A/N -
Heeey here's another update for you! We just reached 700 reads on Wattpad and 1,400 on FanFiction, I can't believe it that you're actually reading my crazy writing! As I said I was motivated to write when people leave comments sooo here's another long chapter that I hope you'd enjoy! Don't forget to vote, comment and share!
shots of tequila for everyone!
Disclaimer -
I don't own Grey's Anatomy, I only own some OCs
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"Who the hell are you Meredith Grey?" said the still shocked redhead.
"Well, that's a loaded question" chuckled Meredith as she placed her bag on the sofa. "Let me show you your room first so you can settle in" she added, ushering the redhead up the stairs to a hallway. Meredith will do anything to delay the conversation, she needs to find a way to explain this to the older woman without telling her everything.
Not that she doesn't trust Addison, she does, despite their history. She's just being careful, this part of her life had always been a secret that nobody in Seattle ever knew, even Cristina, her person. Well other than Jackson who's always been a part of her life.
The pair walked inside a big bedroom, complete with a flat screen T.V., walk-in closet, ensuite bathroom, a king size bed, loveseat, vanity and floor to ceiling windows that show the New York skyline. The room had white, gold and gray detailing, it was classy but not overbearing.
As the older woman took a deep breath at the sight of the room, she smelt a faint floral smell.
Addison glanced around the room, admiring its beauty. It was better than any hotel she has ever stayed at, and that says something since she had her fair share of luxurious hotels. The whole room screams luxury, it was clear as day that Meredith Grey had money. Addison has money too, her family is filthy rich, but this was different, this screamed old money filthier than filth rich.
"I would offer you Jackson's room since it's bigger than this one, but I thought you'd want your personal space, so I'm offering you the guest bedroom instead" said the blonde gesturing to the room. "Besides I think Jackie still has some things left there from the last time we went here and this has a better view of New York" she muttered walking towards the window, the early morning rays of the sun highlighting her pale complexion and blonde hair. "I hope you don't mind."
The older woman who sat on the bed turned to face Meredith. "No not at all, in fact this is perfect, thank you Meredith" she said as she stared at the blonde. She noticed how despite her smile and calmness, in her eyes you could see that there was something troubling the young woman, it was stormy. There was an air of mystery that surrounded her, even before, back in Seattle.
There were still a lot of things being left unsaid, a lot of secrets buried behind those troubled green eyes. The eyes that were now staring back at Addison. It was silent for a while, both women enjoying the moment of peace shared between them.
After a few minutes, it was Meredith who broke the silence "How about I'll show you around while we wait for our luggage, they'll bring them up in a short while." She walked towards the door gesturing to Addison to follow her. The redhead stood up and straightened her skirt before following behind.
They walk towards another door, just across from Addison's room. It turns out to be Meredith's bedroom, it was bigger than Addison's and was mostly white and gold and smelt like lavender. There was also a balcony connected to the room, with chairs and a table. It was different from Meredith's house back in Seattle. From what she could remember during her short visit for a dinner with all their friends, it was cleaner and looked classier compared to the surgeon frat house.
It was another difference between Seattle Meredith and New York Meredith that Addison took note of. It seems like the New York version of Meredith was more uptight and sure, very different from the rambling mess of an intern she met years prior.
She noticed framed pictures lining up on a shelf. There were all pictures of Meredith, one when she was still a little girl with her front tooth missing, the others were of her graduating university and med school, and some formal photos that clearly were shot by a professional photographer.
There were two pictures that caught her eyes though, one was a picture of who seems to be a young Jackson Avery whose arm was wrapped around a young Meredith, both were smiling at the camera, behind them was a huge lake and snowy mountains, it looks like the picture was taken in Switzerland.
She never thought that the two doctors were close, because they didn't act like they were back in Seattle. Although there were moments when she saw that the two talked in low whispers and were sometimes sharing inside jokes, they were lost in their own world.
'Why would they hide their relationship?' Addison thought. Why would they keep it a secret from everybody else?
She then remembered how the blonde referred to Avery as Jackie, and how the staff knew about the young man. 'So there is someone from Seattle who knows this side of Meredith' she thought. She would have asked about their relationship had her attention not been stolen by another picture.
