Ch. 1721..1730

Chapter 1721

Chapter 1721

Just as Maisie had finished typing the last line on her computer and stretched with a satisfied grin, Daniel walked in.

Maisie quickly closed her laptop and turned to him with a smile. "You're back early today. I... I'll go prepare something for you to eat!"

"No rush." Daniel took her hand and looked at her with doting affection.

During their time back in Cumulus City, she seemed to have gained a bit of weight. She was no longer as slender as before, but she had a more curvaceous figure. Her complexion had also become rosier. Everything about her reignited the emotions deep within him.

Maisie leaned against him, listening to his heartbeat and feeling his gradually warming body. A blush crept onto her cheeks.

She gently pushed him away, but he embraced her. "Don't do this..."

"I understand." Despite feeling frustrated, he was willing to respect her boundaries. "I won't cross any boundaries without your consent."

Maisie lowered her head and smiled, pinching his cheek. It was something she did often, but only ever since she had lost her memory.

Daniel thought that she wouldn't have dared to treat him this way before. She wouldn't have dared to pinch his cheek, refuse him, or display any hint of defiance toward him. His heart ached, and he yearned to compensate her with all the beauty in the world.

"By the way, what were you writing just now?" Daniel smiled. "Was it one of those novels you were reading last time?"

"You..." Maisie blinked her large eyes. "How did you know..."

"Actually, being a writer would suit you quite well," Daniel mused. "You could write when you're inspired and travel to find inspiration when you're not. When you're out traveling, I'll accompany you!" "Sounds good!"

"Well, then," he said with a light smile. "Would you let me read what you just wrote?"

"No!" Maisie refused without even thinking about it.

"Why not?"

She blushed and whispered, "Now isn't the right time. I can't show you. If my submission gets accepted and published, then you can read it."

Daniel suddenly thought of Lily, who was always looking for new authors. With her connections and status, helping Maisie publish some articles would surely be a piece of cake. Lily might use it as leverage for another investment, though.

"Besides..." Maisie continued. "I don't think it's that good."

"Why do you say that?"

"I was enthusiastic while writing it, but the more I read it, the less satisfied I became. There are so many similar pieces of work on the internet that it feels like I wouldn't bring anything new to the table..." "That's alright," Daniel reassured her as he caressed her face. "I'll be your most loyal reader."

"You promise?"

"Of course."

He kissed her gently, making her blush like a charming, blooming lotus.

"By the way," she said softly. "There's something I'd like to discuss with you. Do you have time this weekend?"

Chapter 1722

Chapter 1722

"What's the matter?"

"I... I want to take you to meet my mom."

Daniel was taken aback.

"Aren't you planning to marry me? Shouldn't we meet each other's parents before the wedding? My family background isn't great, and my mom can be a handful. I just want you to be prepared..."

"I want to marry you, not your family," Daniel said, holding Maisie's hand. "But it's only right that I meet them. It's a matter of respect."

Daniel had mixed feelings about it. When the weekend came, he prepared a gift and went with Maisie to her family's home. Even though Maisie had given them a heads-up, the atmosphere became tense as soon as they walked in.

Cindy and Nicole were initially surprised to see Daniel, and then they stood by the wall, all still and nervous. Their words and actions appeared quite restrained as they cast wary looks at him.

Maisie was a little surprised. She had been worried the whole way about her mom's materialistic nature causing trouble, as she was prone to saying things she shouldn't. She hadn't expected Cindy, who was usually domineering and arrogant, to be so apprehensive in front of him. Even though Daniel usually exuded a powerful aura, he was quite amiable today.

"Mom, Nicole, what's going on with you?" Maisie shot them a look, then forced a smile to try to defuse the tension. "Daniel is usually a bit serious, but he's a good person. You'll get to know him better as you spend more time with him."

"Yes, yes." Cindy managed to force a smile. "We know Mr. Quimby is a good person... Without his help, we wouldn't have been able to live here."

After going through the fuss of the demolition and relocation, Daniel had ultimately provided Cindy's family with a compensation package and arranged a place for them to live. They had secured a residence in this mid-range housing complex, which was a rare find for the Squires.

Daniel gently held Maisie's hand. He loved her no matter what. Even if the Squires were out of line, he didn't want to make things difficult for them.

