Chapter 544 Guilt-Tripping

Yancey squalled on the floor, cradling his head in his hands, his face contorted with pain.

Meryl was also saddened.

“Take a seat and rest for a bit. You just had a blood transfusion; you must be feeling weak,” she said, helping Yancey sit down.

Just then, the elevator doors slid open, revealing Walter and Rachel.

Rachel instinctively looked around for Chandler. “Chandler?” she called out.

Meryl’s pent-up anger from the morning finally erupted when she spotted Rachel.

Without hesitation, she lunged forward and slapped Rachel hard across the face.

“If anything happens to Anne, I’ll make sure your life is a living hell!” she fumed.

Meryl rarely displayed such fury, and her body trembled with rage.

The slap sent Rachel’s head spinning.

Her cheek instantly swelled as tears streamed down her face.

“Chandler, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” she sobbed. “I was just as shocked. That car was worth a million dollars, and the dealership is demanding I pay for it!”

Yancey shot her a furious glare. “What do you mean? So just because you’re scared, we should let you go?”

It was rare for Yancey to speak so harshly, which underscored just how much Anne’s situation was affecting him.

Rachel clutched Chandler’s sleeve, desperation in her eyes. “Chandler, please help me. I really didn’t mean it.”

As she leaned in to throw herself into his arms, Chandler sidestepped.

He stood in front of Meryl, clearly keeping his distance from Rachel.

He looked at her with complex emotions swirling in his eyes. After all, he had watched Rachel grow up.

“You’re an adult now. If you’ve done something wrong, you need to face the consequences. Rachel, I can’t help you with this. What you need to focus on is how to make things right,” he said firmly.

Rachel’s tears flowed even faster. “What do you mean? Chandler, don’t you care about me anymore?”

In a burst of anger, Meryl grabbed Rachel’s hair.

Rachel wanted Chandler to defend her, to help her escape the situation.

If it were a personal issue, Meryl might have managed her emotions better. But this was about Anne, her best friend, and all Meryl could think about was helping her. With Anne’s parents overseas and her having divorced Dante, Anne had no one around except Meryl and Yancey. As her best friend, Meryl felt it was her duty to protect Anne at all costs.

“Let me be clear. There will be no reconciliation. We will definitely hold you accountable for this!” Meryl said, and her grip on Rachel’s hair was tightening. “First, you need to apologize to Anne and seek her forgiveness. And second, the person you just begged for help is my husband. Who do you think you are to beg him?”

Through red-rimmed eyes, Rachel protested, “Chandler and I grew up together. My brother died to save him…”

Meryl cut her off. “Don’t bring that up! Your brother sacrificed himself for Chandler. He owes your brother a debt, not you. You’re just manipulating your brother’s favor to guilt-trip Chandler. Rachel, you’re exploiting his kindness to serve your own selfish needs!"