It was another picture of Meredith who was wearing a white dress, with two men wearing suits. Meredith was sitting down on a chair, while the two men were behind her, both of which had one hand on the woman's shoulders. One of the men looked older, with gray hair and a beard with sharp blue eyes. The other man was tall and lean, he had brown hair and clear green eyes.
Even with the powerful aura that surrounds the men, they smiled widely at the camera as Meredith laughed happily. The redhead wonders who the two men were, they were oddly familiar, it's like she saw them before somewhere.
Her thoughts were cut off by Meredith's voice, "So, this is my bedroom, if you need anything you could find me here." She was standing in the middle of the room watching the redhead who was busy looking at the pictures. Meredith knows that Addison has a lot of questions in her head, but she kept silent, choosing to not talk about it yet.
The two women then walked out of the room, and down the hallway. Meredith pointed at another door, the one beside hers "This is Jackson's room, the one I told you about earlier." The blonde opened the door, and inside was a room bigger than Addison's but smaller than Meredith's. It was very masculine, from the dark green interior to the musky scent that could be smelled throughout the room.
Addison saw that there were more pictures inside the room, two of which were of both Meredith and Jackson. One picture was of the two during sunset, Meredith was on Jackson's back, arms wrapped around his shoulder, smiling brightly as they looked at each other and behind them was a private jet. They looked so carefree and light hearted.
The redhead doesn't know why but the picture made her a little jealous, as if she wants to be the person Meredith travels and laughs with. Not that she'd admit that to herself and to anyone, especially not to the blonde of course.
She looked at the other framed photo, this time there was an old woman with them, and it was taken in the garden of someone's house. The picture was clearly captured without the three people noticing as they were busy laughing.
"You and Avery are very close then huh?" said Addison, still eyeing the photograph. The blonde smiled slightly, eyes a little glazed as she too looked at the picture. Picking the framed photo up she replied softly "Yeah we are, we've been friends since we were little, we went to the same schools and shared hotel rooms when we went with our mothers to medical conferences." Meredith placed the photo down before she continued "We bonded over our surgeon mothers and the legacy and power that comes with our blood and name. We basically grew up together."
Addison knew that being a Grey and an Avery were big shoes to fill in. By the way Meredith was talking about her relationship with Jackson, she knows that there were still things she left unsaid. She then noticed how the young woman stared longingly at the old woman's face, so she asked "Who's the lady?"
Meredith took a deep breath then smiled softly "That's Nana Tina, Jackson's grandmother." She took another deep breath and said "We were close, we used to spend our summers with her at the Hampton's."
Noticing the sudden sadness in the blonde's eyes Addison slowly reached out to hold her arm "Where is she now?" She has an inkling as to what happened but she doesn't want to assume. "She, uh, she died back when we were still in University" the younger woman said barely above a whisper.
Meredith saw that the tears clouding her eyes were threatening to fall, so she shook her head and smiled at the redhead "Well let's continue the tour, shall we?" Addison knew that the blonde wasn't ready to talk about it and was changing the subject, so she nodded her head and followed the blonde out of the room, taking one last glance at the photo.
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Meredith showed Addison the other guest bedroom, the home theater, the balcony and hot tub, the gym and sauna, a game room with a pool table and arcade games, the kitchen, and the living room. "So there are two rooms left, the office and the closet" the blonde said, leading the redhead towards another room "This is the office, feel free to use it if you need to."
Addison took a look around the room, it was not as big as the bedrooms but it was still big. A wooden desk was placed in the middle with an office chair and two chairs in front. Behind the desk are floor to ceiling windows, just like all the other parts of the penthouse. The walls had shelves full of books, ranging from medical textbooks to philosophical ones. Overall the office was different from the other parts of the penthouse, since it mostly used wood accents.
There was something on the other side of the room though that caught Addison's attention. It was a large framed portrait of Meredith, just like the ones you see in museums painted by artists. "I didn't know they placed it here, they told me they were going to keep it" muttered the woman who's beauty was captured perfectly by the painting.
"When was this painted?" asked Addison, taking in each brush stroke. It was amazing how someone could paint so realistically, it captured the mirth in the blonde's eyes. Meredith's beauty was already a work of art, so seeing a painting of her was a different experience.
"A few months ago, when I visited for a few days" said Meredith "I was practically threatened to do that, sitting still for a few hours is harder than it seems" she chuckled, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.
