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.

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 herself to say "hotel

at the fuming Merritt. "Nothing happened between us. He just lent me his room key

shops around. Clearing my

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

time married

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

my family

rushed in, immediately

locked on Lucia. What had Clyde done for me

knowing it

faced Merritt, then knelt. "Grandpa,

yesterday. There's nothing going on between her and

person Melanie is. But you? What's this with you

leaning on his cane, but Laird quickly

normal for men to play around a bit,"

if it affects the company, that's another

seizing her moment, added, "Uncle, this is serious. Shareholders are asking questions. How are we supposed to

rage, banged his cane on the floor.

this mess. And you two

and I couldn't help but lower my gaze,

there was another solution no one dared

Clyde

leave me for Kayla,

girl"

love for a "common, over

a

everyone, Clyde

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

it was