A/n: This chapter is dedicated to mutty345 and ManishaVijay1 for showing their love for my story by voting each and every time I post, thank you once again, I will always be grateful, and also for others who also vote for my story and those who never vote I appreciate you all for reading.

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"What do you mean by that?" Meryl asked, her brows furrowed in confusion.

"Were you given a scholarship?" she asked, trying to figure out what her daughter was talking about.

"No, it's a long story," Michelle said, sounding a little nervous.

"I want to hear it," Meryl insisted, sensing that something was up.

"Well," Michelle began, "at school today, my teacher was upset because you didn't show up to pay my school fees. She said a lot of things about you and me." She paused, gathering her thoughts.

"Is that all?" Meryl demanded, her voice rising in volume.

"Mom, please don't yell," Michelle cried, sounding scared. "You're scaring me."

"I'm sorry," Meryl said, taking a deep breath to calm herself. "Go on, please."

"Well," Michelle continued, "after that, Mr. Philanthropist came to my rescue. He paid for my stay here, and he also got me free lunch."

"Mr. Philanthropist again?" Meryl thought, wondering who this mysterious benefactor was.

Meryl could see the change in Michelle's demeanor as she spoke about Mr. Philanthropist.

"But didn't I tell you not to accept offers from strangers?" Meryl asked, her voice still a little raised.

"I know, Mom," Michelle said, shrugging. "But he gave me his card, just in case you need help." She smiled, a look of relief on her face.

Meryl was even more confused now. Why was this man helping her daughter?

"That's good to hear, and I want you to know this..," Meryl said, but before she could finish her thought, she noticed Michelle's teacher approaching.

"Miss Chanell," the teacher said, looking nervous. "I'm so sorry for what happened today. Please, I need my job back." She looked like she was on the verge of tears.

Meryl could sense that the teacher was not being sincere. She was only apologizing to save face, not because she was truly sorry. But she couldn't help but feel a little sympathy for her. After all, everyone makes mistakes.

But Meryl was even more confused. What did she mean by needing her job back?

"What do you mean by that?" Meryl asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'm sorry for what I said earlier, I didn't know you were related to Mr. Griffin," the teacher stammered, looking up at her with pleading eyes. "Please, I need my job back."

Meryl just stared at her, still trying to wrap her head around the situation. What was going on here?

"Who is Mr Griffin? And why he is helping my child?" She asked the teacher who now looked confused as Meryl.

And why would he fire a staff member while trying to protect her own daughter when they don't even know each other.

"But he just took responsibility for everything your daughter is going to need here," the teacher said, a smirk playing on her lips. "How come he's helping your daughter when you don't even know each other?"

Meryl's face turned red with anger. "How dare you speak to me like that?" she demanded. "I am not some charity case that needs your pity."

"I don't know why he's helping my child, so please stop spreading false rumors about our relationship," Meryl said coolly, before turning to drag Michelle away.

*****

Later that night, as she lay in bed, she realized she had forgotten to ask Michelle about Mr. Philanthropist's business card. She needed to call him, both to repay him and to make it clear that she didn't need his help.

But that night, she fell asleep with troubled dreams of Joanna's death. The next morning, she awoke just as the sun rose above the horizon. She had never woken up with such a strange headache before.

She got up and went to the bathroom, taking a hot shower to wash away the night's worries. After she was dressed in a faded blue fitted gown that reached her thighs, highlighting her curves, she felt a bit more refreshed.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail, reapplying the bandage on the small cut on her forehead.

A moment later, Michelle ran into the room, her face beaming with happiness. Meryl noticed that one of her front teeth was missing. Michelle held up the missing tooth and grinned.

"Mummy, look!" Michelle exclaimed, her face alight with excitement. "I lost my tooth!"

Meryl turned to look at her daughter, who proudly showed her the gap between her front teeth.

"Oh, wow! Let me see," Meryl said, lifting Michelle's chin so she could get a better look.

"Be sure to keep it under your pillow tonight, so the tooth fairy can come take it and leave you a gift," she said, unable to contain her laughter at the whole idea.

"That would be amazing!" Michelle said, a look of wonder on her face. She raced out of the room, ready to start her day.

Meryl smiled as she watched her daughter leave, then she got ready for the day ahead. As she made her way to the kitchen, she thought about what a magical world children lived in. The idea of a tooth fairy bringing gifts was so innocent and pure.

***

"Meryl!" Iris called out excitedly as she walked into the office, looking a little exhausted.

"Iris!" Meryl called back, a smile spreading across her face.