"You're too kind," he said with a calm expression. "The reason we didn't compensate you earlier was due to a mistake made by the branch office of Quimby Group. Since the issue has now been resolved, there's no need for you to dwell on it."

Cindy didn't know how to respond, so she forced another smile. She insisted that Daniel stay for lunch and then led Nicole into the kitchen.

Maisie smiled helplessly and looked at Daniel. "Is it because your face is too stern? My mom... Well, she's one thing, but Nicole's already met you before, when we were in Centrolis. How did you manage to make her so afraid of you?"

"Maybe... I only smile for you."

Maisie patted his hand and laughed, then got up to help in the kitchen.

"Are you going to cook as well?" Daniel pulled her back.

"I'm afraid they'll prepare something you don't like."

At that moment, the door opened. Owen entered the house, swaying and stumbling. Maisie furrowed her brows when she caught the strong scent of alcohol on him.

"Owen, where were you?"

"Oh, we have a guest..." Owen didn't pay any attention to her, as he was completely fixated on Daniel, who was sitting on the couch. His drunkenness had mostly cleared up, and he had wide-open eyes as he stared at Daniel, as if to confirm that he was indeed Daniel. Then, he turned to Maisie in disbelief.

Daniel walked over to him slowly, his eyes showing a hint of disdain and warning.

Maisie held on to his arm and whispered, "Daniel, this is my elder brother, Owen."

Daniel said tersely, "Nice to meet you."

He had an intense aversion to this man. If she hadn't been forced to raise money for Owen's treatment, Maisie wouldn't have sold herself in the first place. However, without Owen, he wouldn't have met Maisie at all.

Trying to keep himself steady, Owen looked at Daniel cunningly. He could tell that Daniel had always been completely ensnared by his little sister, both then and now.

Chapter 1723

Chapter 1723

"Oh, it's Mr. Quimby." Owen hastily wiped his hand across his clothes, smiling obsequiously. "I didn't expect... to meet you again. How have you been?"

Daniel looked at the hand Owen extended, his expression darkening even further.

Maisie gave Owen a pat and whispered, "Owen, what are you saying?"

Owen chuckled and quickly corrected himself. "Oh, I misspoke... Heh, I've had a bit too much to drink, and my head's not very clear right now. Maisie, what's for lunch?" Maisie rolled her eyes at him, feeling annoyed.

"Daniel will have lunch at home today, so I'll go help Mom and Nicole."

"Alright, alright!" Owen hastily ushered her toward the kitchen. "Then you go ahead. Make some pork ribs for me! I've been working too hard lately, so I need some nourishment!" "You..." Maisie glared at him, concerned he might say something inappropriate.

"Don't worry!" Owen snickered and whispered, "I'll step outside for a smoke. I promise not to speak with your Mr. Quimby. Is that okay?"

Maisie glanced at Daniel. The man, who'd had a stern expression just moments ago, now had a gentle, reassuring look in his eyes.

Maisie then turned and went into the kitchen.

Daniel observed Owen. He saw this man as nothing more than an annoying mosquito, impossible to shake off.

"Smoking and drinking aren't beneficial to your condition," Daniel said with a somewhat mocking smile on his face. "You don't expect Maisie to save you again, do you?"

Owen paused for a moment, then nonchalantly grinned. Previously, it was because of his illness and the substantial medical bills it had caused that Maisie had sold herself to Daniel. She had spent three years by his side, and Owen's medicine needs had never stopped. Imported medicine was always the best.

The entire Squire family had benefited from Maisie, but no one had ever asked if she was doing well or been worried about whether she could handle being with Daniel. Even now, Owen still believed that it was natural for his younger sisters to take care of him.

"Well, if Maisie were indifferent and didn't care about saving me, my mother would be the first to disagree," Owen boasted. "Mr. Quimby, if you truly had no feelings for our Maisie, you wouldn't be here today."

Daniel clenched his fists.

"So..." Owen leaned closer, saying in a low voice, "I've been a bit tight on funds lately. Could you..."

Daniel looked up, his eyes turning even colder.

"I know, my mom and Nicole might be afraid of you," Owen continued, undeterred. "But I'm not! Heh, with Maisie as an ace up my sleeve, what do I have to be afraid of?"

"Is that so?" Daniel sneered. "She's only your ace if she's under your control. But if she's not in your grasp anymore, what kind of ace will you have?"

"You want her to leave our family?"

