LOGINTwo hundred million.At this rate, everything he had worked for was about to go up in smoke.Wesley stormed out.The moment he stepped into the elevator, Melanie called.Already furious, he answered.Melanie’s voice came through at once.“Honey, I’m going to your cousin’s place this afternoon. I’ll bring Yara with me too.”Wesley’s hand shook around the phone.“Melanie, shut your mouth! Look at the mess you’ve caused.”“What did I do now?”“I’ll settle this with you when I get home.”Wesley growled the words and hung up.*Felix led Miranda back to his office.Once they were inside, he guided her onto the couch and searched her face carefully.“Don’t let what Wesley said get to you,” he said. “I’m sorry you had to hear that in front of everyone.”Miranda smiled.“I didn’t.”“Really?” There was still a trace of uncertainty in his eyes.“What outsiders say doesn’t affect me.”Miranda patted the seat beside her.“Sit. Let’s talk.”Felix sat down beside her.Miranda
Wesley’s face flushed, then drained of color.His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, he couldn’t get a single word out.Whatever pride and dignity he had left were gone.It was as if, in that moment, he had finally been forced to recognize exactly where he stood.Miranda remained standing by her seat, her mind blank for a moment.She watched Felix turn back toward her.Felix was looking at her too. The anger in his eyes had faded, leaving only quiet reassurance.Reassurance meant for her.Miranda’s eyes warmed under that gaze.She hadn’t expected Felix to say those words. Not in front of so many people, and not with such complete, uncompromising protection.Felix came to her side without another word. He took her hand and said in a low voice, “Let’s go.”His voice had returned to calm, but the strength of his grip told her his emotions were anything but.Miranda did not pull away.She let him lead her out of the conference room.The hallway wa
Wesley had always been proud and arrogant. Being humiliated like this by someone from the younger generation, in front of every shareholder in the room, was more than he could take.Even knowing the consequences wouldn’t be easy to bear, he still had to defend what little pride he had left.He shot to his feet, glaring at Felix before turning his anger on Miranda.“Felix, I know why you’re targeting me. Isn’t it because of this woman beside you?”Wesley let out a cold laugh.“All I did was kindly suggest that you marry someone else and have more children for the Gibson family. Your family line needs to continue. As for your ex-wife here, even if you remarry her, she won’t give you any more children. Was I wrong?”The moment Wesley finished speaking, the entire meeting room fell into a deathly silence.Everyone’s gaze landed on Miranda, then quickly shifted away, as if they were afraid of offending Felix.Wesley continued, “I’d say this not only in front of you, but even in fron
Miranda nodded.“All right. We’ll wait for him.”Two minutes later, footsteps sounded from around the corner of the hall.Then Felix appeared in a dark suit, with Gavin and two older shareholders behind him.His gaze landed on Miranda at once, and a flash of surprise and warmth crossed his eyes.“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” he asked, his voice carrying a faint note of displeasure and concern.Miranda could only explain, “Keith called me on the way, so I came over.”Keith hadn’t seen Felix for some time. When he saw the way Felix looked at Miranda, he couldn’t help feeling secretly pleased.It seemed things between them had become quite different lately.Felix looked at Keith.Keith quickly explained, “Mr. Gibson, there’s a proposal today that requires Ms. Stone to be here in person.”Felix nodded, then looked back at Miranda, his gaze gentle and indulgent.“Don’t worry. Keith’s proposal will pass.”“Thank you,” Miranda said.In front of others, she was notice
Under Felix’s steady gaze, Miranda suddenly realized what she had just said.She turned her face away, the tips of her ears warming.“Nothing,” she muttered, then quickly walked ahead.Behind her, Felix caught up with a smile and took her hand.“Then I’ll take that as you agreeing to be responsible for me for the rest of your life.”Cornered by him, Miranda had no choice but to look up at him.She did not answer.She only smiled, her eyes carrying a soft trace of compromise.Felix froze for a second.Then he pulled her into his arms and held her tightly.Just then, Gigi ran over to them with her leash in her mouth, her tail wagging happily.Felix took the leash in one hand and Miranda’s hand in the other, then walked with them into the distance.*On Monday, Miranda was on her way to the lab when her phone rang not long after she left home.It was Keith.“Ms. Stone, are you not coming to the board meeting today?”Miranda had seen the email he sent, but she hadn’t planne
But Felix reached out, slipped an arm around her waist, and kissed her forehead.“So?” he asked. “Do I look good?”Miranda laughed and pushed him lightly.“Stop it. We’re supposed to be running.”After they left the house, Gigi followed along too.The two of them jogged along the path outside the gated neighborhood. The late fall morning carried a chill, but the sunlight was warm. It fell softly over them, and a thick layer of fallen leaves covered the ground, giving the quiet path a different kind of beauty.After running a little over a mile, Miranda was tired enough to slow to a walk.They sat down on a bench to rest. Leaning against Felix’s shoulder, Miranda saw a few older residents exercising not far away.For a moment, something shifted quietly in her heart.Felix followed her gaze.An older couple was walking slowly hand in hand.Felix smiled and asked, “Do you think we’ll be like that when we’re old?”Miranda’s lips curved slightly.“Maybe.”Felix suddenly took h
“I’ll have it dry-cleaned and return it to my friend,” Felix said. After that, he took the custom-tailored, deep blue suit jacket and headed out.Mrs. Young waited until he had stepped out of the front gate before heading upstairs to tell Miranda what happened.Miranda was in her study working on
“I’ll take you home,” Leo said.“It’s fine. Go take care of your guests.”Leo’s eyes showed he wasn’t backing down. “It’s no trouble. Come on.”Miranda stepped outside. Her car was parked in the VIP lane at the entrance of the Moutin Hotel.A cold wind swept through the night. December was almos
After playing for about fifteen minutes, Mia came out of the playroom and noticed Felix was gone. A small wave of disappointment crossed her face, but she didn’t fuss. Miranda returned to her study, and just as she sat down, her phone rang. The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.She answered.
Miranda turned to Coco and said, “A gift is never measured by the price. It is measured by the thought behind it. And to me, your thoughtfulness is priceless.”Coco felt a rush of relief. She had given the gift both to show her appreciation for Miranda’s mentorship and as a silent apology for their







