Chapter 420

After spitting out those words, Maeve Reese felt the frustration that had been building in her heart ease slightly. She couldn't ignore what he'd said; fibbing to herself was even less likely. She cared about him a great deal.

Byron McDaniel seemed to find Maeve Reese's words hard to swallow. He looked at her serious, desolate expression and exhaled deeply. His voice was slightly suppressed. "Maeve, what on earth are you thinking? When did I say I don't want to be engaged to you?"

If he didn't intend to marry her, why the elaborate proposal ring? He'd rounded up world-famous designers and worked tirelessly to design and redesign it. Even swamped with work lately, he hadn't neglected the ring's progress, keeping close tabs on it. But what had Maeve Reese just said? That he didn't want to marry her?

Since she'd brought it up, Maeve Reese was now throwing in the towel. "I overheard your conversation with Gilbert McDaniel that day at the McDaniel family home. You said you'd be breaking up with me soon, and Gilbert agreed with your plan." He was the one who'd labeled her his fiancée. In the end, he was also the one who despised her so much that he'd calculated the timing to end their relationship. It made her feel like a mere plaything, easily discarded. And worse, it was the man she cared for. How could Maeve Reese not feel awful?

She didn't notice that after her confession, the gloom in Byron McDaniel's eyes vanished instantly, leaving him speechless for a moment.

"Maeve Reese, why are you so pigheaded?" Byron McDaniel pinched her damp chin. A mix of helplessness and amusement played across his handsome face. "Even if you eavesdropped, you wouldn't have heard the whole story."

Maeve Reese's cheeks puffed slightly from his pinch. She glared at him with her sparkling eyes. "How am I being unreasonable?"

"Don't act like a spoiled child," Byron McDaniel's Adam's apple bobbed. "I told Grandpa I'd end things with you eventually, provided we take it to the next level, understand?"

Who was being coy? Maeve Reese was about to pout when she heard his next words. She was stunned. The fiancée went one step further… wasn't that marriage?!

Chapter 420

"Are you kidding me?" Maeve Reese looked at him suspiciously. "Or are you getting carried away because you just acknowledged Theo?"

Byron McDaniel was so amused he almost laughed. "Would I joke about something like this?"

"But…" Maeve Reese was confused. She started to speak, but he cut her off. "Maeve Reese, I want the truth. Are you eager to break up with me?" Maeve Reese retorted immediately, "Don't project your thoughts onto me. When did I ever think like that?"

"Then why did you ask me to consider breaking off the engagement some time ago? You even said the sooner the better?" Byron McDaniel pressed.

"I…" Maeve choked. "I overheard what you said to Gilbert. I assumed you wanted to call off the engagement immediately, so I took the initiative to fulfill your wish!"

"So you never wanted to break up with me?"

"Never!"

Without thinking, Maeve Reese blurted out her true feelings. Seeing the grin that suddenly spread across Byron McDaniel's lips, her ears turned red. Bastard! He'd been trying to trick her into admitting the truth!

After getting Maeve Reese's answer, the pent-up aggravation in Byron McDaniel's chest finally dissipated. He gave her cheek a gentle pinch, as if he couldn't get enough. His slightly calloused fingers grazed her skin.

Maeve Reese felt a tickle and wanted to ask him to stop, but she'd already revealed everything. She pressed her lips together, playing it cool to hide her inner awkwardness.

"You haven't answered my question," Byron McDaniel said calmly. "Why do you think I don't want to marry you?"

Maeve Reese pursed her red lips. "I already answered just now."

"You didn't give me a straight answer. That wasn't what you really meant."

Maeve Reese's heart skipped a beat. His gaze seemed to pierce through her. Her face flushed. She wanted to disappear, but her face was in his grip. If she moved, he'd squeeze it, she was sure. She looked up, desperately trying to think of a way to deflect.

"You'd better not lie to me." Byron McDaniel pressed his fingertips to her carotid artery, a faint smile on his face. "Oh, your heart is starting to beat faster. I want to hear what excuse you'll use to brush me off this time." Maeve Reese:!!!

This guy was playing dirty! How could he be so adept at detecting lies? Was the lie detector possessed?!

Maeve Reese gritted her teeth. Her elegant, slender shoulders tensed, then slowly relaxed.

"Byron McDaniel, let's set aside our issues for now. Let's talk about the fact that we're from different social rungs. You seem to have forgotten that I'm the daughter of a fugitive. Even if I were from an ordinary family, the gap between us is significant."

"It's not that I'm being stubborn, but reality is staring us in the face. Back then, when you married me, even as the daughter of the Reese family, the rumors never stopped. Plus, my current status is uncertain. If you're with me, what will people think of you?" Maeve Reese paused, the rest of her thoughts catching in her throat. They would say the big-shot CEO of the McDaniel Group had married the daughter of a fugitive. Wasn't that a slap in the face to his family?

Maeve Reese didn't care whose daughter she was, nor did she care what people said. Usually, she'd retaliate against such gossips. But she cared about Byron McDaniel and didn't want to be a source of negativity for him.

Unexpectedly, after hearing her words, Byron McDaniel burst out laughing. His low, magnetic laughter was exceptionally sexy. Maeve Reese looked at him in confusion. What was he laughing at? Was she ridiculous?

"Maeve Reese, I just realized you seem to have the wrong idea about me." Byron McDaniel's brows arched, a faint smile on his lips. "Why do you think I'm some highfalutin goody-two-shoes?"

"I don't think you're a saint, but you are definitely high and mighty," Maeve Reese said earnestly. Nobody in Kleymond was more powerful and respected than the McDaniel Group.

Byron McDaniel's smile widened. "But you seem to have forgotten that before I rejoined the McDaniel family, I was just an average Joe like you. Setting aside my family background and status, I'm not as unattainable as you seem to think. Maeve Reese, we've always been the same."

He dipped his head slightly and leaned closer to Maeve Reese's face, still steamy from the bath. The tip of his nose brushed hers, emotions flickering in his eyes that she couldn't quite decipher.

"From the moment you saved me in the rain, you were destined to belong to me."

"It's mine."

His presence enveloped Maeve Reese, a net she couldn't escape. By the time she regained her senses, she was trapped.