"I've always wanted to have my portrait taken, well I had before but it was with my family" the redhead turned her head towards Meredith. "Well I could call my friend to have yours taken, if you want to" shrugged the younger woman. "Really?" Addison's eyes sparkled "but I don't think I could sit still for long though" she added.
"Well you could just have your picture taken for reference" offered the blonde, she liked how the older woman's eyes sparkled at the thought of having her portrait taken. "Just tell me when you're free so I can set an appointment with Louise" she smiled.
"Wait, Louise as in Louise Barton? You're friends with her?" exclaimed the redhead. Louise Barton was a well-known artist, it's hard to make an appointment with her. The waiting list was so long that people would wait months just to have their portraits made. "Yeah, we met back in France when I stayed there for a two month vacation, we've been friends since then" Meredith said nonchalantly. "That woman is crazy when she's drunk, don't tell her I told you that though" Meredith chuckled remembering the many drunken nights they had in Paris.
"So she's the one who did this?" gestured the redhead to the portrait, still shocked at Meredith's revelation. "Yeah, we got so drunk one night that she puked on my dress so the next morning she told me she'll paint my picture to make up for it." Meredith laughed at the memory. "So just tell me when you're free so I can set a date with her, she still owes me after she puked all over my dress again, after we got wasted when she finished that painting."
"Oh, okay, sure" Addison stared at Meredith in wonder. She can't believe that Meredith could just have an appointment with the artist at any time she wanted.
Meredith took another glance at the room before walking out "Well, let me show you the last part of the tour, I know you'd like this one" They walked to another door, but this time the door needs a passcode to enter. "Dr. Montgomery, I welcome you to my closet" said the blonde, opening the door after punching in the passcode.
"Wow"
Addison was well versed when it comes to fashion, she knows what's in and what's out of the season. So when she saw Meredith Grey's closet, to say that she was in awe was an understatement. Rows and rows of designer dresses, shirts, blouses and suits lined up the walls. Shoes were placed on shelves, from Christian Louboutins to Jimmy Choos. Bags were displayed inside glass cabinets, there was Gucci, Chanel, Prada, and Birkins.
"Meredith Grey, this is beautiful!" Exclaimed the redhead, walking inside the very big and fancy closet. "I didn't know you were into designers! No offence though, because the only thing I see you in back at Seattle are scrubs, jeans, shirts and sweaters" she said as she admired the accessories on display at an island in the middle of the closet.
"Well I think you learned by now that my life back in Seattle is very different from my life here." Meredith chuckled, running her hands through her blonde hair. "You should have told me, we could have shopped together! On that note, we're going shopping next time we're free" said the redhead, turning around to face the blonde.
"I like to shop every now and then to treat myself, but most of the stuff here are actually gifts from friends or are bought by my stylist" she said scanning the shelf to her right. The redhead's eyebrow rose as the blonde nonchalantly told her that she has a stylist, like it was not a big deal. "I don't always wear these, my everyday wardrobe consists of shirts and pants so I keep those in the closet, in my room" she shrugged.
Meredith may not seem like it, but she does enjoy dolling herself up. She usually leaves her designers here in New York or at her Boston town house since she usually doesn't have the time to dress up at Seattle with her busy schedule. She was also maintaining a low profile, even though she seems to be the favorite topic of the gossip mill. "You could borrow whatever you want here, I won't mind. I know you're more of a fashionista than me." The blonde smirked at the older woman.
It was no secret that Addison owns her fair share of Designer brands in her walk-in closet. Some brands even send her clothes since she was such a loyal customer. Though she admits she's more into designer heels and bags.
Looking back Addison just now realizes that she had seen Meredith wear designers at Seattle, but if you weren't as updated of the new trends or well versed in designer basics as Addison you wouldn't have noticed.
There was one time that the blonde wore a vintage Chanel coat to work, only the redhead seemed to notice but shrugged it off, not making a big deal of it. Then there was another time that Addie noticed the cute pair of pumps the blonde wore. She also remembers Meredith using a Prada tote bag, and a Givenchy belt. It seems like the younger woman likes to subtly blend her designers in with her other clothes.
