"Julia!" Tyrson's voice echoed through the office, full of anger and frustration. Meryl stood frozen in place, her eyes red and puffy from crying. The sight of her like that made Tyrson's heart ache even more.

When he reached the two of them, he glared at Julia. Everyone in the office had stopped what they were doing and were watching the scene unfold.

Tyrson grabbed Meryl's arm, about to drag her away from the scene, when Felicia suddenly appeared.

"She is never going to set foot in this company again," Felicia declared. Julia smirked, looking smug.

"I'm the one who makes the rules here, and I'll decide who stays and who goes," Tyrson snapped back, his grip on Meryl's hand tightening.

"She's bewitched you, hasn't she?" Felicia said, her voice dripping with disdain. "Don't be a fool and fall for her fake tears."

"She killed your child and yet she dares to blame you," Felicia said. The crowd around them murmured their agreement.

Meryl's eyes widened in shock. The accusation hit her like a physical blow. She felt dizzy and nauseous, the world spinning around her.

"How could she do such a thing?" one person asked, their voice full of disbelief.

"She's so heartless," another said.

"Poor CEO," someone else murmured.

Meryl felt the tears streaming down her face. How could they say such things about her?

how dare she bring her up...she would put up with anything but not her child.

She couldn't stand the accusations any longer. "I would put up with anything," she said, "but not that... I'll leave." She broke free from Tyrson's grasp and stared straight ahead, her eyes empty of emotion.

"Meryl!" Tyrson called out, but Meryl didn't turn to look at him. She simply kept walking, not looking back.

"What a relief," Felicia said, her voice dripping with satisfaction.

Tyrson turned to his mother, hurt and anger in his eyes. He then ran after Meryl, determined to get to the bottom of this.

"Meryl, please!" Tyrson pleaded, chasing after her as she walked briskly down the street, ignoring his calls.

Tyrson ran after her, determined to catch up. He finally reached her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to a stop.

"Let me go!" Meryl yelled, struggling to break free.

"Meryl, listen," Tyrson started, but he didn't know how to begin.

"What is there to listen to?" Meryl said, her voice thick with emotion. "That you're engaged to that woman, or the lies that they posted on the news"

"I promise, Julia is not my fiancée. Mom chose her for me, but I don't want her," he said, desperation in his voice.

Meryl shook her head and tried to pull away. She started to run, but she was so distracted by her emotions that she didn't see the car in front of her. She nearly crashed into it, but managed to stop in time.

The driver, a middle-aged man, rolled down his window. "Are you okay?" he asked. Meryl nodded, too distraught to speak.

Before Tyrson could reach her, she... she opened the car door and got inside. "I need to get out of here," she said, her voice breaking. The driver hesitated, but then closed the door and started driving.

Tyrson ran after the car, but it was already too late. He watched helplessly as Meryl was driven away, feeling a sense of hopelessness and despair.

He had been too late. He had lost Meryl again. And he had no idea how to get her back.

Tears streamed down Meryl's face as she rode in the car, overwhelmed by the events of the day. She thought she was finally on the right path, but then this had happened.

To make matters worse, Tyrson was still keeping secrets from her. She still didn't know about his engagement to Julia. How could she trust him when he kept such important things from her?

Her phone started ringing, and she saw it was an unknown number. she knew it could be Tyrson. So she ignored it.

Meryl continued to ignore the calls, switching her phone off when they wouldn't stop coming. She knew that Tyrson was on the other end, but she couldn't bring herself to talk to him right now.

The driver kept glancing at her in the rearview mirror, his face filled with concern. Meryl wiped away her tears and tried to compose herself. She was sure the driver was wondering what was wrong, but she wasn't ready to tell him.

All she wanted to do was go home and be alone with her thoughts.

*******

"Meryl!" Cassie called out, her voice full of concern. Meryl was standing in front of Cassie's work place, and she looked like she had been crying.

"What's wrong, Meryl?" Cassie asked, taking Meryl by the arm and leading her to a nearby park.

Meryl's eyes were puffy and red, and her face was swollen from crying. She tried to speak, but the words caught in her throat. She couldn't stop the tears from falling as she told Cassie everything that had happened.

"That Felicia!" Cassie exclaimed. "I swear, I'll kill her!"

Meryl remained silent, still trying to process everything that had happened. Cassie looked at her friend's face, seeing the pain and confusion written all over it.

"What are you going to do now?" she asked gently.

"I'll find a new job," Meryl said, determination setting in. She needed to get her life back on track, and finding a new job was the first step.

Cassie pulled her into a tight hug. "You're going to be okay," she whispered.

