For as long as anyone could remember, Malcolm had been a pillar of ice-cold, distant, and apathy, and everyone in the family had learned to live with the silence that followed him wherever he went. He had always had the perfect image of the heir to the conglomerate, his gorgeous face, sharp and handsome, always a blank mark that revealed nothing. He barely spoke unless it was necessary and there was no warmth or comfort in his presence, while forcing himself to suppress every emotion he had ever felt from a young age. He had known since he was a child that his family’s legacy was not built on honor, but on betrayal, manipulation, and lies that stemmed from the first generation, which was his great-grandfather. His father, Mill Meyer, had made sure he understood from a young age what his position meant in the family. His grandfather, Mac Meyer, groomed him to carry the burden of the family name, and made him understand that he was the heir and that he couldn't make mistakes ever si
Like any other day that passed after that fateful day, nothing made sense again. Ever since Malcolm found out that his siblings weren't his, it was the day his life got even more difficult because his father started expecting too much from him. Knowing the reason already, even if he had been better off not finding out, he wouldn't cry, or grumble. He just took whatever he was told and tried so hard to become everything his father wanted. The realization of his life hit him like a punch to the gut, and he felt nothing but disgust and anger, even when he was supposed to feel some twisted sense of relief, maybe even satisfaction, knowing that his place in the family was secure. The truth was bitter and sharp, slicing through him at every meal eaten together, every event attended together, and every family portrait taken together. His father's words couldn't help but echo in his ears, even if he wondered endlessly how he was able to maintain the facade of being indifferent to the truth
Edward intentionally didn't mention Zoe's name straight up, so that it might not end up sparking rage in Malcolm, considering that he still could not figure out what was going on between the two after the hospital incident. Upon hearing that, Malcolm's eyes snapped up the moment he processed and the tension in his body accelerated instantly, as his intense gaze made Edward swallow as he quickly continued. “She is involved in a scandal that is on the verge of ruining her reputation now and is being investigated for attempted murder. Mrs. Audrey Meyer, who she is friends with, was pushed from the mansion's terrace during Mrs. Meyer’s birthday party, and now she is in a coma. The press is all over it, and... your family has been making sure she stays at the center of it. They are pushing for her to be charged for it,” he quickly rushed his words without taking a sip of breath. For a moment, the room fell into an agonizing silence, as if Malcolm went momentarily deaf, as he tried to pr
"Come back here! Where is the dessert I asked for?! And how many times have I told you that mother doesn't like her kiwis cut this way?! Are you going to be dumb forever?" Audrey, the first daughter-in-law of the Meyer family, yelled at the beautiful young lady who was multitasking as she served different dishes in front of different people at the same time and pace. The hardworking lady had woken up at 4:00 am to get started in the kitchen, while preparing the different dishes that were eaten by each member of the Meyer family. And she had to make sure she served it fast and got back to work, which included fixing Aaron's school uniform for the day and whatever errand they all wanted her to do. There were a variety of Fresh berries, Granola for crunch, Poached eggs on English muffins, Canadian bacon, smoked salmon, sautéed spinach and kale for general feeding, and on the other hand, for the saucy sisters, there were bagels with cream cheese, burrito, omelet, and baked buffalo win
Gossip was flying around the mansion of the Meyers and transmitting with the speed of lightning, as soon as one of the maids saw Malcolm making his way into Zoe's room, which was stationed in a hallway, different from the members of the family. They all wondered what was going on as they tried to think and figure out reasons, Malcolm would suddenly come back from work and go straight into her room. It had never happened before. For him to enter her room ever since they had been married. Their voices rose in speculation. "Is he finally seeing her as his wife?" One whispered as she scrubbed the same spot in the kitchen over and over again. "Or does he have something important to tell her?" The younger maid insinuated. "Could he be mad at her for something she did, and have decided to scold her secretly, unlike the rest of the family?" Another one guessed. "What could it be? Or does he suddenly need sexual relief?" The tallest of them smirked with a seductive grin tugging her lips,
"She must have clearly lost her mind.""Reject a hundred million? Can her family ever get a quarter of it till they all die?""But are you sure, Mrs. Meyer has not gone mad from the aftereffects of too much suffering? She suddenly looked prideful when she asked to eliminate the compensation part from the papers." "Is that not a foolish way to deal with things? Choosing her pride over millions?"The maids around nudged themselves and whispered into each other's ears as low as they could, wondering what was going on in Zoe's head. It was clear to them that she would rather become a penniless, divorced outcast than take the Meyers money. Malcolm was still sitting in his comfortable position like a king's figure, inwardly shocked by Zoe's request not to receive a dime from him. Though his face was cold and etched with an expression as stoic as ever, he smirked maliciously and thought to himself that she was trying to pull silly tricks. Edward met the eyes of his boss with uncertainty a
It has been two weeks since Zoe left, and the difference in the ambiance around the Meyers mansion was evidently palpable. The maids had returned to their post as usual trying to catch up with everything they had left for so long, and things became difficult because there were barely enough hands to handle all the jobs at once. It had them all wondering endlessly, how Zoe had managed to juggle everything by herself at once. It was difficult. The chefs had been unable to prepare meals to suit everyone's palate and taste buds, and they could not afford to set the table as early as Zoe cooked all meals because of the difference in everyone's preference. The maids that were hired hastily in a few days to cover up for the job, had broken almost all the precious glassware collections in the kitchen. There was always too much confusion in one morning, with vicious rages flying around from every member of the family, and the maids to be the receiving end of every complaint. They had no clu
Everyone was charmed and impressed beyond their expectations to see the stunning female stand before them and give her speech as the new heiress, while the entire family of the Meyers was about to lose their minds as they tried to comprehend the scene. It was too much for them to bear and handle at once. They couldn't even fully grasp the shock. Their breath hitched collectively caught in their throats in a suspended moment of silence as if the shock had momentarily stolen the very sound of their voice, when they realized the reality of their ex-daughter-in-law standing before them, and was introduced to everyone. Audrey and Ivy clamped their palms over their lips with their eyes widened in disbelief, while Irina lost her footing as she froze with her muscles locked in a momentary paralysis. Only Malcolm and Isla remained comported irrespective of how they were feeling, while Aaron was too carried away by his video game to even realize the disorientation his family had been plunged