Chapter 185 Gaining Weight
Not long after dinner, Chandler went into the study to handle some work. Meryl vaguely heard Walter calling to remind him about an evening engagement.
Her work clothes weren’t very comfortable and had picked up the smell of cooking, so Meryl took a shower and changed into a long dress. In the mirror, she looked a bit fuller than she did half a month ago. She was not as skinny as before, and was quite pleased with the results of gaining weight over the past few weeks.
The weather forecast said it would rain that evening. Meryl thought about getting her cello early and coming back quickly to avoid the rain.
So she grabbed her phone and sent Chandler a message: [I’m going back to the Stone Villa.]
When the message came through, Chandler was still working. But since his phone had a special alert for her, he immediately picked it up and left the study when he saw it was from Meryl. Just then, he heard the sound of her closing the door downstairs.
Regarding the engagement later, he just replied: [I’ll pick you up after I’m done.]
[No need,] she replied.
Meryl wasn’t one for dramatics. She could just take a cab back. There was no need to make Chandler run back and forth.
A few minutes past six, Meryl arrived at the Stone Villa. The sky was dark, and a large cloud loomed in the distance. The housekeeper opened the door for her and said, “Miss, you’re back.” Hearing the commotion, Malcolm and Bianca came out, wearing forced smiles. When they saw Meryl at the door, they instinctively glanced behind her. She was alone. Chandler hadn’t come with her.
Their expressions instantly turned cold. Malcolm snorted, turned, and went back inside while Bianca scolded Meryl.
“What’s going on? Where’s Chandler? Didn’t you say you’d bring him back for dinner? Chandler hasn’t even formally met us. Isn’t that against protocol?”
Meryl responded coolly, “Rules are rigid, but people aren’t. He’s got a lot on his plate and hardly any time to rest. How could he—"
She glanced inside and was surprised to see that in addition to Lydia, Dalton was also there. Meryl’s gaze paused briefly before she quickly looked away. What bad luck.
Over on his side, Dalton was also watching Meryl. Lydia noticed Dalton’s gaze lingering on Meryl and felt a bit stifled. She peeled a grape and popped it into Dalton’s mouth. When Dalton looked at her, Lydia smiled softly. She lowered her head and gently held his hand.
“I don’t believe Chandler’s that busy. Too busy to even meet us? Let’s be honest. If you mattered to him, would he treat you like this? Look at Lydia. Whenever she comes home, isn’t Dalton always by her side? You’re both my daughters. Why is there such a big difference between you?” Malcolm said, glaring at Meryl.
Meryl’s expression instantly changed at these words. Pointing at Lydia, Meryl angrily retorted, “Yeah, I’m not as shameless as Lydia, stealing men and keeping Dalton wrapped around her finger. I should be asking you how you raised her to be such a disgrace after twenty-some years.”
“You!”
Malcolm’s face turned pale with anger. Meryl’s words were an insult to everyone in the room. Lydia’s eyes turned red. Her hand trembled as she held Dalton’s.
“Meryl, if you’re angry, take it out on me. Why are you dragging Mom, Dad, and Dalton into this? What did they do wrong?” Lydia said.
“Cut the act,” Meryl said.
Meryl gave Lydia a cold look. She then turned and headed straight into the storage room.