As the party got underway, Charles finally appeared, thanking everyone for coming. The younger Chatterly family members began handing over their birthday gifts, one after another, until it was Jaylen’s turn as the youngest.
Charles shot a glance at Maeve standing beside him and grinned. "Well, well, Jaylen. Looks like you’ve brought me the best gift this year—Maeve! And you managed to keep it under wraps!"
Betty was all smiles. She had always liked Maeve and couldn’t wait to welcome her as a daughter-in-law. Maeve, however, cast her eyes down, looking shy, though inside she felt torn.
Sensing the awkwardness, Jaylen quickly interjected. "You’re reading too much into it. Maeve’s just here to celebrate with us.”
The disappointment on Charles and Betty’s faces was obvious. Charles sighed. “You need to focus more, Jaylen. You’re the last one left to settle down! I don’t expect miracles, but can’t you at least get married before thirty-five?”
Jaylen, unfazed, took the comment in stride but didn’t promise anything. He never made promises he couldn’t keep. Maeve was slightly taken aback by his quick response, but felt it wasn’t the right time to question him, so she let it go. Around the room, the guests couldn’t hear their conversation; they only saw Jaylen and Maeve together, looking like a couple greeting the elders. Byron, noticing the scene, took a sip of his wine, his gaze cold as he looked away.
Halfway through the party, Jaylen grew exhausted but did his best to hide it from his family. Maeve noticed, however, and used the excuse of feeling unwell to take him upstairs.
As soon as they reached the room, Jaylen collapsed onto the bed, completely drained. Maeve grabbed a towel, wrung it out, and began wiping his face. “You really shouldn’t have pushed yourself today. You’re in no shape for all that walking.”
Jaylen probably wouldn’t recover from the exhaustion, no matter how much rest he got. He leaned back against the pillows with a small smile. “I’m not pushing myself. Just having you meet my parents at least once—it’s something I’ve wanted for a long time.” Maeve stayed quiet for a moment before asking, “Why didn’t you agree to what your grandpa said earlier?”
She had thought he might take the chance to make their relationship official. But Jaylen just looked at her, the sadness in his eyes softening into something more gentle. “You’re only agreeing to be my fiancée because you know I don’t have much time left. I can’t repay your kindness by forcing you into something you didn’t ask for.”
He could have easily told everyone she was his fiancée right then and there, but he knew it would put unnecessary pressure on her. The last thing he wanted was to make things harder for her.
“If there’s a chance in the future, I hope you’ll choose to meet my family willingly, on your own terms,” he added. “Only if you want to.”
Maeve bit her lip, then forced a casual smile. “Well, we’ll have to wait for you to get better first, right?”
Jaylen smiled back, his eyes gentle, almost like glass reflecting the soft light. But beneath that tenderness, there was a hint of sadness he couldn’t fully hide.
Soon after, he fell asleep, his exhaustion taking over. Maeve watched him with mixed emotions. If she had known from the start how little time he had, she would have done everything to save him. For someone often praised as a miracle doctor, it was painful to realize she couldn’t do more for her closest friend, other than pretending to be his fiancée.
She sighed, thinking of Charles and Betty’s smiling faces, blissfully unaware of the truth. Now, her only hope was that Rudolf might find a way to help him.
Out of nowhere, Maeve felt a piercing gaze on her back. She turned around and spotted a figure leaning against the door frame, and her heart raced. “What are you doing here?”
“Is this the guy you chose? He doesn’t even have the guts to admit you’re his fiancée,” he sneered, his voice low and mocking.
Maeve quickly looked away. “That really isn’t your business.” Wasn’t he downstairs with Serena? Why is he up here? she thought.
Byron’s eyes dropped to her lips. When he noticed the clear bite marks, his cold expression sharpened. He crushed the cigarette between his fingers and sauntered over to her.
“I was going to give you one last chance,” he said, his deep voice heavy with menace.
