MasukDr. Smith’s side of the treatment had already been successfully wrapped up, so it was no surprise that Felix had finally made his move.He had dug a trap for Xena and laid out the whole game in advance. The thirteen percent of York Corporation shares she had gotten from him was the reward for cooperating with the experiment.Dr. Smith’s side of the treatment had already been successfully wrapped up, so it was no surprise that Felix had finally made his move.He had laid a trap for Xena from the very beginning. The thirteen percent of York Corporation shares she had taken from him was the reward for cooperating with the experiment.Xena’s greed had always been enormous. Shares in York Corporation worth six hundred million were more than enough to feed her ambition. Back when Felix helped push York Corporation onto the market, he had already been planning for this day.Now that the experiment was over, the result of the ten years Xena had spent holding Felix in check was this. York
Miranda took off her lab coat. Adrian was staying behind to log the data, so he told her to head out first. Miranda reminded him not to stay too late.She grabbed her bag and stepped out of the office. In the hallway, a familiar figure was walking toward her with a smile.“Ms. Stone, done for the night?”“Gavin? What are you doing here?” Miranda asked in surprise.“I’m here to drive you home. Mr. Gibson figured you’d be exhausted after working late, so he sent me to be your driver,” Gavin said.Miranda really was tired. For the sake of safety, she didn’t turn him down.On the drive home, Gavin drove steadily, and Miranda felt a quiet wave of gratitude.When they reached the parking garage, she thanked him. “Gavin, thank you. You should head home and get some rest too.”“If you’re thanking anyone, thank Mr. Gibson,” Gavin said at once. There was no way he was taking credit for this. He was just following orders.The thoughtfulness had come from Felix.Miranda nodded, then head
The board’s approval of the additional funding was a relief to Miranda too. After talking it over with James, she learned that the consumer side of the project was progressing very smoothly, and Gibson’s stock continued to trend steadily upward.Not long after Miranda got back to the lab, her phone rang. Dr. Zeller’s name appeared on the screen.“Dr. Zeller,” Miranda said as she answered.“Miranda, I’ll be at the lab at three this afternoon. There are some research details I want to go over with you in person.”Something in Miranda’s chest tightened. The fact that Dr. Zeller was personally making a trip to Atlantis City to speak with her only made her suspicions stronger.She hesitated, then asked, “Dr. Zeller, can you tell me whether someone needs the brain-computer project to be activated for treatment?”There was a brief silence on the other end.“We’ll talk when I get there.”At three that afternoon, Dr. Zeller arrived right on time. He looked more serious than usual, and t
Miranda stepped inside and glanced at Felix in the seat at the head of the table. He was wearing his glasses again today, which made him look even more sharp and unreadable. But when his eyes landed on her, there was a hint of softness there too.The meeting had barely begun when one of the board members spoke up first.“One billion? Mr. Gibson, the brain-computer project has already burned through an enormous amount of money, and we still haven’t seen any real commercial return. Now you want to put in another billion? This is just throwing money into a fire.”The room immediately erupted, and more than half the board voiced their agreement.“I propose we keep the consumer side of the brain-computer project and drop the medical research side altogether,” another board member said. “At least that way we can protect what we’ve already invested.”Seated at the head of the table, Felix listened to all the objections without changing expression. Behind his gold-rimmed glasses, his gaze
After more than an hour of handing things over, Miranda was still distracted by everything on her mind. When she pushed open the door, her steps stopped.The first thing she saw was Felix asleep on the couch, still fully dressed.Miranda frowned slightly, but she still softened her footsteps and went back to her desk. She still had a few documents to finish, so for the moment, she had no choice but to stay in the same room with him.Sunlight from the window happened to fall across him, wrapping his whole body in a soft glow. Stripped of the sharp edge he wore in the business world, he looked unexpectedly quiet, almost childlike.Miranda was typing away when the man on the couch suddenly let out the faintest murmur.“Miranda... don’t go.”Her fingers froze over the keyboard for a few seconds. She looked up toward the couch.Felix hadn’t woken up. His brows were drawn tight, as if he were trapped in some bad dream.The moment threw off her thoughts. Miranda frowned at the sleepin
Felix was very good at hiding every emotion behind a calm exterior, so good that no one could ever truly read him.“Okay. I’ll go back to the brain-computer team tomorrow,” Miranda said at last with a nod.Felix was quiet for a moment, then pressed the issue anyway. “Wrap up the handoff today and go back this afternoon.”Confusion flickered in Miranda’s eyes. Was he really in that much of a hurry? No matter how she looked at it, something about his behavior today felt off.Not only had he suddenly launched a new project, he had also been unusually specific about the direction of the research.That, combined with Mike’s disappearance, made a thought flash through her mind.Could it be...No. That couldn’t be right.Miranda shook her head and forced the thought away. Mike was out on a mission. How could this research project possibly have anything to do with him?Just then, her phone rang. She glanced at the name on the screen, and her breathing caught.It was Justin.Felix’s
After Ben left, Miranda stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the glittering skyline outside. Her thoughts drifted back six years.Felix had always been the same, even after they married. He was cold, detached, and unwilling to let anyone close. She used to believe that if she loved him e
That evening, Miranda went home with Mia. Mrs. Young started preparing dinner, and Gigi played with Mia in the living room, their laughter ringing through the house.On the table, Mrs. Young had placed a small bouquet of flowers for Miranda. Under the soft light, the scene felt warm and peaceful, l
Sophie let out a small “oh” and said, “Looks like Mr. Gibson is still focused on immediate profits.”She stirred her coffee, then suddenly remembered something. “By the way, did you see the news about the Lincoln family?”Miranda nodded. “I did. Leo’s father was hospitalized with a serious illness
“Risk and losses aren’t your concern,” Ben said firmly. “Mr. Gibson will handle that. You can go now.” He waved his hand, signaling for Fiona to leave.Fiona walked out of his office, her expression shifting between anger and unease. As much as she hated to admit it, Miranda’s theory was groundbrea







