Chapter 679 Is It for You?

Christopher grew even more confused. If they were running that kind of business, why kidnap Rachel? What connection did Rachel have to their operations?

Suddenly, something clicked in Christopher’s mind, and his face darkened. Rachel might not be connected to their business, but someone else was! That man… She must have been taken because of him.

Christopher rushed off in a hurry.

Hugh was puzzled seeing Christopher dash off like that.

Not far away, Felix’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What is Christopher up to? Why all the secrecy?”

Philip said, “Sir, has your leg really healed? Ms. Stone mentioned you shouldn’t walk too much right now and should focus on resting.”

Recently, Meryl had performed acupuncture on Felix’s legs for several days, drawing out all the stagnant blood. These past few days, Felix noticed his legs had improved considerably, and he could take a few steps around his room.

“I’ve been cooped up at home for so long. Take me out for a walk.”

Unable to find anyone to accompany her to the mall, Meryl had to go shopping alone. She started by browsing several men’s clothing stores, picking up two ties that would suit Chandler before beginning her search for Casey’s gift.

However, after visiting several stores, she still couldn’t find anything suitable for him. As she wandered around, Meryl found herself walking into a baby store.

With just over a month until her due date, she’d recently developed a fondness for buying baby items. All the baby things were adorably tiny and sweet-looking. Since she didn’t know if she was having a boy or a girl, she stuck to gender-neutral colors.

Seeing Meryl enter, a sales assistant quickly approached her. “How can I help you today, ma’am?”

Meryl had impeccable taste in clothes, and despite wearing minimal jewelry, she clearly came from money, especially evident by the smartly dressed chauffeur following behind her. Having worked in retail for years, the sales assistant could spot a potential customer at first glance.

Meryl picked out several cute bottles and two sets of baby clothes. Realizing she hadn’t started preparing her hospital bag yet and with her due date approaching, she also grabbed a couple of comfortable maternity pajama sets.

The chauffeur’s hands were full of shopping bags, and they worried about tiring him out. Meryl said, “Gale, I’ll be browsing for a while longer. Why don’t you take these bags back to the car first?”

Gale Morris hesitated, concerned about leaving Meryl alone in case something happened.

“I’ll wait right here in the baby store and won’t wander off anywhere else,” Meryl said, knowing what he was thinking.

Gale nodded in agreement. The baby store wasn’t crowded like the rest of the mall, making it relatively safe, plus it had a sitting area.

Feeling a bit tired from shopping, Meryl sat down in the rest area to wait for Gale. She turned her head and unexpectedly spotted Lydia.

She was also shopping here. Lydia’s belly was prominently rounded. Though she was more than a month behind Meryl in her pregnancy, her bump looked just as significant as Meryl’s.

She was browsing baby cribs. Their eyes met, and Lydia’s gaze fell on Meryl with venomous hatred.

Just two days ago, at her prenatal checkup, the doctor told her again that her baby had a heart defect. With this condition, she would need a C-section, leaving an ugly scar across her belly.

If a scar were all she had to worry about, that would be one thing, but Lydia wasn’t even sure if the baby would survive after birth. She’d been anxious about this constantly lately, with no one to confide in. The stress was taking its toll. Her face had even broken out in acne.

She had to bear this burden alone, putting on a facade of normalcy and hiding it from everyone. The more Charlotte and Morton obsessed over this baby, the more anxious Lydia became.

Seeing Meryl, she couldn’t help but resent how unfairly life had treated her. “Why is Meryl the real heiress while I’m the fake one? Why did she get to marry Chandler and become my elder, lording it over me? And now even her unborn child outranks mine?”

Lydia stroked her belly as she slowly walked over to Meryl, greeting her with, “Shopping for baby stuff, too?”

Meryl had no interest in engaging with her. But Lydia persisted, forcing conversation. “The doctor told me during my last checkup that I’m having a boy. Charlotte says with the way I’m carrying; it’s definitely a boy. There is no doubt about it.”

She glanced at Meryl’s belly and added, “You’re having a girl, aren’t you? Your bump is so round.”

Meryl rolled her eyes. “What era are you living in, still favoring boys over girls? What’s wrong with having a girl? Aren’t you a woman yourself?”

Lydia replied, “I’m not discriminating. It’s just that the Aniston family has a throne to pass down, so naturally, a boy would be better. Even though the older generation claims they don’t care either way, deep down, they still have their preferences.”

“A throne?” Meryl said coldly. “Sure, the Aniston family has a throne to inherit, but does your Dalton have what it takes to be emperor? He’s already failing to live up to his title as crown prince. You think your baby is going to bring glory to your ancestors?”

“You…”

Though Meryl hadn’t used a single curse word, her comment hit Lydia so hard that her stomach started cramping. Lydia clutched her belly as it tightened painfully.

Meryl had no interest in wasting more words with her and stood up to leave. Lydia glared at her retreating figure, her face twisted with hatred.

Suddenly, she thought of a way to turn things around. Her unborn child wasn’t healthy, but Meryl was carrying a healthy baby. The doctors were evasive, hinting both directly and indirectly that the baby had a congenital heart condition. Even if the child survived birth, its life expectancy was uncertain.

Since that was the case, why not let Meryl bear this devastating loss of a child instead? If their situations were reversed, Meryl would indeed be devastated.

Meryl walked out of the baby store and looked around but didn’t see Gale. She reached for her phone to call and check what was going on. As she turned around, she spotted Dalton walking toward the baby store.

He reeked of cigarette smoke. He must have been accompanying Lydia at the mall but didn’t want to enter the baby store, so he’d kill time smoking in the stairwell.

Dalton froze when he saw Meryl, his eyes falling on her visibly swollen belly.

“Meryl…”

The thought of the woman he loved carrying another man’s child churned a tempest of emotions within him. Dalton admitted he was jealous. If only the baby had been his, he’d be so happy right now instead of feeling like his life was meaningless day after day.

Meryl barely spared him a glance before looking away. “What a luck,” she thought. Of all people, why did she have to run into these two?

She didn’t want to stick around any longer.

Dalton caught up with her. “You’re so far along. Why are you shopping alone? Where’s my uncle? He claims he loves you so much, so why isn’t he here with you?”

Even he had come to browse the baby store with Lydia, despite Charlotte’s insistence. Though his heart wasn’t in it, at least he showed up. But what was Chandler doing?

The atmosphere grew tense…

Meryl turned around, instinctively defending Chandler. “Since when is accompanying your wife shopping such a big deal? Why are you making such a fuss about it? Don’t try to drive a wedge between us. We’re delighted together. Even if he’s not here physically, his heart is with me.”

Dalton shot back. “Really? I heard he turned down a billion-dollar project! Was that for you, too?”