Neville''s sickly face twisted into a smile. Then you must know my brother, Byron, right?"


    Maeve''s eyes darted to him as a memory suddenly came to mind. Bonnie had mentioned once that the McDaniels had two sons. The older one had disappeared for years and only resurfaced recently. He''d been through hell, always stuck in the shadow of his younger brother, never getting any of the family''s affection.


    Yet, it''s the elder son who ultimately inherited the Mcdaniel Group. That elder son is Byron. And the younger son... is Neville? she wondered.


    Perhaps it was because she had heard too much gossip about the bitter rivalry between Byron and Neville that Maeve instinctively felt wary of him. "If you''re looking for your brother, he''s not here," she said inly.


    Neville chuckled. "I know. He''s gone to meet the childhood sweetheart he grew up with. Leaving such a beautifuldy alone here, that''s just heartless of him."


    "This is between him and me, and it doesn''t concern you. Maeve replied coldly, standing up and grabbing her bag. "If there''s nothing else, III be on my way." Neville didn''t stop her. Instead, he said, "If you ever need my help, feel free to reach out."


    Maeve ignored him, quickening her pace as she left. Once her figurepletely disappeared, the smile on Neville''s face turned cold as he sneered. "No surprise, she''s just as stubborn as that guy."


    Back in her room, Maeve wasn''t in the mood to soak in the jacuzzi. She pulled out some paper and a pencil, burying herself in sketching designs, trying to escape from the troubling thoughts that gued her.


    I have to say, this ce is perfect for creativity, and ideas juste naturally, Maeve thought to herself. The initial sketches for Fiora''s gown and Loren''s suit were nearlyplete, only needing some deeper conceptualization.


    Since thepany didn''t require her to clock in daily, it didn''t matter where she worked. Maeve decided to stay and finish her designs. She turned off her phone, focusing solely on her work.


    Whenever she felt tired, she would soak in the jacuzzi or take a stroll outside before returning to her room, where she would sit by the window, drawing as she gazed out at the snowyndscape. After three days, she found herself so immersed in her work that she nearly forgot everything else.


    Meanwhile, things were far from peaceful for the Booth family. Byron had sent Karen and her mother, Lydia, back to their ce. After days of crying, they were physically and emotionally drained, slumped on the sofa in a daze.Property ? of N?velDrama.Org.


    After helping her mother upstairs to rest, Karen returned to the living room. Her eyes were red as she spoke to Byron, Thank you for these past few days. If it weren''t for you, my mother and I would have copsed long ago."


    "I''ll take care of you and your mother from now on, just like your father did for me. Tell her to rest easy," Byron replied solemnly. "My condolences.


    Karen''s eyes welled up again as she tried to lean into his embrace. But Byron sidestepped to dodge her, pulling out his phone. It was a message from Archer,


    Archer: [Mr. Mcdaniel, ording to the hotel staff, Ms. Reese has been staying in her room for the past few days, onlying out for meals. It''s unclear what she''s been up to.]


    Byron''s eyes flickered, his face reflecting hisplex emotions, Is she still waiting for me to return?" he wondered


    After tapping a few times on the screen, he put away his phone and said to Karen, "I have some things to take care of. Please rest well"


    П


    "Aren''t you going to stay with me?" Karen''s voice was fragile. "If you''re not here, I''m afraid I''ll do something rash..."


    Byron looked at her coolly. "Are you threatening me?"


    Tm not... I just thought you could stay with me for a few days." Karen''s tears fell as she clung to his arm, refusing to let go. "Every time I close my eyes, I see my father...


    Byron pursed his lips. After a moment, he said, "I''m sorry, Karen. Contact me if you need anything." He pried her hand off his arm and walked out.


    Karen gritted her teeth, thinking. He''s going to see that bitch Marve, isn''t he? She knew all too well that Byron''s tolerance of her over the years stemmed solely from the fact that her father had taken him in during his most difficult times as a child.


    Now that her father had just passed away, Byron''s gratitude for him still lingered. But with time, that sense of obligation would soon wear thin. Karen couldn''t afford to wait passively. She had to eliminate Maeve, the greatest threat to her future.


    On a day free of snow, the sky was particrly clear. Maeve had finallypleted her designs and was ready to leave the spa resort. Apart from not having signed the contract with Byron, this trip had been quite fruitful for her. After checking out, she left the hotel and took a cab back to the city. However, she lost consciousness shortly after getting into the car.


    When Maeve awoke from a deep sleep, she found herself in an unfamiliar environment. It appeared to be some sort of abandoned warehouse, with old cement walls, a damp floor, and the air thick with the smell of rust. Her hands were bound behind her back, restricting her movement.


    Am I being kidnapped? Maeve thought, her mind reeling in shock. Panic surged through her as she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.


    "These two girls are both close to Byron Mcdaniel. We should be able to get a lot of money for them, came a chilling voice.


    Just exchanging them for money sounds boring. I''d like to see what it''s like to mess with Mr. Mcdaniel''s woman," one of them said with a sinister edge.


    "Let''s do it, then? No harm in giving it a try. Another voice snickered.


    The lewdughter drew closer as the men approached Maeve, their lecherous gazes fixed on her like predators eyeing prey, Maeve''s breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide with terror.


    "If you touch me, Byron will never let you off," warned a hoarse and familiar voice.


    Maeve turned her head sharply and saw Karen, bound like her, kneeling on the ground. Karen''s face twisted with scorn as she addressed the kidnappers, "You''d better be smart and let me go right now."


    Maeve wanted to warn her not to provoke them, but before she could speak, the men burst into mockingughter.


    "This girl doesn''t seem to know what kind of situation she''s in. We can''t just let her go without showing bera good time, right?" said one of the kidnappers with a cruel grin.


    "Let''s start with her! Two of the men grabbed Karen by the arms and began dragging her away.


    "What are you doing? Let me go! Do you have a death wish?" Karen screamed, her legs thrashing against the floor.


    Maeve''s mind went nk. Instinctively, she struggled to her feet, desperate to stop them from assaulting Karen. She knew she would be next. It was better to fight now than to wait helplessly.


    But just as she rose, a sharp blow struck the back of her head, knocking her out and sending her to the ground. As consciousness shipped away, she heard Karen''s heart-wrenching cries


    When Maeve finally came to, drenched in cold sweat from her nightmare, she had no sense of how much time had The strong smell of antiseptic left her momentarily disoriented. gone by.


    Suddenly recalling what had happened, Maeve threw off the nket and ran her hands over her body for any signs of injury. Finding nothing amiss, she let out a sigh of relief.


    But confusion quickly set in. ''Wasn''t I kidnapped? How did I end up in a hospital? she wondered.


    The door to the ward swung open, and Maeve turned to see Byron enter, his expression icy.


    Before she had a chance to speak, he cut in with a question. "Maeve, you and Karen were kidnapped together. Why did the kidnappers let you go?"