Chapter 9 Her Call
Malcolm’s face darkened as he drummed his fingers on the table, the sound echoing ominously through the room. He couldn’t believe that Meryl, who had dedicated so much of her life to Dalton, would now so easily call off the engagement.
“Is this about Lydia? They’ve just been working together more closely lately. Is that really worth all this drama?”
Bianca quickly backed him up. “Do you really think so little of Lydia? She’s always been nice to you. Why would she try to take Dalton from you?”
Meryl’s gaze swept over her parents and then landed on Lydia. It was all so bitterly ironic. Lydia didn’t need to lift a finger. Her parents were always ready to speak for her. And yet, Meryl was the one they should have been defending.
A sardonic smile played on Meryl’s lips. “I’m not joking or being petty. I’m ending things with Dalton. It’s over.”
Dalton, clearly frustrated, tugged at his tie. “What now, Meryl? What’s this all about?”
Meryl’s laugh was hollow. “You think I’m just throwing a tantrum?”
“Dalton, do you think that just because I love you, I’m beneath you? Do you believe I’m not allowed to feel hurt?”
“You can’t see my pain, so you assume I’m just making a fuss?”
“I’ve been wanting to ask you for a while now. When you ditch your fiancée to protect another woman, did you ever think about how I’d feel?”
“And how could you so casually cast me aside?”
The thought of what Dalton had said to his friends earlier made Meryl’s heart sink further.
Dalton’s expression shifted as he realized that Meryl’s outburst was a reaction to what she had overheard. Her anger was a direct result of his careless words.
He laughed, though the sound was bitter. “It was just a joke among friends. Is that all it takes to upset you?”
Lydia, sensing things were spiraling, interjected, “Meryl, this isn’t the time for this. Your tantrum will only make things harder for Mom and Dad. Canceling the engagement like this just makes us look ridiculous.”
“This family is already a joke. I’ve never seen a daughter treated so poorly by her own family. And you’re worried about how we look to outsiders?”
Malcolm, his anger boiling over, slapped Meryl hard across the face. His chest heaved as he glared at her. “You’re being utterly unreasonable!”
The slap made Meryl’s vision blur and her head spin even more. The burning pain in her cheek was intense, but she held back her tears.
“You think breaking off the engagement means anyone would still want you? Who would risk angering the Aniston family just to marry you?”
“And let’s not forget, your prison record will be public knowledge tomorrow.”
“You’ve made a fool of this family!”
“Yes, I’ve been to prison, but I was framed! Just because Lydia was behind it, you all choose to believe her!”
Meryl was done with her family. She couldn’t stand to be around them anymore. As she turned to leave, the heavy rain poured down in sheets.
A maid, seeing her determination, offered her an umbrella, but Meryl just shook her head and walked straight into the storm. She finally understood that her so-called family and lover were nothing more than illusions.
The rain soaked her through, but she felt strangely free. It was like she was washing away all the hurt and pretense.
Unbeknownst to her, not far away, a sleek black car was parked by the roadside. Inside, a man in a white shirt smoked a cigarette, the ember glowing faintly in the dim light. He exhaled a cloud of smoke, his gaze fixed on his phone.
A moment later, a man in a suit, presumably an assistant, approached the car. There was a brief silence before the assistant, Walter Adams, spoke softly.
Chandler Aniston, seated in the back, suddenly looked more alert. “So, this is what happened tonight,” Walter explained, clearly puzzled by the night’s events. He couldn’t believe how the real daughter had been mistreated by a fake, with not a single family member stepping up for her.
He couldn’t help but wonder, “What is wrong with these people? Are they out of their minds?”
Walter glanced at Chandler’s impassive face, then at Meryl’s fading figure in the distance, and asked, “Should we follow her?”
Chandler’s attention was on his phone, which had just lit up. The dim light illuminated his chiseled features, and his expression shifted from detached to curious as the phone rang. With a slight smile, he quickly picked up the call.
“258, is that you?” Meryl’s hesitant voice came through the phone.