Maggie's eyes snapped open in the darkness, her mind clearing as memories of Tom's words danced at the edges of her consciousness. She rolled onto her back, her gaze finding Tom standing in her room in the dead of night.

"Who's there?!" she blurted out, her voice tinged with sleep and confusion.

Tom's eyes burned with an intensity that sent fresh waves of recollection flooding Maggie's mind. She blinked rapidly, trying to clear the fog of sleep.

With a shy rustle of sheets, she pulled the comforter over her head, hiding from Tom's penetrating gaze.

But Tom was relentless, flipping back the blanket. "You've been telling everyone you're hell-bent on marrying me. Have you gone mad?"

Maggie remained silent, turning away from him.

Undeterred, Tom pulled her to sit up. "I said yes."

Maggie's eyes widened in shock. "You said yes to what?"

Tom was dead serious. "To us getting married."

Maggie was bewildered. When exactly had she asked for his consent?

In a daze, Maggie felt like she had won the lottery-everything seemed unreal, floating in a state of disbelief.

"Have you been drinking?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

Tom leaned in close. "Do I smell like booze?"

Maggie shook her head. "Then I must be dreaming."

her leg sharply.

"Ouch, yes!"

"Still dreaming?"

was silent, her annoyance growing. In retaliation, she slapped Tom's shoulder, leaving her hand awkwardly hovering in the air, unsure of what to

"You hit me, I

quite on the same page with

to let Vivian marry me," he

incredulous. "No

handle business affairs for a couple of years now. You're still studying, and legally, there's no blood relation between us." Maggie had to

and coax her, still groggy from sleep. "What's my salary? How much does Byrne Enterprises

but before she could get anywhere, Tom added, "I'm just a simple cop. Without Byrne Enterprises, I couldn't afford a house in Havenbrook within a decade. But now, given my job, I'm not eligible to inherit Byrne Enterprises. If Mom leaves the company

what about when you get married? You'll have kids, and they'll inherit your company. And

Mom built a company from the ground up, and if she hands it over to you, then later to your kids, that's unfair to

Maggie said naively. "I'll just leave it to

the future. Even if you were a blood relative, which you're

after all, her last name was

your

sighed. It was time to

"Marry me."

staring into Tom's earnest eyes, felt as if she'd been struck by lightning. Was he

"At Byrne Enterprises, you need a Byrne identity. Marrying me would also infuriate Vivian, and... well, I saw more than I should have last

way! I refuse, I vehemently refuse. First off, I don't even want Byrne Enterprises; I'll give it back to Mom when she's better. Second, I've got plenty of ways to deal with Vivian without resorting to extremes. And lastly!" Her face flushed as she locked eyes with Tom. "Just pretend last night never

was going to be

late,"

at him,

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