The Heir's Secret Bride
Chapter 145

Maeve's gaze froze momentarily as she was about to look away. Suddenly, her phone rang from her coat pocket. She pulled it out, and a message immediately appeared on the screen. Byron: [Come over.]

With just a glance, Macve turned off the screen, slipped her phone back into her coat pocket, and followed Alex into the car As the white Mulsanne drove away, Alex noticed that Maeve was still wearing the veil that covered the scars on her face, and he said. "You can take off the veil. You don't have to worry about what others think-I'm no different."

Maeve shook her head. Td rather keep it on. I feel more comfortable this way. For some reason, the wounds on her face would flare up just when they were about to heal, sometimes even becoming infected. She could barely stand looking at herself in the mirror, so she thought it best not to subject others to it.

A hint of sadness flickered in Alex's eyes, but seeing her insist, he didn't push further. Instead, he handed her a box from the side. This is the phone you dropped in the basement that day. It's been with the police for safekeeping

Maeve took the phone from the box, looked at it, and shook her head. "This isn't mine. I took it from Karen that day when she wasn't paying attention."

"Karen's?" Alex mused, his expression thoughtful. "Honestly, I don't believe she's innocent. But with the evidence destroyed and her bodyguards covering for her, suspicion alone isn't enough to charge her."

Maeve powered on the phone and gave it a slight wave in his direction. "Well, let's

"There should be a passcode, right?" Alex asked.

see if there's any clue in this phone, shall

"I picked up a few unlocking tricks while working part-time in college. Let me give it a try." After just a few minutes of fiddling, Maeve looked at the screen as it unlocked to the main interface and smiled. "Got it." Alex's gentle gaze fell on her. "Let's see if we can replace any clues in there."

"Okay," Maeve replied as she first opened the contacts and messages, only to replace them empty-nothing at all. The social media apps were equally bare, with no single message in sight and only a handful of friends listed. It was as if the phone were brand new. "She's very cautious; she didn't leave any information on the phone," Maeve said, not surprised but feeling a bit disappointed. "And now she gets away just like that."

It made sense. If Karen also orchestrated the first kidnapping, there was no way she would leave even the slightest trace for anyone to replace.

Alex gently comforted her. "We all know she's the true culprit. It's only a matter of time before we replace the evidence to hold her accountable"

Maeve remained silent, her thoughts swirling, 'After replaceing the evidence, will we be able to convict Karen? As long as Byron protects her, no matter how often she's found guilty, she'll always replace a way to escape responsibility

Maeve pursed her lips and looked down, about to turn off the phone when a thought struck her. She opened the notes app for a glance. Unlike the other empty apps, it contained a string of numbers that resembled a phone number. After thinking for a few seconds, she decided to try the number and dialed it.

The call connected, but no one answered on the other end. Just as Maeve was about to hang up, suddenly came through the phone. "Hello? Who is this?"

Maeve thought, A woman? That likely had little to do with the kidnapper"

, an older woman's voice

Maeve quickly shifted her thoughts and said. "Sorry, I dialed the wrong number," before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Alex asked. "Did you replace any

clues?"

Maeve shook her head helplessly. "No, I was just being paranoid She thought the the kidnappers, so she called and tested it.

ing of numbers might belong to one of

Alex smiled gently, about to reassure her not to lose hope, when he suddenly noticed a car that seemed to appear out of nowhere. The car darted past him on the left and stopped a short distance ahead. Frowning, he quickly slammed on the brakes, stopping just 6.5 feet from the vehicle. The sudden braking caused Maeve to lurch forward uncontrollably, and her phone slipped from her pocket, falling beneath the seat. Holding her veil in place, she bent down to retrieve her phone and asked, "What happened"

Alex kept his eyes on the road ahead and shook his head slightly, I'm not sure. It looks like the car opposite us is purposely blocking my way.

As soon as he finished speaking, Maeve's phone pinged. She glanced down to see a message from Byron. It read: [Are you coming alone, or should I replace you?]

She shot a furious glance at the imposing black Rolls-Royce blocking the road, clearly determined not to let her pass unless she approached. Clenching her teeth angrily, she thought, "Why doesn't he fly up to the sky? Does he think this road belongs to him!

This road saw little traffic and was a single-lane, two-way street. Unless the driver chose to move, they wouldn't be able to get through. Tll go see what's going on," Alex said, unbuckling his seatbelt and preparing to get out of the car.

"Wait," Maeve called out to stop him. "There's no need to check. That's someone I know, and they're here to see me." "Someone you know?" Alex asked, his expression puzzled. "How he's trying to get your attention is... quite unustaal." He thought, "Who greets someone by blocking the road like this?

Maeve forced a couple of dry laughs, unsure of how to explain. She was just as curious about what Byron was thinking,

"Then you should go over quickly; you don't want your friend to get impatient," Alex said, noticing her discomfort and not pressing further. He added gently, "Let's save dinner for another time. Don't rush back to the office; take care of your health first. I'll approve your leave."

"Thank you, Alex," Maeve said, feeling a warmth in her heart. She smiled and bid him farewell before exiting the car and striding angrily toward the black Rolls-Royce.

The car door was ppen, so she climbed inside. Before she could unleash her frustration, she heard Byron's cold, sarcastic voice put through the air. "Are you that afraid of him seeing me come to replace you?"

Maeve returned his gaze with equal coldness. "Is that the only reason you came to replace me? It seems we don't need to meet at all, then."

Byron fixed his gaze on her veiled face and seriously said, "I believe I mentioned before that I have no intention of separating from my wife at the moment."

Maeve was taken aback. She had almost forgotten about that matter until he brought it up. She might have been happy to live with him if it were before. Now, however, she felt no such inclination.

"How unfortunate. I have no plans to live with my husband either." Maeve replied flatly. "So please, go back to wherever you came from. Goodbye." With that, she pushed the car door open, ready to exit.

However, before she could exit, a firm grip suddenly seized her right wrist, yanking her back. Her back collided with Byron's warm chest, and his mighty arms wrapped tightly around her slender waist, pinning her against him so closely that she

couldn't break free.

Maeve stomped in frustration. "What are you doing? Let go of me!"

Byron ignored her protests, holding her waist firmly with one hand while the other removed the veil from her face. Maeve reacted, trying to evade his hand, but it was too late; the veil slipped away.

"Don't look! Give me back my veil!"

trembling with anxiety.

er eyes began to redden as she raised her hand to cover the unsightly scar, her wrist