The Heir's Secret Bride

Chapter 549

Chapter 549

Maeve paused for a moment, a flicker of surprise crossing her bright eyes.

She pondered, 'Aiden Soar... His surname is Soar. Could he be rated to the Soar family?

She extended her hand, shaking his briefly. A coolness, colder than usual, seeped from his fingertips, making her involuntarily shiver.

Aiden noticed the reaction and quickly withdrew his hand, a hint of curiosity in his gaze. "You seem to have heard of me?"

"No, I don't." Maeve replied, shaking her head. "Your last name is rare, so I was just curious,"

Aiden smiled faintly, not pressing further.

Maeve led him into the dining area, where it was buffet-style. Guests had to serve themselves, but the food was exceptional.

The modified recipes for several main dishes had been Maeve's gift to Esme.

She pointed out which dishes were particularly good and which ones were limited, requiring an early arrival to get them, all- while filling her own plate.

Seeing her heap her plate so high, Aiden couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you worried you won't be able to finish all that?"

In his experience, whether it was his sister or the women he usually interacted with, they all had to strictly monitor their calorie intake, making even an extra bite feel like a sin.

But that didn't seem to apply to Maeve.

"No, I've been working outside all afternoon, so I've burned a lot of energy. I need to make up for it," Maeve said, her tone casual. "And the food here is amazing. It changes daily, so if I don't eat it now, I'll have to wait until next week." Aiden, not having much of an appetite before, found himself piling more food onto his plate without thinking-

sat down, she began eating with gusto, like a chipmunk hoarding snacks for winter, cheeks puffed adorably with every

the eye. Several guests, walking past, stole

Maeve went to grab a dessert and asked

eaten beyond his usual intake and felt a strange fullness. He

for dessert, scanning the room before speaking. "Running a guesthouse like this on her own must be tough. She must have a lot on

but luckily she has a son." Maeve took a bite of her

he come around to help

behind her words. "No, I think

an eyebrow. "What's wrong with him?

shrugged lightly. "I'm not sure. But mental illness is harder to handle than physical

didn't give much away, but Aiden understood

he said

off. "I'm full. I'll lead back

"Yeah," Aiden replied.

for a moment, contemplating.

the window in the room, and through it, she could see the clear lake, quietly flowing under the soft glow of the streetlights in the night. She had

Maeve hesitated. She

called Will and Theo to check

soundly, unaware that Nightfall Manor

and Theo, dressed in tank tops and shorts with little straw hats, were out in the garden, pulling weeds late into the

hot during the day, so

entirely

few days?" Byron asked, tossing aside a handful of weeds. His sharp gaze

to yank the weeds with their tiny

bore

not worried or anxious that your mom has been gone for so long?