The Heir's Secret Bride

"What are you thinking about?" A low, magnetic voice pulled Maeve out of her thoughts.

She looked up to meet Byron's eyes and instinctively averted her gaze.

"Nothing." Maeve shook her head. "I was just thinking about wanting some spaghetti bolognese. Can you make that?"

Byron raised an eyebrow. "Never made it before, but I can give it a try."

He picked up the ingredients and headed to the kitchen, taking Will along with him. In the Mcdaniel family, no one was a freeloader.

The sight of the two, one big and one small, walking toward the kitchen gave Maeve a warm feeling.

Lost in her thoughts, she barely noticed when Theo softly said from her arms, "Mommy, Jaylen called. There's probably something important."

In the past six months, Jaylen had been increasingly busy treating patients, rarely reaching out unless something urgent

came up.

Theo couldn't shake the feeling that Jaylen was deliberately keeping his distance. The reason was unknown.

"Looks like the busy person has finally shown up," Maeve said, carrying Theo toward the room. "You should ask him how long he plans to rest after this."

The patient Jaylen was currently treating seemed quite difficult. Maeve had rarely seen Jaylen spend so much time on a single case.

Usually, he would wrap things up within half a month. This time was definitely unusual.

Theo nodded, connecting the call with Jaylen and switching to speaker mode. "Jaylen, are you done? Are you planning to take a break soon?"

"Theo, it's me." A much older voice came from the other end.

Theo squealed with excitement, "Mr. Walker, why is it you? Where's Jaylen?"

Rudolf's voice sounded solemn. "Jaylen hasn't woken up yet. He'll probably need to rest for a long time."

Theo said, "What does that mean? Is Jaylen not going out to treat patients anymore? He said he wanted to treat nine hundred ninety-nine patients to break the international record.

"Help people?" Rudolf sounded both angry and helpless. "He can't even take care of himself. If I hadn't accidentally discovered that the prescription he wrote for himself was problematic, I wouldn't have known how long he was going to hide this from me!"

Maeve sensed something was off and quickly asked, "Mr. Walker, what happened to Jaylen

It seemed Jaylen was sick.

But even if it were a complicated case, Rudolf would have been able to treat it. His tone shouldn't be so tense.

Rudolf exhaled slowly. "Do you know why Jaylen studied medicine?"

Maeve replied, "Jaylen told me he wanted to save someone important to him, someone he had to save." Rudolf said, "That person is himself."

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Maeve's eyes widened in shock. "So he..."

Rudolf said, "He has been frail since birth. Only through herbal medicine has he been able to grow up. But it's only a temporary solution, like borrowed time. Eventually, he has to pay it back." 95%1

He continued, "Years ago, I was deceived into thinking his health was fine. I had no idea he was running out of time and had been hiding from me under the pretense of treating others.

"If I hadn't sent someone to force him back, he probably would rather die out there than let us know."

Rudolf didn't realize Jaylen was this stubborn.

Maeve felt a chill run down her spine, worry filling her eyes. "Mr. Walker, is there really nothing you can do about Jaylen's condition?"

Theo stamped his little feet anxiously. "I can help too. We can find a way!"

Rudolf sighed heavily. "His illness has always been a race against time. Gaining a day is a victory, but now he's reaching his limit."

Maeve and Theo couldn't say anything for a long while, finding it hard to accept the reality.

Maeve had never heard Jaylen talk about this matter before.

He always appeared gloomy but was genuinely warm-hearted, hiding his kindness beneath a sharp tongue.

Moreover, Maeve owed him immeasurably. Because of his careful treatment, she was able to carry her children to term due to her several near-miscarriages.

To her, Jaylen was not only a benefactor but also a close friend.

Theo, who had a great relationship with Jaylen, was on the verge of tears.

"Mr. Walker, how much time does Jaylen have left?" Maeve asked, her voice hoarse.

"Up to a year, but at least six months," Rudolf said wearily. "Maeve, you should know his temperament. Even if I manage to bring him back, he will do everything he can to escape and find a deserted place to wait for death." Maeve immediately said, "We can't let him do that."

"Exactly. Which is why I want to ask you for a favor."

"Just tell me. As long as it's within my power, I will do my best."

Rudolf nodded appreciatively. "ed you to persuade Jaylen to come back home. With you and Theo watching over him, I think he won't act recklessly. Meanwhile, I'll look for other ways to extend his life."

Without hesitation, Maeve promised, "Don't worry. I will persuade him."

After hanging up, Maeve and Theo felt heavy-hearted.

At that moment, Theo suddenly said, "Mommy, it seems that Will is also congenitally deficient."

Maeve was filled with anxiety. "Will is going to be like Jaylen?"

"Jaylen's condition is more severe. It's a case of someone who should have perished but survived by sheer luck. There's no other way to extend his life," Theo explained. "Will is also congenitally deficient, but with proper care, he shouldn't have too many problems. He just needs to be monitored carefully."

07:51/ Wed, Nov 6

At least until Will turned ten, they could not afford to be careless.

Maeve took note of every word he said, thinking of Jaylen, and her worries lingered.

She didn't want Jaylen to die, but she felt powerless to change the situation.

All she could do was follow Rudolf's instructions and try to persuade him to return home and recuperate.

3

After washing up that evening, Maeve received a message from Rudolf, informing her that Jaylen had awakened. She immediately called him.

When the call connected, Jaylen's cold voice came through. "Mr. Walker must have tattled on me, right?"

Hearing his voice, which sounded just like usual, Maeve cautiously said, "He is just worried about you. The last time I saw Mrs. Chatterly, she mentioned she missed you and asked when you would be coming back." "Why would I go back?" Jaylen replied casually. "The Chatterly family wouldn't care."

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