Chapter 4
Maeve shrugged. “Look, I don’t know why you didn’t go to the hospital after getting hurt that badly. But now that we’re married. I’ll do my best to keep things together. You don’t have to do those… dangerous jobs anymore.”
She hadn’t been able to intervene before, but now that he was her husband, she wanted him to be safe.
Byron’s expression darkened as he thought, ‘Is she already trying to control me now? Since when do I need a woman to take care of me? What a joke!‘.
“Let’s get one thing straight,” Byron said, his voice icy. “Just because we’re married doesn’t mean you get to interfere in my life. You need to understand that.”
Maeve flinched at his tone but nodded, a bit stunned. “Alright. Do you need help moving your things now?”
“No.” Byron cut in sharply. “I’ve got plans.” Without another word, he turned on his heel and started walking toward the street, barely sparing her a glance. He did, however, keep the key she’d given him.
Maeve felt there was something different about Byron compared to last night, but she couldn’t quite pin it down. She decided not to dwell on it and hailed a cab.
As soon as she plopped down in the backseat, her phone buzzed. It was Jeff calling. After a quick second of hesitation, she hung up and blocked his number.
She’d already said all she needed to in the message she sent before heading to city hall. Whether he read it or not was his
issue now.
With that settled, Maeve glanced down at the marriage certificate on her lap and smiled, feeling a wave of nerves mixed with relief wash over her. ‘It’s gonna be okay,‘ she told herself.
Not long after Maeve left, a sleek black Maybach pulled up to the curb. A man stepped out from the front seat, moving quickly to open the back door. “Mr. McDaniel, please get in,” he said with a respectful nod to Byron, who was still lingering by the roadside.
Byron slid into the backseat, casually crossing his long legs. He looked pale and exhuasted–jumping back into his normal routine before he was fully healed was clearly wearing him down
“Call the Anthony,” he ordered. “I need my wound checked and redressed.”
Archer Bax, his assistant, replied smoothly, “Anthony’s already on his way. And we’ve managed to throw Mr. Gilbert McDaniel’s men off your trail–they still don’t know you’re hurt.
If Gilbert found out about Byron’s injuries, Gilbert wouldn’t have rushed his grandson into marriage. But that would also mean that Byron’s injuries would be laid bare for the rest of the McDaniels, putting him at a serious disadvantage. That was why Byron insisted on keeping it a secret from everyone else.
Byron leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes for a quick moment of rest. He carelessly tossed the copy of the marriage license to the side, but it ended up slipping to the floor without anyone noticing.
21:47 Thu, Dec 26
