Miranda shot him a cool glance. “And if I am?”“Don’t push yourself too hard. Your health matters,” Felix said.He was certain she couldn’t do it. An accelerated graduation was impossible in his eyes.Miranda ignored him.Felix’s gaze shifted to the stacks of books piled high around her, the small desk light casting a shadow that seemed to swallow her slender frame whole. He didn’t even notice how much thinner she had become.Leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, he said evenly, “You don’t need to push yourself like this. Whatever you want, I can give you.”“What you can give isn’t what I want. And what I do want, you’ll never be able to give me,” Miranda said without even looking up.His expression flickered, but only for a moment. He checked his watch. “Don’t stay up past midnight.”“Was that supposed to be concern? No, it was just his usual domineering tone,” she thought.Miranda kept reading.*That night, Xena returned home. A maid came over with ointment
Xena rested her chin in her hand and nodded sweetly. “Alright.“I just overheard my sister mention something. Did you know Miranda is planning to take an accelerated graduation exam? She wants to finish her undergraduate studies early,” Xena asked.Felix’s brow lifted slightly. “Is that so?”“I also heard Dr. Liam reorganized the team and left Miranda off the list. Felix, shouldn’t you ask her to be included? She is your wife, after all.”“It was at my request that Dr. Liam didn’t use her,” Felix replied.Xena paused. “Won’t that make her upset?”“She’s already upset with me for using her mother’s sample.”Xena’s lips curved into a faint smile. “I suppose she would be, considering it’s for…”“What are you two talking about?” a voice cut in. Hayden strolled over. Felix greeted him, and Hayden turned to Xena. “You’re alright? I saw the news earlier. Looked pretty scary.”“I’m fine. I never expected a fan to be that crazy. Just ended up with a bruised arm,” Xena said, lifting h
Instead of coming over, Felix turned and walked straight out. A moment later, he texted Miranda, saying something urgent had come up and he had to leave.A few minutes later, Leo arrived, a little out of breath. “Sorry, the traffic was terrible.”Miranda gave him a small smile. “It’s fine. The girls were having fun together.”“Felix didn’t come?” Leo asked.“He left. Said he had something else to do,” Miranda replied.Leo studied her quietly, a flicker of sympathy in his eyes.At five-thirty, Miranda picked Mia up and headed home. On the way, Mia looked up at her and asked, “Where did Daddy go?”Miranda crouched down so they were eye-to-eye. “Sweetheart, can I ask you something?”Mia nodded seriously. “Go ahead, Mommy.”Miranda hesitated before speaking, her voice gentle but firm. “If one day Mommy and Daddy had to live apart, would you rather stay with Daddy or with me?”Mia froze for just a moment, then answered without hesitation. “With you, Mommy. I want to live with you.
Just as Miranda turned the corner, she overheard Coco’s voice brimming with envy.“Fiona, I’m so jealous of you. Who would’ve thought Dr. Liam would take you on as her last protégé? With her backing, your future is set.”“My mentor has high expectations for me,” Fiona replied smugly. “With her guidance, I’ll advance so much faster.”Coco gave a little laugh. “And with Dr. Liam in charge, Miranda has no chance to slip in through the back door anymore. She’s already been cut out.”“People without ability always end up like this,” Fiona said mockingly. “There’s no place for weakness in science.”Miranda waited until their voices faded before stepping out of the hallway. She returned to her office, gathering her papers just as James stopped by to check on her. He had already reached out through his global connections, searching the international genetic database for a compatible donor sample.“If anything comes up, I’ll let you know right away,” James assured her.“Thank you,” Miran
“Felix gave me a month to find a matching bone marrow sample. James, can you help me? You have connections overseas we could use.” Miranda looked at him earnestly.James nodded without hesitation. “Of course. I’ll do what I can.”That afternoon, a meeting was called. Dr. Lewis personally presided over it, announcing that Samantha would be taking over the project.“I want to rebuild the team,” Samantha said coolly, her eyes sweeping across the room.Miranda’s breath caught.“For now, I’m confirming James, Fiona, and Victor. As for the rest, I’ll decide after a round of evaluations,” Samantha continued.Fiona smirked, shooting Miranda a sidelong glance. Just as she expected, Miranda had been excluded.“This project is fully funded by Gibson Corporation, and I intend to enforce strict standards for the research team. Only those with at least a bachelor’s degree will be considered.” Samantha’s eyes lingered on Miranda, pointedly.In the entire room, Miranda’s academic standing was
Miranda fixed her eyes on him. “Why?”“I’m doing this for your own good,” Felix replied coolly.In that moment, Miranda understood. He wanted her off the project so she wouldn’t have access to her mother’s donor sample, afraid her emotions would interfere and slow down his precious research.She drew in a sharp breath. “The person you’re trying to save… is it Xena?”Felix’s brow tightened.He didn’t need to admit it. Miranda already knew. The realization stabbed through her chest like a blade.A bitter laugh escaped her lips. “You want to use my mom’s bone marrow for your experiments? I’ll never agree to it.”“I’ll give you one month,” Felix said. “If you can find a matching donor within that time, I’ll return your mother’s sample. If not, stay out of this research.” With that, he turned and walked away.Miranda swayed on her feet. Her hand shot out to brace against the wall as searing pain spread through her chest.That night, she held Mia close as her daughter slept soundly