Chapter 270

Maeve chuckled, "Now that's more like it. We should ease into things with some small talk before getting to the heavy stuff."

"Do you take it slow with those guys you approach too?" I couldn't help but ask.

Maeve frowned, "That wasn't very nice."

"I'm never nice when I talk to you."

"Fair enough," Maeve sighed.

After our coffees arrived, Maeve stirred hers with a small spoon.

"Don't think I'm being hard on you. I actually respect you a lot. I was with another friend today, and when I saw your message, she wanted to come along, but I turned her down."

I decided to open up to Maeve.

Maeve smirked, a bit sarcastically, "So I should thank you, then?"

"No need to thank me. Just don't hold back today. I don't want us to have another one-on-one meeting."

Maybe it was today's events that made me particularly irritable, and I couldn't muster any kindness in my tone with Maeve.

After studying me for a while, Maeve took a couple of sips of her coffee before speaking slowly, "So, I hear you've already met with Joanna. You didn't tell her about this, did you?"

I shook my head, "We haven't mentioned it to her yet."

"Good."

"But it's not because you told me to," I added.

Maeve frowned, "Regardless, I can sense your willingness to negotiate."

"I'm curious about what kind of deal you want to make. You've been so secretive, refusing to tell me anything on WhatsApp, insisting on meeting in person, and then talking about taking things step by step..."

I frowned, "I don't have time to play games with you."

Maeve asked, "Why do you think I'm playing games? You know my secret now, so I want to make a deal. My only request is that you don't tell Joanna."

"Why not? If you and Ronnie are lovers, wouldn't you want to take advantage of the situation? Ronnie is capable, resourceful, and has a bright future. If he divorces Joanna, you could easily ask him to marry you."

I deliberately made my thoughts sound simple and shallow.

As expected, Maeve sneered, "I thought you had some brains. Clearly, you don't understand anything about this situation and are just making wild guesses."

"Then tell me."

Maeve paused, then took a few more sips of her coffee.

"I came to talk about a deal, not to give you details or information."

"You have demands, and so do I. I want to know what you're thinking and why you approached Ronnie."

I decided to lay out the suspicions Kathy and I had.

Maeve was silent for a long time before finally speaking, "You know what I mean."

"Ronnie and I aren't what you think. I have no real feelings for him. I just want something."

I listened, my frown deepening. My heart was racing. Maybe it was because I had uncovered someone else's secret and didn't know how to handle it. This was something I had never imagined. Brandon's affair was already hard enough to deal with, and now I had to handle my friend's issues too.

Maeve must have sensed my hesitation and said seriously, "I told you before, I have dirt on Brandon. With it, you can control him. No matter when he gets out of prison, you'll have leverage over him."

"But what good is that to me? I already have control over him. Last time he tried to mess with me, I had him thrown back in jail."

I didn't think Brandon was hard to deal with. But I agreed with Maeve on one thing: Brandon had nothing to lose now, while those of us with happy lives had more to worry about. But I had many friends and Royce's help, so I didn't think it would be too difficult.

Maeve sneered, elegantly stirring her coffee. But her smile made me uncomfortable.

I frowned, "Honestly, if you hadn't insisted on meeting alone today, I wouldn't be here talking to you."

"I know, you've said that many times," Maeve smiled, more relaxed than before. Maybe she sensed how much I cared about Joanna. Joanna was my friend, and I didn't want anything bad to happen to her, putting me in a tough spot.

"No matter what information you want from me, all I can tell you is not to tell Joanna. Her husband will eventually come back to her, and I guarantee Joanna will never find out, as long as you keep quiet," Maeve reiterated.

I was about to lose my temper, but Maeve continued, "By the way, I know you visited Brandon in prison today."

"This makes me wonder, did you ask him about me?"

Maeve was surprisingly sharp. She wouldn't be easy to deal with, I realized immediately. But then I thought, maybe someone behind her was secretly controlling everything, even knowing what Kathy and I were doing. My back stiffened, and I felt a cold sweat coming on.

Seeing my reaction, Maeve smiled, "Don't worry, I didn't have anyone follow you. I just heard about it."

"You're very concerned about my actions."

"Of course. Brandon is unforgettable to me. You can't imagine what we've been through."

I had no interest in that. Meeting with Maeve was draining my patience. I felt she didn't intend to reveal anything specific, just testing if I had told Joanna about her.

As I pondered how to proceed, Maeve suddenly changed the topic.

"By the way, you've been spending a lot of time with Royce lately. Brandon mentioned it."

"Are you two together?"