The Heir's Secret Bride

"Grandpa?" Byron's eyes widened in surprise.

Maeve, who had followed closely behind, was equally stunned when she heard him call the old man "Grandpa." Her eyes went wide as she looked at him. "G-Grandpa?" She thought, 'No way! This tarot-reading old man is actually Byron's grandfather?' Gilbert cleared his throat and set down his forks. "Yes, young lady, I'm indeed this rascal's grandfather."

Maeve

was so shocked she almost dropped the drink in her hand. She thought, 'What are the odds?'

Byron's brow

brow furrowed as he spoke in a low, concerned voice. "Your health hasn't fully recovered yet. Running around instead of staying in the hospital-what if you relapse?" "It's not that serious, and I had Henry with me," Gilbert waved it off nonchalantly. "Besides, you didn't bring her over for me to meet, so I had to take matters into my own hands." Byron felt a dull headache forming.

We'd been swamped with work, managing the final stages of a new project, and completely forgot about arranging the introduction. He hadn't expected Gilbert to be this impatient. a sigh, Byron turned to the still still-stunned Maeve and said, "As you can see, this is my grandfather." Then, he introduced her to Gilbert. "Grandpa, this is the girl I married, Maeve."

"Maeve-what what a lovely name," Gilbert said with a warm,

He produced an elegant wooden box and handed it to Maeving smile. "Since it's my first time visiting, I didn't bring anything fancy. Please accept this as a little meeting gift."

Though it

it was

Maeve quickly early something he had prepared well in advance, he made it seem like a spur-of-the-moment gesture.

"A gift

waved her hands, flus flustered. "Oh no, I really y can't a accept this."

an elder shouldn't be refused. Or is it that you don't think much of my present and don't want it?" Gilbert teased, feigning a hurt expression.

t from an

"No, no, that's not it at all." Maeve quickly glanced at Byron, hoping he'd I step in to help her decline.

t to her surprise, Byron just nodded slin Go ahead and take it. It's my grandpa's way of showing his kindness."

But to

Left with no choice, Maeve accepted the wooden box and said softly, "Thank you... Mr. Mcdaniel.

Gilbert's face lit up with joy. "No need for thanks between family Go on, open it and see if you like it.

"This was something Byron's grandmother set aside before she passed. She always intended to gift it to Byron's wife when he got married."

Maeve was taken aback. When she opened the box, she found a pair of earrings nestled inside. The earrings felt warm to the touch, and under the light, it glowed with a soft, lustrous sheen. Although Maeve wasn't well-versed in earrings, she could tell they were precious. And more than that, they carried deep sentimental value, having been specially prepared by Byron's grandmother. Even Byron's gaze lingered on the earrings for a few seconds.

75% +5ConTEent bel0ngs to Nôv(e)lD/rama(.)Org .

He was genuinely surprised that Gilbert would give away this family heirloom as a first-meeting gift to Maeve. For Gilbert to present it so early on meant he must be very impressed with her "They'r y're beautiful. I love them. Thank you, Mr. Mcdaniel," Maeve said gently.

She still felt uneasy about accepting such a meaningful gift, but she didn't want to spoil Gilbert's mood.

After dinner, Gilbert had to head back to the hospital for a check-up, and his assistant Henry came to pick him up.

Before leaving, Gilbert pulled Byron aside and gave him some stern advice. "Maeve is a good girl. You'd better treat her well, and stop walking around with that cold face of yours. You're going to scare off Maeve if you keep that up." Byron sighed. "Grandpa..."

"And another thing-find a time soon to set up a meeting with me, your parents, and Maeve's family. We can't neglect proper manners."

"Grandpa, that's not really possible right now," Byron replied in a serious tone. "She still thinks I'm just a regular driver. I'm not ready to reveal my true identity to her yet." People's intentions often crumbled when faced with self-interest-no one knew this better than he did.

"If she's willing to marry you while thinking you're just a driver, you've really found a gem," Gilbert said with a deep frown. "Fine, do what you think is best. I won't interfere much. But sooner or later, the two families need to meet, right?" "Aren't Mom and Dad still traveling abroad? We can deal with it when they get back. There's no rush." "That works." With that, Gilbert left with Henry. At around 8

p.m...

after tidying up the kitchen, Maeve walked over to the guest room and knocked on the door. "Come in," Byron said.

Maeve pushed the door open to find Byron sitting at his desk, focused on his computer.

He'd already changed into more casual clothes-a black turtleneck paired with lounge pants. Even just sitting there, legs slightly bent, he exuded a quiet intensity that was impossible to ignore. Wall

It really made her think-only a wealthy family could afford to have someone like him as a "driver."

With that thought, she walked over and placed the wooden box on the desk. "I'm here to return this."

and his gaze shifted from the wooden box to her face. "My grandpa gave it to you. Why return it?"

Byron's hand paused brandmother prepared for your future wife-it's too meaningful for me to keep," Maeve insisted, shaking her head. "Your grandfather wouldn't have given it to me if he knew the real situation between us. I can't accept it in good conscience."

is something your

This is: easily understood what she was thinking and could see her hesitation.

Byron

But he thought, "Taking back a gift that Grandpa has already given? That doesn't sit right with me.'

"If you don't want it, throw it away. We don't take back gifts once they're given," he said nonchalantly, his fingers already returning to the keyboard. Maeve was taken aback. "How could I just throw away something so valuable?"

"It's pointless if no one wants it."

31

She was left speechless.

240:75%0

Worrie

I he might actually throw it away, Maeve quickly picked up the box. "Then I'll hold onto it for now. We can figure out what to do with it... later."

The words she left hanging in the air made Byron's eyes narrow with displeasure.

He thought, 'You accept a gift from my grandfather, yet you are already thinking about divorce? Could your back-and-forth games be any more obvious? Are you really that eager to distance yourself from me?'

"If there's nothing else, you can go," Byron said, his tone turning gold as he curtly dismissed her.

Maeve was puzzled by his sudden shift in attitude but decided not to dwell on it.

Just as she was about to leave, she stopped and asked, "If your grandpa comes back to set up his tarot stall again, would it be okay for me to invite him over for dinner? It just feels wrong to let an elderly man work outside on an empty stomach..." He thought, 'Stall? Tarot reading?' Byron rubbed his temples. 'What kind of anti? "Do as you like."

Maeve nodded. "Alright, I'll let you get back to work. I won't bother you anymore."

has Gilbert been up to now?"

Leaving the guest room, she let out a quiet sigh, but there was still a strange feeling in her chest.

She'd been awkwardly worrying for days about that drunken incident, but it turned out he hadn't even given it a second

I headed out for a night run.

and ne

Glang the tips Byron had given her, she could tell her stamina had improved, and her legs felt much stronger than before.

at the time, Maeve changed into her workout clothes, grabbed her ph

However... Maeve suddenly slowed down and glanced over her shoulder.

The area was pretty deserted, and she didn't see anyone

around.

But ever since she started running, she couldn't shake the feeling that someone was quietly trailing her.

A chill ran down her spine, and she didn't dare linger outside any longer. Panicking, she

sprinted back toward her

apartment.