Maeve's attention had long since drifted to their conversation. When she heard Byron planned to be discharged in just two days, she was taken aback. Given the seriousness of his injuries, a month's hospital stay would have been minimal. She thought, It's only been a little over a week, and he's already talking about leaving? She couldn't help voicing her concern. "Mr. Medaniel, your body hasn't fully recovered. Leaving the hospital now might slow your recovery..." Byron didn't even look at her. His tone was cold. "That's not your concern."

A sharp sting pierced Maeve's chest. She quickly turned her head, hiding the sudden moisture in her eyes. She wondered, What's going on? What have I done to upset him?

This frosty atmosphere lingered even after Byron's hospital discharge. Maeve had just started at Eternal Hope and was still finding her footing, so she'd been busy trying to get up to speed these past few days. Meanwhile, Byron was swamped with work that had piled up during his hospital stay, spending most of his time in his study. Both seemed intent on avoiding each other. Even living under the same roof, they rarely crossed paths, except during meals or when absolutely necessary. Maeve resolved not to speak to him unless absolutely necessary. She was frustrated, too.

Today, she stayed late at the office, nearly until 8:30 PM, to finish reviewing Eternal Hope's design archives. As she waited for a cab, a white Ferrari pulled up beside her. The window rolled down, revealing Alex's warm and refined face. "I'll give you a ride," Alex said. Maeve declined without hesitation. "Thank you, Mr. Brown, but I'll just catch a cab."

"It's tough to get a cab at this hour, and it's not safe for a woman to be out alone," Alex said gently. "Come on, get in." Recalling what Ava had mentioned, and considering the late hour and recent news reports about safety, Maeve reconsidered. Alex chuckled softly. "Do I need to get out and open the door for you?" Maeve quickly shook her head. "N-no need. Then... I guess I'll take you up on your offer."

After she gave him her address, Alex entered it into the GPS and merged into traffic. "You've been with the company for a little while now. How are you settling in?" Alex asked, focusing on the road. Maeve nodded slightly. "Everything's going well. The work is interesting, and my colleagues are all very kind." "Glad to hear it."

As they stopped at a red light, Alex's gaze briefly drifted to Maeve's calm profile. She wasn't the kind of woman who would immediately catch your eye, but she possessed a quiet elegance. Her beauty was understated, with delicate, gentle features. Her eyes, reflecting the light, sparkled like stars. A hint of pink on her small nose added a touch of playfulness.

Alex suddenly smiled. "Did you just come from a paint session? You've got something on your nose." Maeve blinked in surprise and checked her phone. Sure enough, there was a smudge of pink paint. "I must have gotten too close while drawing and accidentally brushed against it..." she explained, embarrassed, wiping it off with a tissue. "Better wash it off when you get home," Alex advised, pausing. Then, a burst of inspiration struck him, breaking through a creative block. The image of a rose on a snowy mountaintop... Quickly jotting down the idea, he turned back to Maeve and smiled. "You really are my muse..."

It seemed every time he saw her, a new idea came to mind—something that had never happened before.

The white Ferrari pulled up in front of her apartment building. Maeve leaned down to thank Alex through the window. "Thank you for driving me home, Mr. Brown. Take care on your way back." "Of course," Alex replied with a smile. "Get some rest. Good night." "Good night," Maeve said, waving as he drove off.

Once his car disappeared, she entered her building and took the elevator to her apartment. She didn't expect to see Byron, but as soon as she opened the door, there he was, sitting on the sofa. He was dressed in a black sweater and pants, looking relaxed. His head was slightly bowed, softening his usually sharp features, giving him an air of cool detachment as he focused on a tablet. When he heard the door open, he didn't look up.

Noticing his knee and wrist casts were gone, Maeve considered saying something but decided against it. She headed to the kitchen, picked some greens from the balcony garden, and returned to the kitchen. Soon, the enticing aroma of food filled the apartment.

Byron, leaning his head on his hand, realized he'd only read one line of his document in the past ten minutes. His mind kept wandering back to the scene he'd witnessed from the window, and his brows furrowed in frustration. He thought, Laughing and smiling so brightly with another man outside, but the moment she stepped inside, she couldn't be bothered to say a word. What is that about? Has she gone mute? Irritated, he tossed the tablet aside and was about to head to his room when he noticed Maeve walking over with a plate of pasta. He paused, then casually picked up the tablet again.

But instead of bringing the plate to him, Maeve placed it on the glass table, sat cross-legged on the carpet, and started eating while watching TV.

After a few minutes, Byron's irritation grew. "Maeve, aren't you forgetting something?" "What?" Maeve asked, puzzled, turning to look at him as she took a bite. "My dinner." Maeve looked genuinely surprised. "You haven't eaten yet? I thought you already had."

"Did you even check what time you got home?" Byron's tone was icy. "You left a patient to starve, waiting for you for hours?" She thought, Is he really waiting for me to come home? Maeve swallowed her pasta, mumbling, "I've been getting home late recently. There are ingredients in the fridge; you could've made something yourself." Byron looked at her like she'd told a joke. "The one who agreed to cook in exchange for rent wasn't me." He thought, Since when did I ever need to do such things?

"You're right, I did agree to that," Maeve said, tightening her grip on her fork. "But agreeing to cook doesn't mean I signed up to be treated like a maid." Byron's dark eyes narrowed. "So, are you trying to back out?" "No, I'm just saying that if I'm your maid, we need to settle a few things."

Maeve lifted her head and met his gaze. "I've been paying for the groceries, cooking the meals, washing the dishes, and doing the weekly deep cleaning. So, Mr. Medaniel, aside from the meals that offset the rent, how much should you be paying me for everything else?" Byron leaned forward, his posture casual. "How much do you want?" It seems the card she received from Alex isn't enough to cover the engagement gift to the Graves family! he thought.

"I don't want money," Maeve replied, meeting his gaze. "I just realized that I shouldn't be doing everything around here by myself. Don't you think, Mr. Medaniel, that you should share some of the load?" To Byron, this was absurd. He'd known hardship, but he'd never done these chores. Now, there was no reason to start. What are the dozens of servants at my estate for if not to handle these tasks? he thought.

The final sentence, "Search the FindNovel.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality," is removed as it's not part of the narrative.