"Yeah," Byron said, picking up his coat from the sofa. "I'm heading out."

"Okay, stay safe," Maeve replied.

When Byron left, Maeve immediately ran to the refrigerator and opened it. On the middle shelf sat a dessert box tied with a blue ribbon. She peered through the transparent window. Four rows of cakes were visible, each different and temptingly delicious. "Wow," Maeve exclaimed. She had just eaten breakfast, but she was already a little hungry again. She couldn't resist taking one out to try.

Though the cake was refrigerated, it was still soft. The fruit filling was sweet but not overly so, and possessed a faint floral fragrance. Maeve finished it in a few bites, wanting more.

A dessert box this exquisite was probably a gift specially prepared for guests at the cocktail party. Maeve didn't know how Byron had obtained it. She carefully packed two cakes into a box and took them to the company.

However, when Maeve saw Karen downstairs, her happy mood vanished. Karen had been waiting for her. She approached and said, "Ms. Reese, are you free? Let's talk."

Maeve guessed the purpose of the visit and said directly, "Ms. Booth, I made it very clear on the phone yesterday."

Karen remained unmoved. Her attitude was tough. "I won't take up much of your time. Just ten minutes," she said. "Or do you want to talk here?"

Maeve was speechless. She wondered how someone could be so unreasonable.

After finding a table in a café, Maeve checked the time. "You only have ten minutes," she stated.

Karen frowned at Maeve's tone. She didn't understand Maeve's perceived sense of superiority, especially considering Maeve was just a maid. Suppressing her impatience, she took a card from her bag and slid it across the table.

"Ms. Reese, let's not beat around the bush," Karen said. "There's $50,000 on this card. Tell me who married Byron, and it's yours."

The corners of Maeve's lips twitched. "Are you bribing me? I've already said I won't tell you." She wondered if she looked that easily bought.

"I don't know why you're keeping it a secret," Karen said unhappily. "You're just a maid. I'm much closer to Byron. If you don't want me to have you fired, you'd better answer honestly."

Maeve almost laughed at Karen's bossy tone. She couldn't believe Karen truly thought she was just a maid, and she certainly wasn't easily bullied. "If you're so close to Mr. McDaniel, you shouldn't have to resort to this to find out who his wife is," she retorted with a smile.

Karen raised her chin proudly. "I've known Byron for a long time. He lived in my house when he was young and grew up with me. Our feelings for each other are deeper than you can imagine."

Maeve was slightly stunned to learn that Karen and Byron had grown up together. So, when Byron mentioned living in someone else's house as a child, he was referring to Karen's.

After taking a sip of water, Maeve suppressed her surprise and said calmly, "Ms. Booth, have you ever thought of a possibility?"

Karen paused. "What?"

Maeve curled her lips and looked at Karen. "That I'm Mr. McDaniel's wife."

There was a short silence before Karen chuckled mockingly. "Are you joking? You have no family background, talent, or ability. You're just a maid. How dare you fantasize about being Byron's wife?" Moreover, Byron had called Maeve a maid; it was impossible. He was always honest; Maeve had to be lying.

Maeve shrugged under Karen's contemptuous gaze. She had told the truth; if Karen didn't believe her, there was nothing she could do. "Ten minutes is up. I'm going to work," Maeve said, putting down her glass.

"Not only did you deceive me, but you still haven't answered my question!" Anger flared on Karen's face. She lost her patience and scolded, "How dare you mess with me, you b****?" If Maeve weren't Byron's maid, Karen wouldn't have been patient enough to sit with her.

Maeve's eyes were cold. "You're the b****. Even dogs have better manners than you." With that, she picked up the cake box and left.

Karen's chest heaved with anger. From the corner of her eye, she saw the cakes in Maeve's box and was shocked. They looked like they were made by Byron's chef. Karen concluded she must have been mistaken. She had only tasted the royal desserts made by that chef twice, at parties at the villa. Byron disliked sweets; the idea that he would give such desserts to a maid was ridiculous. Karen calmed her breathing and dismissed the thought. She called Alexis.

After entering the office, Maeve forced herself to forget the unpleasant encounter and focused on her work. She didn't leave the studio until the end of the workday, rubbing her sore wrists. She had completed two sets of clothing; after finishing the remaining pieces, she would hand them over to Leah for inspection before starting on the ready-made clothes.

The fabrics for ready-made clothes were more demanding than those for samples. Maeve would have to buy the fabrics and accessories herself.

Seeing the empty cake box on her table, Maeve pursed her lips and packed up for lunch. She found a restaurant and sat down. Shortly after, she received a call from an unfamiliar number. "Hello?" she answered.

"Maeve, you blacklisted us and didn't reply to our messages. Are you really cutting ties with us?" Valda's choked voice filled the line.

Maeve was stunned. She had blocked her parents; Valda had evidently obtained a new number and had been messaging her daily, demanding money. Maeve had ignored them, thinking they would eventually stop, but she hadn't expected this.

"You're overthinking. I'm just very busy," Maeve said monotonously.

Valda sobbed, "I admit we were harsh on you. You probably think we favored your brother, but don't forget, I gave birth to you. How can I not love you?"

Maeve felt a pang of upset. You called just to say this?

"Are you still blaming me for forcing you to marry Mr. Graves and give us money?" Valda cried. "I'll be honest. Your father was deceived by a friend and owes a large sum. If he can't repay it, he might die. Otherwise, I wouldn't have accepted the Graves family's engagement gift and forced you to give us money. Do you think my heart doesn't ache for you?"

Maeve's eyes widened in shock. "Why didn't you tell me? Is it settled now?"

"It's settled," Valda said. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. You've been distant, and your father and I have reflected on our behavior. We were too harsh."

(Note: I removed the website promotion at the end. I also replaced some expletives with asterisks. Consider whether you want to retain or replace the remaining expletive.)