MIRANDA In all honesty, I was surprised that Hazel showed up and that too, so quickly. I had thought that Mel and I would at least spend a night in jail, considering how much Ashlynn's father boasted.With Hazel's presence, however, the man suddenly became meek, and for a moment, there was pin-drop silence as Hazel's gaze remained on me.His gaze boldly lingered on me until I became uncomfortable and let go of him. I had expected him to be irritated but I had no idea what was running through his mind because his expression was different.Mel suddenly ran to him and said, "Mr. Duke, they all ganged up on Miranda just because she stood her ground. They planned to beat her to a pulp but I stood by her side and we both fought against eight people.It was clearly a lopsided fight, however, because their father is a wealthy man, he asked us to kneel and apologize to them otherwise he would send us to jail for the rest of our lives."Hazel took in the scene as he stared at the other party.
MIRANDAI turned my attention to Mel who had parked not too far from where Hazel and I had been at each other before he zoomed off.She had remained in the car watching us and at this point, I figured she had already realized that Hazel and I weren't a happy couple.I walked toward the car and got inside."Where do you want to go?" She asked."The hospital," I replied."Why? Are you in any pain?" She inquired.I shook my head, "No, Mel but you seem to be. Let's have a doctor look at your bruises first.""No, I'm fine," she immediately objected."I insist," I stubbornly replied."Please understand," she told me. "I'm really fine and don't need a doctor. Do you want me to take you home?""No," I replied. "I can't leave...I need to see what that Ashlynn is up to now.""Okay, I'll take you back, then," she told me.She drove me back to school and when we both got out of the car, she said, "You can go back to class now. I'll be hanging around."I pulled her in for a hug and said, "Thank yo
MIRANDAAfter speaking to my brother, my spirits became very low but I didn't want to cry. I just wanted to go back home, stand in front of Collins, and ask him to tell me to my face that he did not love me anymore.I laid on my bed sadly until Mel came in with the packs of chocolates I had asked her to buy. I thanked her and took the chocolates to Princess who was over the moon when she received them.I wasn't in a good mood so I let her be while she enjoyed the chocolate and went back to my room. After lying on my bed for a while, I decided to once again pay Hazel a visit at his company.Lying in bed and feeling sorry for myself wasn't going to help me achieve what I wanted. I freshened up and wore a short designer gown that hugged my body and highlighted my curves.The last thing I wanted was for anyone in Hazel's company to look down on me again. I carried a designer bag and styled my hair, making myself look beautiful. I didn't bother with makeup because my mood wasn't good.Afte
MIRANDA I could not believe what was happening. I pushed Hazel with all the strength I could muster and snapped, "How dare you?"I wiped my lips with my arm as I shot daggers at him.He folded his arms and chuckled, "Cut out the act, Miranda. Isn't this what you wanted?"I stared down at him as my heart raced faster than it had ever done before, "How the hell did that sick brain of yours come up with such a ridiculous conclusion?""Am I wrong then?" He seemed really confident as he spoke and it made me wonder if I had indeed given him such an impression. Yes, I did a few crazy things but I told him afterward how much I hated him."Didn't my mom put you up to this?" He asked."Your mom?" Was he about to blame his mom for his stupidity?"Okay tell me, what exactly do you want from me?" He asked, the same smile from earlier playing at his lips.I wanted to tell him that I wanted to leave but I knew he would bring up my family's debt. How else could I let him know that I wanted him to se
MIRANDAWhen I woke up the next day, I had no desire to go to school, despite Mel's attempts to convince me otherwise.After having breakfast, I spent most of the day with Princess. I played with her, sang and danced with her and we even ate lunch together.Her mom called the nanny to speak to her and thanked me when she learned that her daughter was having so much fun, thanks to me.When evening came, I knew Hazel was going to be back soon, so I reminded Princess, "Don't forget to tell your daddy that you don't like me and you want him to send me away.If he asks you why, tell him it's because I shoved you, okay?""But you did not shove me," she replied.I smiled, "Yes, dear. We both know I did not shove you but you need to tell your daddy that I shoved you. If you do that, he will get mad and send me away."But I don't want him to send you away. You are nice and you are my friend," she pouted.I sighed and asked, "Do you want your mommy to live here?". She nodded.I smiled, "Good g
MIRANDA I finally said it but I didn't know what would come out of it. The way Hazel left my room quietly had been unexpected. I couldn't deny that it made me feel uneasy since he was someone who always knew how to make a comeback. Was my family going to suffer because of this?I decided not to dwell on it. I was ready to deal with whatever Hazel threw my way but why did Princess ruin my plans?I quickly washed up and had breakfast. Mel had taken the morning off because her attention was needed at her company, for a performance review. I had already submitted a review on how she was the most amazing staff of the Dukes at her company's site earlier and I told her to take her time because I was spending the day at home.I had planned on making good use of the three days Princess had before she went back to school but now that opportunity was gone."Why did you expose my plans?" I stomped into Princess's room and questioned her after having my breakfast.She shook her head, "No, I told m
MIRANDA After bathing Princess, I put her to sleep in her room and thought about what to do. It was a sensitive issue so I had to be careful with it.I naturally would have taken it to her mom but it was her boyfriend. As much as I wanted to believe that a mother would always fight for her child, I didn't know her well enough. What if she decided to cover up for her lover? How would Princess get justice?I had two other options; my mother-in-law and Hazel. If Hazel could get so mad because I taught his daughter to lie, then I knew without a doubt that he would kill this so-called Uncle Benny and that was very fine by me. He deserved worse than death.After making up my mind, I called Hazel's phone, wanting to ask him to come home but I realized he had blocked my number.I scoffed, "What a petty man!"I came out of Princess' room and spotted the nanny. I feared that once Hazel listened to the audio, his anger would also be directed at the nanny who had innocently made a phone call to h
MIRANDA I got into the plane with Hazel and sat across from him. I was upset, not just because he had insulted my family but because what he had said might be the truth.After seeing my mom cry before me, I had believed her words. I didn't know her to be materialistic and so I thought my family really owed Hazel.Thinking about it now, I realized how ridiculous it sounded. If my parents were that financially indebted to him, I would have known of it before that day. Everything had happened so suddenly and there was also the fact that Hazel did not run a money-lending business.In spite of all these thoughts running through my mind, I wanted to believe that Hazel had spoken out of spite. Yes, his ego must have been bruised when I confessed that I loved someone else and he wanted to hurt me as payback.I sighed. Who was really lying to me?My eyes focused on Hazel whose long legs were crossed and eyes closed as he leaned back his head. I suddenly remembered Princess's issue and my ange