"Oh my god, are you sure? Meredith, you already offered me a place to stay, and now you're letting me borrow—"Addison suddenly stopped talking, seeing that the blonde was staring at her, not accepting any room for argument. "Fine, but only if I need to, thank you Mer."
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The two women made a move towards the living room and sat together on the couch after making coffee in the kitchen. They talked a little more, but never really about the elephant in the room, the blonde's secret wealth. The two were so lost in each other's eyes that they were absentmindedly leaning closer to each other.
Meredith admired how Addison's eyes lit up when she talked about her cat, Milo, or how she spoke with such passion when she told her about a case she worked on during her residency. It was such a beautiful sight to see.
Addison on the other hand was at awe as she listens to Meredith laugh at her weak attempts at jokes, or when she scrunches her nose when she tells her about the crazy incident that happened at her LA practice. It was like seeing Meredith Grey in a new light.
Their moment was cut off by the sound of the doorbell ringing. In an instant the mirth and sparkle in the blonde's eyes vanished, it was replaced by a stone cold stare. It was scary how fast her emotions changed, it made her remember that there are still a lot of things she doesn't know about Meredith.
The blonde stood up and walked towards a door, looking through the peephole before opening the door. Outside was Peter and Tom with their luggage "We're sorry it took a while Dr. Grey, we had to inspect the area first." They stepped inside the room with the luggage as Meredith moved out of the way, ushering them inside, while she nodded her head, still void of emotion.
She instructed them to place it inside their rooms, briefly showing them the way. Addison noticed how despite Meredith's cold persona she still treated the men with respect. Her walls were up but she made sure to still say thanks.
Walking back to the living room, where the redhead stayed seated, Meredith spoke "We're heading to Mt. Sinai around 10 in the morning, so have the car ready" dismissing the two men. When Peter and Tom left, she locked the door behind them before letting out a deep breath. She straightened her back before facing the older woman with a soft smile.
Meredith reached inside her pocket and took out a card, similar to the one she used earlier in the elevator. Walking back towards the couch and sitting down beside Addison "Here, it's a spare key card for the elevator, so you don't have to wait for me all the time."
Addison accepted the card with a small thank you. She noticed how there were two entrances to the penthouse, the elevator they came in earlier and a door that leads to a service elevator for the staff. The penthouse was big, and Addison can't stop wondering how Meredith was able to afford all this.
She too came from a very well-off family, but she knows that this penthouse must have cost millions. The fact that they were at the top floor of a world class hotel, the Monet Hotel to be exact. The hotel is known to be quite on the pricey side, the lowest price being a thousand dollars a night. So imagine owning a whole floor.
The redhead was planning to ask again, because curiosity was killing her. She could see that Meredith seemed to be unfazed by all the things around them. There was an air that surrounded the blonde, it screamed classy and unbothered. She wonders if Derek knew that he was involved with a very rich woman, if he knew this side of Meredith.
As she opened her mouth to ask, she was cut off by the ringing of a phone. Both women took their phones out, only to realize that it was Meredith's that was ringing. Addison expected her to excuse herself for some privacy but to her surprise the blonde did not just answer the phone beside her, but even connected it to the living room TV.
'Jackson Avery'
Was written in bold letters, and after a few seconds the man's face popped up on the screen. He was still at the hospital, in what seems to be the attending's lounge. He was looking at something else before he looked up and was shocked to see that someone was with Meredith.
"Dr. Montgomery?" he said, confused as to why the woman was there. The redhead waved her hand and awkwardly smiled.
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It was no longer unusual to see the two ex-wives of Derek Shepherd in one room, but Jackson knew that Meredith never told anyone, other than him, about her other life in New York. He also knows that the blonde rarely lets anyone inside her Monet penthouse, other than her family and friends, which were not a lot. So to say that he was shocked was an understatement.
What also surprised him was how comfortable Meredith was with Addison, they were practically leaning on each other. Jackson realized that neither of them seems to notice their position. "Meri, pourquoi est-elle avec toi ? Tu lui as dit?" Meri, why is she with you? Did you tell her? He asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Addison raised her eyebrow at the nickname and let out a soft laugh, making both Mer and Jackson look at her. "Pour info, je sais aussi parler français" Just so you know, I also know how to speak French, She grinned. The blonde laughed as she saw the pink tint coloring the plastic surgeon's cheeks.
