Iman


    The old man was sipping his coffee at a leisurely pace, looking more like he was enjoying life than running a tarot reading stall Maeve found it curious and couldn''t help but nce over a few more times.


    Noticing her interest and having nothing better to do, the old man waved her over. "Hey there, youngdy. Want to draw some tarot cards? I can read your career, love life-whatever you need. If it''s not urate, it''s free! Maeve hesitated for a moment, then walked over and sat down.


    "Sir, how does this work?" she asked.


    "Just draw a few cards."


    She drew a few cards, and the old man studied them thoughtfully.


    This is the mostplicated reading I''ve seen in a while. The old man frowned. "You have a younger brother, right? So your parents don''t pay much attention to you. Financially, things are also a bit tricky-you''re losing money, mostly to help your family? Maeve''s heart skipped a beat. She thought, ''How could he be so spot-on?"


    The old man continued. "On the bright side, your career prospects look good. If you put in the effort, your promising. But as for your love life..."


    His serious expression made Maeve nervous. "What''s wrong with my love life?" she asked.


    "It''s going to be a bumpy road


    Maeve bit her lip, thinking, "Bumpy" is an understatement. How could he be this urate?''


    future is


    "Don''t feel discouraged, youngdy," the old man added. "Even if your love life is rough, there''s a way to turn things around." Curious, Maeve asked, "What''s the solution?"


    "Find a man whose love life is even worse than yours. Fight fire with fire."


    Maeve was speechless, thinking. ''Fight fire with fire? That doesn''t sound reliable at all.


    Just as she started doubting him, the old man peered closer at her cards and suddenly made a sound of surprise. "Oh, you''re already married? And your husband happens to be just the type I was talking about." Maeve''s eyes widened in


    Maey


    I in admiration. "You can even tell that? That''s amazing!"


    The old man grinned smugly. "Of course! Back in the day, my tarot readings were unbeatable. Everyone said I was always on point."


    ???


    Then


    why are you running a stall here?"


    The old man was caught off guard. He couldn''t very well tell her that he was loitering around just to catch a glimpse of his future granddaughter-inw, so he cleverly set up a tarot stall instead. Unexpectedly, while he hadn''t found her yet, a steady stream of customers kepting by for readings.


    Maeve didn''t press further. She stood up and asked, "Your readings must be expensive, right? How much do I owe you?"


    It was so urate that she didn''t mind.


    d paying a bit more.


    The old man-Gilberi-was just about to casually name a small amount when his stomach suddenly growled.


    Π


    Gilbert''s face flushed red as he stammered, "I''ve been busy all day and haven''t had time to eat. An old man''s got to cat-I''m not made of iron..."


    Maeve blinked. She hadn''t even said anything yet.


    After a moment of thought, she offered. "Would you like toe over for a simple meal at my ce? I''ll still pay for the reading, and consider it a thank-you for helping clear my mind She''d been feeling lost recently over her engagement, but after hearing what the old man said, she felt much more at ease.


    And besides, something about the way he talked reminded her of herte grandparents, whom she hadn''t seen in years. Gilbert noticed the groceries she was carrying and was tempted, but still tried to be polite. "Oh, I couldn''t impose." "It''s really no trouble. I always cook too much for just myself, so if you could help me finish it, I''d actually appreciate it." Hearing this, Gilbert immediately stood up and handed his coffee cup to his assistant.


    "Well then.


    I''ll shameless


    ept your invitation."


    "But sir, what about me!"


    The a assistant


    Go


    was


    find yourself something to eat and pick me upter."


    The a assistant was left speechless, thinking. ''Poor me-I have just been ditched.


    Listening to their exchange. Maeve felt a warmth in her heart.


    She could tell the old man was looking out for her. Having a young man apany her home would have been awkward, not to mention bad for her reputation.


    But with just the old man, it felt safe and considerate.


    Once inside the apartment, Maeve handed over a pair of spare indoor slippers. "Here, you can wear these. Make yourselffortable in the living room while I prep the ingredients."