"There's no need for that," Daniel replied with a piercing gaze. "I just need you to disappear."

Owen froze, a shiver running down his spine.

"You... You wouldn't," he said with effort. "Heh, Maisie has even borne your child. You wouldn't be so heartless, would you?"

Daniel remained silent, but his gaze grew more chilling.

Owen was not ignorant. Cumulus City had always been under the dominance of the Quimbys. With a single word from Daniel, making him disappear would be as easy as squashing an ant. Yet, Owen didn't believe he would do such a thing. Daniel felt some guilt when it came to Maisie, after all.

Chapter 1724

Chapter 1724

"Mr... Mr. Quimby." Owen bit his lip, his twisted smile growing even more sinister. "Do you still remember that child?

"Do you know... where that child was buried?"

"You..." Daniel clenched his teeth, glaring at him.

Owen smirked. He knew that poking this sore spot would hurt the most. "Back then, Maisie was already five months pregnant. You are the one who almost forced her to the brink of death! It was a live abortion of a five-month-old fetus!"

"It wasn't me!" Daniel's voice grew deeper, his temples pulsing as he emphasized each word. "I didn't force her!"

"So, was it just an accident? Are you saying it had nothing to do with you?"

Daniel moved his lips, but he couldn't say a word. Back when Maisie had been pregnant, he had been cold because he had wanted her to abort the child quickly. Later, Maisie had insisted on keeping the baby, eventually managing to escape from him. She had lived incognito in a harsh environment, struggling to nurture the fetus for five months. Everything had seemed stable, but a few people had appeared out of the blue to take her back and abort the child, claiming that these were Mr. Quimby's orders.

During the argument that had ensued, Maisie had taken a misstep and fallen from a great height. When Daniel had seen her again, she had been lying in the emergency room, her life hanging by a thread. He had investigated those people, but they had disappeared as if they'd evaporated into thin air. There had been no security cameras in the area, so this was still an unsolved mystery.

Ever since losing her child, Maisie had seemed to be living in a daze. It was only then that Daniel had understood his feelings for her and been consumed by regret. Later on, Maisie had lost her memory and gone to Centrolis.

Daniel snapped his gaze up at Owen, his eyes cold as a blade.

"Heh... Mr. Quimby." Owen smirked maliciously. "If you help me deal with the small trouble I have gotten into, I'll take you to see that child immediately.

"Do you know that it was a girl?! Maisie said that daughters are considerate, so she wanted to give birth to a little princess for you!"

Daniel's tightly-clenched fists trembled slightly. "Stop..."

"While Maisie was hiding, I accompanied her to prenatal check-ups!" Owen's expression twisted. "Heh... That girl insisted for a long time to find out the baby's gender. Eventually, the doctor got fed up and told her to prepare pink clothes!"

"Stop talking..."

"When your daughter was born, she was covered in blood!" Owen's eyes were bloodthirsty as a devil's. "Maisie was conscious and begged my mother to ask the doctor for the fetus so she could bury it... "Do you want to know where it's buried? Pay me and I'll take you there right now!"

"I said, stop talking!" Daniel suddenly roared, his eyes slightly red.

His heart felt as if it had been fed into a meat grinder, and the pain made it difficult for him to breathe. Maisie heard the commotion and rushed out of the kitchen. She was startled by Daniel's appearance. "Daniel! What's wrong?" She shot a disgusted look at Owen. "Owen! What did you say to him?"

Cindy and Nicole also hurried over, pulling Owen away and preventing him from entering the house.

Under the influence of alcohol, Owen muttered curses in the corridor but eventually quieted down. He staggered down the stairs and gradually faded from view.

Worried, Maisie looked at Daniel. She touched his face and softly asked, "Are you feeling unwell? Owen... did he say something you didn't want to hear? I apologize on his behalf."

Chapter 1725

Chapter 1725

Daniel hugged Maisie tightly, his strength almost suffocating her. It was as if holding her tightly was the only way to keep her from running away. "Daniel..." Maisie gently patted his back. "What happened? Can you please tell me..."

"I lost my appetite." Daniel released her and took a deep breath, adjusting his emotions. He managed to force a smile. "Can we not eat at home?"

"Sure..." Maisie nodded, feeling more concerned about him than curious about what had happened. She was ready to follow his lead.

