The Heir's Secret Bride

At this point, Maeve heard his voice drop, suddenly low and thick with tension, as though he were holding back a storm

about to break.

Even though she couldn't see him, Maeve could easily imagine e restrained expression on his face, the way his body was poised at the edge of giving in.

Her face flushed with embarrassment. She forgot the words she was about to say, standing frozen, too afraid to move.

But what she didn't reafize was that just by standing there, she was stirring up Byron's suppressed desires.

His urges had been trapped deep inside him for far too long.

The beast of desire within him roared to break-free, pushing against his control, tempting him to open the forbidden door and drag her in with him, into a place where they could both be consumed by it.

Byron's gaze, heavy with longing, fixed on the slender figure outside the glass door. The cold water from the shower cascaded down his chiseled face, tracing his jawline.

However, it did nothing to quell the growing heat spiraling down his body.

She stood there, within arm's reach, he only needed to push the door open to touch her.

His knuckles whitened as he gripped the edge of the sink. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, his back tight, muscles .straining. The urge to give in was almost overwhelming, but, somehow, he fought it, pushing against the chaos in his mind with all the strength he had left.

This wasn't just a test of will.

It was his punishment for the way he had lost control that night.

Byron was a man who prided himself on controlling everything his work, his relationships, his habits, everything, down to the most minute detail.

He couldn't afford to let anything slip beyond his grasp.

That slip, that moment of weakness, had given him an opportunity, a reminder that he had overestimated his self-control.

It was a mistake he couldn't afford to repeat.

Just then, Maeve heard Byron's hoarse voice through the door: "Maeve, say my name."

She hesitated for a moment, then spoke softly, "Ro... Ronny? Are you okay?"

"Say it again," came his urgent, strained voice.

"Ronny?" "Say it."

1

"Ro..." Maeve faltered as she heard his labored breath, realizing what was happening. The nickname she was about to utter caught in her throat, and she snapped, "Byron, you're listening to my voice while... while..." She couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

How could he do this to her?

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Chagaer 549

Bar when she heard the pained edge in his voice, her anger softened, She whispered, "Are you alright? If it's too much, I

"Don't tempt me Byron's source came back, deeper, almost animalistic, like a predator waking from slumber. "Do you think I won't come out there and handle this myself?"

The threat hung in the air, yet somehow, in the context of the moment, it had an almost seductive undertone.

Maeve took two steps back, startled, and muttered, "You really are impossible. I shouldn't even be worried about you."

jilber,

He was threatening to kill her, but he switched moods faster than anyone she knew.

Byron heard her misunderstanding, but he didn't have the energy to clear it up right now. He just urged, his voice rough, "Say my name?

Maeve, fully aware of his intentions now, kept silem, her shame crawling up her neck. She was so embarrassed that her toes curled in instinctive discomfort. nock

Knock, knock, knock

The sound of rapid knocks came from the door, and the manager's voice called out. "Sir, the girl who came here with Ms. Reese earlier is having a bit of a disagreement with someone. Should I intervene?"

Maeve immediately seized the opportunity, relief flooding her. She quickly called through the door, "Bonnie seems to be in trouble. I'm going to check on her. You... take care of yourself!" sufferinovelbin

Maeve thought, Let him suffer! He had brought this on himself with his reckless behavior.'

With a small sense of revenge, Maqve hurried away, not wanting to be his emotional support right now.

Byron, hearing her footsteps fade, clenched his jaw, feeling the anger and desire simmering beneath his calm exterior.

He should've dragged her in and let her experience what it meant to be left to her own devices.

Maeve, oblivious to the close call she had just avoided, rushed to Bonnie's booth and found to her surprise that the person she was arguing with was none other than Ray,

"Ray, stop butting into my business," Bonnie snapped, clearly drunk. "Where I go is my choice, not yours. Who do you think you are?"

Kay shot back with venom, "You think I want to be involved? Can't you see that guy was taking advantage of you earlier? You're so reckless, coming to a bar alone like this. You just can't be happy with a calm life, can you? Always looking for trouble," Bonnie, enraged, retorted, "What does it matter to you? The best thing my ex could do for me is stay out of my life. completely. Maybe if you weren't so persistent, people wouldn't think you're still hung up on me."

"You think I want to care about you?" he said, his tong hardening "I'm only doing this out of some misguided kindness since we've been through what we have. But a woman like you, who doesn't know when she's had enough, I'd be crazy if I still had any feelings left for you."

Maeve blinked, confused. Was there some unfinished business between these two?

She thought. The way they speak doesn't sound like they are completely over each other.'

She tried her best to calm Bonnie down, convincing her not to stoop to her ex's level. "Don't let him get to you," Maeve urged. "If you react, it'll only look like you still care about him."

Bonnic immediately settled down, though she was will glaring at Pay: "What's hearing air de mediered, "Get but dready Don't block my view of the cute boys!"

Ray's gaze, cold as ice, swept over her. "Your taste is still as bad ever he said mockingly, "Your seule for any man, 1 wee Well, I guess it makes sense. You wouldn't have...

Before he could finish, he let out a heavy breath and turned away with a bitter expression

be

Bonnie pointed at his retreating figure and complained to Marve "Can you believe him 11's saying, my taste is terräde, b isn't that the same as insulting himself?" Maeve raised an eyebrow. "So, what happened between you two Why did you break upe

Bonnie took a deep drink, the bitterness of the alcohol mirroring her words, "Why elurt He cheated on me. I don't tolerme that kind of thing, so I ended it"

She took another sip, her voice turning even more cynical "Menare just pathetic. They always want what's out of reach Doesn't it make you mad?"

Macve's lips curved slightly as she mulled it over. She wanted to agree, but then the memory of Byron's reckless actions when he drank that glass of wine made her hesitate. Maeve pondered, 'Was Byron really the type to get easily tempted by lust?

He is never short of women, always surrounded by beautiful faces,

First, there was Karen, then Lynn, and later, Serena and Molly, each one stunning in their own way.

But none of them has ever been close to him, not like 1 am.

Well, there was Molly, of course!

Molly was Byron's first love, the one who had his heart during their college days, and she'd always had the upper hand emotionally.

What stuck with Maeve, though, was how Byron had asked her to break off their engagement over something as trivial as a

tie.

It was hard not to think of that incident in the context of what had been happening between him and Molly at the time.