When Love Becomes a Cage by Nora

Chapter 75

Chapter 75



I never really took the whole debacle to heart. It was the Pattersons who should've been sweating bullets, not me.

Clyde's scandal was bound to ding the stock market, and the Pattersons' fortune would take a hit.

After all, it's just me now. No family left to fret over.

But just as I was leaving the hotel that morning, a group of guys blocked my path.

"Ma'am, the boss wants you back home," the lead guy, Merritt's chief of security, informed me. Seems Merritt Patterson got wind of the scandal too. After the last incident, he'd been unusually fixated on online chatter.

I hopped into the car without protest and shot Vinson a quick text to say I'd be skipping work. I also messaged Clyde: not my circus, not my monkeys.

As I arrived at the Patterson Mansion, Merritt looked like he'd swallowed a whole bottle of antacids. The man was not in good shape.

"Melanie! Look at the mess you've created!"

Lucia charged at me as if she was going to take a swing. I sidestepped, and she nearly took a tumble.

"You dare dodge?"

"If I didn't, you'd be up for assault."

I faced her with a blank stare.

To an outsider, you'd think she genuinely cared for Clyde. In reality, she just couldn't stand me.

defuse the situation with a puzzled look. "Melanie, there's got to be some misunderstanding. Why would you and that Russell kid end up in a...?" She couldn't even bring

the fuming Merritt. "Nothing happened between us. He just lent me his room key and left the hotel. There's surveillance

24/7 shops around. Clearing my name

earlier snub, jumped in. "Just because you say so? What good is surveillance? Everyone already labels

why no kids after all this time married

wrong you? Remember when you were abroad, and your family had that

is my family matter. Stay

rushed in, immediately

Lucia. What had Clyde done

the questions, knowing it wasn't the

knelt. "Grandpa,

going on between her and

person Melanie is.

his cane, but Laird

Merritt, it's normal for men to play around a bit," he chimed in, barely

that's another story. Especially after the

her moment, added, "Uncle, this is serious. Shareholders are asking

with rage, banged his

clean up this mess. And you two need to start a family. Nothing silences

and I couldn't help but lower my gaze, wishing to avoid

another solution no one dared

Clyde

leave me for Kayla,

girl"

"common, over a marriage

up a love story

being lectured by everyone, Clyde

way, Lucia's words nagged at me. "Clyde, she mentioned you looked into my dad's

was