Daniel held her hand and fled the house as though he was escaping. He had never thought he would experience fear like this-fear that the sealed-off past would resurface, fear that the old scars would be ripped open again. Most of all, he was afraid he would lose her forever.

"Maisie, let's get married as soon as possible," he said, his voice strained, almost pleading in her ear.

Maisie, who was taken aback, stared at him in astonishment. His eyes were red, and there was something she couldn't quite comprehend in his gaze.

"When we get married, we'll leave this place right away. Where do you want to go? Centrolis? Or abroad? I'll take you wherever you want. I could give up everything here... I..." Daniel began to speak incoherently, his mind restless.

Maisie stood on her tiptoes and gently embraced him. Her scent comforted him somewhat.

"Daniel," she said softly. "Owen can be annoying sometimes, but don't take his words to heart. I can call and scold him to help you vent your anger, okay?"

Daniel looked at her with a bitter smile. She thought that Owen had said something offensive to provoke such a reaction. However, if she ever remembered their past, or even recalled where that child was buried, she would hate him to the core and she wouldn't be so gentle with him anymore.

"I'm willing to marry you." Maisie's eyes sparkled with a smile. "But shouldn't you also introduce me to your family? Do you really want me to follow you in secret and be with you unofficially?"

"Of course not! I'll marry you openly. I want to tell the whole world that you're my wife!"

"Why are you reacting so strongly?"

Maisie wiped the sweat off his forehead and chuckled. Although she was surprised by his reaction, it filled her heart with warmth.

"So let's take our time getting married," she said softly, "You don't want to make things hard for me either, right?"

Daniel couldn't find the words to respond, so he simply held her close.

She didn't understand his thoughts, the urgency he felt, and the deep guilt and regret he carried within him.

Then, Maisie's phone rang. She looked at the screen and answered the call.

"Hello!" A cheerful voice came from the other end of the line. "Is this... Dansie?"

Maisie paused. This voice sounded familiar. Not long ago, she had submitted a manuscript to test the waters. Surprisingly, the woman she had met at the coffee shop had decided to call her.

"Well, I think it's time we stop beating around the bush!" Lily laughed. "Let me introduce myself formally. I'm Lily Reyes, also known as Lilian on my business card. I've already read your submission, and I like your writing style. If you're interested, you're welcome to visit my company!"

"Really?" Maisie's heart leaped with joy.

"Don't worry. I don't run a scam company."

"No, no... I'm just a little excited. I didn't expect to be recognized on my first submission!"

Chapter 1726

Chapter 1726

"That just proves you have a talent for it," Lily said straightforwardly. "I'll send you the address. I'll be free in half an hour. I'll give you a tour!"

Maisie glanced at her watch. Half an hour... She needed to hurry!

"Who was on the phone?" Daniel walked over to her, smiling. "You were all secretive. Didn't want me to hear?"

"Well... it's just a call from a telemarketer." Maisie hesitated, deciding to come clean after everything was set in stone. "By the way, are you going to the office to handle business? I want to buy a few books, so I'll leave on my own."

"I'll take you."

"No need, really," Maisie said, then playfully bounded ahead, waving at him. "Don't worry, I'll be back at the hotel soon!"

Daniel was slightly taken aback, but he soon figured out who had called Maisie. He had his people check, and it turned out the call had indeed been from Lily. He smiled helplessly.

"Mr. Quimby, do you want us to invite Ms. Reyes here?" his subordinate asked.

"No need." Daniel thought for a moment. "I'll go myself. Right now, she's holding my trump card. It seems like this investment is becoming a reality."

"Understood."

"One more thing." Daniel's eyes darkened. "Have someone keep an eye on Owen. See what he does every day and make sure he doesn't say anything careless."

Maisie arrived at Lily's company, SL Publishing, as arranged. Lily welcomed her warmly and led her to a specific floor in the office building.

Two offices, stacks of manuscripts piled high, sample books scattered around... It was entirely different from what Maisie had imagined a publishing company would be like.

"Don't be fooled by the small scale of our business. In the future, SL will definitely be the No. 1 in this industry!" Lily said as she held Maisie's hand and introduced her. "We've published several bestsellers and we already have a few well-known authors. We have great potential!"

"So, your company..."

"Right now, it's just these two offices," Rachael continued.

Maisie was dumbfounded. "And your employees..."

