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.

was ushered into a car

the grand hall was filled with

wasn't Malcolm's biological daughter, her birthdays were

status

in

wealthy women discussing the latest high-society

favored when she isn't even Mr. Stone's biological daughter?

talent. In our circle, that's what really matters. Bloodlines are secondary to the benefits you

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

her biological parents 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

couldn't wrap her head around why Lydia and Camille weren't biologically

thought Camille switched them to give Lydia a better life, but it turned out Lydia wasn't even

story, but

back to the Stone family, while Lydia's origins stayed

and the

a few socialites chatted, their eyes subtly drifted

stares, Meryl lowered her head and quickly left the

others and said, "Didn't that woman who just walked by look a bit

others followed

figure. The woman who just

the kind of person who stood out