Outcast Queen: Her Return from Hell novel Chapter 107

Mavis's stirring fingers paused slightly before she let out a sigh. "Merry, I originally refused. But everyone in the family said we have the best relationship and forced me to come and persuade you."

"Typical." Meredith sneered, her eyes full of mockery. "Whether it's Mom and Dad, Marcus, or anyone else in the Miller family, in their eyes, I'm just a tool to keep the Millers strong. I can be a bargaining chip for marriage, or a mobile organ bank to prolong someone's life."

"Merry, don't say that!" Mavis reached out to hold her hand, but Meredith discreetly dodged it.

"Mavis, I actually really envy you, did you know that?" Meredith's eyes reddened, her voice trembling slightly. "Even though we're both Miller daughters, everyone just loves you."

"Sometimes I wonder what I have to do to be like you, to receive even a tiny bit of genuine care instead of being treated like a tool. Sadly, I tried, and it didn't work. Maybe this is just my fate."

Mavis pursed her lips, soothing her gently. "Merry, don't say that. Everyone loves you, they were just a bit harsh on you. Actually... Grandfather got sick this time because of you."

"!!!"

Meredith's face changed abruptly. "What do you mean by that?"

Mavis hesitated, ultimately keeping her voice low. "Actually, Grandfather has known about your release for a long time. It's just that he felt he owed you and didn't dare face you. His overwhelming guilt caused him to suddenly fall ill."

Her voice was quiet, laced with earnest pleading. "Merry, Grandfather loves you. I think you should give him a chance."

Meredith's eyes widened in utter astonishment.

Grandfather had known about her release all along? He even fell ill out of guilt?

If she hadn't heard Phoenix and Macy analyze that there must be an underlying reason for his failure to save her back then, she probably would have truly been moved by Mavis's words right now.

"Merry, are you okay?" Mavis asked with concern, noticing her dazed expression.

Meredith snapped back to reality, shaking her head with a bitter smile. "I'm fine. Just a little shocked to hear you say he feels guilty."

"After you went in, I spent the most time with Grandfather," Mavis pressed her advantage. "He brought you up all the time, saying that if he had just said one more thing back then, maybe you wouldn't have had to suffer so much. So, Merry, give him a chance to apologize to you in person, okay?"

For a split second, Meredith felt her resolve soften.

But the image of Phoenix's fiercely protective, coldly beautiful face flashed through her mind, and that newly softened heart instantly turned as hard as a rock again.

Besides, in a flash of insight, she caught onto a glaring logical flaw...

"So what?" Meredith offered no more explanations, speaking coldly. "I'll settle the score with the Millers sooner or later. From now on, I only live for myself and Phoenix."

With that, she turned to leave, but stopped after taking a single step.

"Oh, right..." Meredith turned sideways, her gaze sweeping over the completely untouched coffee on the table, a mocking curl at the corner of her lips. "I never liked cappuccinos."

Mavis's pupils violently contracted. She stared dead at the steaming cappuccino, her hands clenching into tight fists under the table, her eyes filled with shock and confusion.

How had Meredith become so perceptive? And who exactly was this Phoebe she mentioned? How could someone help her see through the disguise?

Walking out of the doors of The Langham Sweets, Meredith took a deep breath of the outside air, feeling a completely unprecedented sense of freedom.

Phoenix was right. Some people's kindness was purely superficial, arsenic wrapped in a sugar coating.

She had clung to a sliver of hope when she arrived, right until she saw Mavis's true colors. If Mavis truly cared for her and viewed her as a sister, how could she forget something as simple as the fact that she hated cappuccinos?

Meredith composed herself and looked toward the Maserati ahead. Phoenix was right there waiting for her.