"I'm sorry Dr. Montgomery, Mer and I usually talk in French when somebody's around." Muttered the blushing Jackson. "No worries, I understand, and call me Addison, Dr. Montgomery is too formal." Replied the redhead, absentmindedly placing her hand on Meredith's thigh. This didn't go unnoticed by Jackson though.
The blonde froze for a second at the action but quickly relaxed, thinking nothing more of it despite the butterflies in her stomach. "To answer your question Jackie," she butted in, pausing a little as she felt the older woman's grip on her thigh tighten a little. "Addie and I saw each other on the plane, she occupied the seat beside mine by chance" she finished.
Jackson raised his eyebrows as if to ask 'so why is she with you now?'
It was Addison who spoke next "I forgot to book a hotel, Meredith offered me her guest bedroom since we will be working on the same hospital anyways." She blushed a little, remembering her stupidity of forgetting to book a hotel.
"Why did you call Jackson?" Asked Meredith, completely forgetting that she told him, she'd call when she'd arrive. She was too preoccupied by the redhead's presence. "Have you seen my text message?" he questioned.
The blonde shook her head in response, so she took her phone and read his message. "Oh, what is it that you want to tell me? Is it about the scene Cristina caused?" she sighed. Jackson took a second before he answered, needing to shift into a comfier position, "How did you know?"
"Callie told Addie, and she told me, but she never really went into detail. Care to tell me about it?" She said sipping her coffee, she needs the caffeine if she's facing this drama so early in the morning. The redhead smiled at Meredith, as if reassuring her that whatever happened will be okay in the end.
"Well your person smacked McBastard on the face, in the middle of the surgical floor." Grinned Jackson, he would have done it had he not been in surgery. He doesn't really know what happened but he knows Derek hurt Mer. He must have done something so bad since she had to fly back to New York. "She said a string of colorful words, and might have told the whole surgical department that Shepherd was a cheating bastard."
The blonde winced at the thought of everyone in SGMW knowing about her marital problems. "Well, how is Cristina?" she asked in a low whisper. Surely the chief reprimanded the hot headed surgeon. "Surprisingly, the chief didn't do anything other than maybe an earful from both him and Bailey" Jackson said, shaking his head before continuing "Derek didn't even file a complaint so they let it slide, and from the glares Bailey and the Chief were giving Derek, I think they agree that he deserved it."
The two women laughed, imagining the wrath of Bailey and Richard. Suddenly there was a deafening silence from the other line "What really happened Mer?" asked Avery.
Meredith's hand suddenly found Addison's, to which the redhead squeezed reassuringly. She was there to help the blonde through reliving that emotional trauma. The younger woman cleared her throat and said "He, uh, he was cheating on me with Rose, his ex, the scrub nurse. They had an affair, and yesterday I found out she was pregnant."
It was silent, the two women could see that Jackson was trying to calm himself down. He knew about the neurosurgeon's infidelity since it was the talk of the hospital, but he didn't know about the pregnancy. He vowed that he would always be there for Mer, after all that they—she'd been through.
"Jackie, don't do anything stupid. I'll be okay, I'm fine." Muttered the blonde, sending a silent message to the man on the other side of the screen. He knows that she isn't, he knows that she's hurting, but he also knows that she needs the time to heal. He wasn't so worried, because this time there was someone else who would look after his Meri, and that someone was a certain redheaded neonatal surgeon who was looking at Meredith with so much understanding.
Jackson opened his mouth to speak when someone in the background spoke.
"Dr. Avery, I need you for a consult on a man with a deep head laceration"
The three of them froze, they all knew who that person was. It was no other than Derek Christopher Shepherd. The two women stayed quiet, he doesn't need to know that Jackson was currently on call with both his ex-wives. They both saw how Jackson took a deep breath before facing the other doctor "I'll be there Dr. Shepherd, I'm just finishing a call."
A few seconds later Jackson faced the screen, "Je dois y aller, prenez soin de vous deux" I have to go, take care you two.
Sensing that the man was trying to make the conversation private, in case of someone hearing them the two women replied in French "toi aussi Jackson" You too Jackson, said Addison smiling softly. "je t'aime Jackie" I love you Jackie, said Meredith, poking her tongue out.
"Je t'aime aussi, au revoir." I love you too, bye. Was the last thing Jackson said before ending the call.
