Chapter 23 The Scarf and the Past
Meryl was shocked to hear Chandler, and her hand holding the spoon paused.
Thinking about her parents' attitude toward her, she lowered her eyes and replied, “No. I can go back by myself.” Meryl didn’t get along with her family, and for some reason, she didn’t want Chandler to know.
Chandler’s gaze lingered on her face for a moment, but he didn’t say anything else. At that moment, the TV in the restaurant suddenly started broadcasting entertainment gossip news. The volume was too loud, and Meryl instinctively turned her head to look.
The gossip news showed that Dalton and Lydia were being surrounded by reporters outside a room. With her face buried in her hands, Lydia hid behind Dalton as cameras and flashes swarmed them. At one point, the camera even panned to the massive bed behind them. It was one giant bed.
Meryl could also see that there were security guards maintaining order at the scene. She then froze when she noticed the word “live” at the top right corner of the TV screen. She thought incredulously, “Are they really still stuck in the hotel?”
Chandler looked in the direction Meryl was staring, and glanced over at the TV. Just then, his phone rang again. As he picked it up and walked out, he waved his hand and turned off the TV. Meryl looked over in confusion, and Chandler tilted his head, shaking the phone in his hand. “It’s too loud. It’s bothering me.”
She didn’t say anything more. She finished the food on her plate, and when she walked out, Chandler was just wrapping up the phone call. He asked, “Are you sure you don’t need me to go home with you?”
Chandler knew Meryl wasn’t having an easy time at the Stone Villa. He thought that if he accompanied her back, things might be different. She shook her head and refused outright. “No need.”
Chandler didn’t insist. “Alright. I have some things to take care of now. After you get your documents, go back to my place.” Meryl nodded and noted the address he gave. Later, she looked it up on her phone and found it was a high-end apartment complex in the city center.
She had thought Chandler was just a regular small business owner, but it seemed his business was doing pretty well.
After he drove away, Meryl was still a bit dazed as she realized she might have forgotten to ask his name all this time. She decided it didn’t matter. After all, they were getting married, so there was plenty of time to ask later.
Afterward, Meryl hailed a taxi and made her way back to the Stone Villa. The main gate was tightly shut. She rang the doorbell twice, and soon, a servant opened the door just a crack before peering out. Upon seeing that it was Meryl, the servant was visibly shocked. “Ms. Stone, you’re back?”
She hummed in response and nodded slightly before stepping inside. “Ms. Stone…” The servant hesitated. “Are you looking for Mrs. Bianca Stone? She has a headache and is resting in her room. She said she wouldn’t see anyone.” The servant looked at Meryl with pity.
The servant mused, “Who would have thought that the rightful heiress of the Stone family would be sent to prison for three years of correction? Just look at her, all skin and bones. She must have suffered a lot in there.”
Meryl replied, “I’m not here for her. Where are my things? Where did they put them?”
Upon hearing that, the servant paused and hurriedly replied, “In the storeroom.” Meryl expressed her thanks and made her way to the storeroom.
Everything she owned was stuffed into a small box in the corner of the storeroom. The box was covered in a thick layer of dust, making Meryl cough twice. She waved away the dust and soon found her documents inside. She didn’t plan to stay long, so she closed the box and was ready to leave.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something in the corner of the box. It was a neatly folded men’s scarf, a gray knitted scarf that had lost its original luster with age. She stared at it, feeling a bit dazed.
Meryl slowly crouched down and gently touched it. The soft texture felt the same as before, but her feelings were no longer the same. She took out the scarf, draped it over her arm, and decided to throw it away in the trash bin outside.
Meryl realized she had no reason to hold onto the scarf since it belonged to Dalton, just like how she no longer had any feelings for him. To her surprise, she hadn’t taken more than two steps out of the storage room when she bumped into a frantic-looking Lydia returning from outside.
Lydia ran in such a hurry as if she were being chased by something. She lost her balance and fell to the ground, crying out in pain. When she saw it was Meryl standing there, she was stunned. “Huh? Why are you here?”