Byron stared at Maeve. "Finish your meal, and we'll talk."

Maeve lowered her eyes, concealing her complicated thoughts. She picked up her fork and began eating. She was hungry; she'd only had half a chocolate bar since yesterday. The table was laden with her favorite dishes—clearly, Byron had instructed the chef to prepare light, healthy options. A surge of bittersweet emotion washed over her, but she quickly suppressed it.

After finishing a bowl of noodles, she put down her fork with a heavy heart. "I'm done."

"Finish the soup," Byron said in a deep voice.

Maeve looked at the bowl of mushroom soup. Although she'd lost her appetite, she obediently sipped it until it was gone.

"You're too slow," Byron said, glancing at his watch and frowning slightly. "I have a conference call. Wait for me in your room."

Maeve opened her mouth to protest, but he was already pulling out his phone, ready to leave. Frustrated, she glared at him before heading upstairs, muttering to herself, "She was the one eating, not him. Why couldn't he just talk and let her get on with it?"

Byron, oblivious to her grumbling, calmly put away his phone and took the other staircase.

Back in her room, Maeve waited anxiously. Soon, sleepiness overcame her, and she dozed off by the window. Not long after, Byron entered. As if expecting this, he carefully covered her with a blanket, adjusted the air conditioner, and left. When Maeve woke up, it was morning.

Rubbing her long, messy hair, she sat up, quickly washed, and went to look for Byron. To her surprise, she bumped into him immediately.

"I'm sorry, I accidentally fell asleep yesterday!" Maeve said, frustrated. "I was so exhausted. I really didn't mean to…" In her haste, a sheen of sweat appeared on her nose.

Byron's gaze flickered. He gulped before saying faintly, "I had business at the office, so I left after you fell asleep. I just got back."

Maeve heaved a sigh of relief. "So about that thing you wanted to discuss…"

Just as he was about to respond, Alexis approached from the elevator. "Byron, Dr. Chatterly is at the hospital with your grandfather. Your father wants you there now." Byron looked surprised.

"I got it," Byron nodded. He then turned to Maeve. "Were you the one who invited him?"

Maeve nodded.

"What did you do to make them agree?"

Maeve hesitated briefly before answering casually, "Nothing. You know I saved Mr. Chatterly's life before. He owed me one." She wasn't going to tell him about nearly sacrificing her hand; he'd only get angry.

Byron suspected she wasn't telling the truth, but with Alexis urging him, he let it go. "The police are investigating Grandpa's attack. We'll have answers by tomorrow. As long as you're innocent, no one can blame you." His cold voice softened slightly. "Stay home and wait for me."

He left. Maeve stood rooted to the spot, tears welling in her eyes. He hadn't explicitly said he believed her, yet his words were comforting. That was enough.

Meanwhile, at First Hospital, Gilbert's surgery had lasted nearly three hours. He was in the ICU. Jaylen, his attending physician, stood by the bed, appearing casual yet commanding respect.

Jason, urgently asked Dr. Chatterly, "How long until my father regains consciousness?"

"What? Isn't saving him enough? Now I have to predict when he'll wake up too?" Jaylen's eyes were cold.

Jason, unaccustomed to such directness (except from Byron), explained through his assistant that he was concerned about another critical episode.

Jaylen retorted, "Are you insulting my medical skills?" The assistant quickly denied it. Jaylen, unimpressed, tossed a prescription on the table and left, leaving the others embarrassed.

At the door, he encountered Byron. Their gazes clashed—a silent battle between two strong men. They passed without speaking.

Jason informed Byron, "The police have their findings. Based on fingerprints on the weapon and music box, and footprints at the scene, they believe Maeve was the only person with your grandfather when he was injured. Only her fingerprints were found on the knife and music box. The hallway cameras show she entered the room alone. Your mother and I arrived later."

A storm of emotions raged in Byron's eyes.

Jason continued, "The evidence is conclusive. She must be the attacker. We can't keep a woman like that in our family. I've told your mother to hand Maeve to the police, and you must divorce her immediately."

Byron remained silent, his expression frigid. As Jason said, Alexis quickly had Maeve sent to the police station. Despite Maeve's protests, she was powerless against the McDaniel family's security team; a public scandal would be disastrous for the McDaniel Group.

(Note: The extraneous text at the end about a website was removed.)