Chapter 124
Maeve held Frederick’s gaze and spoke, enunciating every word clearly.
“You can’t do it. Don’t force yourself p>
With that, she turned on her heel and walked away.
Frederick stood frozen in place, watching her slender back gradually disappear from his line of sight.
The door clicked shut.
The last shred of warmth in the house was sucked out with her, leaving him utterly alone in the deafening silence.
Maeve didn’t go to the townhouse Beatrice had offered her.
She went straight to her perfume studio to drop off her things, then opened her laptop to browse for nearby apartments.
She was running low on cash and needed to budget carefully.
Yvette happened to drop by the studio and immediately interrogated her about the suitcase. Left with no choice, Maeve told her the truth.
Hearing that Maeve was looking for a place, Yvette instantly spoke up.
“When I was setting up this studio, I bought a condo right down the street. Since I’m dropping the studio project anyway, the place is just sitting empty. It’s fully furnished. You can move in right now with just your bags p>
Maeve already owed Yvette far too many favors and couldn’t comfortably accept another handout.
“It’s fine, Yvette. There are plenty of rentals around here. I’ll just find one p>
Yvette puffed her cheeks out in annoyance.
“Do you feel safer in a stranger’s apartment than in mine? Are we best friends or not p>
Maeve murmured an explanation.
“I just feel like p>
“If you feel guilty, just pay me a little rent!” Yvette cut her off, grabbed her suitcase, and pulled Maeve toward the door.
“The place is empty anyway. Might as well have someone living there. Come on, I’ll give you the grand tour p>
Unable to win against Yvette’s stubbornness, Maeve watched as her friend excitedly dragged her down the street. The dead, stagnant water of her heart began to stir, warmed by a gentle current of true friendship.
She curved her lips into a small smile and quietly squeezed Yvette’s wrist, whispering softly.
“Thank you, Yvette p>
Even alone in the unfamiliar Capital, she wasn’t isolated. She had the best friend in the entire world.
She had never truly been alone.
Inside the condo.
It was a single-bedroom unit on the twelfth floor. It wasn’t massive—nearly nine hundred square feet—but it was cozy, brightly lit, and more than enough space for Maeve.
Yvette got her settled in, but had to rush off to handle an emergency at her own firm.
She told Maeve to unpack and said they would figure out the rent later. She also mentioned that Jonathan might drop by to discuss the lease.
Maeve agreed, saw Yvette out, and began unpacking.
Since she finished early, she video-called her parents.
The moment the video connected, Maeve could tell Marcus was in a hospital room, and her heart instantly leaped into her throat.
“Dad, why are you in the hospital? Are you sick p>
Marcus chuckled sheepishly.
“How are your eyes so sharp? The video just turned on and you already spotted the hospital walls p>
“Dad Maeve’s eyes grew red with worry.
“Tell me what’s wrong with you p>
Vivian’s face appeared on the other side of the screen.
“Your father’s lumber business had that batch of premium timber rejected by his main client recently, remember? Then another firm offered to buy it, but your dad got stubborn and said he didn’t need thei charity. So, to find a pope buyer, he’s been running around pitching to companies personally for weeks. He finally sold the wood, but exhausted himself straight into a hospital bed p>
“Always tattling to our daughter,” Marcus grumbled, though there was no heat in it.
“Don’t just talk about me. You’ve been doing back-to-back surgeries all week, and your back is so bad you can barely stand I told you to hire a hurse for me, but you refused and insisted on doing it yourself. Maeve, tell your mother she needs to take care of her own health p>