"What kept you from coming to work yesterday?" he asked, sounding concerned.

Meryl set her bag down on the desk and leaned against it, ignoring his question for the moment. She just needed a moment to catch her breath and get her bearings.

He studied her face, his expression growing more concerned. "Are you okay? What happened?" he asked again, reaching out to gently tilt her chin up, when he saw the bandage on his forehead.

"I'm fine," she said, trying to pull away from his grasp, but he held her firm. She couldn't quite read the look on his face. Was he angry? Was he concerned? She couldn't tell.

"It's nothing," Meryl said, but her voice sounded unconvincing even to her own ears.

"I'm fine," she tried to insist, but Iris' questioning gaze told her he wasn't convinced.

Just then, they were interrupted by the receptionist, Madison. "Miss Chanel," she called, and Meryl excused herself from Iris' grasp.

"Is everything okay?" Meryl asked, her brow furrowed in concern.

"The CEO said you should come to his office when you return to work," Madison explained.

Meryl sighed, wondering what he could possibly want. She hoped it wasn't going to be some sort of disciplinary action. She didn't want to make a scene.

She made her way to his office, her heart pounding in her chest.

She reached out to turn the doorknob, taking a deep breath as she pushed the door open. She took a step inside and suddenly collided with Tyrson, who was also coming out of the office.

"I'm so sorry," she said, feeling a rush of heat creeping up her neck.

"No, it's my fault," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. But his expression immediately shifted when he noticed the bandage on her forehead. "What happened?" he asked, his voice turning serious.

"I was told...that you asked for me?" Meryl said, but Tyrson ignored her words and stepped closer. Meryl stepped back, but found herself trapped between him and the door.

He leaned in until they were almost touching, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She wasn't sure what he was doing, and she was beginning to feel a bit scared.

"W-what are you doing?" she stammered, her breath catching in her throat.

He didn't answer, but instead reached up and pulled the bandage off her forehead. She let out a small yelp.

"What are you doing?" she yelled, her voice sharp with annoyance.

He scowled when he saw how deep the wound was and how slowly it was healing. "What happened?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"Nothing happened," she snapped, thinking he had no right to act so concerned. "I just took a day off."

"Don't play dumb," Tyrson interrupted her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about." His voice was raised, almost to the point of yelling. Meryl felt her face pale, and she tried to back away from him.

"It's none of your business," she snapped through gritted teeth, his breath warm on her face.

"Who did this to you?" he demanded, his tone possessive and possessive.

"I was hurt, so what?" she said angrily, her breath coming fast.

He exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair as he took a step back. She could finally breathe again. He looked at her, his expression unreadable. "I'm sorry for losing my temper," he said finally.

"You were absent yesterday?" he asked, his voice a little gentler now.

"I had a good reason," she replied, her voice quiet.

He kept staring at her, his gaze intense, and she found herself looking down at her feet. It wasn't that she was intimidated by him, but there was something about the way he looked at her that made her uneasy.

She swallowed hard, feeling heat rise to her cheeks. She knew she looked different today - she'd put in extra effort, wearing a maroon-colored dress with her hair pulled up into a ponytail. She'd applied mascara to make her eyelashes look thicker, and pressed her pink lips together to form a thin line.

"And what's the reason for that?" he mumbled, not sure why he was feeling this way. He'd never noticed her like this before, but now he couldn't get enough of her. Maybe he'd missed her more than he realized.

"It's personal," she said, her tone serious and quite unlike the Meryl he was used to. "Why do you care so much?" she asked, her eyes narrowed.

"I called you in here because I wanted to know why you were absent, but you're not being very helpful," he replied, and she shrugged her shoulders.

"If that's all you wanted to know, then I should be going," she said, turning to leave.

"Well... um... you can go," he stammered, unable to think of anything else to say. He had no idea why he'd called her in or what he wanted from her.

"Thank you," she said, turning toward the door.

He reached out and caught her hand as she turned toward the door. She spun to face him, a look of shock on her face.

He pulled her toward him and pressed her against the wall. One of his hands rested against the wall next to her head. She could feel his breath on her face, and her breath caught in her throat.

He leaned in, his face inches from hers. His eyes searched hers, and she could see the question there. She felt helpless, as if her body and her heart had taken over, overriding her mind.

she tried to speak, but her words failed her. All she could feel was the warmth of his body against hers, and the pounding of her heart in her chest.

"You have no idea what you're doing to me," he whispered. She stiffened in his arms, her eyes wide.

*******
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