Chapter 341 Blood for Blood
Bianca froze at Meryl’s question, a shiver running down her spine. “Meryl, are you still blaming me for favoring Lydia?"
“You’ve never raised a child, so you wouldn’t understand what it’s like for me as a mother. I’ve poured my heart and soul into raising her from a tiny baby, treating her like my own flesh and blood.
“It’s like having a cat that suddenly goes missing. Wouldn’t you feel heartbroken? And she’s not just a pet; she’s a living, breathing person!
“Now I get it. What should have been yours was stolen by her and her mother.
“And Lydia? She’s been living off everything I’ve given her, all while playing both sides, pretending to be so innocent…”
Meryl fell silent, the weight of Bianca’s words sinking in.
Discovering that Lydia’s affection was nothing but a facade left Bianca feeling hollow.
After dinner, they prepared to send Bianca home.
As they reached the door, Chandler stepped out to fetch the car.
Night had fully fallen, and a brisk wind whipped through the air, invigorating yet biting.
It was hard to believe that just half a month ago, everything seemed normal.
With the Aniston family gathering under one roof for the holidays, it was anyone’s guess what drama might unfold.
A sudden drop of icy water landed on Meryl’s head, startling her.
“Strange, it’s not even raining,” Meryl muttered, glancing up just in time to feel another drop trickle down her collar, sending a shiver through her body.
She instinctively wiped her neck, squinting as she looked up again to see what was going on.
“Watch out!”
Bianca’s cry pierced the air as she instinctively shoved Meryl aside.
Meryl stumbled, barely regaining her balance, when a massive ice chunk crashed down right where she had been standing.
The ice was larger than she’d imagined, having fallen from five or six stories above, shattering into pieces upon impact.
If Bianca hadn’t reacted in time, the consequences could have been devastating.
A chill ran down Meryl’s spine, and she felt a cold sweat trickle down her back.
Bianca was still shaken, her heart racing.
She had only spotted the danger a few seconds before it happened.
Chandler rushed over, concern etched on his face. “What’s going on?”
His strong hand rested on Meryl’s shoulder, his tone filled with worry.
When he saw the shattered ice on the ground, understanding dawned on him quickly.
“Get in the car, both of you,” Chandler instructed firmly.
Meryl nodded, climbing into the car with Bianca.
Chandler lingered for a moment, his gaze fixed on the ice remnants, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
In the dead of winter, it was easy for ice to form outdoors, but this was the city center, right outside an upscale restaurant. Establishments usually had staff to manage and prevent such hazards.
So, the likelihood of this happening was slim to none.
And then there was the shape of the ice.
Chandler crouched down for a closer look. Normally, icicles would taper into a triangle, but this one, even in its shattered state, he could see signs of it being artificially created.
He clenched a cigarette between his teeth, biting down on it as he sparked a flame, lighting it with a flick of his lighter.
Taking a couple of steps outside, he glanced up, scanning the building above.
It was a mixed–use building, towering over twenty stories high. In the darkness, his eyes locked onto a pair of mysterious ones watching him from above.
Standing in the dimly lit corridor on the fifth floor, the man casually puffed on a cigarette. Unlike Chandler’s refined and dignified demeanor, this man exuded a distinct air of roughness.
The poor lighting concealed his expression, but even from a distance, the swaggering arrogance he projected was palpable.
Chandler abruptly crushed his cigarette underfoot and exhaled a cloud of smoke.
With a swift motion, he unfastened the top two buttons of his suit and sprinted up the stairs with lightning speed.
The man on the fifth floor was momentarily stunned, struggling to process Chandler’s sudden move.
After all, even with a decade of training at the police academy, Chandler couldn’t outrun him on a five–story climb.
However, the man quickly took another exit, leaving Chandler to arrive at the spot he had just vacated, finding only the scattered cigarette butts on the ground.
In the puddles of water left behind, a bold and defiant message read: [Blood for blood.]