I Slept with My Boss and Ran Away
Chapter 374: I Am Your Mother

Inside the restaurant, Chloe handed Meredith the gift she had bought, her face lighting up with a smile. "I came specially to thank you for your kindness towards Joy," she said.

Meredith's face remained expressionless, skeptical of Chloe's gratitude. The two severed fingers were enough to fuel hatred towards her and Terrence Sterling.

Meredith didn't respond, leaving Chloe in an awkward silence, unsure of how to continue.

"So... I heard you were looking for your biological parents? Any news?" Chloe blurted out, unable to contain herself.

Meredith replied indifferently, "Miss Chloe, if you have something to say, please, just say it all at once. It must be uncomfortable holding it back."

"I don't have much to say, today was purely to offer thanks," Chloe forced a laugh.

Meredith just watched her.

Chloe, gathering her courage, said, "I came to tell you, stop searching for your biological parents. They abandoned you; why keep looking? If your parents aren't searching for you, it must be because they don't want to acknowledge you..." "I need to find them and ask why, if they gave birth to me, they chose to abandon me," Meredith responded calmly. "Abandonment is a crime that carries a sentence."

Faced with Meredith's unyielding attitude, Chloe grew desperate. She thought, if she could just delay Meredith until Joy Chaucer took over Falconer Holdings, the truth wouldn't matter anymore. "Actually... your biological mother is right in front of you. It's me, but I can't acknowledge you. I never wanted you; I was deceived into having you."

Meredith frowned. "Last time, Miss Chloe, you didn't say that. You told me you had your child because you loved them. Why the sudden change? You say I am your daughter, but where is the proof?"

"You have a crescent-shaped birthmark on your waist," Chloe began her act. "Remember last time I accidentally spilled on your clothes in this restaurant? I was checking for the birthmark. I went to the orphanage and confirmed, you are my daughter."

As she spoke, Chloe began to cry. "Meredith, I lied to you last time. I didn't want anyone to know about my past. I just wanted to make sure you were still alive. I have never been married. If I suddenly acknowledged you, how would it look to others?"

Meredith remained unmoved, as Chloe's story was full of inconsistencies and holes.

But Meredith didn't expose her.

Suddenly, Chloe grabbed Meredith's hand. "You can't let the world know you're my daughter. Think of it as me owing you. You can pretend you don't have a mother like me."

"Words alone aren't enough. Let's do a DNA test," Meredith suggested calmly, turning to pull a small bag from a drawer. "Place some of your hair in here, and we can take it to the hospital for testing." Chloe was speechless.

Her mind scrambled; she hadn't expected Meredith to be so composed.

She only wanted to stall Meredith from investigating further, but a DNA test would expose the lie.

"We can't do the test," Chloe said. "If we do, and you are proven to be my daughter, and you make it public, it would destroy my reputation."

"Miss Chloe, you keep saying you're my mother, yet you refuse a DNA test. What are you really trying to hide?" Meredith stared coldly at Chloe. "You know who my real parents are, and that's why you're in such a hurry to stop me." "You are my daughter," Chloe insisted. "I never wanted to have you. If it weren't for the doctor saying I'd never have a chance to be a mother otherwise, do you think I wanted this?"

Chloe spoke with rising emotion. "I was pregnant out of wedlock, in those days, that was cause for gossip. You are not the daughter I hoped for. Seeing you reminds me of the man who abandoned me. How could I acknowledge you?" Meredith's expression darkened. "So, you refuse to acknowledge me, even fearing that I might seek you out?"

"That's right, I refuse to acknowledge you. I pretend I never had you, and you shouldn't expect any recognition from me," Chloe said bitterly.

Meredith gave a wry smile. "Of course, I won't acknowledge you..."