Before Maeve could figure out his intentions, her body sensed danger and tensed up. In the blink of an eye, he was right in front of her, looking down at her. Maeve felt trapped in his gaze, like prey caught in a spider web. Her limbs felt stiff. “What are you—”
“Maeve,” Byron’s lips curled into a chilling smile. “You don’t seem to remember how I get when I’m sick.”
A shiver ran down her spine at his smile. Panic kicked in, and without thinking, she shot up to run. But before she could escape, he grabbed her waist and pushed her back onto the bed, barely inches away from the sleeping Jaylen.
Flustered, Maeve wanted to confront him, but the last thing she needed was to wake Jaylen and make things worse. In that awkward moment, Byron grabbed Maeve’s wrists and pushed her back against the bed. He kissed her hard, like he was trying to wipe away any trace of another guy from her lips.
He didn’t hold back—kissing her thoroughly, leaving no inch untouched. Maeve’s eyes went wide, her body trembling as heat flooded her face. She was mortified, feeling like she might burst from embarrassment. This was insane. They were in Jaylen’s room, with Jaylen just a few inches away, sleeping on the bed. Yet here was Byron, having the audacity to do this.
Even though Maeve and Jaylen weren’t in a real relationship, Maeve had always been the “good girl,” so Byron’s behavior felt way out of line. Not only was he out of control, but he was trying to drag her into it, too. And to make it worse, the door was wide open. If anyone from the Chatterly family walked by and caught them like this, she would never show her face around here again. Fury bubbled up inside Maeve, and she wanted to bite him just to get him to let go. But what she didn’t realize was that a little blood might only fuel the beast within him.
Byron’s eyes darkened as the metallic scent of blood filled the air. He gripped her waist tighter and deepened the kiss. He was a total wild card, and since pretending to be normal wasn’t working for him, he figured he might as well embrace it.
Maeve’s heart raced. If she kept resisting, he might really lose it and go too far. She knew Byron was crazy, but she didn’t think he would push it like this. If Jaylen woke up now, she’d die of embarrassment.
So, she gave in a little and touched him with the tip of her tongue, brushing it softly between his lips and teeth. As soon as he noticed she was taking the lead, Byron’s grip on her waist loosened. Maeve leaned in more, deepening the kiss. Her hands, pinned beneath his, started to curl up and rest against the back of his hand, gently massaging it.
Just like that, the pressure on her wrists lightened. It felt like the rage of a wild beast had suddenly calmed, its roughness turning soft, as if the ferocity from before was just a mirage. Only Maeve knew how close she had come to danger; she could feel a thin sheen of sweat on her back.
Byron’s expression softened, and he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her away from the bed. Maeve pulled back slightly, catching her breath. She whispered, “Let’s get out of here.”
“Why? Scared of what he’ll think?” Byron smirked. “Even if he sees us, what can he really do?” Jaylen didn’t even dare to claim Maeve as his fiancée. Even if it came out publicly, Byron would still go for it. He didn’t care about the Chatterly family.
Maeve felt the frustration bubbling up. “Seriously? You want everyone to see me like this?” If anyone found out they were doing this in someone else’s room, people would think they were total perverts.
“What? You’re scared of getting caught kissing me? But you seem so fine about kissing him?” Byron teased.
“What are you even saying? When did I kiss him?” Maeve shot back, bewildered.
However, before Byron could respond, Jaylen erupted in a fit of coughs from the bed. Maeve spun around and saw Jaylen lying there with his eyes shut. He didn’t look awake at all. Another cough, and a bit of blood dribbled from the corner of his mouth, staining the pillow a shocking red.
Byron’s brow furrowed. “What’s going on with him?”
“Daryl said it’s normal for him to cough up blood clots. He’ll be okay after he takes his meds,” Maeve explained, her panic flaring for a second before she pulled it together. She gently lifted Jaylen’s head, trying to help him avoid choking on the blood pooling in his throat. Then, she spotted his medicine bottle and pulled out a brownish-black pill. Byron studied the fancy old lettering on the bottle, looking thoughtful.
