Chapter 271

Hearing Royce's name made my heart skip a beat. "What does this have to do with you?"

"Don't get so worked up."

Maeve called over the waiter and ordered a piece of cake for me, but as it sat in front of me, I had no appetite at all.

"I've had some interactions with Royce before, but not in the way you're thinking. He's not part of our circle, and I don't have any tasks targeting him. So, he's still a clean guy, you can relax..."

Maeve spoke while watching my expression closely.

She must have noticed the subtle changes in my face.

Hearing Maeve mention Royce made me extremely nervous, especially when she said Royce was still clean...

That statement made my mind race.

It even felt a bit scary.

If Royce had interacted with Maeve before, then he...

Who should I trust now?

But thinking about how Royce had acted in front of me, it seemed like he and Maeve didn't have any history. And honestly, Royce seemed like someone who valued himself.

If he could immediately guess that Maeve was being used as a bribe, did that mean...

Suddenly, I felt a rush of blood and couldn't sit still. "Excuse me, I need to use the restroom."

I had expected my confrontation with Maeve to be calm or at least a bit confrontational.

But that was assuming we were on the same level.

Now, it felt like she had the upper hand, and I couldn't get the answers I wanted.

Maeve always had her own rhythm.

Just as I thought before, she was a very smart woman.

If someone was really supporting Maeve and giving her these tasks, it also meant...

At the very least, Maeve was smart and valuable enough to be used.

With these uneasy thoughts, I walked towards the restroom.

But as soon as the door closed, I couldn't help but think about what to do next.

Images of Joanna and Brandon flashed through my mind.

Everything was making me anxious.

I lingered in the restroom for a long time, even touching up my makeup in the mirror.

But when I came out and planned to continue the conversation with Maeve...

I saw an unexpected figure by our table.

Royce was standing there, talking to Maeve. They weren't very close, but it was clear they knew each other.

Royce was wearing a brown trench coat, with a white shirt and black pants underneath. He looked particularly handsome and cheerful.

Someone like him in a café would easily attract attention, especially now, seeing Maeve smiling at him made me feel a mix of fear and anxiety.

Maeve had mentioned she knew a bit about Royce and had interacted with him before...

Now seeing them talking together, I felt rooted to the spot.

At that moment, they both seemed to sense something.

Maeve looked over at me and said something to Royce with a smile.

Royce turned and waved at me.

Seeing me, his face showed no sign of discomfort, as if everything was perfectly normal.

I forced down my emotions and walked towards them. Maeve had already stood up.

In front of us, Maeve adjusted her skirt and picked up her bag, elegantly saying goodbye.

"That's it for today, Caroline. It was nice chatting with you. I hope we can meet again."

I thought to myself, I hope not.

But knowing our unresolved issues, I knew this scene would likely repeat.

I just didn't know if Maeve would always lead me by the nose.

Thinking this made me feel a bit down, and I hadn't snapped out of it even as Maeve left.

Royce waved a hand in front of my face. "What's wrong? She left, and your soul went with her?"

I looked up at him. "Why add 'too'? Did your soul fly away with Maeve?"

Royce was caught off guard by my sudden outburst and then laughed. "Are you getting jealous over someone insignificant?"

"Do you think someone like Maeve and I could ever be a thing?"

I scoffed. "Who knows? She told me you two had some history. And I just saw you talking."

"Don't you remember? I know about Maeve because of what she's done before. Maeve has interacted with men in our circle, including my friends."

Royce frowned deeply as he mentioned this.

"For privacy reasons, I can't tell you about my friends."

Is that all?

I wasn't sure I believed him.

But Royce pinched my cheek. "If you were jealous of Yvonne, I'd understand, but Maeve? No way."

"And I've already cut ties with others for you, so don't do this to me."

I hesitated but said, "Okay."

Too much suspicion would only mess with my mind.

Until Joanna's issue was resolved, I didn't want to become a bitter person.

Royce then asked, "Did you get the flowers I sent you today?"

"Where did you send them? To the office?" I shifted the conversation.

Royce nodded and naturally took my hand. "I sent them to the office, but from your reaction, you probably haven't been there today."

"I'll be going tomorrow... I need to help Asher with some contract stuff."

Royce nodded. "I can take you there in the morning."

Once we were in the car, Royce asked about my conversation with Joanna.

"When you messaged me earlier, you didn't give details."

I thought for a moment and recapped our talk, including some personal details about Joanna and Ronnie.

"...I'm telling you this to say Joanna probably isn't at risk of illness right now, so don't worry. But we didn't get her stance on divorce, and from what she said today, it seems she's still attached to Ronnie."

Royce nodded. "That's natural. They've been married for years."

He kept talking, but I was still thinking about Maeve and Royce's conversation.

I felt a bit tense.

After a while, Royce said, "But we can't drag this out. Can you find a way to get Joanna to have a check-up?"