A warm feeling flowed through Maeve. She smiled and touched Will's cheek. "It doesn't hurt at all," she said. "It's just a scratch. I don't feel it anymore."

Will thought, Liar, I saw her frown just now. He pursed his lips and remained silent.

Maeve noticed the leftover food and called the waiter to pack it up.

Will asked in a low voice, "Why did you do that?"

"What?"

"Weren't you afraid of being hit?" Will looked at Maeve seriously. His round, upturned eyes held a cold aura. "That robot was 6.3 feet tall, weighing approximately 66 pounds. If it hit you, you could suffer a concussion or fracture."

This was the first time Maeve had seen Will so serious. It was a little refreshing.

"Baby, seriousness doesn't suit you," she said, reaching out to pinch his cheek. "I feel like laughing."

Unexpectedly, Will pushed her hand away, his expression unchanged.

Maeve was stunned, then saw his seriousness and stopped joking. "Of course I was afraid," she said, her voice softening. "But I didn't have time to be afraid. I was more worried about you getting hit. I didn't think and just ran over."

"My baby," she continued, "I didn't disregard my own safety, but I'm an adult. Even if I'm injured, it won't be a big deal. You're different. If anything happened to you, it would break my heart."

Will's hands, resting on his knees, clenched tightly. His round eyes were filled with endless confusion, yet his body seemed enveloped in warmth, lifting him. It seemed the maternal instinct described in books wasn't an exaggeration, though she wasn't his mother, and he didn't have one.

Will suddenly jumped up, turned, and ran out of the shop.

"Where are you going, Theo?" Maeve hurriedly gathered their belongings and chased after him. But when she got outside, he was gone. She stood rooted to the spot, feeling extremely anxious.

"Mommy!" A childish voice called from behind. Theo ran up, angry. "Mommy, why didn't you wait for—"

Before he finished, he saw the takeaway bag and laughed. "Mommy, I'm hungry!"

"Where did you go?" Maeve pinched his cheek. "How could you run off like that? I was so worried!" For a moment, she feared someone had abducted him.

Theo looked pitiful. "Mommy, I was wrong. I won't do it again." He'd just played in the arcade a little longer. When he realized Maeve was gone, he ran out.

Maeve snorted softly. She noticed dust on his knees, squatted, and patted them. "Did you fall? Why are you so dirty?"

Theo and Will were wearing similar clothes; even Maeve couldn't tell them apart. Theo blinked his large, angry eyes. "Some inconsiderate person threw dolls on the ground, and I tripped." He thought, That person didn't even consider someone like me, who can never catch a doll!

On the other side, at Nightfall Manor, Will's return brought tears of joy to Damian and the bodyguards.

"William, where did you go? Your father was so worried! He canceled a meeting and came straight home. It's dangerous outside; you can't run off like that again!"

A low, cold voice came from the stairs. "William, come to my study."

Byron then turned and left, leaving silence in the living room.

Will walked upstairs emotionlessly and entered the study. Byron, working at his desk, casually put down a document. "Face the wall and reflect on your mistake," he said coldly.

Will silently obeyed. Only their shallow breaths and the turning of pages broke the silence.

After half an hour, Byron asked, "Do you know what you did wrong?"

"Yes," Will said calmly.

"Tell me."

"I shouldn't have gone out alone without telling you. A child like me, unable to protect myself, is easily in danger."

Byron's anger subsided slightly. "Then why did you do it?"

Will remained silent.

"Is it because you don't want to go to kindergarten?" Byron asked softly. "Were you resisting me?"

"You have the right to decide whether I go to school, but I also have the right to resist," Will said. "I disagree with your actions, but I'm young and rely on you. I have no other way to resist."

Byron's eyes flashed with interest. "If you grow up and don't need me, what will you do?"

Will hesitated. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes. I'm not petty. No matter how ridiculous, I won't hold it against you," Byron promised.

Will relaxed. "When I grow up, I want to be CEO of the McDaniel Group. Then, I'll let you go to kindergarten for me."

Byron was speechless. His son, not yet old, already plotted to usurp his position. He'd expected a ridiculous answer, but not this.

"You're quite ambitious," Byron said meaningfully. "Do you want others to laugh at the McDaniel family for having a CEO who didn't graduate from kindergarten?"

Will looked up. "Dad, my name is William. Who is Will?"

Byron realized he was talking about 'Will,' not William. 'Will' was a nickname Gilbert, his father, had chosen for a future grandchild before an accident. He'd originally wanted to name the child 'Peace,' but settled on 'Will.' Byron had given the child both names.

Looking at Will's stubborn expression, Byron rubbed his temples, wondering if he should throw Will's futon out as punishment.

The next second, Will, standing at the wall, fell.

"You've used that ruse before. It won't work," Byron said coldly.

After a few seconds, there was still no reaction. Will's face was frighteningly pale. Byron's throat tightened. He strode forward and picked up Will, noticing cold sweat on his forehead and neck. He immediately carried him out and summoned Harold.

Will clutched his abdomen and moaned. "It hurts..."

"Will, where?" Byron's eyes were dark, his anger restrained. He gently rubbed Will's stomach. "Here?"

This cleaned-up version addresses grammar, punctuation, sentence structure, and dialogue formatting for improved readability. It also removes the seemingly extraneous text "LITTL" and the website plug.