After Jaylen swallowed the pill, his coughing slowed down, and he drifted back to sleep. Maeve grabbed a towel to clean the blood off Jaylen’s face, but before she could start, Byron’s hand shot over. “Let me handle it,” he said. “What are you doing?” she asked, puzzled.
“You really expect me to just sit here while my ex-girlfriend touches another guy?” he said, a little annoyed.
Maeve sighed. Sure. She got that they were exes, but really, she was just trying to clean him up. No need to be such a brat.
Even though she wanted to roll her eyes, she still handed him the towel. However, Byron’s method was more like he was scrubbing a dirty floor than caring for someone. If Jaylen weren’t in such a deep sleep, he would probably wake up ready to throw punches at Byron.
Maeve opened her mouth to say something, but when she saw that Jaylen’s face was clean and free of blood, she held back. Honestly, she couldn’t expect Byron to be friendly with his love rival. That would be a bit much, even for her.
Later that evening, the car ride felt super awkward. Maeve’s scalp tingled with tension. Byron was driving, eyes glued to the road, looking like he was carved from stone. In the backseat, Jaylen leaned against the window, coughing occasionally, his mask hiding whatever emotions he had.
The air seemed to have frozen, making Maeve feel suffocated. Thinking about it now, Maeve must have been crazy to suggest they all go together like this a few hours ago.
“Hey, there are snacks in the glove compartment. If you’re hungry, help yourself,” Byron suddenly said.
Maeve blinked, surprised. “Huh? What?”
“You didn’t eat much at dinner, right?” He didn’t even look at her, just kept his focus on the road.
She opened the compartment and found it filled with little bags of snacks—her favorites. They were low-cal and pretty healthy, too. So, he actually prepared some snacks for her in the car. Initially, Maeve felt a twinge of jealousy that he was going to the birthday party with Serena tonight, but now, that jealousy was starting to fade.
She opened a bag of cheesecake bites and popped one into her mouth, the sweet flavor exploding—totally satisfying.
“Hey, gimme one,” Byron said, still looking ahead. Just as Maeve was about to hand one over, Jaylen started coughing again, this time more violently. Her arm stiffened as she remembered her so-called fiancé was right there.
Instead of handing it to Byron, she stuffed the cheesecake bite into her mouth, hoping to eliminate the evidence of her little moment with Byron.
“Are you okay?” Maeve asked, glancing at Jaylen, her guilt creeping in. “You’re not going to cough up blood again, are you?”
“No, just my throat acting up,” Jaylen replied with a smile. “I’m a little hungry, too. Mind sharing some of those snacks?”
Just as Maeve was about to hand over a few goodies, Byron shot in coldly, “Do you think this is a buffet?”
Jaylen raised an eyebrow, his expression darkening. “Are you really that stingy, Mr. McDaniel? You can’t spare a few snack packs?”
“Depends on who’s asking,” Byron shot back. “Yeah, food tastes better when it belongs to someone else.”
Jaylen sneered. “Doesn’t seem very gentlemanly to be longing for someone else’s fiancée.”
“Those who aim for greatness don’t sweat the small stuff,” Byron answered.
When the two guys, who usually avoided each other, faced off, the air felt thick with tension, like something was about to blow up. Maeve froze in her seat, not wanting to move, afraid the fallout would catch her in the crossfire. Luckily, their silent battle didn’t spill over onto her.
Once they reached Jaylen’s place, Maeve helped him inside the villa. Just as she stepped into the living room, Jaylen suddenly asked, “He hurt you pretty badly four years ago. Do you still like him?” Maeve stood there, stunned and unsure how to answer. But Jaylen seemed to know what was up. He lingered on her plain hair for a moment before saying in a hoarse voice, “Go home. Good night.” Maeve opened her mouth to respond, but it felt pointless. She couldn’t give him what he wanted. She hadn’t worn the crimson rose hairpin tonight, and Jaylen probably got the message.