The Heir's Secret Bride

Seeing the girl's expression. Maeve felt a sudden surge of concem.

This girl seemed different from most people.

Maybe she couldn't understand what Maeve was saying.

Watching the girl on the verge of tears, Maeve decided to wipe the dirt off her face and hands with a handkerchief.

Then she applied a band-aid to the girl's scraped palm.

"All done." Maeve smiled at her. Just be careful next time and try not to fall."

The girl blinked, tears still on her face, but she broke into a silly grin.

Maeve put the handkerchief away and returned to watering the flowers.

The girl followed closely behind. Maeve turned around, worried she might bump into the girl.

"I have candy for you," Maeve said, pulling out a mint-flavored lollipop from her pocket. "How about you go over there and stay out of my way while I water the flowers?"

The girl snatched the candy, tore it open, and ate it without moving an inch, grinning at Maeve,

Maeve couldn't help but feel exasperated.

this girl seemed to just attach to Macve.

Just then, a servant rushed over, apologizing to Maeve. "Ms. Reese, I'm sorry. She's a bit mentally challenged and doesn't behave quite normally. She didn't offend you, did she?" Maeve shook her head. "No, she's been quite well-behaved."

"That's good." The servant grabbed the girl's arm and pulled her away. "Come on, let's go back. If Mr. Mcdaniel finds out you're out here, he'll be furious."

Seeing the girl's pained expression, Maeve couldn't help but interject, "Wait, be gentle with her. You might hurt her."

The servant nodded but didn't ease up at all.

The girl looked longingly in Maeve's direction, mumbling something with the lollipop in her mouth.

Maeve furrowed her brow and thought, 'Is this girl some relative of the Mcdaniel family?"

She didn't seem like it. Otherwise, the servant wouldn't dare treat her that way.

Besides, the servant had just mentioned, "If Mr. Mcdaniel finds out you're out here, he'll be furious." It implied the girl had no connection to the Mcdaniel family. "Maeve." Byron rounded the corner of the hallway, noticing her lost in thought with the watering can, and asked in a calm voice, "What are you doing?"

Maeve raised the watering can. "Alexis said the pancakes were almost ready, and she asked me to get some fresh air. I thought I'd water the flowers while I was at it." Byron frowned slightly. "She asked you to water the flowers, didn't she? Next time, ignore whatever she says."

Byron thought, 'Alad. Did she really follow Alexis's orders just because Alexis gave her two cards? Maybe I just hadn't given her enough.

Byron withdrew his gaze, waiting for Maeve to wash her hands before they headed toward the dining room together.

Maeve wanted to ask him about the girl but thought better of it. After all, this was a matter concerning the Mcdaniel family, and she didn't to T The dinner was lively and harmonious..

To Maeve's surprise, Gilbert's cooking was even better than what she'd had at a hotel restaurant.

Jason's cooking was pretty good too, even if he only made a dish of cucumber salad. It was quite tasty.

Maeve couldn't help but reflect that cooking skills must be hereditary.

After the dinner, Gilbert brought out gifts he had prepared in advance for Maeve and Byron.

The gift for Maeve was particularly substantial.

"Maeve, I hope you and Byron have a happy year ahead," Gilbert said with a smile. "It'd be great if I could have a great-grandchild soon." Maeve's cheeks flushed. "Thank you, Gilbert."

Byron placed his gift in Maeve's hands and said softly, "Grandpa. Maeve is still young. There's no rush."

Gilbert shot him a disapproving look. "Maeve is still young, but I'm not.

Byron said, "You're still in great shape and will live to a ripe old age."

"You rascal." Gilbert chuckled, clearly pleased. "Well then, I can take care of the kids for you if you have the baby

Byron smiled faintly but said nothing-

Maeve poked Byron's wrist and whispered, "Why did you give me your gift?"

"I'm giving you double the fortune. Don't you want it?" Byron shot her a glance. "Later, make sure to accept whatever mom and dad give you, too." Maeve said, "Alright. Gifts from elders are a blessing

"Well, now you have double the blessings." Byron's usually sharp gaze softened slightly, his voice enchanting. "Next year will go smoothly for you." Maeve felt extremely warm and happy.

Looking at Byron's slightly lowered face, she felt enveloped in his affection, unsure whether it was the dazzling chandelier above or the expression on his face that illuminated her heart. Suddenly, Maeve really wanted to kiss him.

But the moment was wrong, and she couldn't make it happen.

"What are you thinking about?" Byron raised an eyebrow, noticing her daze.

"I was just thinking. Maeve licked her dry lips and said softly, honestly, "Right now, I want to kiss you, but there are too many people here for me to do that."

Byron felt a rush of tension at her blunt words, and his eyes were filled with desire.

"What's so difficult about that?' He smirked casually,

Maeve popped a candy into her mouth, turning her head in confusion as a cool kiss unexpectedly landed on her lips.

She widened her eyes in surprise, realizing where they were and instinctively trying to pull back.

Byron wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her firmly into his embrace, using the vase on the dining table as cover to deepen the kiss...

Footsteps occasionally echoed in the dining room.

Even with the vase concealing them, if Gilbert stood up, he would immediately see what they were up to.

Maeve had always been a good girl. She never did anything her parents forbade, kept her distance from boys at school, and never even experienced puppy love.

Yet here she was, secretly kissing under the watchful eyes of her elders, separated by a long table.

This kiss seemed to carry a shroud of forbidden allure.

Maeve was excited, and her head spun, making it hard to know where she was.

Afraid of being discovered, she was much more compliant than usual, while Byron's eager movements slowed down, savoring her rich sweetness as if he were indulging in dessert after dinner. Only when he sensed someone approaching did he finally let Maeve go, his handsome face still lingering with an air ofNôvelDrama.Org holds text © rights.

reluctance.

Maeve quickly pushed him away to sit properly, her cheeks flushed and burning, and she was unable to look at him out of sheer nervousness.

It felt like sneaking a glance at a classmate during a lesson, terrified of being caught by the teacher.

The more she pretended nothing happened, the more attention the teacher's gaze seemed to draw.

"Maeve, why is your face so red?" Gilbert turned to her, noticing something off, and asked with concern, "Is the air conditioning too high? Or are you feeling unwell?"

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