Chapter 403

Endless silence filled the ward. It was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Maeve felt awkward. Yesterday, she'd said she needed time to think, yet here she was. Coupled with last night's near-death experience, breaking up over a small matter felt pretentious. She didn't want to be pretentious, but she couldn't help herself.

A knock came, then Archer entered.

"Ms. Reese," he greeted politely.

Maeve nodded, watching him hurry to the sofa. He lowered his voice. "Mr. McDaniel, we have a lead."

"Hmm?" Byron said indifferently. "Speak."

Archer relayed his findings. Maeve had been deliberately lured to the McDaniel family's old residence, knocked unconscious, and thrown into the sea—Henry's doing. The bodyguard secretly protecting her had also been targeted. However, only Henry's accomplice was caught; Henry escaped. This accomplice had worked with Henry for years and knew much. For instance, if Maeve died, her studio and assets would go to Henry, her only relative. The jewelry didn't matter; Henry had acted secretly, using an accomplice to hire the murderer, remaining untainted. Even investigation wouldn't implicate him. Hearing this, Maeve's blood ran cold; her lips paled. A wave of powerlessness washed over her. She lay down, staring blankly at the ceiling, ignoring Archer's subsequent report.

"Investigate further. There must be someone behind him," Byron murmured. "He couldn't bribe the McDaniel family's old servant alone." Henry, in his opinion, was a puppet; the mastermind was the true target.

Archer understood. "Yes, sir."

Silence returned to the ward. Byron didn't observe Maeve; his expression remained calm and indifferent.

Chapter 405

As someone who'd just been broken up with last night, his pride and rationality prevented him from rushing to comfort her. He didn't understand why she repeatedly misunderstood him as merely seeing her as a bed partner. He'd explained it many times. If she wouldn't listen, he had nothing more to say. His patience with her, or Lino, would eventually run out.

Maeve, her back to him, fell asleep, confused and afraid. When she awoke, the sky was bright. She was alone; Byron and the children were gone. A commotion sounded outside the door.

Maeve washed up and went to investigate. As she reached the door, it burst open. Foreign police officers barged in, showing their IDs. "Are you Maeve? We're from the Erancia Police Department's Serious Crimes Unit. You're suspected of participating in a jewelry robbery over twenty years ago. We need to question you."

They handcuffed her without allowing questions. Maeve was stunned. 'What? I was born less than twenty years ago!'

"Wait!" Archer pushed through. His expression was serious. "Show your identification and an international arrest warrant."

The Erancia police showed their IDs but lacked a warrant.

Archer sneered. "Then you have no right to handcuff our citizen or treat her as a prisoner." Mr. McDaniel had instructed him to protect Ms. Reese; failure wasn't an option.

The Erancia officer bristled. "We have the right to detain and interrogate suspects. Are you interfering?"

"This is Setigal, not Erancia," Archer countered. "Obey our laws. Otherwise, I'll sue you for illegally restricting the freedom of our citizens."

The officer's face fell. He called Kleymond headquarters. As Byron's chief special assistant, Archer was not to be trifled with.

"Sh*t!" The Erancia leader cursed, removing the handcuffs. They left angrily. Maeve rubbed her wrist, confused. "Archer, what happened? Why were they arresting me?"

"Ms. Reese, someone online publicized your father as a jewelry thief, even posting your DNA report, attracting the international police investigating the case," Archer sighed. "The internet is a mess; avoid it."

The international police would demand Maeve's return for investigation. Even the McDaniel Group couldn't interfere in Erancia. Therefore, she couldn't be detained.

Maeve frowned. "Has Henry been arrested?"

Archer shook his head. "No. That's why they want you." She was the best bait to lure him out. They didn't care about their relationship; Maeve was a child then. They focused on results, not process.

However, the worst happened. The Erancia police received a special warrant and detained Maeve. Byron was still in surgery; Archer couldn't stop them. Maeve, a Setigal citizen, could only be detained and pressured; they couldn't torture her.

Meanwhile, the internet exploded. The main topic was how to treat the offspring of criminals. Extremists believed criminal offspring inherited bad genes and should be banned if famous. Moderates argued against collective punishment; children didn't choose their parents, and Maeve was stolen young. Onlookers simply wanted to know where the jewelry was. It was reportedly worth tens of billions.