The Heir's Secret Bride

Archer was about to walk into the CEO's office when a soft, pleasant voice suddenly called from behind her, "Ms. Bax, is Mr. Mcdaniel in?"

Archer nearly jumped at the unexpected voice. She turned around to see a woman walking towards her, wearing a light blue mermaid pencil skirt that hugged her figure perfectly. Her makeup was understated but elegant, and her graceful demeanor immediately suggested

a life of privilege.

'Why is she here? Such a beauty!' Archer thought, surprised. "Miss Malvis? Your trip's over?"

Serena nodded slightly. "It wasn't that exciting. I missed this place a bit, so I came back. Is Mr. Mcdaniel busy?"

"Follow me," Archer said, leading Serena to the CEO's office.

As soon as Serena saw Byron standing by the window, exuding calm and grace, a bright smile lit up her face. "Mr. Mcdaniel, long time no see."

Byron turned to look at Serena, a hint of surprise crossing his features. "Miss Malvis?"

"My trip ended early, so I plan to stay in Kleymond for a while. It'll also give me a chance to help Will with some counseling," Serena said with a playful wink. "You're not going to tell me I'm not welcome, are you?"

"Of course not." Byron walked over to the sofa and sat down, instructing Archer to bring in some coffee. Smiling lightly, he said, "If you need anything, feel free to reach out to Archer."

Serena rested her hand on her knee and teased, "Can't I contact you directly?"

Byron smiled but said nothing.

"How's Will been lately?" Serena switched topics smoothly. "Before I left, he seemed pretty stable. I was worried that once I was gone, his condition would worsen. But you know how it is-if I hadn't left, my dad would have dragged me back to marry someone I don't even know." "He's doing fine. You've done a lot."

"That's a relief. I've missed him, though. Would it be alright if I joined you when you go back later?" Serena asked with a smile.

Byron glanced at his watch, frowning slightly. "Not today. I've got other plans."

Serena playfully quipped, "What plans? Rushing home to be with your girlfriend?" She was joking, of course.

Byron's fiancée, Lynn Anderson had been revealed as a man in disguise. Serena had seen it all over the news. To her surprise, Byron didn't deny it. Instead, his lips curved into a soft smile. "Something like that."

Serena's smile faltered for a second, then she sighed dramatically. "I see. Your girlfriend must be quite clingy. I guess I came at a bad time. I'll visit Will another day."

"Have you sorted out your living arrangements?" Byron asked.

"Not yet." Serena shook her head. "Why, are you planning to come help me settle in?"

"I'll have Archer take you home in a bit."

Serena was taken aback. She'd only been here ten minutes. "You usually work late. It's not the weekend. Are you rushing home for your girlfriend or just tired of me talking too much?" she teased again, flashing him a wink.

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Serena was beautiful and charismatic, the kind of woman whose every move felt natural and alluring to both men and women. But Byron's expression didn't change. "The Black Swan closes at seven."

"The Black Swan? What's that?"

"A cake shop."

At precisely 6:30, Byron clocked out of work. He had the driver make a detour to The Black Swan to pick up a pre-ordered cake before heading back to the apartment.

By now, Maeve was awake. Seeing the DNA test result the two little ones had brought her, her head was spinning. She was sure she had just taken a nap, not traveled through time.

As a child, Maeve had always wondered if she was her parents' biological daughter, given how cold and unfair they were. But bad parents weren't exactly uncommon. Still, she had never truly doubted it-until now. It turned out she wasn't their biological child after all. Worse, she'd been stolen from her real parents because of some fortune teller's prophecy.

Maeve could accept being unwanted and unloved by her parents because she wasn't their real daughter, but she couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she had been stolen from her real parents.

'I should have had a whole, perfect cake. Instead, someone had snatched it away, smashed it to pieces, and then blamed me for not deserving it in the first place,' she complained inwardly.

"Mommy, don't be sad! I'm here to give you double the love!" Theo kicked off his shoes and climbed onto the couch, trying to squeeze the sadness out of Maeve's heart with a hug.

Will, who was a step slower, snuggled up to Maeve's side, silently offering his support.

Maeve shook off her bitterness, looking at their sweet faces, her heart softening with warmth. Instead of dwelling on her pain, the joy of being loved and protected by her two sons filled her heart. "I'm fine. But when did you two find out about all this?" Will explained how they had investigated everything. "Dad knew too. He's the one who found out what that couple did."

'It was Byron?' Maeve thought and was stunned for a moment. 'This was something that had happened over twenty years ågo. It shouldn't be discovered in such a short time. How has he figured it out so quickly?'

Just then, the apartment door beeped as it unlocked. Soon after, a tall, slender man in a sleek, black single-breasted trench coat walked in, carrying a cake box.

Theo panicked, burying his face in Maeve's lap, wondering, 'Why does he have the door code?'

Will, who had accidentally let the password slip to their dad, silently positioned himself before Theo, saying a quick sorry in his mind.

Byron

walked into the living room, his gaze softening as he saw the three of them sitting together. "I'm home."

Maeve nearly jumped, clutching Theo tighter. "You... you're home early today?"

"There wasn't much going on at the office, so I left early," Byron replied casually, setting the cake box on the table. "I brought cake."

Will instinctively said, "Thanks, Dad. But I'm not a big fan of cake."

Byron glanced at him. "It's not for you."

Will muttered, "Alright..."

Maeve, still in shock, pointed at herself. "Is that cake for me?"

<

Byron nodded slightly. He then noticed Theo squirming in her lap and frowned, swatting at Theo's butt. "Hey, kid. Stop snuggling into her. Get down." Deep inside, he complained, "Taking advantage of your young age to mess around with my babe?'

Theo shot back, "I'm not moving! I'm sticking to her like glue today. No way I'm leaving!"

"I'm counting to three," Byron said with a hint of a threat.

"Count to a hundred, I'm not budging!"

Maeve, sensing things might escalate, quickly intervened. If Byron saw Theo's face, things would get messy.

"Don't threaten a kid like that. He's just feeling unwell today and wants to stay close to me," she said, turning to Byron. "You're a dad now. Can't you show a little more love for Leo?"