Secret Admiration: Finding True Love After Prison

Chapter 3 Silent Whispers

Meryl struggled to catch her breath, gripping the edges of her sleeves as if they might keep her grounded.

Why did he have to not only reject her but also humiliate her?

After a moment, she steadied herself, looked up at Dalton, and forced a smile. "Dalton, just because I have feelings for you doesn't mean you can belittle me."

Dalton was momentarily taken aback by her smile, a rare sight these days.

He found himself staring at her longer than he meant to, but by the time he realized it, Meryl had already looked away.

He loosened his tie and stubbed out his cigarette, acknowledging that Meryl had changed.

Though he wouldn't admit it, she wasn't the same woman who used to light up a room with her smile.

It was as if her spirit had withered away.

It didn't affect him directly, but it stirred an unsettling discomfort within him.

Dalton couldn't quite figure out what was bothering him.

Shaking off the confusion, he reminded her, "Today is Lydia's birthday. I'll take you back to the Stone Villa later, but remember to behave. Don't cause trouble. Lydia is nothing like you." Meryl's heart sank at his words.

To Dalton, Lydia was a cherished prize, while she was deemed unworthy even as a mere accessory.

later, Meryl was ushered into a

the Stone Villa, the grand hall

daughter, her birthdays

a show of the Stone family's status and their support

of importance in

wealthy women discussing the

is Lydia so favored when she isn't even Mr. Stone's biological daughter? Is there

what really matters. Bloodlines are secondary to

several major deals within six months of joining the company. Mr. Stone was so impressed that he promoted her to vice president, clearly grooming her as a successor." "But she's still an outsider. Isn't that like giving the company away? What about her real parents? Why isn't she with

are," came the response from someone in the know. "It's odd because Camille Foster, who adopted Meryl, was supposed to be Lydia's mother, but their paternity test proved otherwise." Meryl clenched her fists as she overheard the

head around why Lydia and Camille weren't biologically

them to give Lydia a better life,

one knew the full story, but the outcome was

to the Stone family, while Lydia's origins

been with the Stone family for over twenty years, and the Stones treated her as well, if not better, than

a few socialites chatted, their eyes subtly drifted toward

Meryl lowered her head and

the women turned to the others and said, "Didn't that woman who just walked by

followed

way. She was known for her striking beauty and figure. The woman who just passed by looked like a skeleton. Are you

of person who stood out even in a crowd