The Heir's Secret Bride

Byron and Theo didn't quite get along; every time they met, it turned into a playful argument, each trying to one-up the other. In contrast, Byron was much gentler and more patient with Will, which left Maeve feeling a bit caught in the middle. She couldn't help but wonder if Byron simply didn't like Theo. As Maeve pondered this, Byron reached up and playfully tugged at Theo's messy hair, his voice laced with laughter. "Don't you think he looks hilarious when he gets mad?"

Will was usually so quiet and well-behaved that even when Byron tried to tease him, he maintained a serious demeanor. Clearly, Byron found it much more amusing to mess with chubby Theo than to pick on

will.

Maeve thought to herself, 'So he's just teasing Theo the whole time? Impressive. She smirked, then stood up, holding Theo in her arms. "I'm going to take him to bed. Can you start cooking?"

Byron rolled up his sleeves and casually asked, "I'll cook. What do we have now?"

"There's still some beef and fish in the fridge from yesterday. Oh, and half a tray of prawns. Can

you cook those?"

"Are you kidding me?" Byron chuckled as he walked toward the kitchen.

Will quietly whispered to Maeve, "Dad's prawns and roast beef are especially delicious, but the fish... well, it's hit or miss. A few times, it either burned or..."

Before he could finish, Byron's deep voice came from the kitchen. "William. Come help me out!"

"Okay."

Maeve couldn't help but chuckle as she watched Will trudge over with his head hanging low. She looked down at the drowsy Theo, her smile growing softer. Her heart, which had felt empty slowly began to fill. It even made her suddenly want to lay all her cards on the table with Byron, but she held back.

Byron might accept Will, but that didn't mean he would welcome a child with whom he had no emotional connection. Maeve knew he didn't really like kids-Will was the only exception.

As Will had said, Byron's prawns and roast beef were indeed exceptional, with a restaurant-quality taste, but the fish...

Theo turned to Will and said, "Maybe you should say a few words for this fish. It died a tragic death; it would have been better off drowning in the sea." Although he was addressing Will, everyone could tell he was throwing shade at Byron.

Will wanted to remind Theo that reciting prayers was just his hobby, not a profession. But after considering it, he thought it was better to just eat.

Byron paused mid-air with his fork, then turned and snatched the rib eye steak from Theo's plate.

"That's mine!" Theo pouted, his chubby little cheeks puffing up like an angry pufferfish. "Give it back!"

"Try and grab it back." Byron challenged, looking down at him. "Short stuff."

Theo was exasperated.

Maeve quickly held Theo down before he could leap up, softly comforting him, "Sweetheart, let it go. You're above all this. He might not even be as mature as you. Just let it slide."

Theo beamed at his mom's words, puffing out his chest. "Alright, I'm full of generosity to let it go. I won't sweat the small

stuff!"

Byron finished off Theo's rib eye steak, chuckling at the comment. "You're probably just stuffed full of snacks, like a little

III

pig."

3

5

0

Yet surprisingly, the soothed Theo didn't seem upset at all. He grinned and shot back, "I'm nice and cuddly; unlike you, no one wants to hug you!"

Byron was slightly taken aback as he glanced at Maeve, who was indulgently watching Theo, and let out a low, ambiguous huff. "Well, that's not entirely true."

After dinner, Byron headed back to his apartment to handle some work, leaving Will behind.

"Will, is your dad coming back later?" Theo asked, moving closer to Will.

"He's your dad too." Will sighed helplessly as he replied, "He should be. Didn't you notice how he was keeping an eye on Mom's mood during dinner? She hasn't been feeling great, so hell want to be around her."

Theo immediately frowned. "But I'm Mommy's happy little buddy! I can make her laugh too! She doesn't need him!"

"But you can't stop him from coming."

"Who says so?" Theo's eyes sparkled with mischief. "I could pretend to be scared of the dark and make Mommy stay with me!" Upon saying this, he noticed Will looking hesitant, so he added, "Don't you want to sleep with Mommy? It's so cozy in her arms." Will's heart fluttered at that. Although teaming up with his brother to push their dad away didn't feel right, he also really wanted to snuggle up with their mother. 'Sorry, Dad,' he thought

The two little guys reached an unspoken agreement and high-fived.

"Will, log in! I'll take you on a gaming spree!" Theo declared, waving his hand dramatically.

When Will saw the familiar game icon on Theo's phone, he quickly remembered the last unpleasant incident. "I'm not playing that game anymore."

"What? Why not?" Theo looked confused. "It's so much fun."

Will frowned. "I met someone in that game who totally flaked on me. We had agreed to meet up for a real-life showdown, but when the time came, he chickened out." "Sincerely? What a loser!"

"He's actually pretty good at the game; he just has lousy character," Will commented. "And he's great at sneaky moves; he always lands headshots."

Theo couldn't sit still. "Tell me who he is! I'm going to get revenge! What kind of loser picks on my brother? I'll make him quit!"

Feeling warm inside, Will told him the ID. "That punk. Come and take me on."

When Theo heard that ID, his heart raced. He cautiously asked, Will, what's your ID?"

"HarmonySeeker."

Silence. There was a long, awkward silence.

Theo shuffled away, moving toward the back of the couch, nervously saying, "Uh, maybe we should just drop it? It's just a game."

Will noticed Theo's nervous expression and immediately guessed why Theo had changed his mind. He stood up and looked at Theo, hiding behind the couch. "So you were the one who set me up in the game and bailed on our meet-up?" His tone

о

3NôvelDrama.Org: text © owner.

grew serious, making Theo run.

"I didn't mean to ditch you! Don't be mad!" Before Theo could run away, Will grabbed the back of his shirt.

"Who taught you to break promises and be a little bully in games?" Will asked, a stern look on his face. "Come here and reflect on your actions."