Maeve almost choked and coughed. She asked Byron to look at the Christmas tree, but she didn't ask him to help her reply to the message. However, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with his words. She was eating and didn't have time to reply.

The next day, while shopping with Bonnie, Maeve was questioned extensively. She might not be willing to tell others, but Bonnie was her best friend, and she didn't want to deliberately hide it. So, she told her about marrying Byron. "Why were you so bold as to marry a stranger so suddenly?" Bonnie exclaimed incredulously. "Aren't you afraid he's a bad person?" Maeve hesitated, then said, "Yes, but I had no other choice at the time."

If her parents hadn't forced her, she wouldn't have married a stranger at the city hall.

"That's true," Bonnie said, rubbing her nose and tapping Maeve's shoulder with a gossipy expression. "Is he handsome? Are you attracted to him?" Maeve's ears turned red. "I'm not!" she said angrily. "Don't think too much. We're only married; I don't love him!"

Bonnie looked at her red ears and smiled meaningfully. "You're not interested in him, but I'm afraid he's interested in you," she said. "What?" Maeve asked. Bonnie continued, "Didn't he message me to tell me not to show you photos of other men? It's obvious he's jealous!"

Listening to Bonnie's serious analysis, Maeve chuckled. "You're thinking too much. I didn't have time to reply then. He might have just happened to help me." Bonnie denied this. "Impossible. He's jealous! Otherwise, he would have said you didn't have time to reply, not that you didn't have time to admire it!" His words were quite intriguing. Bonnie, who was engrossed in otome games and loved sweet romances, was very sensitive to such details.

"You're thinking too much," Maeve sighed. "He has a childhood sweetheart. They were together for a long time, only breaking up after a conflict. It's impossible for him to like me." Bonnie paused, looked at Maeve, and asked, "What about you? Do you like him?"

Maeve was stunned. 'Do I like him? I don't know. I don't want to think about this,' she thought.

Maeve smiled and didn't answer. She pushed Bonnie's shoulder playfully. "Alright, don't be so curious. Aren't you going to show me your new boyfriend? Let's find a restaurant and relax." Bonnie's attention shifted immediately. "Yes! I have a great idea..."

They forgot their previous conversation and walked toward a restaurant, laughing and holding hands.

Unfortunately, Byron and his subordinates arrived at the same building for an inspection. As he exited the transparent elevator, he saw Maeve entering a restaurant with a girl.

"You guys go eat first. I still have something to do," he instructed his subordinates before leaving the elevator. Karen watched him go, clenching her fists.

In the restaurant, Maeve's eyes lit up when she saw Byron approaching. "Mr. McDaniel, are you here to eat too? Do you want to join us?"

"Alright," Byron replied calmly, nodding slightly at a dazed Bonnie before sitting down.

"Maeve..." Bonnie whispered, pulling Maeve's sleeve, "Who is that handsome man?"

Maeve held her hand and whispered back, "We were just talking about this. He's my husband."

"But you didn't say he was so handsome!" Bonnie exclaimed excitedly. She wasn't interested in Byron romantically; she simply enjoyed admiring handsome men.

Maeve smiled helplessly and introduced them. "Mr. McDaniel, this is my friend Bonnie. I mentioned her yesterday."

Byron's eyes flashed with thought as he said faintly, "Hello." (The irrelevant website promotion has been removed.)

His cold face showed no emotion, yet he exuded a chilling sense of authority. Bonnie felt a little frightened and shrank closer to Maeve. "Hello," she murmured. "This Mr. McDaniel is so scary," she thought. "I've only felt such an imposing aura from my father."

Maeve, sensing Bonnie's fear of strangers, smiled comfortingly. "Shall we order?"

"Okay."

Maeve then asked Byron, "Mr. McDaniel, what would you like to eat?"

Byron replied casually, "Anything is fine. Order whatever you want."

Maeve nodded, consulted the menu, and ordered several dishes, specifying no coriander.

A faint smile touched Byron's lips.

"No coriander?" Bonnie asked, confused. 'I've eaten countless meals with Maeve. Why didn't I know she suddenly disliked coriander?' she wondered.

"It's Mr. McDaniel. He can't eat it," Maeve replied.

Bonnie gasped. The food hadn't even arrived, but she lost her appetite. 'Maeve knows his preferences so well, yet she says she doesn't like him? What does he think of Maeve?' Bonnie's eyes darted around. The food arrived quickly.

Halfway through the meal, Maeve went to the restroom. Her absence created an awkward silence.

Bonnie took a deep breath and asked, "Mr. McDaniel, how did you meet Maeve?"

"By chance," Byron replied concisely.

"By chance..." Bonnie pondered. "After Maeve and I finish shopping, we're going singing with friends. Would you mind?"

"I won't," Byron replied.

Bonnie smiled. "That's great. I have several male friends coming, and I was worried you'd mind Maeve interacting with them. I'm relieved you don't." Byron frowned slightly but didn't object. Bonnie was puzzled. 'Does he really not mind? Did I guess wrong? Does he really not like Maeve? What kind of taste is that?'

Meanwhile, Karen, sensing something amiss, followed Byron. She saw him having lunch with Bonnie. Bewilderment filled her eyes. 'Isn't that the daughter of the Hancock Group? Byron sent us away to have lunch with her! Could it be... that the wife he's been hiding is her!' Karen's expression soured.

She remembered Gilbert's list of eligible Kleymond socialites when he forced Byron into marriage. The Hancock daughter was on it. The Hancocks and Browns were close, so Bonnie's family background was certainly suitable for Byron.