Chapter 475

Byron sat at the head of the bed, flipping through a document for tomorrow. Hearing Maeve, he said without looking up, "If my mom wants a divorce, the McDaniel Group's legal team has a 90% chance of helping her get Jason to leave with nothing."

"Does Alexis know?" Maeve asked.

"Yes. We've talked about it before."

Maeve was even more puzzled. "Then why hasn't Alexis divorced Mr. McDaniel yet? Does she have any concerns?"

Byron didn't object to it as her son. Alexis still hadn't mentioned divorce. It could only be for personal reasons. However, Alexis didn't seem to still have feelings for Jason when she retorted him, Maeve thought.

Byron closed the document and faintly explained, "Probably because my mom is more sentimental." He glanced at Maeve, who had misunderstood. "It's not what you think. My mom was engaged when she was young, but the man disappeared shortly before their wedding, leaving my pregnant mother to face the rumors alone. Later, my mom married Jason."

His brief words carried a lot of information. Maeve was stunned. She hadn't expected the domineering and elegant Alexis to have such a sad past. Women who got pregnant before marriage were severely criticized back then. The mere mention could ruin them. Jason had married Alexis to protect her. No wonder Alexis hated him so much now and had never mentioned divorce.

Maeve wanted to ask about the child, but a shadow suddenly fell over her eyes. Byron put down the document and leaned over, putting his arm around her neck and half-lifting her. "That's the end of the bedtime story. It's my turn to collect interest."

The skin under her clothes suddenly felt cold. Maeve grabbed his arm in panic. "Wait… You didn't say you wanted to collect interest on this."

"There's no such thing as a free lunch. Similarly, there's no such thing as a free story."

"But… but I don't want to…"

As she finished, his short hair pricked her soft abdomen. Suddenly silenced, her fingertips tightened on his sleeve, her ears turning red. Byron raised his head slightly. From his angle, he could see Maeve's blushing face through her breasts. He smiled.

"It's my turn to serve you tonight. Do you want it?" Byron said.

Maeve's face burned, her mind a mess. Her words of rejection were stuck in her throat, finally escaping as a mosquito-like syllable. "Yes…"

The next day, Maeve woke to find her bedsheets stained, instantly panicking. She hurriedly got up and changed them, secretly taking them to the laundry room and stuffing them into the washing machine before sighing in relief. Will and Theo were at school. Maeve didn't know if Byron had gone out, so she didn't dare go downstairs.

She was about to hide in her room when she received a call from Paige. Someone had bought the "Wings of Love" displayed on DreamScape's official website, and it was waiting at the studio. Paige had no choice but to call her. Maeve's sharp object phobia hadn't been cured, and she hadn't planned to touch anything design-related to avoid a relapse, so she'd been on vacation. However, she had to go in person today.

Not long after Maeve left, a delivery arrived at the villa. Damian didn't see the recipient's name and assumed it was for Byron. He took it to the study and gave it to him. Byron opened it and saw the graduation photo on top, realizing it was for Maeve.

He picked up his phone and texted her: [The package from your teacher has arrived. Can I see it?]

Maeve was still embarrassed when she received his message. Relieved she'd slipped away, she replied: [Go ahead. You're not allowed to laugh at my ugly handwriting.] The package was from Mrs. Moss—things she hadn't had time to take when she graduated from high school. Maeve considered it a souvenir, so she'd asked Mrs. Moss to send it.

Byron put down his phone, taking everything from the box and placing it on the desk. At a glance, he saw textbooks and homework, mixed with a few colorful extracurricular books. He pulled them out and looked.

He frowned. 'What are these things?' He didn't pay much attention, then picked up Maeve's language book. Maeve had taken notes on every page in beautiful, tidy handwriting—far from ugly. Whenever she encountered words or poems she liked, she used colorful markers, hiding unknown thoughts of a young girl.

[Why isn't class over yet? The fried chicken wings in the canteen are going to be snatched up again.] [Latix is so delicious. I must have been a cute Latix in my previous life.] [The fruits of the apple tree at the back door are so sour. I don't understand why the dean is guarding there. He is afraid the students will steal them. Is he complaining about having too many teeth?] [There's free soup in the canteen every day. I'll go to the supermarket to buy a bottle of sauce. Two doughnuts a day. Twenty dollars is enough for a month, I'm a genius.] [Annoying fly. Why aren't you studying hard at such a young age? Don't disturb my studies to get into college.]

Through these words scrawled in the margins, it was as if he could see a girl in her school uniform sitting by a classroom window. She held her chin, writing these internal complaints. Sometimes she frowned, sometimes she snickered slyly like a little fox. She worried about going hungry on twenty dollars a month. However, even if she did go hungry, she wouldn't blame anyone. Instead, she'd feel smug for finding a way to save money.

Byron suddenly understood her optimism when he first met her. It was innate, unsculpted. Byron chuckled and put down the textbook. He casually picked up an assignment and accidentally saw a diary underneath.

'She had the habit of writing in her diary?' Byron thought.

On the first page were a few bold words: Maeve's notebook. Keep Out. Or you'll lose money!

The smile in Byron's eyes deepened as he flipped to the next page. When he read the first line, the smile froze. His jaw tightened.

[Oh, no. I think I'm in love.]

Maeve used two full pages to describe her teenage crush, with cute, colorful drawings. It was lively and adorable.

Snap! Byron slammed shut the notebook. A cold snort escaped his lips.

"She didn't study hard and get into university at such a young age. Why is she in love?"

After a while, Byron opened the notebook again and continued reading with a dark expression.