LOGINThey 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
At the hospital, Zoe was temporarily out of danger after emergency treatment.But the entire left side of her body had lost mobility. One side of her mouth drooped, her speech was slurred, and she had lost control of her bladder and bowels.The doctor told Xena seriously that these were typical aftereffects of a stroke.Partial paralysis.The diagnosis hit Xena like a sledgehammer.Her vision went dark for a moment, and she nearly lost her balance.Her own life was already terrible enough. If she now had to care for a bedridden mother who needed round-the-clock help, it would be nothing short of hell.She couldn’t imagine how she was supposed to live like that.The two middle-aged women who had been playing cards with Zoe didn’t know how to comfort Xena either. After a few awkward words, they quickly found an excuse to leave.“Ms. Spencer, please go settle the payment,” a nurse said. “Your mother will need to stay in the hospital for further treatment and monitoring.”Money.
Each of those reports felt like another small knife, cutting into her again and again.As for her life now, she had almost no income left. She was surviving by selling off the things she still owned.Fortunately, the jewelry Hayden had given her over the years could still be resold, but secondhand jewelry lost a lot of value.Still, she had to think about the long years ahead. She couldn’t afford to spend everything at once.The curtains were drawn tightly shut. The apartment carried a faint smell of disinfectant and medicine.Xena was curled up on the couch, wrapped in a cashmere shawl. Her face was pale, her complexion dull. The bright, glamorous woman she used to be was gone.At that moment, she was scrolling through news from back home when a new article suddenly appeared.The media had snapped a photo of Felix at the airport.In the photo, he was dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, with a pair of gold-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. His profile lo
When they stepped out of the elevator, Miranda scolded Gigi right away. “Don’t run off like that again.”Gigi blinked its innocent, wide eyes, clearly confused. Miranda had no choice but to take it home with her.“Wow, Gigi!” Mia ran over happily and wrapped her arms around Gigi’s neck, pressing h
“Uh. Not really. I just went to see a friend.”“You’ve only just recovered. Don’t go running around,” Justin said sternly. “No matter how important it is, nothing matters more than your life.”Mike answered obediently, “I understand, Dad.”Justin gave a few more instructions before hanging up.M
Susan rubbed her temples, her tone firm. “Sienna, you’re being far too impulsive. You and Leo are no longer possible.”“Mom.” Sienna stomped her foot, her voice full of grievance. “I’m just trying to pursue my own happiness. What did I do wrong?”“Do you really think approaching Leo this way will
Mike insisted on walking Miranda all the way to her front door before leaving. She invited him in for a cup of tea, but he declined instead.It was already late, and Mike knew where to draw the line. As much as he wanted to stay, he did not want to give Miranda any reason for misunderstanding or pu







