Tom''s eyes narrowed. "Is that a threat?"


    72


    "Me? Threatening you? Never," Henry said with a shameless grin his fake humility almostughable. "Aren''t you and my daughter good friends, Your Highness? With your influence, getting me out of here should be a piece of cake. "And hey, I''ll even throw in my blessing for you to marry Maeve just send me a little cash and ship me off somewhere nice


    The sheer audacity of Henry''s wordsid his true nature bare-greedy and vile.


    Tom''s sharp, ss-gray eyes turned icy. Human rights? Basic decency? Henry had clearly missed the memo. Tom couldn''t help but think, ''Who does this man think he is, saying something like that? Before he could respond, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He shot Henry a sharp look before stepping away to answer. When he saw it was from the hospital, his chest tightened. ''Here we go. Keeping his voice low, he asked, "Are the results in?"


    The director''s voice practically crackled with excitement. "Yes, Your Highness. It''s unbelievable-the test confirms Ms. Reese is the biological daughter of Princess Wren. This is astonishing!" Tom froze. ''Maeve... royalty?''


    The words echoed in his mind like a thunderp. Maeve wasn''t just anyone-she was the rightful princess of the royal family, leagues above Fiora, who had already lost her title. Relief surged through him, but his throat felt dry, and a faint ringing in his ears muddled his thoughts. He needed to be absolutely sure. "You''re positive? No chance of a mistake?"


    "I swear on the honor granted to me by Her Majesty the Queen, there''s no error, Your Highness," the director assured him, firm and resolute.


    Tom felt like fireworks were exploding in his chest, lighting up the entire room-even though the ceiling was the only thing in sight. He could barely keep himself from throwing his arms in the air and shouting with joy. Instead, he began pacing, his mind buzzing, his heart hammering. He needed to pull himself together, but the excitement made it nearly impossible.


    Tom exhaled slowly, keeping his voice calm and firm. "Seal the results. Nobody touches them. I''ll pick them up myself."


    "Understood, Your Highness!"


    Ending the call, Tom allowed himself a brief smile. Relief washed over him, but the feeling was short-lived. There was still


    in emotions. too much to handle, and now wasn''t the time to get caught up


    He turned back to Henry, who was still lounging smugly like he had all the power in the world. The sight made Tom''s jaw tighten.


    "Have you thought it over, Your Highness?" Henry drawled, clearly full of himself. "This is a win-win! My daughter is a rare gem-looks, figure, the whole package. You''d be getting a great deal here...."


    The next moment, a deafening crash shattered the air. With one swift kick, Tom sent the table flying, mming Henry into the wall. The man crumpled to the floor, blood spewing from his mouth as his ribs cracked under the impact. He looked more like a discarded rag than a man.


    Tom stood over him, his expression ice-cold. "You dare call yourself Maeve''s father?"


    14:39 Sun, Dec 15 ti Chapter 453


    Without waiting for an answer, Tom turned to his bodyguards, stone clipped and sharp. "Send him to cktomb Prison. Hand him over to the warden in District One. Use whatever means necessary-just don''t let him die." "Yes, Your Highness."


    Henry''s face turned ashen. He knew all too well what cktom Prison was a hellish ce in Erancia, reserved for the


    worst of the worst.


    Fear crawled over him as he stammered internally, ''Didn''t they say Tom was close to my daughter? Then why the hell is he doing this to me?!''


    Tom didn''t spare him another nce. Whatever secrets Henry was hiding, the warden would drag them out soon enough.


    With Henry taken care of, Tom shifted his focus. Suppressing the urge to rush to his niece, he methodically arranged police for a full investigation into Henry''s background.


    If he wanted to clear Maeve''s name, step one was proving-publicly and indisputably-that Henry was not her real father. Tom wanted to be the one to restore her name, to wipe away the stigma she had carried for so long. Maeve no longer had to live under the shadow of others'' judgments. Following Tom''s orders, the police wasted no time. By midnight, they had released a notification video.


    "Henry York, the criminal behind the notorious jewelry heist from over 20 years ago, has been arrested. During the investigation, we uncovered something shocking: Henry had recently faked being the victim''s biological father and tried to extort money from Ms. Reese. Failed, he threatened...."


    The video exploded online. Within hours, shares and likes hit over a million, but it wasn''t just because of Tom''s push-it resonated with people.


    Maeve wasn''t just any designer; she was a royal designer who had created half of the Queen''s public wardrobe. Her work was admired across Erancia, eyen by those who didn''t know her personally.


    She wasn''t born into privilege. Bing a royal designer without connections or a powerful background was unheard of.


    To many, Maeve was a symbol of hope-a white rose blooming in barren soil. She inspired countless people, especially those chasing big dreams from small beginnings.


    Even Mandysha, Erancia''s top fashion designer and a living legend, shared the video. Mandysha understood struggles like Maeve''s better than most.


    Her own story was raw and inspiring. She had grown up in poverty, with a father sentenced to death for murder and a mother who abandoned her and her sister to a harsh welfare home.


    Mandysha wed her way out, collecting scraps and working nonstop to provide for her sister and fund her education.


    In her post, Mandysha wrote, [Where youe from doesn''t define where you''re headed. If all you see in Maeve is her past, you''re missing the point entirely. But don''t worry-people like you usually don''t realize how blind and small-minded you are.] Mandysha''s words hit like a thunderp, as sharp as they were empowering. True to her reputation as fashion''s no-nonsense queen, she didn''t hold back. When she spoke, it was bound to leave a mark.


    Netizens couldn''t get enough of Mandysha''s fieryment. They shared it everywhere, addingughing emojis and joking about how they wished they could borrow her bluntness to roast people in their own lives.


    Her words,ing from such a big


    name, gave the news an even bigger push.Content provided by N?velDrama.Org.


    Before long, it became the top trending topic, crossing borders into Setigal and catching the attention of its more excitable


    29/2


    The buzz around Maeve was electric. Designer extraordinaire, founder of Dreamscape Studio, fiancée to the CEO of McDaniel Group, and-shockingly-the alleged daughter of a wanted criminal. Each title was a headline in itself, and together they created a whirlwind of curiosity and gossip.


    Setigalizens dove headfirst into the drama. Many assumed that with Henry''s arrest, Maeve would forever carry thebel "daughter of a death row inmate." But as the truth unraveled, reactions poured in like wildfire. Comments ranged from disbelief to outright rage.


    [I honestly cared more about this story than I ever did about my first love, and now you''re telling me it was all fake?]


    [Seriously? This man pretended to be her dad, messed with her feelings, and tried to scam her for money? I''m beyond mad.]


    [LOL, I''m dying. Youizens basically say: you can mess with my feelings, but don''t mess with my wallet!]