Rachael and Lily stood side by side, flashing their standard professional smiles at her.

"Is it just the two of you?"

"Well... that's already quite a few!" Lily said a bit awkwardly, quickly changing the subject. "Anyway, even though it's just me and Rachael here, we are more than competent agents!"

"So, do you usually handle everything personally, Ms. Reyes?"

Maisie couldn't believe it.

She had also heard about Lily's background. The Reyes Group's influence in Cumulus City was no less than that of the Quimby Group. Lily had been originally the pampered eldest heiress of the family and could have inherited everything with grace. Now, she was willingly trapped in this small place, doing all the work. If it had not been for her passion for this line of work, how could she have persisted until today? Maisie smiled and felt a greater sense of respect for this strong woman.

"Ms. Squire," Rachael inquired. "Are you satisfied with our place? Do you intend to sign with us?"

Maisie looked around. Even though it was small, she felt a natural sense of belonging. She liked working on books and was willing to fight alongside Lily.

At that moment, Daniel was standing outside the door. He saw Maisie's radiant expression and the way her eyes sparkled differently when she held those books.

Chapter 1727

Chapter 1727

When Maisie noticed him, she was both surprised and delighted. She hesitated for a moment before she dashed toward him like a joyful little bird. "How did you come here? You..."

"I invited him." Lily walked over, raising an eyebrow at Daniel.

Daniel gave her a wry smile. "So, you two already know each other. It turns out... the person Maisie said was so impressed with her is you."

"I wouldn't miss out on a potential author."

Maisie looked at Daniel, then at Lily, appearing somewhat surprised.

"You two..."

"Now, let me introduce myself properly." Lily smiled gracefully. "I'm the owner of SL Publishing, a literary agent, and the ex-wife of Mr. Quimby here." "What?" Maisie widened her eyes, feeling her heart drop.

For a moment, her mind was a whirlwind, and she didn't know what to say. She had known that Daniel had been married before, but he usually mentioned his ex-wife in passing, almost dismissively. The green eyed monster in her often regarded this "ex-wife" as an imaginary enemy.

She had even imagined meeting this "ex-wife." She had thought that when that time came, she would definitely want to show that she had Daniel now and claim her stake with an indifferent smile.

She had even felt a bit jealous of this "ex-wife" because she had known Daniel earlier and had been involved in his life for a longer period.

However, she had not expected that she would meet this "ex-wife" under these circumstances. Maisie was momentarily stunned, like a deer caught in headlights.

"Ms. Squire, I'm truly sorry," Lily said with a somewhat embarrassed smile. "I was afraid you'd react this way, which is why I didn't reveal my identity when we first met.

"Although Mr. Quimby and I were once married..." She looked into Maisie's eyes and spoke earnestly. "We were only nominally married. We got married for the sake of our families' interests. I have no connection to him, so you don't need to concern yourself with his past."

Maisie hadn't expected her to be so frank and felt a bit insecure in the presence of Lily, who was elegant and candid.

"Ms. Squire." Lily took her hand and said sincerely, "Now that you've visited my company, are you satisfied? It's not large, but I genuinely want to sign a contract with you! Besides, given our future investments, do you think our company won't grow?"

As she spoke, she turned her shrewd gaze to Daniel. "Don't you agree, Mr. Quimby?"

Daniel took a deep breath, but in the end, he could only smile helplessly and surrender.

"Rachael!" Lily seized the opportunity. "Please take Ms. Squire to the conference room, show her some books by our authors, and give her the contract to sign!"

"Okay!" Rachael was just as excited.

"Mr. Quimby." Lily smiled lightly. "Let's discuss the investment in my office."

Daniel nodded and gave Maisie another gentle smile before following Lily to her office.

Lily's office wasn't very large. It had glass walls on all sides, providing a completely transparent work environment. The floor, tables, and coffee tables were cluttered with piles of sample books, manuscripts, and color proofs.

When Daniel entered, there was barely any room to walk.

Lily eventually managed to clear some space on the couch for Daniel to sit. Then, she busied herself preparing coffee for him.

Chapter 1728

Chapter 1728

"No, thank you!" Daniel looked at the somewhat unprofessional coffee pot and forced a slight smile. "Let's focus on business."

"Alright!" Lily, who was also straightforward, took the agreement out of a drawer. "Please review this, Mr. Quimby.

