The Heir's Secret Bride

*****

It was midsummer. The weather was getting hotter, and cicadas were chirping.

The boy in the white shirt, who had fallen asleep on the desk, suddenly woke up. The hair on his forehead was slightly wet with sweat. Below his handsome eyebrows was a pair of deep and sharp eyes that did not match his age.

The bad smell in the boys dormitory made him frown uncomfortably. From the corner of his eye, he saw the decorations on the desk and was stunned again.

The calendar showed the year when he was in his third year of university.

The laptop on the desk also looked old and cumbersome. It was different from the thin and powerful computer that would be made many years later.

Byron looked around. The more visual information he grasped, the more his heart sank.

He couldn't help but think, 'Is it a dream? Or have I traveled back to my junior year?'

"Byron, we're going to the cafeteria. Are you coming?" The others in the dormitory were about to leave.

Byron recognized they were his former roommates but could not remember their names.

Byron nodded. "Yeah."

With his looks and natural figure, no matter where Byron went, there would be people peeping at him.

The soul inside him was different from before. It was the powerful and high-spirited Mr. Mcdaniel from the future. The soul and aura of a mature man filled him with a charm that could not be ignored.

His roommates giggled and put their arms around his shoulders, saying Byron seemed different in some way.

Byron's head still hurt a little. Suddenly, his gaze stopped in midair.

At the cafeteria window not far away, a girl in a white dress stood there. She was as tender as a daisy blooming in the morning.

From her back view, Byron recognized her. It was his Maeve.

Maeve did not have much money. So, she only ordered the cheapest hamburger. She could not even afford the fried egg.

To control her, Maeve's family had halved her monthly food money. If she did not save it, she would have to starve for the next half a month.

However, the food at Kleymond University looked good. Maeve wanted to try everything but couldn't.

Sighing, Maeve turned around with her hamburger and was about to leave. She did not notice someone was behind her and bumped into him. As her hamburger fell to the ground, Maeve felt like crying. "I'm sorry. A magnetic and pleasant male voice sounded from above her head. "I have hypoglycemia, so I didn't see you in front. I'm sorry for bumping into you."

'What a pleasant voice!' Maeve was slightly stunned. She had only heard such a high-quality timbre from the male lead in

anime.

G

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She subconsciously looked up and saw the tall and straight boy with an outstanding temperament. She immediately got attracted. 'Oh god, he's so charming.

The way he looked at her was so deep that it made her heart flutter. It was as if they had known each other for many years.

Maeve thought. He's so handsome. Of course, I'll forgive him.

"It's alright." Maeve squatted down to pick up her hamburger.

Byron stopped her. "I'll do it. Leave it to me."

Byron cleaned up the hamburger on the ground and threw it into the trash can. He turned back and said to Maeve, "I'm sorry for knocking over your hamburger. What do you want for lunch? It's on me." Maeve wanted to say she didn't need it, but considering how she was short on money, she gave in. "Just a hamburger. Thanks.

Byron nodded. Go and take a seat. I'll bring the food over. Otherwise, there won't be any empty seats later."

There was an unconscious familiarity and intimacy in his tone. It did not sound like it was meant for strangers.

Maeve found his tone familiar when she heard that, thinking, 'Well, he's quite easy-going. It sounds like we go way back.

"Oh, okay. Thanks." She went to find a spot in a daze.

She did not notice Byron's gaze was following her. His brown eyes seemed to be filled with greed that could not be melted. He didn't want to miss any second of the Maeve he hadn't seen before.

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Byron placed the food on the table. Maeve's eyes were

wide open.

Maeve muttered in her heart, 'He's ordered a lot of food that I can't bear to spend money on.

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'He must be an heir from some rich family, not knowing the sufferings of the

world.'noveldrama

After taking a bite of the hamburger, she saw an oily and fragrant fried drumstick on her plate.

Maeve froze. "For me?"

"Yes, a hamburger is not enough to express my apology. Please accept the fried drumstick, too." Byron switched the vegetable salad to his side. "Besides, I can't finish all the food alone." Maeve felt a little touched. "Then, then I'll eat it."

Byron smiled. "Enjoy it."

Maeve only felt she was too lucky and thought, "The food he ordered is all that I usually love but can not afford. He knows

me:

Byron smiled as he watched Maeve eat. He could tell she was restraining herself and was embarrassed to eat too freely before a stranger.

However, she could not resist the temptation of delicious food and ate like a lovely chipmunk.

'She only ordered a hamburger just now.' Byron suddenly remembered Maeve had a hard life when she was still in the Reese family.

If the Reese family was unhappy, they only gave her twenty dollars a week to buy food.

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In this time when prices had yet to soar, twenty dollars would be used up in one or two days even if she tried her best to be frugal. That was why Maeve looked so skinny at the time. Her hair looked less shiny from malnutrition.

Byron's eyes were filled with pain, feeling sorry for Maeve. He then realized why he had suddenly appeared in this place. from home. Both Byron and Maeve regretted their encounter in college.

Byron regretted that he did not get to know her well at that time and let her return to that family to suffer so much.

Maeve regretted that she did not enroll in Kleymond University after the SAT and missed many years with Byron.

And then, there he was, traveling back to years ago. And Maeve was still the Maeve in the original timeline. Byron would not let this regret continue.

"Why are you... staring at my face?" Maeve's face turned red unknowingly. She was so nervous that her heart was beating wildly.

This is the first time we've met. Why is he looking at me with such deep affection as if he is looking at his lover?' Maeve wondered, puzzled. Byron collected his thoughts and pretended not to notice her shyness. "You got something here."

"Where?" Maeve asked.

Byron reached out and gently touched her cheek, pretending to take something away. "It's the meat. It's gone."

Maeve was shocked. 'Why did he suddenly touch my cheek? Didn't he think it was a bit inappropriate?'

"Are you also a high school student visiting the campus?" Byron asked again.

Maeve nodded. "Yes, we'll be leaving tomorrow."

'Tomorrow... Byron could no longer remember how Maeve had stuck with him back ther probably be very difficult for them to meet again.

Byron asked with a smile. "May I know your name?"

Maeve was a little wary this time and gave a fake name. "Rosie."

vever, once she left, it would

The smile in Byron's eyes deepened. It was this extremely ordinary pseudonym that made him only recall Maeve's clingy and stubborn expression when he thought of her.

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