Chapter 505

"Mr. McDaniel, I'll work hard! Thank you!" Molly practically vibrated with excitement, clutching her coffee.

Maeve, returning with the coffee pot, saw it all. She slammed the coffee down beside Byron. "Cozy, weren't you, while I was gone?" Her eyes narrowed, taking in Molly's flushed cheeks and sparkling eyes. She knew Byron had said something good. Jealousy gnawed at her. "Are you two getting back together?"

Byron took a sip of his coffee. A teasing glint in his dark eyes, he said, "Maeve, this coffee is awfully sour. Vinegar again?"

Maeve exploded. "Jealous? You're the indecent one! You have a fiancée and you're flirting with other girls!"

Byron sighed, tapping his fingers on the table. "You don't even know what we talked about. Why are you jealous?"

"I don't need to know! Look at her – lovestruck! It's obvious." Maeve's jealousy intensified. "Clem and I are over, but you're still hung up on your first love! It seems like you're getting back together." A bitter thought struck her: "Am I just the stepping stone for your reunion?"

Byron looked stunned. "First love? What are you talking about?"

Maeve's face flushed. "You're still—"

The phone rang, interrupting her. Byron checked the caller ID, his confusion momentarily overshadowed. He answered. "What? They fought? We'll be right there."

Maeve's own phone rang before Byron could respond. After speaking with her son's teacher, worry etched itself onto her face. "Will and Theo… they had a fight with some classmates."

Her usually well-behaved sons? Theo's impulsive nature, usually balanced by Will's calm demeanor, couldn't account for this. The teacher's tone suggested something more serious.

Byron stood, grabbing his coat. "Let's go."

At the kindergarten, school was letting out. Maeve and Byron collected their sons from the teacher's office. The usually cheerful boys were slumped and miserable, pitifully cute. Maeve wanted to hug them both, but settled for tucking Theo into Byron’s arms and carrying Will herself.

Will's cheeks were red. He mumbled, "Mom, I can walk."

Maeve kissed his face. "Our family rule: bad moods get carried home."

Will tentatively hugged her neck, a small smile breaking through his gloom. Theo, however, remained sullen in Byron's arms, a silent, stubborn lump.

Byron weighed Theo in his arm. "Gained weight again?"

Usually, this would spark a furious response, but today, Theo only stared, his eyes slightly red. Byron's heart softened; he patted Theo's back. "Be a man. Don't cry."

Theo mumbled, "I'm not crying. My life is just hard."

"Hard life?"

"Will gets Mommy's comfy lap, and I get stuck on the Great Demon King’s lap. It's brutal!"

Byron was speechless. His embrace was that terrifying? He scoffed, tightening his hold. "Toughen up. Someone's gotta go to hell."

Maeve thought, How childish. Bully your son, huh?

Back home, a tense silence settled over the family. The teacher's explanation was insufficient; the boys remained tight-lipped. Maeve looked at Byron, helpless.

Byron studied the two boys thoughtfully. "You go out. I'll talk to them."

Maeve nodded. "Okay. You're all boys; you'll understand each other better."

Byron smirked. "Ms. Reese, are you sure I'm a boy?"

Maeve stared. Did he really need to announce that to everyone?

Once she was gone, Byron said, "Your mom’s out. Spit it out. You're hiding it because you don't want to upset her."

The boys exchanged a glance, silent for a long moment.

Byron softened his voice. "William, why did you attack your classmate?"

Will knew Byron's patience was wearing thin. Even if he didn’t confess, Byron would find out. "Dad, I didn't attack him. He fell, and I didn't help." His eyes were steady. "There's no rule requiring me to help him, right?"

"Did he provoke you?"

Theo spoke up, expressionless. "He said we weren't real brothers. Said one of us must be illegitimate. Said he'd never seen both our parents at school."

"Mom told us to stick together," Will added. "He fell, hit his head. Why should we be blamed? Just for not helping him? Theo’s lucky he didn’t stomp on him."

Byron sat, hesitant for a moment, then ruffled their hair. "You did the right thing."

Theo was stunned. No scolding? Just a gentle touch?

Byron continued, "Helping is good, but not your duty. You can choose. When you're weak, direct conflict is unwise. Hit where it hurts."