Mag-log inMiranda looked away. She didn’t want to talk about this anymore.Her voice was dry when she said, “Grandma is gone now. None of this matters anymore.”“It does matter.”Felix suddenly cupped her face in his hands.“Mira, the only thing I’ve ever wanted is you. You, Miranda Stone. As for children, Mia is enough for me. I’ll raise her well. One day, she’ll be strong enough to carry the Gibson family forward.”Before Miranda realized it, tears had gathered in her eyes.She let out a quiet sigh.“This wasn’t just Grandma’s wish,” she said. “It was your dad’s too. You shouldn’t waste the rest of your life on me.”Felix’s eyes narrowed.“Who told you that was my dad’s dying wish?”Miranda looked up at him.“Wesley Quinn’s wife told me herself. She said she visited your dad before he passed, and that was what he said on his deathbed.”A cold flash passed through Felix’s eyes.Wesley Quinn’s wife?Since when did an outsider dare interfere in Gibson family business?He hadn’t eve
So Miranda had heard Grandma’s final wish?Was that why she had pushed him away so firmly?Before that, she had clearly been softening toward him. Then, all of a sudden, she had become so cruel and so determined.So this was the real reason?Both the Stone and Gibson families had histories of genetic illness. That meant any child between them would carry a high level of risk.Miranda would definitely never take that chance again.She didn’t want to hold him back, and she didn’t want Grandma’s final wish to become a lifelong regret for him. That was why she had pushed him away so heartlessly.“What’s wrong? Did something happen?” Susan asked, growing worried when she saw the look on his face.“It’s nothing. There’s a misunderstanding between Miranda and me that I need to clear up.” Felix forced himself to stay calm as he comforted Susan. “Mom, I’ll come see you again another day.”With that, he picked up his car keys and walked toward the courtyard without wasting another secon
They didn’t talk much on the way there.Soft instrumental music played in the car, carrying a lingering, late-autumn mood. Whenever Felix’s deep gaze shifted toward her, Miranda couldn’t help feeling the tips of her ears warm.She put her glasses back on and looked away, using them to hide her reaction.After lunch at Moutin, Felix obediently followed Miranda to the meeting.The company’s new project had recently hit a bottleneck. Since Felix had been away on business, Keith hadn’t had the authority to ask him for advice directly, so he had only mentioned the issue to Miranda over the phone.He had never expected Miranda to bring Felix himself into the conference room.Keith was thrilled.After listening to Keith’s report, Felix analyzed the situation from a business perspective and quickly offered several sharp, practical suggestions.Miranda sat to the side and listened carefully. She had to admit that Felix’s insight and long-term vision were impressive.The questions he ra
“Thank you.”Miranda smiled at the student.His ears turned red at once, but he still didn’t seem ready to leave. After a moment of hesitation, he asked her a question he had clearly prepared in advance.Felix stood at the back of the crowd.At some point, he had picked up a bouquet too.White lisianthus and pale purple irises. Fresh, elegant, and understated, just like Miranda herself.He watched as Miranda spoke with the young man. The student was so nervous and excited that his face stayed flushed the entire time.After Miranda answered his question, she lifted a hand to adjust her glasses.Then her gaze suddenly met a pair of deep, intense eyes.She froze for a second.What was he doing here?Samantha noticed him too and smiled.“Felix, you came too.”“Dr. Liam.”Felix stepped forward with a smile. Then he handed the bouquet to Miranda.“Your lecture was wonderful.”Miranda hadn’t noticed him arrive.She accepted the flowers.“Thank you.”The next second, the lap
But after the anger faded, reality came crashing back.Zoe’s medical bills were still waiting for her.So was the cost of long-term care afterward.Xena suddenly thought of the photos the media had released not long ago. Miranda and Felix had been photographed leaving a banquet hall together, with Felix wrapping her tightly in his suit jacket as if she were something precious he had lost and finally found again.It only proved that the past ten years of Xena’s life had been a complete joke.She had spent the best decade of her youth trying to break up another woman’s marriage. In the end, she had lost everything. She didn’t get the man, she didn’t get the money, and she had been driven out of the country.How ironic.These days, the thing Xena regretted most was not marrying Hayden when she had the chance.Back then, she had been completely blinded. Her whole heart had been fixed on Felix. Even a single glance from him could make her happy for half a day.She had enjoyed hover
Her gaze carried the practiced hint of flirtation as she looked at the young doctor in the white coat.He was handsome.In the past, her charm would have been enough to make any man stop and stare the moment he saw her.Felix, of course, had been the exception.But this time, things didn’t go the way she expected.The young doctor was focused on his phone. When he sensed someone entering the elevator, he merely glanced sideways at Xena before looking back at his screen.When Xena stood beside him, he seemed to catch a complicated scent in the air. His brows drew together slightly.That tiny movement made Xena’s face burn.It was as if something had scalded her, leaving her frozen in place.She immediately realized that she had left in such a hurry today that she hadn’t put on any perfume.The faint, unpleasant odor coming from her body must have reached him.Even she could smell it sometimes, that slightly sweet, metallic scent that made her stomach turn. In a confined space
After saying that, Felix turned and headed toward the conference room.Inside the lounge, Miranda took off her protective gear and pulled out a tissue to wipe the sweat from her face.James lifted his sleeve and gave it a sniff. “The smell is pretty strong. You should wash a couple of extra times
Miranda’s beauty was understated. She wasn’t aggressive or ambitious. She carried herself with softness and grace, like a flower in bloom, yet beneath that gentleness was a sharp, undeniable strength that drew men in without trying.Ever since meeting her, Mike hadn't been able to take his eyes off
Miranda closed the door and called Keith, relaying everything Felix had just said and asking him to prepare the best possible response plan.On the other end, Keith let out a breath of relief. “I believe Mr. Gibson will find a way through this as well.”“Cancel the meeting this afternoon,” Miranda
Miranda’s brow furrowed for a moment before she set her phone aside and finished getting ready.Before she could reach out to Keith, he had already contacted her.“Ms. Stone, have you seen what’s happening with Gibson Corporation?” Keith sounded clearly anxious. After all, Felix was the company’s







