The Heir's Secret Bride

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"Ms. Reese, don't forget that we only signed a three-month short-term contract, which will be up next month." Haley chuckled. "At this point, switching suppliers might complicate things for your studio, don't you think?" Maeve narrowed her eyes. "Are you threatening me, Mr. Bennet

Haley remained unflustered. Tm just trying to teach you, Ms. Reese, that there's value in sharing the wealth. Don't fixate on these small gains and losses. As a young person, taking a little hit now and then is okay. Our company will remember your goodwill and future collaborations will be more pleasant, won't they?"

This whole set of workplace manipulation tactics made Maeve both amused and enraged. Haley's lofty ideals were enough to give her indigestion. They wanted the new fabric but didn't want to spend a dime, and he still dared to talk about sharing the profits. She scoffed at the notion.

"It seems that Mr. Bennett forgot your sincerity at home today, so we have nothing more to discuss," Maeve said, rising with her bag in hand. Her delicate face was cold as ice. There are plenty of suppliers; Dreamscape doesn't have to rely on you You overestimate your importance."

After speaking, she turned to leave, but the furious Haley yanked her arm back. Maeve grimaced in pain and exclaimed. "Let go! Are you out of your mind!"

Haley, clearly intoxicated, glared at her with a twisted expression and spat out, "Our company is doing you a favor by considering your fabric. Don't get too full of yourself! Just because I call you Ms. Reese doesn't mean you're anything special. You're just a dirty whore who's probably slept with countless men-ah!"

Before Haley could finish his insult, a sudden, powerful kick struck him in the abdomen, sending him flying and crashing into the dining table with a loud thud. The table's edge shook, causing a nearby bottle of wine to tumble and hit him squarely on the forehead. He instantly collapsed to the ground, twitching uncontrollably.

Maeve was startled, turning to see Byron's handsome face, cold as ice. Her heart raced as if it might leap from her throat. The restaurant manager hurried over, glancing at the scene with concern. "Mr. Mcdaniel what had just happened?"

Throw him out. I don't want to see him in this restaurant again Byron instructed coldly.

"Yes, sure, I'll call someone over right away. I sincerely apologize for the disturbance to your dining experience. We will do everything we can to compensate you," the manager said, wiping the sweat from his forehead and pulling out a walkie-talkie to call for assistance. It wasn't long before the restaurant's security arrived to drag the limp Haley, who lay on the ground like a dead fish, out of the dining area. Maeve turned her gaze back to Byron and asked. "What are you doing here?"

Byron's deep eyes were frosty as he said, "What is Jaylen Chatterly doing? How can someone like this bully you?"

The heavy sarcasm in his words left Maeve momentarily speechless; she didn't quite understand how this related to Jaylen Unable to hold back, she explained, "He's the head of a supplier for my studio. We were discussing business, and who knew he would suddenly lose it...

"Enough." Byron sneered; he said, "Thave no interest in your affairs."

Maeve's gaze instantly dimmed. Byron didn't look back at her and took a step away, ready to leave.

A long, rumbling sound echoed unexpectedly, followed by two more similar noises.

Maeve felt like she could die from embarrassment, her face flushing as she covered her stomach, silently cursing it. Why is it making noise now of all times? Does it want me to humiliate myself in front of him? If it hadn't been for Haley making her lose her appetite, she wouldn't have left the entire food table untouched.

Byron paused mid-turn, then shot her a cold glance as he said, "Keep up," With that, he strode away.

She thought, 'Where to? Maeve was confused but hesitated for a couple of seconds before deciding to follow him.

Ray and the others paused when they saw Byron enter the private room. Just as they were about to speak, they noticed the woman trailing behind him and fell silent. Ray whistled, saying, Byron, you're not playing fair! We agreed you wouldn't bring a plus one to this gathering, and here you are, bringing your wife instead.

"Is this Byron's wife? She's stunning, and her elegance matches him perfectly. They make a great couple."

"Hello, Mrs. Mcdaniel! It's nice to meet you for the first time. I didn't bring a gift, so please don't hold it against me."

"Don't scare her! Be careful, or Byron will make you regret it."

Marve stood there, flustered, as their friendly yet curious gazes scrutinized her. Hearing them casually call her "Mrs. Mcdaniel" only added to her discomfort.

"Only you all have the guts to speak up. Don't call her that carelessly," Byron warned, then turned to Ray. "Bring Maeve theContent protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.

menu."

Ray picked up a menu and handed it to Maeve with a playful smile. "So, Mac, when did you return?

"Didn't Bonnie mention it to you?" Maeve replied, recalling that Bonnie and Ray seemed to have developed a connection before she went abroad.

Ray's smile faltered for a moment before he quickly changed the subject. "No wonder! I was wondering why Byron's been in such a good mood lately. Turns out he's been dreaming about his ideal partner for years-ah!" Ray let out a pained yelp. nearly springing off the sofa. When Ray looked up, he realized that Byron had silently moved beside him, his handsome face clouded with an ominous expression. "If you don't speak, no one will mistake you for a mute, Byron remarked coldly.

Ray forced a smile and took a sip from his glass to mask the pain in his foot that twisted his features. Once he fell silent, Byron finally looked at Maeve, his tone calm and dismissive. "Go order from the waiter yourself and sit over there. Don't disturb us."

Maeve was speechless; she thought, If he dislikes me so much, why bring me here in the first place?' But since she was already there, she figured she might as well enjoy the meal. Feeling frustrated, she took the menu and walked to the waiter to order a few of her favorite dishes.

A decorative room divider separated the dining area from the entertainment zone. As Maeve sat down to eat, she could hear the sounds of card games happening on the other side, where the stakes seemed relatively high. Although she couldn't see what was going on, she could tell from their conversation that Byron was consistently winning while the others were losing to the point of frustration.

Ray, clearly the biggest victim in the game, tossed his cards aside in frustration. He turned towards the room divider where Maeve was sitting and said, "Mae, are you done eating?"

I'm done. What's up?" Maeve asked, her attention shifting away from her phone with a look of curiosity.

"You're sitting there all by yourself; it must be boring. Why not come over and join us for a game?" Ray said.

Maeve felt a bit tempted; she was curious about how Byron always managed to win. However, she doubted he would want her to join. After hesitating, she declined, saying, "No, I'm not very good at this."

H's easy! Just have Byron teach you!" Ray urged, nudging Byron's arm. "You can't just play alone; leaving her sitting on the sidelines after bringing her along is not right!"

Ray thought, 'If I can't win against Byron, then surely I can win against Maeve. I have to compensate for my losses by

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