"Tyrson is engaged to someone else?" Cassie gasped, her mouth hanging open in shock.

"It just gives you more of a reason to tell him about Michelle," Cassie reasoned.

Meryl let out a dry laugh. "So they can adopt my child as their own and I'd be left with nothing?" she said bitterly.

"mother is never going to let me be with him. It's probably for the best that they don't know about Michelle," Meryl said reluctantly, and Cassie finally understanding Meryl's point of view.

"I know a place that can take your mind off of your worries," Cassie said, standing up and grabbing Meryl's hand.

Meryl shook her head, a sad smile playing on her lips. "No way," she said. "You know I can't go there."

"Come on, Meryl. One drink couldn't hurt. It'll help you forget about everything that's happened," Cassie insisted, tugging on Meryl's hand.

Meryl hesitated, unsure of what to do. She knew she shouldn't go, but she was tempted by the promise of forgetting her troubles, even just for one night.

*******

The girls laughed and drank, and ordered more drinks until Meryl couldn't take any more. She felt herself swaying, the room spinning around her.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," she said, feeling the alcohol sloshing around in her stomach. Cassie looked at her with concern, a rosy blush staining her cheeks.

"Let's get you some water," she said, leading Meryl to the bar. They ordered a bottle of water, and Meryl guzzled it down, feeling her head start to clear a little. But then she noticed Cassie was starting to look a little unsteady herself, her speech slurring slightly.

"I think we've had too much to drink," Meryl said, concerned. Cassie just laughed and waved her hand dismissively.

"I'm fine," she said, but her voice was thick and slow. "I can handle my liquor."

Meryl stared at Cassie, her rosy cheeks and drowsy eyes telling a tale of too much drinking. Cassie kept laughing at nothing in particular, hiccuping and covering her mouth in embarrassment.

She pulled Meryl out of her seat, and they both staggered to the restroom at the bar. When they emerged, Meryl looked tired and tipsy, her eyes a little unfocused.

"I'm so sorry," Meryl slurred as she bumped into a drunk man. Cassie hurried over to help her, but the man just glared at her. He was sure he recognized her from the other night, when she had stolen his key.

Cassie grabbed Meryl's arm and pulled her away, ignoring the man's shouts as they hurried out of the bar. The man followed them, his face red with anger.

Bang!" The sound of Meryl bumping into someone made Cassie's head whip around. Meryl had crashed into a man, and now she was on the ground, a hand clutching her shoulder. Cassie rushed over, helping her to her feet, and looked up to see Iris.

"Meryl!" he called out, his voice full of worry. He recognized her immediately, and moved closer to her. She was flushed and her eyes were half-closed, and she looked completely exhausted.

As soon as he touched her shoulder, Meryl crumpled into his arms, unconscious.

"What the hell did you do to her?" Iris demanded, his voice filled with anger. Cassie tried to explain, but Iris wasn't listening.

"Just get in the car," he said. "I'll take you both home."

He lifted Meryl into his arms, carrying her to the back seat of the car. As Cassie went to get in as well, he stopped her.

As Iris opened the car door, Cassie went to climb in after Meryl, but the man from the bar grabbed her hair.

"Where do you think you're going?" he slurred, a nasty smirk on his face. Cassie whimpered, the man's grip on her hair causing her pain. She tried to pull away, but he held on tight.

Just then, Iris grabbed the man's arm and twisted it behind his back. The man howled in pain, begging Iris to let go. He shoved the man away from Cassie and looked up at her, his eyes burning with anger

"Get in the car," Iris said in a tone that brooked no argument. Cassie did as she was told, and the car pulled away from the curb.

As they neared the apartment, Cassie spoke up. "Here!" she said, pointing to the door. Iris pulled over and got out, coming around to the passenger side to get Meryl.

He lifted her carefully in his arms, carrying her up the steps and into the apartment building. As they approached the door, they saw Tyrson standing there. His eyes widened when he saw them, and he rushed forward.

Tyrson's eyes widened more when he saw Meryl in Iris's arms. "What's wrong with her?" he asked, concern written all over his face.

Iris's anger bubbled up inside him. "She's been through enough because of you," he hissed, his eyes blazing.

Cassie stepped in before things could get out of hand. "I'll take it from here," she said, trying to calm the situation.

Iris hesitated, Iris shot Cassie a look, but eventually let her take over. He turned and carried Meryl inside, his anger simmering just below the surface.

If only Cassie knew that Iris already knew about Michelle. But now was not the time to reveal that.

"I'm sorry, Tyrson, but you have to go," Cassie said, trying to keep her voice steady. Tyrson ran a hand through his hair, frustration and worry evident on his face.