Addison doesn't know why, but she felt a small pang of jealousy as she heard the two exchange 'I love you's. No, she can't be feeling this way for the blonde, not only was it inappropriate, the younger woman was still going through a rough patch and a messy break up.
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Unbeknownst to the three surgeons, Derek was able to hear the last part of their conversation as he planned to walk back in the lounge to get himself coffee.
Despite not understanding the conversation, aside from the short exchange of 'I love you's, he swears that the voices from the other line were familiar. Like he knows that they belong to the two women who were once a big part of his life.
He shook his head and thought, Meredith and Avery were not that close to be calling each other on FaceTime, and there is no way it was Meredith and Addison on the other line.
He walked away from the door before Jackson could know that he was still there, choosing to buy coffee from the cart at the lobby instead.
Somewhere deep in his mind though, was a nagging thought that maybe it truly was his estranged wife on the other side of the screen.
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As the call ended, the two women reluctantly pulled apart and exchanged soft smiles. Suddenly Meredith's phone pinged, a sign that she received a message. She took her phone and read the message and sighed "It's the chief of Mt. Sinai, they need me to go in today to sign the contracts and finish some paperwork."
She finished her coffee before facing Addison "So I'll just head up to my room to freshen up, you're coming with me right? For your consult?"
Addison nodded her head, averting her eyes from the woman "Yeah, um I need to freshen up too, I'll see you here in 20?" the blonde quietly hummed in response, picking up the mugs they used and placing it on the sink. The two women moved up the stairs and went into their respective rooms to shower and get dressed for work.
It was Meredith who finished first, she chose to wear a light blue button down shirt from Chanel, paired it with sleek black slacks from Armani, her open toed black Louboutin's and finished it off with her Cartier white gold necklace and earrings. She decided to dress up a little since she's meeting the chief of the new hospital she'll be working at. For her purse she decided to go with the classic Chanel bag.
She was talking to Peter about getting the car ready when Addison came down the stairs, wearing a maroon dress from Gucci and her pumps from Jimmy Choo, she topped it off with a pearl necklace and earrings. Choosing to finish her outfit with a Prada bag, you could never go wrong with Prada.
Meredith stared a second longer than needed and blushed a little, clearing her throat before ending the call. "You look good Montgomery'' she smirked as they walked towards the elevator. "Not so bad yourself Grey" replied the slightly flustered redhead as the elevator doors closed.
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The ride to the hospital was spent in comfortable silence. "I need you to be discreet, I don't want to bring any unnecessary attention to me today." Said Meredith to the two men in front. Addison forgot about the fact that Meredith had security, it was something she was still not used to. She wonders if Meredith had secret security back in Seattle. "Yes doctor" replied the two men.
They arrived at the hospital and Tom opened the car door for both women. The two surgeons walked through the doors and towards the elevator. "So, what time will you finish?" asked Meredith "I only have to consult on one patient in the morning, what about you?" replied the redhead.
"I think I'll be finished with all the legal stuff and paper work around lunch time, and I'll be free after that." Said the younger surgeon as she glanced at her watch, she was ten minutes early for her appointment with the chief. "How about we'll get lunch after?" she said, turning her head to face Addison.
The elevator doors opened and the two women went off, "Sure I'll meet you at the lobby around 12" the neonatal surgeon said, smiling as the blonde nodded her head in agreement. The two went up to the Chief's office, Addison to get her badge and ID and Meredith to sign her contract. The two women split up afterwards as the neonatal surgeon was paged since she was needed for the consult and the younger surgeon had to stay behind to talk with the chief.
A few hours later, the two women met up at the lobby preparing to leave the hospital to eat their lunch. They were walking towards the exit when they suddenly heard a woman call out to them, specifically Meredith. The two froze, but what shocked the redhead was the name used by the woman.
"Oh my God, Meredith Ellis St. Claire Monet-Avery, is that you?!"
'I guess I can't hide this secret for long huh' thought Meredith as she turned around to see the confusion in Addison's eyes and the smiling woman behind them.
Fuck. She thought.
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Questions for the Chapter:
- What do you think is Meredith's relationship with the Averys?
- Who do you think are the two men in the picture with Meredith?
- Who do you think is the woman at the end?
- Any speculation as to why Meredith is filthy rich?