"This is the investment agreement, with an investment proposal and a project plan attached at the end. Normally, your side should be responsible for writing these, but I went ahead and prepared them for your convenience. It'll make it easier for you to present them to the board and appease the old folks!"

Daniel smirked and sighed, finding it amusing. Lily knew the working style of the Quimby Group inside out. With a board mainly composed of veterans, anything required discussion at meetings. Although Daniel could make decisions, he couldn't simply impose his will.

Furthermore, the investment proposal from SL Publishing was insignificant in the grand scheme of things for Quimby Group. If they followed the standard procedure, it might take an eternity for this to reach the board. Even then, approval wasn't guaranteed.

Therefore, Lily turned to the last page. She had another trick up her sleeve.

"Urgent report?" Daniel widened his eyes.

"Well... it's a necessary move. I hope you understand." Lily smiled, her eyes sparkling with slyness. "If you sign this urgent report, you can pretend you wrote it yourself. I know that, within the Quimby Group, any case with an urgent report like this one is merely a formality during a board meeting. Those old folks won't object! This way, there's hope for my investment!"

"Lily!" Daniel was speechless. "You'll go to any lengths for the money, won't you?"

"What else can I do? I need the money!"

"You're quite frank."

"Mr. Quimby." Lily chuckled. "I've said it before, you'll eventually come back to sign a contract with me, won't you? Don't worry, I'll offer your little rabbit generous royalties."

Daniel glanced at her. When all was said and done, he produced a pen and signed his name on the agreement.

"Thank you, Mr. Quimby!" Lily happily accepted the agreement. All Daniel had to do was deal with the board. "Thanks to this investment, our company can expand. I'll be able to attract more talented authors!"

"What did you say?" Daniel suddenly furrowed his brows, fixing her with a stare.

There would be other authors? Was this woman really so oblivious, or was she pretending not to know? He had invested a substantial sum of money, and she was thinking about recruiting other authors instead of considering how to utilize the money for Maisie?

"Aren't you only supporting Maisie?"

"Are you kidding me?"

"Lily!"

"Come on! Even though your little rabbit writes well, she's not quite at the level necessary to be published yet. Even if I sign her on to write for me, it'll still take some time to groom her! In the meantime, I'll still need to rely on other authors to make money. This company isn't exclusively working for her!"

Daniel was at a loss. He felt like he'd been easily caught in Lily's trap despite being a shrewd man. He had been deceived! If it weren't for Maisie, he would have never invested in this small company. "Well, Mr. Quimby!" Lily laughed. "I'm very grateful for your help in this difficult situation. Don't worry, I'll make sure to train Ms. Squire properly!

"By the way, you haven't read what she wrote, have you? Would you like to take a look?"

Daniel kept a stern face and remained silent.

Lily turned to her computer and purposely drew out her words. "This article she wrote is really good... and it seems to feature a certain someone! Mr. Quimby, are you sure you don't want to take a look?"

Chapter 1729

Chapter 1729

Daniel was itching with curiosity. He really wanted to know what Maisie had written. He remembered that in the past, she used to be a quiet person, unlike other girls, who went on shopping sprees for no

reason. She used to prefer to stay at home and write or draw.

Every poem she had written back then had carried his shadow, and every painting had depicted him. However, he hadn't cherished these gestures at the time. Perhaps when someone was held in the palm of one's hand for too long, they started taking their sincerity for granted.

"Well..." Daniel cleared his throat to feign nonchalance. "This investment proposal seems decent. Your company could actually expand further. An additional investment is not out of the question..."

Lily chuckled and turned her computer screen. On the display was the manuscript Maisie had sent.

"Dansie?" Daniel was momentarily puzzled.

"Yes." Lily nodded. "That's her pen name, and it combines both your names! How about that? Are you pleased?"

Daniel remained outwardly composed, but just as Lily had said, he was more than pleased-he was ecstatic.

He read the story seriously, scrutinizing every line and savoring every sentence. He could see Maisie's affection for him in every word, but the more she cared about him, the more he feared it. He read for a long time and stood in front of the window in silence after finishing it.

"The writing isn't very mature," Lily admitted. "But sincerity is its strong point."

"Does this kind of writing meet the publishing criteria here?"

"Literary works should have diversified development!" Lily shrugged. "Her words have a warm feel, so they should attract a group of loyal readers."

