Maeve's cheeks burned. Her blood felt like molten lava, heating her to a flushed crimson. She tried to turn away, but Byron's hand firmly held her waist, his body pressing against hers. Her back sank into the soft sofa; she couldn't retreat.

His heated kisses rained down on her neck and shoulders, moving slowly along her collarbone, each one possessive. Maeve frowned, her delicate fingers gripping his sleeve so hard the fabric creased. Her voice was muffled. "That's enough… I still need to go back in a bit…" Byron exhaled lowly in her ear, chuckling lightly. "You got me worked up like this, and you still plan to leave tonight? No way."

Maeve found herself lifted onto his feet and carried towards the master bedroom. Byron hooked the door shut behind them as he strode to the bed, placing her down gently. The kisses came again, this time mirroring the intensity of the storm outside.

"Don't take what Jason said to heart," Byron murmured huskily into her ear, kissing her soft earlobe. "He only said that to get under my skin." He assumed her unease stemmed from Jason's words, his tone reassuring.

Maeve remained silent, biting his throat in response. Byron tensed, gazing at her intensely. His lips found a tender spot on her neck, teasing it gently but unmistakably. Maeve shivered, trying to wriggle free. "What if I ended up with someone else? What would you do?" His eyes narrowed. "I don't know. Why don't you try it?"

Though his words sounded casual, the dangerous edge made her heart race. Her eyes darted away. Byron held her chin, capturing her lips in a fierce kiss. "If you still have time to think about that while in my arms, then I must have been too gentle with you." Maeve whimpered helplessly, her remaining words stopped by the heat of his kiss.

The next morning, after breakfast, Byron drove the two little ones to preschool and then took Maeve to her studio. Before she got out of the car, he asked, "How about lunch together? I can have Archer pick you up."

Since it wasn't far, Maeve nodded. "Sure. I'll walk over myself. No need to trouble Archer." Byron nodded and handed her his access pass. "See you at noon." Maeve waved as she got out of the car.

Once Byron drove off, her smile faded, replaced by a bittersweet expression. Laurel's last wishes and Jaylen's limited time weighed heavily on her heart. She felt powerless. Taking a deep breath, Maeve turned and walked towards the building. But at the entrance, she paused, turned back, and hailed a cab.

In the whirlwind of the past few days, she had almost forgotten Scott and Valda were still in the detention center, their trial set for next month. Before that, she needed to ask them many questions. After much consideration, Maeve decided to face Valda.

In just a few days, Valda seemed significantly older. Dressed in the drab gray uniform of the detention center, she looked worn out. Yet, the moment she saw Maeve, her lifeless eyes lit up with hope. Gripping the bars, she called out desperately, "Maeve, my dear daughter. I raised you all these years. You called me 'Mom' for so long, you wouldn't leave me to rot here, right?" She looked at Maeve as if grasping at a lifeline, pleading with all her heart.

Maeve, however, had long since cut off any emotional ties the moment she discovered she had been stolen from her real parents. Yet, hearing Valda's words still made her chuckle. "Mom?" Maeve echoed, her voice laced with irony. "You only acknowledged me as your daughter when you needed money or found me useful. I used to wonder why, feeling both hurt and angry. Was it because I was a girl that I deserved your beatings?" Maeve laughed shortly. "I could have grown up with my real parents. You took that away from me, and for what? To use me as a tool to exploit? You deserve this."

Valda flushed with anger. "If we hadn't taken you, you'd be dead by now! Your real parents wouldn't have been able to protect you!"

Maeve pressed her lips together. "How do I know you're not just making excuses to cover your own guilt?"

"Why would I lie to you? Your real parents weren't even from Kleymond. I knew the moment I saw them. They were from somewhere else and had crossed the wrong people. I saw your mother get dragged into a car and taken away!" Eager to reduce her sentence, Valda spilled everything she remembered.

Maeve's heart sank. Her birth parents were involved with the criminal underworld. She pondered what could have happened to them. "Do you remember what they looked like?" Maeve asked, her voice barely a whisper.

Twenty years had passed, and it was unlikely Valda could recall anything with certainty. She fumbled for an answer. "Your mother… she looked a bit like you, long hair, seemed delicate and fragile. Your father… tall, built, with a scar on his face. Not someone to mess with." These vague descriptions made it nearly impossible to track them down. And besides, they might not even still be alive.

Maeve bit her lip. Even if her birth parents weren't "good" people, she still wanted to meet them.

"By the way, there was something left in your blanket back then," Valda suddenly mentioned.

Maeve immediately pressed her. "What was it?"

Valda smiled slyly. "What's in it for me if I tell you?"

Maeve narrowed her eyes. "And how do I know you're not lying?" Valda seemed confident. "You can believe me or not, but I'm the only one who knows where it is." "Fine," Maeve responded, her patience wearing thin. "At least tell me what it is first."

Valda said, "It was a pacifier… decorated with diamonds and sapphires."

Maeve blinked in disbelief. "A… pacifier?"

Valda nodded. "Yes, a pacifier."

Maeve became silent. Her mind flashed back to her childhood, to a nearly forgotten memory. She remembered seeing a "fancy pacifier," studded with sparkling jewels, tucked away in Valda and Scott's drawer. She had stared at it too long, only to be slapped across the face by Scott, who accused her of trying to steal it. After that, Maeve never dared to go near their room again, for fear of being hit. And now, she realized that the pacifier had been left by her real parents.

Maeve took a deep breath. "What do you want in exchange for telling me where it is? As long as it's not too unreasonable, I'll consider it."

Valda's jaw clenched. After a long moment, she lowered her voice. "Get me a good lawyer. Help me cut down my sentence, and once I'm out, give me 100 thousand dollars to live comfortably. That's fair, isn't it?"