Maeve whispered, "Mr. McDaniel, don't pinch my stomach. It tickles..."

Byron had done the same thing when he was drunk the previous night. He liked to place his palm on her soft abdomen and gently pinch it, as if playing with playdough.

He paused, retracted his hand without batting an eyelid, and said, "Didn't mean to do that." Then, he nonchalantly straightened and brought the straw of the warm milk to her lips. His tone was domineering, almost unreasonable. "Open up." Maeve swallowed her words and reached for the milk. "I can hold it."

She had little appetite. She had vomited earlier when her stomach hurt; it still burned. But since he had opened the drink, she didn't want to waste it. Byron looked at her intently. "Don't make me repeat myself."

Maeve wrinkled her nose and bit the straw. Warm, sweet milk flowed into her dry throat, gradually restoring some strength to her weak body.

She drank almost half before shaking her head. "I can't drink anymore."

Byron nodded and placed the milk on the table.

"Mr. McDaniel, thank you for tonight," Maeve said softly. "I'm sorry you had to send me to the hospital." She felt guilty about the hospitalization bill. Judging from the size of the ward, it was probably expensive. Byron had likely paid for it. "I'll pay you back when I recover."

Byron looked at her coldly. "I don't need your money. Don't worry about it."

Maeve fell silent. She didn't know why he was so fierce tonight. He hadn't been gentle before, but tonight he acted as if she had provoked him.

Perhaps due to medication or exhaustion, she lay in bed, letting her thoughts wander until she fell asleep.

Byron sat on the edge of the bed, gazing indifferently at her pale sleeping face. After a long time, he snorted softly. "What a weakling."

At that moment, Archer entered. "Mr. McDaniel, I have the investigation results."

"Let's talk outside," Byron replied.

"Yes, sir."

Outside the ward, Archer reported, "The youngest Graves son has been sending flowers and gifts to Ms. Reese's company daily, courting her, but they were all rejected. He even drove a sports car to her company, causing rumors. He also bribed Ms. Reese's colleague to destroy her sample clothes, but that colleague was exposed by Ms. Reese and fired. Lastly, at the Muse Restaurant, Mr. Graves said..."

Archer relayed everything. The waiters at the Muse had heard Jeff's conversation with Maeve, making the investigation easy. The surprising part was Maeve's marriage. Archer thought his boss's treatment of a married woman was unusual.

Byron didn't notice Archer's expression. His dark eyes narrowed as he absorbed the information. He realized that because he hadn't gone to the Reese family that day, Jeff had mistakenly assumed Maeve was faking her marriage.

Recalling Maeve being pestered by Jeff two nights ago, the chill on Byron's face intensified.

"Archer," Byron said slowly, "Make time for me this Saturday. Also, prepare a few gifts. Nothing special; ordinary gifts will do."

Archer was taken aback. "Ordinary gifts?" he thought, but he didn't question his boss. "Yes, sir," he replied.

Maeve slept until noon the next day. She felt better, though her stomach still ached slightly. Remembering she needed to go to the office, she sat up and looked for her phone. She couldn't find it; Byron hadn't brought it, or perhaps he'd kept it. He wasn't around either.

She got out of bed to find someone to borrow a phone from, hoping to call Leah for sick leave.

The corridor was quiet. Maeve shuffled along, seeing Karen leaving a ward ahead. Karen also saw Maeve, contempt flashing in her eyes. She didn't bother to smile; Maeve was just a maid, only previously useful to her. Karen had been testing Maeve's feelings for Byron, but now she knew there was nothing between them.

Maeve felt the change in Karen's attitude but didn't dwell on it; they had already fallen out. After Karen entered a ward, Maeve heard Byron's voice but the door closed quickly.

She was about to return to her ward when Byron's voice sounded. "What are you doing here?" Maeve turned to see him frowning coldly. Is he upset I'm here? Is he afraid I'll disturb him and Karen? she thought, her heart clenching. "I wanted to borrow a phone, but I didn't see anyone."

His expression softened. "Don't run around, or no one will know if you faint."

Before she could react, he carried her back to her ward and threw his phone to her.

"Huh?"

"Didn't you say you wanted to borrow a phone?" Byron asked calmly. "I didn't bring your phone. I'll have someone bring it later."

Maeve turned on the phone. There was no password. She accessed her WhatsApp, explained her situation to Leah, and requested leave. Leah replied: [You can apply for leave, but not for more than two days.] Maeve: [Two days is enough. Thanks, Ms. Mason.]

Feeling much better, she returned Byron's phone. "Mr. McDaniel, why don't you have a password? Aren't you afraid others will look through it?" Byron started to say it wasn't necessary, but then his eyes darkened.

(The extraneous text at the end has been removed.)