"If..." Daniel turned around. "I mean, if this book doesn't sell well, I'll bear the loss. Just on one condition. Don't let her find out."

"You underestimate her too much!" Lily laughed. "It might not sell poorly, and perhaps she'll be a rising star in the literary world!

"By the way..." She perceived his thoughts and asked softly, "What are your plans for the two of you?"

Daniel hesitated.

"I don't know if this is the right thing to say," she advised. "But you need to understand that honesty is far better than concealing the truth. It'd be better for you to tell her yourself about your shared past instead of letting her hear about it from someone else, don't you think?"

"She doesn't remember it..."

"True, she lost her memory, but what if her memories return one day? How will you handle that?" Lily sighed softly. "People should confront their past, and you don't have the right to deprive her of the opportunity to understand her own past. Both of you need to untangle this knot."

"You're right," Daniel replied. "But let's stabilize things first. I'll find an opportunity to tell her in the future."

"By 'stabilize things', do you mean getting married?" Lily shook her head. "Mr. Quimby, why are you still as naive as ever? Quimby Group doesn't belong only to you. Your marriage isn't solely up to you. Otherwise, why would we have gotten married back then?"

Daniel looked at her. They were both people trapped by family interests. Now that Lily was taking this step, freeing herself from her family's constraints, the cost she had to bear was apparent. Each of her steps was extraordinarily challenging.

Daniel slowly left the office. He saw Maisie chatting happily with Rachael in the meeting room and couldn't help but smile. No matter what happened in the future, he would make sure he saw her smile like this and helped her forget all the pain.

Chapter 1730

Chapter 1730

It was late at night, and Maisie was still editing her manuscript. Daniel had the hotel staff deliver some late-night snacks and then called her to join him for a meal. Maisie sat down at the table and smiled gently. "Why are you still here?"

Lately, Daniel had been staying in this hotel suite most of the time. However, he didn't go into the bedroom. Instead, he slept on the couch in the living room, even though it couldn't be as comfortable as being at home.

Daniel smiled and pretended to sigh dramatically. "I don't have the privilege of sleeping in a bed, so I'll make do with the couch."

"I mean, why aren't you back at your own home?"

"My home?" he said with a smirk. "My home is wherever you are."

Maisie blushed, feeling a warm sense of happiness.

Just a few days ago, Daniel had taken her back to the Quimbys, introduced her to all the family members, and firmly held her hand while telling them that Maisie would be the lady of this house from now on.

Daniel's parents were no longer alive, and the older generation of the family was too old to meddle much in the affairs of the younger generation. The other family members, despite being unhappy that he was marrying a woman with no family background, didn't dare to say much openly.

Maisie had agreed to Daniel's proposal, but she was busy with the publication of her debut work. Therefore, she didn't have the energy to prepare for a wedding at the moment. They had decided to get the marriage certificate after her book was published.

This resulted in Daniel spending every day at the hotel suite, refusing to leave.

"What part of the story are you writing now?" he asked softly.

Maisie had some milk and a small dessert, then turned to look at him. Daniel gently wiped some dessert crumbs from the corner of her mouth, his eyes filled with doting affection. "I've reached the part... where I'm not sure how to proceed," she said after some thought.

He furrowed his brows. "What do you mean?"

"Rachael said that the male and female leads should move further in their relationship at this point. The relationship can't stay stagnant, or the entire book's readability will suffer."

"Yeah, that makes sense." Daniel nodded and leaned over to look at her computer. Her story was heartwarming, but it lacked a bit of passion. This was a romance novel, but after so many pages, the male and female leads had only hugged and held hands-they had not even shared a kiss.

Daniel smiled and gently held her in his arms. He pointed at a few lines on the screen. "This part is a bit long-winded. You should delete it."

"Hmm?"

"They should take the next step, right?"

Maisie leaned against him and blinked her big eyes at him. Perhaps it was the heating in the room, but Daniel felt a bit hot. She was wearing a shirt with a wide neckline, revealing a large expanse of fair skin. His gaze involuntarily traveled downward...

The night was dark, and she was alluring in his arms.

It felt like a good time to do something...

Daniel's breathing became slightly hurried. Maisie felt the change in his body. Her face flushed, and she gently pushed him away. However, he held her tighter.

"Your male and female leads should indeed take the next step," he whispered in her ear. "So should we."