LOGINMia stood there with her backpack on, her big eyes blinking as she looked from Felix to Miranda. She might have been small, but she was already learning how to read a room.“Mommy, what were you about to say to Daddy?” she asked, looking up.Miranda rubbed her head gently. “Mommy has to go to Hamilton for a meeting. Will you stay with Daddy for now?”“Okay. Then will you bring me back a present from Hamilton?” Mia asked, her face full of hope.“I will,” Miranda promised.Ever since Mia was old enough to recognize people, she had been especially attached to her parents and wary of everyone else. They had originally hired three nannies, but Miranda had eventually let them all go.When Mia was in one of her moods, not even Mrs. Young could pick her up. That was why Miranda and Felix had always handled most things involving Mia themselves. Over time, Miranda had also developed a habit of her own. Other than Felix, she still couldn’t bring herself to leave Mia fully in anyone else’s c
Miranda’s hope collapsed again, and disappointment washed over her. Behind her, Felix said gently, “Let’s keep going. We’ll check farther ahead.”They searched another stretch, then circled back to where they had started, but there was still no sign of Gigi. By then, it was already ten-thirty. Felix checked his watch and said to Miranda, “Go back and get Mia settled for bed. I’ll keep looking.”At that hour, Mia should already have been getting ready for sleep. And it was only Tuesday. She still had school the next day.“Okay.” Miranda nodded, then walked back to her car and drove into the garage.When she got home, Mia was still waiting for her on the couch. She looked up curiously and asked, “Mommy, didn’t Daddy come back with you?”Mrs. Young looked over at Miranda from the side. Miranda gave the slightest shake of her head, then said to Mia, “Come upstairs with Mommy. I’m going to take a shower, and then I’ll read you a story.”Mia blinked, then suddenly seemed to realize
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone. Then his voice returned, steady as ever. “Come back first. I’m coming down.”Miranda turned to Mrs. Young, who looked exhausted from all the searching. “Mrs. Young, go back upstairs and stay with Mia. We’ll keep looking.”Ever since Gigi had gone missing, Mrs. Young had been walking the area over and over again. She had been out there nearly an hour, tired, anxious, and clearly worn out. Miranda couldn’t bear to make her keep going.“All right, ma’am. I’ll go back and stay with Mia.” With that, Mrs. Young turned and headed toward the entrance of the building.Less than five minutes later, Felix appeared at the front gate. He moved quickly toward the small park across the street. By then, Zac and Miranda had already searched the surrounding area once and come back to the original spot.When Felix reached Miranda’s side, his eyes swept over the worry and strain on her face. In a low voice, he asked, “Where exactly did she run
At this point, their work mostly involved pulling the data together, nothing especially critical.His advisor checked in every day and was clearly anxious, but research was never something that could be rushed in a day or two. They all knew they had to be prepared for the long haul.Miranda grabbed her bag and coat and practically ran out of the lab. The moment she got into her car, she headed straight for home, with two black SUVs immediately falling in behind her.She knew Gigi could be timid. Around larger dogs, she was usually easily scared. But Gigi also knew the neighborhood well by now, so Miranda tried to tell herself she couldn’t have gotten far.Unless something else had happened.Unless she had been hurt.Or worse, unless someone had found her and taken her.Miranda forced herself to stop thinking like that. First, she had to get home and keep looking.She drove all the way back to the entrance of the complex. From a distance, she could already see Mrs. Young standin
Xena let just the right amount of grievance show on her face. “But there are clauses about that in the contract. Peter, what if I do get pregnant and Felix still tries to force me to keep donating blood? That wouldn’t be good for the baby. I don’t want to lose our child.”Peter had chosen Xena to have his child for a reason. In his eyes, her intelligence and talent made her worthy of it. To a man like him, a woman with ambition wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.After weighing it for a few seconds, Peter wrapped an arm around her and said, “Don’t be afraid. Leave this to me. No matter how powerful Felix is, he’s not above the law. I’ll get the best legal team to review that contract. One way or another, I’ll get you out of it.”A flicker of panic flashed through Xena’s eyes as she thought of the extra clauses buried in the contract. But then again, Peter probably already assumed she had slept with Felix, which meant he likely wouldn’t care about her past anyway.In that case, she woul
Peter had been widowed three years earlier. He had one son living overseas, but he had never remarried, and the women around him had changed one after another ever since.To him, Xena was like a newly acquired prize. She was beautiful enough to show off and skilled enough to make him feel good about himself, and Xena knew exactly how to play that role.At this point, the one thing she wanted from Peter was help finding a lawyer who could get her out of her contract with Felix.The Gibson family’s situation had always been kept private, so Peter had no clear idea what was really going on with Felix’s mother. But he had heard enough to know that she was still relying on Xena to stay alive. And when he thought about how Felix had taken the chamber chairmanship from him, the resentment was still hard to swallow.That night at the dinner, Xena wore a champagne-colored gown with thin straps. Her makeup was flawless, and her manner was polished without losing any of its charm. She outshon
A short while later, the same server from earlier brought Miranda a glass of lemon water. She glanced at it but didn’t take it.Throughout the entire meal, Miranda never touched the water. Felix clearly noticed this as well, though there was no emotion visible on his face.When it was time to retu
Early the next morning, after dropping Mia off at school, Miranda headed to the lab. The trip to the Danesia summit had been immensely rewarding, and now it was time for her to fully focus on her ongoing research.James called for the morning meeting, and Miranda slipped on her lab coat before head
Xena nodded thoughtfully. “All right. Go ahead, then.”Sienna didn’t even bother to say goodbye. She headed straight for the Lincoln Corporation.By four o’clock, Sienna had arrived at the Lincoln Corporation headquarters. She had worked there before, and the front desk recognized her, so no one s
After the meeting ended, Miranda had just finished gathering her documents and was about to leave when Gavin hurried over.“Ms. Stone, Mr. Gibson would like to see you in his office.”Miranda frowned. “What for?”“He didn’t say. He just asked that you go.”She pressed her lips together, then fol







