Starve, blushing furiously, shakily branded her underpentnents am ber skying to cover them up as discreetly an powefit mortified to tdir ciee to dry


    Just as she was fishing, Byron walked our and high of her Remembering the awkward of light whe


    ished and bung ber doches, be


    "Zero" he said coolly heading for the doceCòntens bel0ngs to N?(v)elDr/a/ma.Org


    strat Strat


    Okay Mambled trailing her him with bre


    I they''d be heading back home but to be supreme led bearty bred apot


    ty, so there were plenty of oproes along the


    end to bead to the office afertes. Once we find beauife


    Mare nodded "Go "Got"


    she added soch. Thanks for sal


    how to decksst night. Sorry for causing so much trouble


    Byron nced at her briety. As long as you realize i.*


    "Oh it this Marvel Back for another part-ome The shopwner came over with a weing smile fer serving


    Maneaddenly remembered why are so famed to frequent this spot during her college par


    jobs


    "Oh wow, is this your boyfriend He''s really handsome You two make such a gear couple the owner wid Embarrassed. Maeve quickly waved her hands. "No, no, he''s normy boyfriend. You''ve got in wrong."


    "Why so shy It''s only a manner of time right I''m rooting for you!


    "Really, it''s not like that."


    The owner smiling knowingly, aned as if he did hear her protos What can get for you two? I can tow pizza just for you Realizing it was pointless to argar Marve numbly ordered some and some cereal


    The owner turned to prepare the food, and Maeve qarkly leaned


    lices to tease everyone, be doesn''t mean t


    Byron


    jonnummittal hum, bis expressica creadi


    They found a seat, and the breakfar was served shortly after


    You''ve been here before? Byron asked


    to Byron "Don''t pay any amemtion to what he said.


    "Yeah" Maeve''s eyes softened with nostalgia. "My first part-time job in college was nearby. I worked as a gardener, taking care of rose bushes.


    "They paid well, so I studied a lot alsout nt care to do the job right. Thanks to that, I can even grow vegetables on my balcony now." Roses Byron''s gaze flickered.


    In this s area, the only ce with rose bushes was the courtyard of his apartment.


    He thought, ''So, the gardener Archer hired to take care of them while I was away was actually Maeve?


    Aplicated expression crossed Byron''s face.


    He wondered, ''Should I call her simple or refreshingly down-to-earth?


    Most


    Heekfast, I


    After


    wouldn''t be so matter-of-fact, let alone proud about doing menial work like gardening for someone else, but she spoke of it like it was a badge of honor. He suddenly found her harder to figure out Marve took a taxi back to her apartment.


    Watching Byron mix drinks the night before had sparked a lot of inspiration for her.


    Coupled with the bartending tips she picked up from him, she now had everything she needed to finish Bonnie''s illustration.


    On the day she submitted the final work, Bonnie promptly transferred the remaining payment to Maeve''s ount.


    Bonnie: [You really nailed it! The bartender at the bar and the whole y scenario got me so excited I almost had a nosebleed! You''re still the same-able to capture the mood without needing anything explicit, and it''s perfect!] Bonnie: [With you around, I''ll never get tired of these husbands of mine.]


    Sensing her excitement, Maeve smiled as she replied: [Thisyout and storyline were a new challenge for me too. I was worried you might not like it at first.]


    Bonnie. [No way! You need to have more confidence in yourself.


    Bonnie: [Are you


    you still avable to take on moremissions? How''s the job hunt going?


    Maeve: [I haven''t found anything yet. I''ve got a few other illustration orders lined up, so I''m pretty swamped.


    For some reason, all the résumés she sent out seemed to vanish into thin air-none of thepanies she applied to had responded


    But as she looked at her growing bank bnce, Maeve couldn''t help but feel the urge to kiss her phone screen.


    Once shepleted the othermissions and received the final payments, she''d have a nice chunk of savings. Buying a house wouldn''t be a distant dream anymore.


    Just as she was relishing that thought, her phone pinged with a new message.


    The Graves family is demanding the return of the 200 thousand dors engagement gift. Find a time to transfer the money


    ck to my ount. Stop dying. If you can''t pay up, just get divorced and win back Jeff''s favor!]


    It


    It was


    from Valda


    Maeve''s mood instantly plummeted.


    She


    thought, 200 thousand dors? Are they crazy? They took all that money and now expect me to pay it back? Do they really see me as somemodny? She replied: Whoever spent the money should pay it back. You didn''t think about me when you took the money, so why


    of me now that it needs to be retumed? The world doesn''t work like that.]


    Sending the message, Maeve flipped her phone face down on the table, biting her lip in frustration.


    Thought, "Why is it that every time I try to live a better life through my own efforts, someone has to p me back into lity, telling me not to dream too big?"


    At First Hospital. Gilbert''s health had improved significantly. He could now get out of bed and even take walks in the park below the hospital, where he often chatted with others. But the moment he returned to his hospital room, he would start sighing


    That brat Byron promised to bring someone for me to meet once I got better, but how many days has it been now? Still nothing," heined.


    He worried that Byron had only said that to give him peace of mind during recovery and never really intended to follow through.


    The assistant, recalling something Archer had let slip earlier, said, "Sir, I don''t think he was lying. Lately, Mr. Mcdaniel seems to be staying at the woman''s ce." Gilbert t perked I up immediately. "Staying at her ce? Are you sure?"


    "Yes, I even checked with the staff at Mr. Mcdaniel''s estate-they all said he hasn''t been back in a while


    I


    Gilbert''s eyes lit up.


    "Great That


    That kid''s finallye to his senses. Who is the woman? Where does she live? Who''s in her family? Did you find out?"


    The assistant shook his head honestly. "I only managed to get the address, nothing else."


    Gilbert thought. Just the address isn''t enough


    He frowned deeply. "Well, if that''s the case, I''ll have to go see for myself."


    But sir,


    you''re still recovering


    Gilbert waved a dismissive hand. "It''s just a quick visit; it won''t take much out of me. I''ll head right back after I meet her."


    The assistant hesitated, then thought to himself, ''But you don''t even know what she looks like...


    Maeve had been holed up at home for two days, working nonstop on hermissions. When she realized the fridge was empty, she had no choice but to go out.


    Byron had been so busytely that he was nowhere to be seen. The only reminder of him was the drinks that arrived at her door like clockwork every day.


    Not having to face him after that embarrassing incident at his ce was a bit of a relief for her.


    Leaving the supermarket, Maeve carried her groceries back to the apartment.


    As she approached, she noticed a small Tarot card stall had popped up downstairs. An elderly man dressed in traditional clothes sat there leisurely sipping coffee, while a young assistant stood beside him, holding a coffee pot.  GB.