"Every time I come here, I want to try something else, but I always end up ordering this," Maeve said, her eyes curving slightly.

"What a coincidence. Me too," Alex replied.

They chatted and laughed, oblivious to the falling temperature around them. Byron tapped the table with his long fingers. When Maeve looked over, he said coldly, "Hand me the parmesan."

Maeve handed him the bottle of shredded parmesan.

"Hand me the napkin," he added. Maeve handed Byron the napkin.

After two bites, Byron frowned at his spaghetti. "Why is it spicy?"

Maeve turned to him. "Did you tell the waiter not to add spice?"

"Yes," he said, disdain flickering in his eyes. He put down his fork. "Forget it. I'm not eating anymore!"

Maeve hesitated before asking, "Do you want to trade with me? Mine isn't spicy." They had already kissed; it didn't matter if they shared a plate of spaghetti. Byron frowned slightly and nodded reluctantly. "Alright."

Alex, sitting opposite them, watched them exchange food. A strange feeling briefly arose in him, but it quickly dissipated. He smiled gently. "You two are very close."

Maeve cleared her throat, feeling a little awkward. "Yes, I'm staying at his house now. I'm more familiar with him."

"I see," Alex nodded. "Is your uncle married?"

Maeve looked at Byron, meeting his darkly mocking eyes. Her heart skipped a beat. "Y-yes," she stammered.

Alex was relieved and flashed a gentle smile. Byron, however, was displeased. When he saw Maeve eating his spaghetti, his Adam's apple bobbed. Then, he picked up his fork and slowly ate. Perhaps because it was Maeve's, it tasted not bad.

After leaving the restaurant, Alex asked Maeve if she wanted to go back to the company with him.

Maeve was about to answer when Byron called out, his voice deep and ominous, "Maeve."

Maeve was instantly terrified. "Mr. Brown, you can leave first. We still have something to do."

"Alright, bye," Alex said, nodding and leaving.

After Alex left, Maeve carefully observed Byron's expression. "Mr. McDaniel, are you angry?"

Byron's eyes were filled with mockery. "Why aren't you calling me uncle anymore?"

Maeve laughed dryly. "But I had no choice just now. You don't want others to know about our relationship, right?"

Byron sneered. "Do I not want it, or do you not?" He'd seen how Maeve had smiled at Alex; it could easily be misinterpreted as romantic interest.

Hearing the displeasure in Byron's tone, Maeve admitted fault. "How about I won't call you uncle next time? I'll just call you my brother." Uncle is a bit old for him, she thought. But it's because he always teases me about being too young.

Byron looked at Maeve coldly. "Maeve, you're quite the flirt. How many uncles and brothers do you have? Will you call me daddy one day?"

Maeve's face turned red. "Who's calling you daddy?" She couldn't believe his impulsive remark.

Before Byron could answer, his phone rang. Frowning slightly, he answered. "What's up?"

"Mr. McDaniel, your father is waiting for you in your office," Karen said.

Maeve vaguely heard Karen's voice and was stunned for a moment.

"Got it," Byron replied in a deep voice. After hanging up, he said to Maeve, "Work calls. You can go back to work yourself."

Maeve opened her mouth to ask something but realized she was in no position. "Hurry then. Bye," she said.

After Byron left, Maeve stood there, a hint of disappointment in her eyes. She wondered if Byron was eager to see Karen. Though the voice was muffled, Maeve recognized it. It was Karen's. Maeve clutched her chest; her heart had been aching lately.

In the McDaniel Group's top-floor office, a middle-aged man in a silver-gray suede suit sat on the sofa. His face showed his age, but he was dignified, his features somewhat similar to Byron's.

"This is the share transfer contract signed by Neville," Jason said, pushing the document across the table to Byron. "This is the second time he's lost to you."

Byron glanced at the contract. He couldn't be bothered. "It doesn't matter to me who wins or loses. What I want is for the McDaniel Group to have a better successor and leader. I will side with whoever wins. Thus, when Neville came to beg me, I didn't agree." Jason took a sip of coffee. The loser would face the consequences. Who was the whetstone and who the successor depended on capability.

Byron's gaze was cold. He wasn't naive enough to think his father was on his side. Jason was more a judgment machine than a father. No matter how Byron fought with Neville, Jason only cared about the result. The victor would be his son. Jason was as cold-blooded and selfish as Neville. Like father, like son indeed.

"I've work to do. If there's nothing else, you can leave," Byron said, standing and walking to his desk. Jason wasn't displeased. He stood, hands behind his back. "I heard from your grandfather that you got married recently. Bring your wife back for a meal. No matter who you marry, she will bear my grandchild after all."

Byron narrowed his eyes. "We'll see."

Jason looked at him with a complicated gaze and left without another word.

Karen entered with coffee. "Mr. McDaniel, there's a cocktail party tonight. I've already placed your clothes in the lounge." She changed her way of addressing him, suppressing her fear. "I just came in. I didn't mean to eavesdrop... but Jason said you are already married. Is that true?"

Byron didn't look up. "Didn't you hear everything?"

Karen's voice trembled. "I don't believe it. I didn't hear about this until now." It had been difficult to get rid of Byron's fiancée. She'd thought she finally had a chance, but then a random woman had appeared and taken it. Byron raised his head slightly, ignoring Karen's distress. "Ms. Booth, don't forget who you are."

Karen's face turned pale. She'd stayed by his side as his secretary, hoping he would fall in love with her one day. They were childhood sweethearts. No one understood him better than her.

"I don't want to just be your secretary," Karen said, tears welling as she reached for Byron's arm. "Byron, you know how I feel for you..."

The final lines about the website were removed as they are promotional material unrelated to the story's content. I also corrected several minor typos and inconsistencies.