Immediately afterward, Byron pounced on Maeve, grabbing her slender wrists with one hand and pinning them above her head. His gaze, dark and deep, landed on her face.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Maeve panicked under his stare. She twisted and struggled, desperately trying to escape.

"Don't you think I only use you as a bedmate? I'll show you what it means to be one," Byron said, his handsome face cold. His long fingers swiftly lifted her sweater jacket and reached inside. His cool skin made Maeve tremble. Fear and panic intensified in her eyes.

Hearing her cry, Byron froze. He frowned in frustration. "Why are you crying?"

Maeve sobbed, her shoulders shaking. "The Byron I like wouldn't do this to me."

The short sentence jolted Byron back from the brink of losing control. He slowly withdrew his hand.

"I thought you didn't like me anymore?" He stared at her tear-stained face, his voice slightly uncomfortable.

Maeve sniffed. "How did you know?"

The anger simmering in Byron's chest dissipated like mist. An unfamiliar warmth surged through him. Despite making her cry, his mood had surprisingly improved.

"Don't cry," Byron murmured, tidying her clothes. His calloused fingers gently wiped away her tears. "I won't touch you."

Maeve covered her eyes, retorting, "You're already treating me as your bedmate. Do you believe your own words?"

Byron clicked his tongue and hugged her slender waist. His voice was low and deep. "I'm your bed partner. I'll be on call in the future. Is that enough?" Maeve stopped crying, staring at him in stunned silence, her mouth agape.

She thought, 'Did Byron actually say that? Did I hear wrong?'

"Really?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yes, this is a gentleman's promise," Byron said calmly. "I will be at your service at any time." He was willing to do this, as long as she didn't cry.

Maeve was amused by his tone. Her nervousness and fear subsided. She was suddenly convinced he didn't truly see her as a toy or a bed partner. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to such lengths to appease her. Even though he was clearly inexperienced, she could feel it.

If not for the forced miscarriage four years prior, Maeve might have softened completely.

Byron lowered his head, seeing her dazed expression—her attempts at concealing her thoughts were transparent. He raised an eyebrow. "You don't believe me? Do you need me to prove it?"

Maeve looked at his chest and shook her head frantically. "No need, no need!"

"Do you still think I'm just using you as a bed partner?"

Maeve bit her lip, considering whether to ask him about the abortion four years ago. Then, her phone rang.

She suppressed the question, answering the call. "What happened, Leo? I'm at someone else's house. I'll be back soon." Anticipating Leo's reaction, Maeve preempted him. Theo paused. Sensing someone was with her, he changed his question: "Maeve, do you know... did Will's father pick him up from kindergarten today?" Maeve replied, "I don't think so. You haven't finished school yet, right?"

"But the teacher just told me Will was taken away by his family thirty minutes ago," Theo said, frowning. "It's so strange."

Maeve immediately turned to Byron. "Leo said Will was picked up by his family. Was it someone you sent?" Byron frowned slightly. "No. What did the teacher say?"

Maeve relayed Theo's message. "The teacher said Gilbert misses Will and asked someone to take him to the sanatorium."

If Will was with Gilbert McDaniel, Maeve felt there was no cause for alarm.

However, Byron's expression darkened. He grabbed his phone and made a call. His expression became even colder.

Maeve's unease intensified. "What happened? Isn't Will with Gilbert?"

"No," Byron's voice was frigid. "Grandpa didn't send anyone. There's a high chance someone took him."

Maeve's eyes widened, and she sat up. "Then let's go find him quickly. If anything happens..." The thought of Will being drugged and abducted again filled her with dread.

"He'll be fine," Byron said calmly, showing no panic. "I'll send you back first."

"I want to go with you to find Will. I'm afraid..."

"I'll handle this. You go back," Byron said, his tone不容置疑 (unquestionable).

Maeve's anxiety turned to coldness. She thought, 'He doesn't seem worried at all. Otherwise, he wouldn't be so calm and send me away first. This happened once before. Does he... really care about Will?'

Despite her resistance, Byron forcibly sent Maeve back to her apartment. All she could do was wait anxiously.

Her phone buzzed repeatedly. Bonnie Hancock had sent numerous messages, the screen filled with exclamation points. Maeve ignored them until a news link caught her attention: "[Revealing the shocking secret of Kleymond's wealthiest family, the McDaniel family! The current leader, Byron McDaniel, was maliciously abandoned by his parents. Now, he has abandoned his own son. Is it the destruction of human nature or the loss of morals?]".

The malice in the headline sent chills down her spine. The more she read, the more shocked she became.

She thought, 'Is this informant crazy? How dare they make up this rumor?'

She discovered the informant was Karen Booth, Byron's former secretary, and someone with close ties to the Booth family. This gave the rumor credibility, explaining its rapid spread.

First, Leon's cross-dressing incident caused a stir; now, the McDaniel family's alleged history of child abandonment was revealed. It was a calculated plan to destroy the McDaniel family's reputation.

Maeve believed Karen couldn't have orchestrated such a cunning plan alone; someone was pulling the strings. The police were already investigating, and to destroy the McDaniel family, Karen and her accomplice wouldn't hesitate to harm Will.

(Note: I removed the "Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the Findηovel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ" as it's an advertisement and not part of the story.)