Chapter 17
The storage room was pitch black, and the oppressive darkness seemed ready to swallow her whole.
Maeve turned on her phone’s flashlight. The small beam of light brought a tiny bit of comfort, pushing back the overwhelming sense of dread just a little.
Hours crawled by, stretching from noon into night, before Valda’s voice finally broke through the silence. “Maeve, have you made up your mind? Agree to the divorce, and I’ll let you out.”
Maeve sat huddled on the cold floor, her eyes shut tightly against the darkness. Her voice, raspy and dry from thirst, barely reached beyond the door. “I’m not getting divorced. Even if you lock me in here forever, my answer won’t change.”
It wasn’t that she was head–over–heels in love with Byron. She was just done being controlled by her parents. Her eyes drifted to her phone, its battery dangerously low.
Panic started to creep in. She needed to find help before the power ran out.
Maeve scrolled through her contacts, realizing how few friends she had left. Since she’d started dating Jeff, she’d lost touch with her old friends for reasons she couldn’t quite pin down. Now, Byron was her only option.
After a few moments of hesitation, she finally dialed his number.
The phone rang only once before it was answered. “Hello? Who is that?” A soft, unfamiliar female voice came through the line,
Maeve hesitated, double–checking the number on her phone. “Is this Mr. McDaniel’s phone?”
Karen Booth, Byron’s secretary, also paused at the sound of Maeve’s voice. Phones were prohibited during executive meetings, so Byron’s phone was with her to catch any important calls.
She glanced at the caller ID and frowned; there was no one named “Maeve” listed among the McDaniel Group’s business contacts. ‘Who the heck is this?‘ she wondered.
Karen’s smile faded a little. “Yes, he’s currently tied up. May I ask what this is about?”
“I’m in a bit of a bind and could really use his help. Could you let him know when he’s available?” Maeve asked, her voice tinged with uncertainty. She hadn’t anticipated Byron still working at this hour and wasn’t sure if he’d come.
“Certainly, I’ll make sure he gets your message,” Karen said with a reassuring smile before ending the call.
Moments later, the meeting room door swung open. Byron stepped out, followed by a procession of top executives, all trailing behind him like planets around the sun. His commanding presence drew every eye in the room, making him the undisputed center of attention.
Karen’s heart pounded as she approached Byron, holding out the phone. “Mr. McDaniel, you had a call earlier from someone named Maeve.”
Byron raised an eyebrow. “What did she say?”
Karen’s eyes flickered with nervousness. “She asked what you were up to and wanted you to call her back when you had a moment.”
Byron’s brows furrowed in irritation at Maeve’s possessive tone. He had little patience for interruptions that disrupted his
focus.
“Got it,” Byron replied curtly, grabbing the file from an assistant and heading into his office. The call was quickly forgotten as he shut the door behind him.
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21:48 Thu, Dec 26
Chapter 17
Karen stood there, letting out a quiet sigh of relief before heading back to the secretary’s office.
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