Chapter 45 Ticket to Security
Meryl quickly dismissed the outrageous thought that had just popped into her head. Anne’s excitement was palpable as they shifted the conversation.
“But hey, Chandler is a real catch!"
“Think about it! Once you and Chandler are married, you’ll be Dalton’s aunt! Can you imagine a better way to get back at him?"
“Picture this: every holiday, you and Dalton will run into each other at the Aniston family gatherings. Dalton and Lydia will have to come over and raise a glass to you, calling you ‘Auntie.’ How deliciously ironic is that?”
“Lydia, who’s been scheming for ages to marry into the Aniston family, will be left in the dust. Can you imagine how furious she’d be?”
Anne laughed, clearly enjoying the thought.
“The best part? Chandler is not just some average Joe. He’s the head honcho at Galaxy Holdings Group! You have no idea how many companies rely on them to keep their lights on."
“Just think about your dad. When he finds out you’re marrying Chandler, he’ll probably treat you like royalty! I mean, whatever Chandler pulls out of his pocket could easily keep your dad’s Celestial Ventures Group afloat for a year.”
Anne was on a roll, her words flowing like a river. Meryl, however, was busy processing the key points.
She thought, “Chandler’s a golden opportunity, and I need to grab hold of that! If I hold on tight to him, no one will dare mess with me again!”
No matter if Chandler was marrying her out of gratitude or for some other reason, right now, he was her ticket to security.
Just then, Anne hit her with a question that shifted the mood entirely.
“So, did you guys… you know, consummate the marriage last night?”
Caught off guard, Meryl froze, her fingers curling tightly. After a moment’s hesitation, she blushed and replied, “No… we didn’t.”
Anne raised an eyebrow. “So, you didn’t even share a bed?”
Meryl thought back to last night’s events, shaking her head. “Not exactly.”
“Wait, what? You shared a bed and he didn’t touch you?”
Anne’s excitement got the best of her, and she accidentally honked the horn, causing a loud blare to echo in the car.
By now, they had arrived at the hospital, but parking was tight, so Anne maneuvered into the underground lot.
“Wow, he really did marry you out of gratitude!” Anne’s expression turned serious.
She thought to herself, “Initially, I wondered if Chandler was just attracted to Meryl’s looks, willing to risk becoming the laughingstock of Kingsdom by marrying her. After all, Meryl is a real stunner. But now that they’ve shared a bed and he didn’t make a move… it raises some serious questions. Either Chandler has issues in the bedroom, or he’s simply not interested in Meryl. This could be a problem.”
Meanwhile, in a VIP hospital room, Dalton lay on the bed, looking a bit pale. His injuries weren’t too severe—just some stitches in his arm from the blood loss. But the aftermath of last night’s chaos had taken its toll on him. His right arm was heavily bandaged, resting uncomfortably on the bed.
The usually dapper man now looked somewhat disheveled, with dark circles under his eyes, likely from a sleepless night. He rummaged through his pocket and pulled out an empty cigarette case, tossing it irritably onto the bedside table.
Billy, who had been with him since the incident, quickly reached into his own pocket and produced a fresh cigarette. He was the one who arranged for Dalton to be taken to the hospital and stayed by Dalton’s side all night.
Dalton glanced up at him, saying, “You should head home. I’ll be fine.”
Billy had clearly spent a long night at the hospital, his stubble indicating he hadn’t had much rest. He flicked his lighter and lit the cigarette for Dalton.
“All right, just make sure you take it easy. I’ll catch you later.”
Just as Billy was about to leave, Elias walked in, followed by a throng of people.