Karen was stunned by his roar. Her mind felt like it had exploded, and she fell into her seat. "Byron and Maeve kissed? How is that possible? Maeve is just a servant! It's impossible for Byron to like her!" she thought.

Karen subconsciously denied the possibility. However, she remembered that when Jeff spoke, Byron hadn't denied it. "If Byron didn't deny it, it must be true! But I don't believe he'd be interested in a servant. Besides, he already has a girlfriend! Wait a minute... No wonder Maeve was suddenly willing to tell me about that woman. She wanted to be Byron's lover and used me!" Strong anger and resentment filled Karen's eyes. "I'll never let that shameless woman get away with this!" she thought.

In the apartment, Maeve was surprised when Byron returned with spaghetti marinara and desserts. She'd expected him to be with Karen that night.

Byron placed the food on the living room table. Seeing the empty snack bags beside her, he frowned. "You don't have an appetite for dinner, but you ate all that junk food?" he asked.

Maeve scratched her cheek. "I was hungry while waiting for you, so I ate something to fill my stomach..."

Byron didn't bother listening. He threw the bags in the trash. He then noticed empty yogurt cups near her pillow and candy wrappers. Evidence of her snacking was everywhere. He stood up, looking helpless.

"Maeve, don't leave yogurt cups by your pillow, throw candy wrappers around, or leave snack packets everywhere!" he said.

Reprimanded, Maeve shrank her neck and apologized softly, "I'm sorry, I'll clean up now..." She usually kept the apartment clean, but he'd caught her this time.

Byron looked at her listless appearance and pursed his lips. "Eat first. The food's getting cold."

"Okay!" Maeve sat cross-legged on the carpet and took out the spaghetti marinara. Seeing two servings, she was stunned. "You haven't eaten dinner?" she asked.

"Yes," Byron said, sitting down on the carpet. "I was too busy tonight."

This relieved Maeve. She'd guessed he might have been working with Karen, but hearing his explanation was different.

They sat across from each other, eating spaghetti marinara. The wind outside was bleak, but the apartment was warm.

"It's getting closer to Christmas," Maeve said, replying to Bonnie's message. "My friend has a Christmas tree at home. All the men she's loved are hung on it..." Byron paused. "All the men she loves?"

Maeve, still replying, didn't notice his tone. "Yes, she has twelve lovers. She sleeps with a different man every night." Seeing a photo of Bonnie's tree, Maeve was envious. "She's so amazing. Yesterday, Bonnie said she wanted a tree, and today she has one." Byron misunderstood. He thought she was praising her friend's twelve lovers.

His gaze turned cold as he saw her envious expression. "Why? Do you envy her twelve lovers so much?" Maeve, still admiring the tree, didn't understand. "One is good too. More than that, and my living room wouldn't fit them. I like things unique." Byron's coldness dissipated.

He snorted. At least she knew what she wanted.

"Let me see," Byron said, gesturing for her phone.

Maeve handed it over. "She sent a lot of photos." She continued eating, fearing the food would get cold.

Byron didn't find the tree attractive, but the fireplace in the background wasn't bad. He frowned. "How is this beautiful?"

Maeve swallowed her food. "Everything on it is beautiful."

Byron was speechless. He scrolled through the photos, then enlarged one of the tree. The ornaments were photos of different men.

At the same time, Bonnie's message appeared: [Maeve! I've found a new man! He's your type! Come admire him!]

Byron's face darkened. What kind of friends did Maeve have? Bonnie was irresponsible and trying to lead Maeve astray, he thought. He narrowed his eyes and tapped the screen.

Maeve sensed something was wrong. She looked at the logo on the dessert box and frowned. Bonnie had bought desserts from this expensive hotel, only accessible to VIPs. How did Byron afford them? His salary as a driver and bodyguard should be reasonably high, she reasoned, dismissing her suspicions.

After eating, she wiped her mouth. "Mr. McDaniel, are you done looking?"

"Yes," Byron said, placing her phone upside down on the table. "Stop playing. Come and help me."

"What?" Maeve asked, confused.

"Did you forget to shave me for a month?"

Maeve blinked, looking at his smooth jaw. His chin is very clean. Does he need a shave? she thought.

Puzzled, she followed him to the bathroom, leaving the ringing phone behind. This time, she didn't injure him.

She cleaned the living room, took her medicine, and returned to her room. Seeing Bonnie's messages, she realized Byron had replied: [She's eating and doesn't have time to admire him.] Bonnie: [Who are you? Are you her boyfriend? When did she get a boyfriend and not tell me!]

The final sentence, "0," appears to be an error and has been removed. The final promotional sentence for FindNovel.net has also been removed as it's not part of the story.