The Heir's Secret Bride

Karen shot to her feet, violently gripping the window bars as she cursed angrily. "Nonsense! How could my family go bankrupt?"

If my family went bankrupt, how would I survive once I got out of here?' she thought.

The reason Karen was so fearless, even locked up in a detention center, was because she had absolute confidence that her pampered life would continue once she was released.

Compared to being caged by Neville, being put in jail was nothing big deal.

But she could never have imagined that the Booth Group would actually go out of business.

Maeve sat silently, her gaze unwavering as she watched Karen break down and shout. There wasn't the slightest flicker of emotion in her eyes.

"What? Is this too much for you to handle? I thought you'd appreciate this gift from me," she said, her tone cool.

After all, she had played no small role in the Booth Group's downfall.

Karen glared at her with bloodshot eyes, seething, "You bitch! Maeve, you're a complete bitch!"

Maeve's expression remained amused. "It seems you've run out of civil words," she said, standing slowly, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "This will be the last time we see each other. So, I'll wish you luck in your future endeavors."

That last remark pushed Karen over the edge. She pounded the window, her desire to tear Maeve apart burning through her veins. "You bastard! You won't get away with this!"

At the word "bastard", Maeve hesitated, frowning as she looked back. 'What did Karen mean by that?' she thought.

Maeve wanted to ask, but the police were already restraining Karen.

Shrugging off the thought, Maeve didn't give it a second consideration and walked out.

It seemed that her parents wouldn't be able to get the final payment from Karen.

Meanwhile, in the McDaniel Group's top-floor office, after Archer watched the video, cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

He hurried to defend himself. "Mr. McDaniel, on the day Ms. Reese left the detention center, I was at home sick. I didn't go anywhere! Though I don't have any witnesses, the surveillance at my house can prove I didn't leave. It might be difficult to retrieve after four years, but please give me some time to prove my innocence!"

Archer's entire body trembled like a frightened dog.

'No wonder I always feel I've offended Ms. Reese-that's why!' he thought.

He was just an employee. How could he have dared to falsify an order to force the president's wife into an abortion?

He wouldn't dare, not in a million years!

Byron pulled off the cap of his fountain pen and looked at him with dark eyes. "You will handle this personally. I'm giving you two days. I want to know everything Karen ever did to Maeve."

"Yes, Mr. McDaniel. I'll do my best," Archer responded with a straight face. "Thank you for giving me this opportunity."

Archer had joined the McDaniel Group right after graduation, working alongside Byron.

III

07:53

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But this was the first time he felt the sting of hot tears.

With any other suspicious boss, he would have lost his job a long time ago.

**

Maeve made it back to the apartment just in time for lunch.

Will and Theo were in the kitchen, debating what to cook. As soon as they saw her, they ran over.

"Mommy! Where have you been?" Theo wiggled into Maeve's arms, his little body squirming in excitement. "You left without me!"

Maeve hugged Theo, his softness melting away her stress. She smiled, her heart lightened. "I was running some errands, and I bought you some snacks."

Will, standing in a reserved way, wrinkled his nose at the faint smell of disinfectant clinging to Maeve. "Mom, were you at the hospital? Are you feeling okay?" "No, no! I'm fine. I just went to visit someone," Maeve quickly reassured them, not wanting them to worry.

Theo, clinging to her leg, piped up in his sweet little voice, "Will and I are making lunch today! You go rest, Mommy. We'll call you when it's ready!" ""No..." Maeve started to protest.

We'll just make some pasta," Will insisted. "Don't worry about us getting splattered with oil. Go rest now."

Unable to refuse them, Maeve kissed each of their cheeks and retreated to her room.

But they only wanted to send her away.

Theo rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Mommy seems down. Do you think those two are giving her trouble again?"

Will frowned in confusion. "Who are you talking about?"

"Mommy's parents!" Theo exclaimed, tugging on his brother's arm as he launched into a rant about all the bad things Scott and Valda had done to Maeve.

Most of it he'd heard from Bonnie, and some from Jaylen.

But it was enough for Theo to hold a grudge against them just because they treated Maeve badly.

When he finished, the grudge-holding Will also silently added Maeve's parents to the list.

Just then, Theo, who was about to look up the recipe with his iPad, let out a small gasp. "What's wrong?" Will asked.

Theo handed the iPad to Will with an exasperated look. "Look at this!"

Will took a step back and, after glancing at the news on the screen, his usually cold, composed face faltered for a moment. His round eyes widened, and a cold gleam seemed to flash through them. 'People who upset Mom must be punished, he thought.

"I'm not letting them get away with this." Will's voice was cold as he finished the sentence. Then, he turned to Theo. "You still have the surveillance footage of Horace committing the crime, right?"

ue, Na

3

Theo understood immediately. "I'll edit it later, but I can't just post it online. That would only take care of Horace, not the couple."

At this point, Theo didn't even want to call them "Mommy's parents". They didn't deserve the title.

Will grunted in agreement. "I'll talk to Dad first. The McDaniel Group's public relations department will know how to handle it."

Since it was related to Maeve, Theo had no time to argue with their "Cheap Dad" over trivialities. They had to take action quickly.

"I want to go to the hospital," Theo added.

Will frowned. "Did you find something?"

"Not sure yet. The footage is a bit distorted," Theo said.

"We'll go together later," Will said.

With that, the two boys finalized their plan. After lunch, they slipped out of the house, wearing their duck-billed hats while Maeve took a nap.

Will waited outside the hospital room, his laptop slung over his shoulder, while Theo put his social skills to use. Pretending to be a lost child, he ran around near Valda's hospital room, causing a stir. Without Scott around, Valda grew irritated quickly. Unable to stand the commotion, she got out of bed and chased Theo

away.

"Where did that little troublemaker come from? No discipline at all!" Valda muttered, slamming the door behind her.

Theo flicked the duck-bill on his hat, a sly glint in his big eyes.

He returned to the stairwell and said to Will, who was waiting there, "Okay, let's do it now."

Will nodded and got to work on his computer.

Meanwhile, Theo pulled a bucket of chips from his backpack and started munching on them. He even shoved one into Will's mouth while he was typing away.

Will hesitated but eventually bit into the chip his brother offered, temporarily ignoring their dad's warning about junk food.

"Did you find it?" Theo asked in his soft, childlike voice.

"Yeah, take a look. Here's her medical record, and right below it is her husband's." Will turned the computer toward Theo.

Scott had just had a full checkup last week, and his medical records were still in the hospital archive. Theo's expression darkened as he scanned the records. "Will, did you notice anything strange?"