    "Alright, go ahea go ahead. No need I to worry about me," Gilbert said with a smile, hands sped behind his back.


    This was the first time he''d been invited into someone''s home for a meal like this, and it felt far more rxing than any of those fancy, formal gatherings he was used to.


    As he wandered into the living room, his attention was drawn to the lush greenery on the balcony.


    Curious, he walked over


    and saw several neatly arranged nt stands and ceramic pots, all filled with vibrant seasonal vegetables. Gilbert''s eyes lit up in delight. "Youngdy, I didn''t know you were into gardening."


    -From the kitchen, Maeve replied a bit shyly. "It''s just a casual hobby. I''m only growingmon vegetables. If you''d like, pick


    some, and I''ll cook them up for you to try."


    "Really?" Gilbert rubbed his hands together in excitement.


    "Of course"


    Without hesitation, Gilbert-zeroed in on the crisp, tender lettuce. As he picked the leaves, he couldn''t help but reminisce "My wife used to love gardening too-flowers, vegetables, you name it. But she didn''t have much of a green thumb: everything she nted would end up dying. "After she passed, she left me some seeds, but I couldn''t grow them either. I just kept them as a reminder of her


    Hearing this. Maeve couldn''t help but say, "You and your wife must''ve been really close."


    It was


    easy to o tell from his tone how much he still cherished histe wife. It was the kind of love that made people envious. brought out thest dish and set it on the table.


    Before long,


    Maeve


    Gilbert took a few bites, and even with his refined pte, ustomed to gourmet cuisine, he couldn''t help but be pleasantly surprised by these simple home-cooked dishes, "You''ve really got some skills, youngdy," he


    Maeve blushed and scratched her cheek. Tmid, giving her a thumbs-up.


    d you like it.


    As Gilbert continued eating, he couldn''t help but feel a mix of emotions.


    He''d been hanging around here for days, hoping to taste his future granddaughter-inw''s cooking, yet here he was, enjoying a meal made by someone else''s daughter instead. He wasn''t asking for


    r much-if I


    But he thought, "Who am I kidding? granddaughter-inw''s cooking was even half as good as this, he''d be content. And if she were as well-mannered, kind, and sincere as Maeve, he''d be over the moon.Content protected by N?v/el(D)rama.Org.


    Even if such good fortunended right in front of that stubborn grandson of mine, the boy would probably be too indifferent to care "Stubborn brat, always making things tough for me," Gilbert muttered under his breath. "What was that?" Maeve asked, not quite catching his words.


    "Oh, nothing. This soup you made is really delicious Gilbert quickly covered up.


    Maeve cou


    couldn''t help but smile.


    Just then, there was a faint sound of footsteps at the entrance.


    A familiar cool I voice calle


    called out, "Maeve, could you grab me a towel?"


    Gilbert thought. ''Byron''


    Surprised, Maeve turned her head but didn''t notice the sudden change in Gilbert''s expression. She got up and headed to the bathroom to fetch a towel When


    she reached the entrance, she found Byron standing there, his dark suit slightly damp from the rain and his ck hair a bit wet, giving him a more rxed, casual vibe than his usual polished appearance. "Here. He handed her a drink and took the towel from her hand


    Maeve had gotten used to him bringing her drinks every day, so she naturally held it and asked. "Didn''t you bring an umbre?"


    The parking lot outside the apartment building was uncovered so it wasn''t surprising he''d gotten wet.


    "No." Byron was drying his hair with the towel when he suddenly noticed soundsing from inside the apartment. His eyes narrowed slightly. "Do you have a guest?" AS MOR UACC 14


    pter 30


    e quickly exned about the tarot reading and added. "Go change your clothes ande eat. I made a lot of food


    instead of being Byron walked straight toward the dining area.


    bad assumed it was just some scammer trying to take advantage of Maeve''s kindness.


    what he didnt expect was to see, sitting at the dining table... Gilbert himself.