I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away
Chapter 425: Life's Regrets

Meredith felt a pang of sorrow mixed with relief as she had the chance to see her mother, Bianca, one last time. She had at least managed to call her 'Mom,' acknowledging each other's existence, but the fleeting moments of happiness vanished too quickly, leaving her unable to cope.

These days, the little one inside Meredith's belly had been rather quiet, only occasionally kicking, as if to reassure her, "Mom, I'm being good." Previously, the baby was more active, particularly in the mornings, waking Meredith with vigorous kicks.

"I wish my mom could have seen Lucky being born, she didn't get to hear him call her 'Grandma,"" Meredith said, sniffling, unable to hold back her tears.

How could she not feel regret?

Terrence Sterling held her hand, kissing the back of it gently, "Meredith."

She loved how her name sounded when he said it; it brought warmth to her heart and helped dilute the sadness within. He was there for her during her toughest times, having rushed back to stay by her side.

Downstairs, Terrence prepared a millet porridge to entice her appetite and added some appetizing side dishes. Though Meredith lacked an appetite, she forced herself to eat for the baby's sake, and she was still waiting for the autopsy results. If her mother's death involved foul play, she wouldn't let the perpetrators off.

After struggling to finish half a bowl of porridge, Meredith said, "I want to walk around a bit."

Immediately, Terrence Sterling helped her up, "Let's walk in the backyard. There are new flowers that bloomed a lot just yesterday."

Meredith nodded, and together they walked to the backyard.

"Did you inquire about the autopsy results?" Meredith asked.

"We need to wait a bit longer, probably by tomorrow," Terrence replied. "Mom's illness came on so suddenly; it was all too abrupt. I've also agreed to the autopsy. I've checked the surveillance; not two minutes after you left, Chloe went in, and she came out panicked, calling for the doctors after nine and a half minutes."

"What exactly happened in those nine and a half minutes, only Chloe knows now."

Stopping in front of the flowerbeds, Meredith looked at Terrence Sterling, "Chloe previously hid my identity, positioning her own daughter in the place meant for a Chaucer family daughter. If my mom were alive and I came back, it would have been extremely unfavorable for Chloe and her daughter. I have every reason to suspect that my mom's death is related to Chloe and Joy Chaucer. Chloe has been scheming for a long time, all for the sake of Falconer Holdings. She wouldn't just give up."

"People, human hearts, are too elusive."

"For Falconer Holdings, Chloe indeed did quite a bit," Terrence said as he helped Meredith sit on a bench. "The Harold Howell who tried to harm you at Mondale, his backer was Chloe."

Previously, Terrence hadn't told Meredith, thinking about her relationship with Bianca and her troubled state of mind.

Now that Bianca had passed, and Meredith was suspecting Chloe, there was no need to keep secrets.

"It was her," Meredith felt a chill down her spine, "Even if I'm not her daughter, I'm still her niece, and she really went through with it?"

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Terrence nodded, noticing some movement not far away where 'crazy' Leyton Sterling was playing in the mud.

"Human hearts are unpredictable," Terrence said meaningfully, "Sometimes, it's hard to tell whether someone is a person or a ghost."

Following Terrence's gaze towards Leyton playing in the mud, Meredith said, "If I'm not mistaken, he's pretending to be mad, right?"

Surprised, Terrence asked, "Meredith, how did you figure it out?"

"I've been at Ravenwood for a few days now; the balcony of my room overlooks the backyard and Leyton's place. I've seen Leyton playing in the garden, but once he's inside, he becomes very quiet."

Meredith reasoned, "A madman can't stay put by himself, and the night I returned from Mondale, I saw Leyton sneak out, only to climb back over the wall in the wee hours. You had him eat worms just to test him, right?" Terrence pursed his lips, "Yes, if he wants to play mad, let him. With him right under our eyes, he can't stir much trouble."

A slight chill crossed Meredith's eyes, "If Chloe could harm me, she could have done the same to my mom."