The story centered on a key theme: true love conquering all obstacles. This sentiment, while pleasant, felt fragile, unable to withstand the pressures of reality. Wasn't that just like my situation with Byron? she thought.

After finishing another page, Maeve glanced up to see Will's eyes sparkling like twinkling stars, showing no sign of sleepiness. She remained silent, feeling herself grow sleepy from all the reading. Maeve closed the book and, under Will's confused gaze, softly hummed a lullaby.

When Theo was younger, he'd fall asleep instantly whenever she hummed. The twins were different in many ways, yet similar in countless others.

Will reminded himself not to fall asleep too quickly, fearing Maeve would leave. He didn't understand why she'd become this way, but he wanted to spend more time with her. Just a little while longer.

Within five minutes, Will was fast asleep. His pale, chubby face, pressed against the pillow, radiated innocence.

Maeve's heart softened. She got up to remove his sunglasses, wanting him to sleep well. As her hand reached out, she remembered he was Lynn and Byron's child.

Reason prevented her from disliking him, but her emotions held her back from being overly kind. Maeve withdrew her hand, returned the book to its place, switched off the light, and quietly left.

As the sleeping Will reached for something in his palm, he found nothing and murmured, "Mommy."

Back at the apartment, Maeve collapsed onto the sofa, utterly exhausted. Theo removed his shoes, climbed onto the sofa, and gently rubbed her legs and kneaded her shoulders. "Mommy, was the studio busy today?" he asked.

"Mommy didn't go to the studio today," Maeve said, feeling drained as she turned over. "And the studio has been facing some unresolved issues lately, so it's not busy."

"What kind of issue?" Theo asked, wrinkling his nose.

Maeve briefly explained the behind-the-scenes attempts to undermine Dreamscape. With a huff, Theo jumped off the sofa, shuffled to his room in his bear slippers, and soon emerged with his laptop. He sat at the table and began typing effortlessly.

Maeve straightened, asking, "Sweetie, what are you doing?"

"I'm finding out which scoundrel dares to bully my mommy, such a delicate woman!" Theo said sternly.

Maeve was about to say it was unnecessary—she already knew—when Theo exclaimed, "Mommy, someone stole your studio's customer information, and then an overseas IP called them." "What?" Maeve leaned closer. "Overseas?"

"A customer posted the call information on their social media. Look, Mommy," Theo said.

Maeve saw a post: "In my lifetime, I got contacted by the secretary of the McDaniel Group. I'm crying."

She pondered. The person who called my client claimed to be from the McDaniel Group's secretarial department? But would Byron stoop so low?

"Can you pinpoint the caller's address, sweetie?" Maeve asked.

"Sure thing!" Theo declared. Moments later, a map appeared on the screen. "That person is in Creynia's capital business district, at a multinational company called Vinedustries."

"Is this part of the McDaniel Group's holdings?" Maeve asked.

"Not at all. The legal representative is named Patchett," Theo replied.

Maeve frowned, lost in thought. She'd never been to Creynia and didn't know Patchett. What could this person's motive be for targeting me under Byron's name?

Theo suddenly realized, Does this count as inadvertently helping my stand-in dad? I guess I'll let it slide since I'm so generous. With that, he effortlessly hacked into the McDaniel Group's security system, packaged the information on Vinedustries, and sent it with an explanation. After finishing, Theo wore a proud expression. This free labor is just so useful, he thought, satisfied.

The next day, Byron sat at his desk at the McDaniel Group. Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, illuminating him. The documents Theo had sent were on his screen.

"Mr. McDaniel, could this be a trap?" Archer hesitated. "That hacker usually causes a stir. Why the sudden generosity? They even gave us a heads-up. We already discovered the overseas company targeting Ms. Reese's studio, but this specific information… Who is this hacker?"

Byron remained silent, his gaze fixed on the screen. After a pause, he stated, "He knows Maeve." His tone was certain.

Archer looked surprised. "How do you know that?"

"His intentions are clear: he aims to protect Maeve," Byron remarked, tapping his fingers. "Sending me this information is a way to use my resources against whoever is undermining her using the McDaniel Group's name."

Byron's eyes glinted. With Jaylen abroad, he couldn't intervene. Who could this hacker be?

Maeve had barely settled into her office when Neville called. "Ms. Reese, have you given it any thought?"

"That girl can't be considered a witness; her words shouldn't be taken as testimony. Is this your version of sincerity?" Maeve retorted.

Neville chuckled. "Ms. Reese is unhappy with this outcome. Didn't she mention the bugs to you?"

Maeve furrowed her brows.

The passage is still incomplete. The final sentence is cut off.