thought some homemade soup might help improve his appetite.

Just as she reached the hospital entrance, someone stopped her

15

Reese, correct? My lady requests your presence," a black-suited bodyguard said, his expression neutral.

"And who is your lady?" Maeve asked, puzzled.

"You'll find out when you get there. She's waiting in the nearby café."

Maeve hesitated for a moment, but since the cafe was just a short walk away, she decided there was no harm in seeing what it was about.

At the café, the bodyguard led Maeve to a booth at the far end by the window,

"She's here," the the bodyguard

I announced.

"Good" A woman dressed in an elegant champagne-colored velvet dress with a snow-white shawl draped over her shoulders looked up at Maeve. "Sit down." Maeve thought the woman looked somewhat familiar. She sat down and asked, "May I ask why you wanted to see me? I don't believe we've met before." "You're the new maid my son hired, so it's no surprise we haven't met, Alexis said, her gaze appraising Maeve. "I wanted to discuss a few things with you." Maeve thought, 'So, this is Mr. Mcdaniel's mother? Maeve was a bit surprised. The woman's stylish and sophisticated appearance suggest a well-off background. She couldn't help but recall what Byron had said that night.

He mentioned that his relationship with his parents wasn't good and that he had been living apart from them for years with little contact

She thought, So why is his mother seeking me out?"

"What would you like to discuss?" Maeve asked.

08:21 Thu,

Π

...

, Oct 1.

"First, your attire. I expect you to dress appropriately for a maid Avoid wearing clothes that are too revealing or suggestive," Alexis said, taking a sip of her coffee. Maeve glanced down at her outfit. She was wearing a modest, pale pink two-piece sweater dress with a long beige coat- perfectly normal attire

She frowned slightly. "Mrs. Mcdaniel, I have the right to choose what I wear. Even Byron has never told me I couldn't dress like this"

Alexis smirked inwardly at Maeve's response. She thought, Just as Karen has described, this girl has no sense of her place. She even dares to talk back to her employer's mother."

"My son i isn't attuned I to such subtleties, so of course, he wouldn't say anything." Alexis replied, setting her coffee cup down with a dismissive tone. "But it doesn't matter; you're just a maid, and I don't have the energy to worry about such details." Maeve's hands tightened slightly in her lap

Alexis continued. "The reason I called you here is that I need you to do something for me. From now on, I want you to regularly report to me on Byron's activities. I'll give you my contact information shortly."

Maeve looked up at her. "Mrs. Mcdaniel, I don't recall agreeing to this."

Alexis's expression shifted to one of thinly veiled disdain as she took out an envelope and pushed it across the table to

Maeve. Maeve.

Would this help?"

Maeve opened the envelope and saw a bank card inside. She couldn't help but smile. "Are you trying to buy me off, Mrs. Mcdaniel?

"Consider it a partial payment," Alexis said, adjusting the shawl on her shoulders. Despite her age, her face remained. strikingly beautiful. "If you do well, the rewards I offer will far exceed whatever salary my son is paying you.

Maeve wasn't interested

I and pushed the envelope back to the middle of the table. "Mrs. Mcdaniel, what exactly is your reason for this? Are you asking me to spy on your son?" frowned. want to know how my son is after being away from home for so

Then why don't you ask him yourself?" Macve's voice remained calm. I'm guessing you've never actually tried to understand your son. Otherwise, you wouldn't so casually offer money for someone to watch him. Have you thought about how he'd feel if he found our?" Alexis paused mid-sip, her expression turning cold. "Are you lecturing me? Do you not know your place?"

Maeve suddenly stood up. "I'm sorry, but I'm just a maid-I'm not cut out for spying on others. I suggest you find someone else for the job.

With that, she turned and walked out without looking back.

Alexis's expression darkened, her grip tightening around the coffee cup. She thought, Just a maid, and yet she has the nerve to speak to me like that? Who gave her the confidence-was it Byron?'

As Maeve left the café, she couldn't shake the feeling of frustration. She was beginning to understand why Byron preferred not to live at home or make any effort to mend his relationship with his parents.

She thought. If his parents really want to know what is going on in their son's life, they have plenty of opportunities to find out. Why resort to hiring someone to spy on him? Don't they even have time for a simple phone call? More importantly, they were right outside the hospital-how hard would it be to walk in and see their son for themselves?

Maeve felt a tightness Im her chest, a sense of frustration that wasn't even for herself.

After calming down, she picked up the thermos and headed upstairs.

In the hospital room, Byron was in the middle of a video conference, listening to the planning director's project proposal. His frown hadn't eased for a moment.

The planning director noticed his expression and immediately knew he was in trouble.

Just as Byron was about to speak, he noticed Maeve entering the room. Lowering his voice, he said, "Send the proposal back and start over, I don't want to hear anything like this again. Meeting adjourned"

The video conference abruptly ended, leaving the executives on the other side exchanging uneasy glances.

The p

planning director, drenched in sweat, collapsed into his chair, feeling like he had narrowly escaped disaster. "Mr. Mcdaniel, it's almost lunchtime. I time. I brought some soup to give you a break from the bland hospital food." As she spoke, Maeve pulled out the table next to the bed and began setting out the hospital lunch along with

the soup.

Byron put his laptop away, then wiped his hands with a wet wipe before picking up the bowl of soup she had poured. The rich broth had a subtle bitterness from the medicinal herbs, followed by a lingering sweetness-perfect for savoring slowly.

After finishing a bowl, Byron rested his chin on his hand, watching Maeve pour more soup, his lips curving into a slight smile. "What made you think of bringing soup"

Since his abdominal injury had healed, the daily soup had stopped appearing. He realized he had

I missed it.

Maeve pushed the bowl back to him. "You need to rebuild your strength. You'll recover faster if you eat well."

Hearing this, Byron's smile faded as he narrowed his eyes at her "Weak? Did I go too easy on you last night?"

Maeve's hand froze as she reached for the utensils. The memories she had been trying to forget came rushing back. Heat crept up her face, and she couldn't bring herself to meet his gaze, lowering her eyes to avoid his intense stare. "That's not what I meant. Don't twist my words," Maeve mumbled, taking a sip of the soup to hide her embarrassment. "Tm just trying to do something nice, and you're giving me a hard time."