Secret Admiration: Finding True Love After

Chapter 676 True Feelings and False Pretenses

Meryl was applying rosin to her cello bow while listening to soothing music for prenatal education. Casey had gone to Lutalia for a performance a few days ago and had mailed her some gifts. She was delighted when she opened the package to find wine and chocolate from Lutalia. She hadn’t expected such thoughtfulness from Casey. Though she couldn’t drink the wine now, she did try some of the chocolate. It was authentic Lutalia quality, and the baby seemed to love it, too.

After she ate it, the little one got super excited, doing what felt like a dance party in her belly, as if telling her they had a sweet tooth. Meryl wondered if she should get something in return. The gift didn’t have to be the most expensive, but it had to be something Casey would truly appreciate; that’s what would show her sincerity. After all, every month now, there was a deposit in her account, all from the royalties she received. Without Casey’s help, Meryl, as a newbie in the industry, would probably have taken a lot of wrong turns.

She had initially wanted Chandler to come along, thinking he could give her insight into what men their age liked for gifts. But when she went to his study to find him, he wasn’t there. He must have gone out. Meryl didn’t think much of it and just threw on a coat.

Susan saw her changing shoes at the entrance and hurried over. “Mrs. Aniston, are you heading out? You’re pretty far along in your pregnancy. Is it safe to go alone? Why don’t I come with you?”

Meryl smiled, “No need. I’ll ask Anne to come with me. We’re just going to the mall nearby, not far at all. I’ll be back soon.”

Once in the car, Meryl was about to call Anne. Then she remembered how stressed Anne had been lately with work issues, so she decided against it. Anne had interviewed for several jobs, but they all doubted her capabilities just because she’d had a child. The other day, Anne had vented to Meryl.

“Since when did having a kid become some kind of original sin? Who told them mothers can’t stay in shape? I look fantastic! Are they blind? This workplace discrimination is ridiculous!”

Given the unique nature of the modeling industry, Meryl couldn’t do much to help. She could only offer comfort. “They’re the ones who lack vision. It’s not your problem!”

“Ugh, I mean, it’s not like I’m hurting for money, but not having work makes me so anxious. Maybe I should just go to Havenbrook and work with Max!”

Meryl knew that Anne was someone with ambitions. The twenties were meant for chasing dreams. Anne wouldn’t be content just letting the days drift by.

“What about Bella? She’s still so little. You’d just leave her here?”

“I could take her to Havenbrook with me.”

“Even if you take her to Havenbrook, would Dante agree? And if you don’t take her, what happens when she grows distant from you?”

Meryl’s words hit the nail on the head. It was what Anne had been wrestling with. If she took the job at Havenbrook, she’d be working day and night. It wouldn’t be right for the kids to grow up without their parents around. It was a classic case of not being able to have your cake and eat it, too. The situation was at a standstill, and Anne felt stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Seeing Meryl lost in thought in the car, the driver couldn’t help but ask, “Mrs. Aniston, shall we head to the nearby mall?”

“Just wait a moment.”

Meryl scrolled through her contacts, but instead of calling Anne, she dialed Emilia. Last time, Emilia had helped her expose Rachel’s true colors, and she hadn’t adequately thanked her yet. Since the kidnapping incident, Emilia had broken off her engagement with Christopher. Society gossip suggested she was “damaged goods” after what the kidnappers had done. Even the girls who used to be close to Emilia had started keeping their distance. Worried that the trauma of the kidnapping might still haunt Emilia, Meryl thought about taking her out to help lift her spirits. She’d treat her to a nice meal while they were at it.

But when the call connected, Emilia turned down Meryl’s invitation.

“Sorry, I’m working at a convenience store right now and can’t get away. Can we meet up another time?”

Meryl was taken aback. “A convenience store?” How on earth did Emilia, the young lady of the Clarke family, end up as a cashier at a convenience store? It just didn’t add up. Even if the Clarke family had lost tens of millions of dollars to kidnappers, they couldn’t have fallen this far. If anything, it would’ve made more sense if the Clarke family had bought the convenience store and made Emilia the owner!

Emilia held the phone between her ear and shoulder, her eyes darting to the man approaching from the end of the alley. He was coming for his cigarettes again. Every night at ten, he’d show up at this convenience store to buy a pack. But today, he was early. Emilia’s fingers tightened around her phone as she told Meryl, “I have my reasons for doing this. I’ve got to go! A customer just walked in.”

Emilia put her phone away, trying to act casual. Right on cue, the man stepped into the store. The man who walked in had deep-set eyes and wore a charcoal gray windbreaker. Emilia had been working at this convenience store for over two weeks just to track him down. The first time he walked in, Emilia stood behind the counter, trembling with fear. But her face betrayed nothing, and deep down, she felt a hint of excitement. Because he was the man who had kidnapped her, a man even the police couldn’t catch. Yet here she stood before him in broad daylight, openly using her identity as Emilia. Emilia didn’t even know his name, only that his followers called him “Andy“.

When the man first spotted Emilia at the convenience store, his deep-set eyes narrowed slightly. Emilia knew that look well. It appeared when he had murder on his mind. He had recognized her. A former kidnapping victim suddenly appearing in his territory had put him on high alert. These desperados never overlooked even the slightest suspicious detail. One wrong move and Emilia could be staring death in the face. Despite all this, Emilia remained calm and composed. Only she knew that her hands were trembling beneath her sleeves, but she kept telling herself that the more nervous she felt, the calmer she needed to appear to avoid giving herself away.

Regarding the kidnapping, the police said the organization’s network was too complex to uproot quickly. If they acted rashly and tipped their hand, it would only complicate things. Those desperate criminals might even seek revenge against the Clarke family. But Emilia wouldn’t give up. She was waiting for the perfect chance to catch them all at once. So she decided to lay low and stay close to him for now.

Thinking back to his first visit to the store, Emilia had given him her most innocent look, pretending not to know him. “What would you like to buy, sir?”

Over the past two weeks, except for that initial cold glance, everything seemed normal. Emilia told herself that maybe she’d successfully cleared the first hurdle. He hadn’t suspected that her presence here was aimed at him. This time, when he came to buy cigarettes, Emilia reached straight for his usual brand and handed them over. His skin was pale, his lips thin, his expression blank… you could feel the coldness radiating off him from across the room. He gave Emilia an icy glance, unsurprised that she’d picked out his preferred brand. He pulled a hundred-dollar bill from his pocket. He was silent as always. Every time he came to buy cigarettes, he kept his words to a minimum, just tapping twice on the glass display case to indicate his preferred brand. At first glance, he didn’t look like someone who’d be involved in kidnapping and extortion. If anything, he carried himself like an aloof young aristocrat. Emilia learned an essential lesson from this man. People should never judge a book by its cover. You never knew if the person standing before you was a human being or a demon in disguise.

While counting out his change, Emilia casually remarked, “A pack a day… isn’t that rough on your health?” The man gave her a cold, fleeting glance. It was the first time in two weeks that Emilia had attempted to make small talk with him.

“Smoking too much isn’t good for your lungs,” she said, handing him his change with a slight smile. “Your family must worry about you.” As an afterthought, she added kindly, “Try to cut back a little.”