Chapter 108 The Bet
Meryl thought to herself, "How absurd that Lydia is actually asking me to be her bridesmaid! I’m already Chandler’s wife!"
Malcolm, who had been silent, finally set down his newspaper. He had practically begged Meryl to come home, and yet she still acted like she was more important than him! Moreover, Celestial Ventures Group had just lost several major contracts, and the headaches were piling up for Malcolm. To make matters worse, the business about Meryl publicly confessing her feelings for Chandler—the lost contracts were directly related to Galaxy Holdings Group.
Malcolm was convinced that Meryl’s confession had offended Chandler and that Chandler was now retaliating against him behind the scenes. He was furious. “This girl is nothing but trouble! She’s utterly useless, only adding to my problems instead of helping in any way!”
Malcolm scolded her harshly, “Meryl, when are you going to stop causing trouble?”
Just then, the housekeeper brought out the food. Meryl leisurely made her way to the dining table and took a seat.
“I’ve already told you. I want to be Chandler’s woman. I want to marry him. He’s the one I love, and I won’t marry anyone else.”
Malcolm sneered and said, “Chandler? Marry you? Have you looked in a mirror? If he marries you, it’ll be a joke! A woman his own nephew doesn’t even want.”
Meryl replied calmly, “Let’s get this straight. I was the one who dumped Dalton. I was the one who called off the engagement. He didn’t reject me; I rejected him. Secondly, don’t judge Chandler with your narrow perspective. You fail to see my worth, but Chandler has a discerning eye. He’ll recognize my value.”
Malcolm ignored her sarcastic tone and smirked. “There she goes, daydreaming again, still thinking Chandler would ever marry her.”
Meryl raised an eyebrow and declared firmly, “What if he actually does?”
Malcolm snapped, “Then I’ll cut off my head and let you use it as a football!”
“What would I want with your head? Besides, you think your head is some sort of treasure? Choose something else.”
Meryl ladled some soup into her bowl and sipped it, unconcerned. It tasted good, nourishing even.
Malcolm exchanged a look with Bianca. “Look at her, really putting on airs now.”
“Are you afraid to bet with me?”
Meryl cast a cold glance around the room. “I want this house. If I marry Chandler, you all get out.”
Stone Villa had been passed down through generations of the Stone family. When Robert was on his deathbed, he split his estate, giving half of his shares to Meryl and the other half to her brother, John. The villa itself was meant to be divided between the two of them, but before the transfer could be completed, Robert passed away. Because Lydia didn’t inherit a penny from Robert, Malcolm, fearing she would feel slighted, took it upon himself to transfer ownership of Stone Villa to Lydia.
She felt it was laughable. The ancestral home of the Stone family, passed down through generations, was now in the hands of Lydia, who wasn’t even related by blood. The villa was worth eight hundred million dollars, nearly equivalent to Meryl’s share of the family’s assets.
Hearing Meryl’s demand, Malcolm’s face darkened. “You’ve got quite the appetite, don’t you? You dare to covet the ancestral home and think you can kick us all out? You ungrateful daughter!”
“This house was meant for us, from our grandfather. You irrationally gave it to Lydia, making you the ungrateful one! Aren’t you afraid that Grandpa will come back from the grave to haunt you for giving our ancestral home to an outsider?”
Malcolm gritted his teeth. “But you only have a claim to half of it! Do you plan on taking your brother’s share too?”