Not long after Byron sat down, Maeve''s voice drifted out from the kitchen. "Mr. McDaniel, we''re out of leeks in the fridge. Could you grab some from the balcony?" Byron raised an eyebrow, puzzled.


    veggie pots, not flowers.


    Most people''s balconies were covered with bright flowers and decorative nts, but not Maeve''s. Hers was more like a tiny vegetable farm, crammed with leeks, spring onions, and lettuce. Even the ss nt stand that Jeff had broken yesterday had been filled with Byron stepped out onto the balcony, taken aback by the jungle of green. To him, all the vegetables looked pretty much the


    June.


    He rubbed his temples, feeling a bit lost. Which ones are the leeks he muttered under his breath. "The scissors are on the shelf. Just cut a handful, not too much," Maeve called from the kitchen.


    Byron pressed his lips into a thin line, grabbed the scissors, and snipped off a bunch of what he hoped were leeks. With a slight frown, he walked back into the kitchen. Maeve nced at the bunch in his hand, nearly speechless. These are spring onions.


    She shook her head in disbelief. How can he not tell the difference between leeks and spring onions? Seriously, how clueless can someone be about basic stuff? she thought. brown eyes narrowed. "You didn''t t exactly point out which ones were the leeks."


    Byron''s


    Maeve bit her lip and sighed. "My bad. I''ll get them myself. But thanks for trying"


    Fifteen minutester, Maeve set two bowls of potato leek soup and a dish of mac and cheese on the table. The presentation was basic, but it looked decent enough.


    "Go on, dig in," Maeve said with a smile as she took a seat across from Byron.


    Byron nced at her before picking up his fork, his movements smooth and practiced. But the moment he took a bite, his, face twisted slightly.


    How could it taste this awful?'' he thought, struggling toprehend that she actually believed she was a good cook.


    The soup was downright terrible, and even the mac and cheese something that was supposed to be foolproof-was aplete catastrophe. His taste buds felt like they were under attack.


    He managed only two bites before setting his fork down and reaching for his jacket. "I just remembered. I''ve got something urgent to take care of. Enjoy your meal"


    Maeve blinked, confused. "But you haven''t even finished your soup.


    "I can''t stomach it right now." Byron''s face was dark as he walked out of the apartment, leaving Maeve to stifle augh.


    She twirled some spaghetti around her fork and took a bite, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. Well, that should clear up any misunderstandings fromst night,'' she thought, feeling a bit smug


    After finishing breakfast, Maeve tidied up and got ready to head out. When she checked her phone, which had been on silent, she saw several missed calls from her parents. They must have found out she hadn''t registered her marriage with Jeff. Once Maeve made up her mind, she never looked back. Now, she just had to figure out how to return the engagement gift from the Graves family or risk digging into her savings.


    Mon, Ucl


    31


    At the office, Maeve was about to start sorting through some fashion sketches when her boss. Piers Robinson, called her into his office


    "Maeve. I heard you and Jeff had a bit of a blowup. Piers said, getting straight to the point. "And that you even had him hauled off to the police station?"


    No surprise Piers knew about it; he was well-connected with Jeff''s father, Wace.


    Maeve shook her head. "Mr. Robinson, I ended things with him. He was arrested because he broke thew."


    Piers looked genuinely surprised. But as he met the seriousness in Maeve''s eyes, he realized this wasn''t just some heat-of-the-moment spat. A twinge of unease crept in about the favor Wace had asked of him.


    Piers put on a reassuring smile. "Still, one night in the mmer is more than enough. Are you really willing to throw away your rtionship over something so trivial! You''ve been nning a future together, shouldn''t you be focusing on that?" "And besides," he continued. "Jeff yed a big role in getting you this job. He even asked me to cut you some ck, and keep your workload light."


    Piers wasn''t being harsh, but his words made Maeve''s cheeks flush with embarrassment. The whole situation suddenly felt ridiculous to her.


    Before joining thispany, Maeve had actuallynded an offer from a top-tier design brand. But Jeff, who constantlyined about the crazy hours at big firms and how much he hated being apart from her, had "identally replied to the email and declined the offer on her behalf. With no other option, she had to let go of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.


    Thanks to his interference, Maeve ended up at thispany-less work, but also less pay. To make ends meet, she asionally took on frence illustration gigs. With


    r skills and qualifications, she should have been leading design projects, yet she was relegated to menial tasks.


    Over time, she began to doubt her own abilities and considered quitting, but she never imagined Jeff had been manipting things behind the scenes all along-


    Maeve took a deep breath, fighting to keep her anger in check.


    Piers continued, "You''re on the brink of marriage, so whether you stay at this job or not doesn''t really matter. But if Jeff ends up with a criminal record, it could affect your future children..."


    "Mr. Robinson," Maeve interrupted, her voice calm and firm. "I''ve already ended things with Jeff. Yesterday, I registered my marriage with the man I truly love. If it''s not too much trouble, could you please pass that message along to him?" This text is ? N?velDrama/.Org.