Chapter 486

Maeve almost collapsed from laughter. Theo made several hundred thousand dollars treating Duke Connor Elliott in Erancia. He gave it all to her, then was stingy with a dozen dollars. The money Will had saved with great difficulty was taken by Theo, who even promised to work hard for her and support her in the future. "That is why children are meant to be fun with. Isn't it more interesting than Byron, the stinky man, who went on a business trip and left me with a difficult question?"

In the evening, Damian took the box he received upstairs to Zephyr, saying it was from Ms. Reese, who had visited earlier. Zephyr opened the box and fell silent at the familiar suit jacket inside. Being stood up twice was intolerable. That's why he was so cold to Maeve today. The first time could be considered an accident; he didn't mind. But the second time lost him some good impression. Zephyr asked Damian to return the coat to the closet; he probably wouldn't wear it again. He had no chance to see the apology letter in its pocket.

Meanwhile, Maeve took advantage of Byron's business trip and Greenhaven's weekend off with Bonnie. Even her former roommate, Julia, didn't know her crush. Maeve wanted to see if she could find the missing memory puzzle, but Will and Theo didn't have much hope for the trip. Maeve and Bonnie first visited Greenhaven High School to catch up with her teachers, especially the one who'd taken her class to Kleymond University. Unfortunately, it had been so long ago that no one remembered. Only a female teacher vaguely remembered Maeve. Maeve did not return to Greenhaven with them after the tour. It was Maeve's malnourishment—she looked thin and weak—that made the teacher take notice.

After leaving the school, Bonnie had an idea. "Maeve, think we should go to Kleymond University. We obviously won't find anything useful here." Maeve was stunned. She pursed her lips and said nothing. "Think about it. You met your crush visiting Kleymond University. He must be a student there. The probability is higher… Why aren't you saying anything?" Bonnie asked. "I don't know why I don't want to go there," Maeve mumbled.

Of course, she knew what Bonnie meant. Her evasion had become a habit. Mentioning Kleymond University caused inexplicable panic and resistance. Bonnie patted her shoulder. "It's fine. If you don't want to go, don't. I know some people at Kleymond University. I'll help you look." "Bonnie, you're the best."

"I'm nice but don't want you to abandon Mr. McDaniel," Bonnie said, covering her heart. "Don't even think about giving me a good person card." Maeve laughed and cried, ruffling Bonnie's hair. "You're so dramatic."

Luckily, Maeve had Bonnie. She didn't feel disappointed about finding nothing. They giggled and fooled around on their way back to the hotel. At the hotel, Bonnie was called out by friends. Maeve, unused to such occasions, let Bonnie go alone. Maeve went to the snack street beside the hotel. It was good to look around. Actually, her experiences in this city had never been good. The worst years of her high school were spent there. Her best friend, her confidante, had died there. It felt like the worst things in her life happened there.

Maeve left the snack street with a drink. Passing an alley at night, she heard wails. Her scalp went numb. It was the only way back to her hotel, and she wasn't familiar with the place. She braced herself and walked forward. She saw a man kneeling on the concrete floor, blood everywhere, a strong smell of blood in the air. A black car was parked nearby, its back door open, burly bodyguards in black on either side. Someone sat inside. The silver-gray hem of their clothes fell halfway down the seat; long, straight legs were carelessly resting on the edge of the door. The light was too dim to see the man's face. Only the scarlet light of a cigarette burned quietly.

Maeve felt something was wrong and retreated. They'd discovered her. Maeve wanted to cry but couldn't. If she'd known, she wouldn't have taken the shortcut. The bodyguards pushed Maeve to the car. "Mr. Holland, the woman looks suspicious. Should we deal with her?"

Maeve was at a loss. 'How did I look suspicious?' she thought. She looked at the man in a pool of blood and shuddered. 'Is it too late to escape?' she thought.

"What's the point of fighting and killing all day long?" the man in the car said arrogantly. "What do I teach you usually? Be gentle to girls. All of you have shifty eyes and are so ungentlemanly. You deserve to be single." The subordinates looked even more terrifying.

Maeve didn't dare relax. 'Their boss sounds reasonable, but I'm afraid he might not sound that way. Also, why does his voice sound so familiar?' she thought.

"Hurry up and release the girl. Be polite," the man instructed lazily. "Yes, Mr. Holland!" The subordinate pushed Maeve hard; she stumbled and fell onto the car door, hitting her forehead on the back of the chair.

Maeve endured the pain and looked up. Their eyes met. The air froze. Then, she was pushed out. The door slammed shut. Maeve covered her forehead. She knocked on the door. "Open the door! Why are you hiding?" The boss said nothing; the subordinates pretended to be wooden. Maeve patted the door again. "Clem, come out! I know it's you. Don't think you can get away with hiding without making a sound."

Exposed, the man gave up. "You've got the wrong person. I don't know Clem Holland." "Did I say Holland?" Maeve chuckled. "You've exposed yourself, and you're still pretending?"