MasukDuring the meeting, Fiona sat in the back row, her eyes secretly following Felix at the head of the table. He listened to each report with focused attention and never looked her way even once.How had a man like that, a powerhouse in the business world, ever fallen for Miranda in the first place? Back in college, Miranda hadn’t yet made any academic name for herself. At the time, she had even been so consumed by love that she dropped out because of him.James’s presentation was excellent, and more than once Fiona caught a flicker of approval in Felix’s expression. Watching James only made her feel more resentful. She had worked by his side for two and a half years, yet she still hadn’t earned so much as a hint of his interest.When the meeting ended, Fiona deliberately waited by the corner of the hallway, hoping Felix would notice her and come over to say hello. But when Felix passed by with Ben, he didn’t even glance in her direction. He didn’t pause for even a second.Fiona stood
The next morning, when Miranda drove out, she noticed Zac’s SUV following behind her. She didn’t object to the protection. She could have hired security of her own, but Felix’s men had been with him for years and were exceptionally reliable. With Susan still undergoing treatment on the new medication, Miranda didn’t have the time or mental energy to deal with arranging security herself.Around noon, Miranda squeezed in a video call with James to go over several civilian-sector projects. At this point, Gibson Corporation’s civilian division had already pulled far ahead of the competition. With the brain-computer interface program providing the theoretical foundation, the quality of their products was also first-rate.She had to admit that Felix had an exceptional eye for people and investments. There was a reason he had kept Gibson Corporation thriving for so many years. He had the nerve and the ability to steer it forward.At one point, James said from the other end, “I have to
At dinner, Miranda barely touched her food. She ate about half of what was on her plate, then set her fork down. Felix noticed from across the table. A shadow passed through his eyes, and a moment later, he put down his own utensils too, as if he had lost his appetite.“Mr. Gibson, there’s still plenty left. Have some more,” Mrs. Young said.“I’m good. I’ve had enough.” Felix gave a small wave of his hand.Right then, Mia set down her spoon too, a little bit of sauce at the corner of her mouth. “Daddy, I’m done.”Felix pulled a napkin from the holder and gently wiped her mouth. “Do you want Daddy to stay and play with you a little longer?”“Yes.” Mia nodded eagerly.Miranda stood up. “I’m going to the study for a while.”Mrs. Young noticed Miranda had barely eaten either, and she couldn’t help wondering if Felix’s being there had ruined her appetite.That wasn’t the reason. Miranda had gotten used to eating light at dinner. Staying a little hungry helped keep her mind clear.
There was a brief silence on the other end. Then Felix said, “Why are you thanking me?”“I’m hanging up now,” Miranda said, and ended the call.By then, Zac had already reached her window. She rolled it down, and he gave her an apologetic look.“Ms. Stone, I’m sorry. We didn’t mean to scare you.”“You kind of did,” Miranda said honestly with a small nod.“Mr. Gibson was worried about your safety, so he assigned us to protect you from a distance for the next month. He was afraid you’d feel uncomfortable if you knew ahead of time, so he didn’t say anything first,” Zac explained. “He also didn’t want what happened two years ago to happen again.”Miranda froze. “Two years ago? You were protecting me then too?”Zac nodded. “Yes. After we heard Owen Zink from the M Village chemical plant had someone try to run you off the road, Mr. Gibson had us watch over you in secret. We stayed on it until Zink was sentenced and there were no other threats.”Miranda was stunned.She remembered ho
At twenty-something, Miranda never would have stood a chance against someone like Xena. With the kind of scheming and manipulation Xena was capable of, she might have ended up hurt beyond repair.“Thank you for telling me all this,” Sienna said. Then she nodded toward the bag. “Take a look. Do you like the bag?”Ella pulled the bag out, and her eyes lit up. “You can’t get this anywhere in the country.”Sienna gave a faint smile. “That’s right. You need the right connections to get one.”Ella thought to herself that only someone with Sienna’s background could get her hands on a true limited-edition piece.After Ella left with the bag, Sienna stayed in the cafe by herself for a while, quietly collecting her thoughts before finally getting up to leave.She knew digging into Xena’s past would only make her angrier and more sickened by the truth, but she couldn’t let it go. She needed to know just how shameless Xena had really been.*At four-thirty that afternoon, Miranda’s car pul
In the photo, Xena was in her early twenties, standing outside an upscale restaurant. Felix was behind her on the phone, while she stood in front of him with her chin propped on one hand, posing like something sweet and innocent. She was smiling like she was in love. The caption read, “A beautiful night.”Sienna’s teeth clenched as she looked at it. If Ella hadn’t just told her the real story behind the photo, even she would have assumed it had been an accidental candid of Felix and Xena after a romantic dinner.“She was unbelievably calculating,” Sienna said through gritted teeth.“The thing I hated most,” Ella continued, “was what happened after she got close to Mr. Gibson’s daughter. She actually went and studied child psychology. I even heard her say things in front of your little niece on purpose, things like, ‘Why didn’t your mommy go abroad with you? Did she not want you anymore?’”Sienna’s eyes instantly burned red with anger.In front of the Gibson family, Xena had always
Samantha watched Felix’s figure disappear down the hallway, then turned toward the glass wall of the lab where Miranda was focused on her work. A quiet sigh escaped her.Inside, Miranda was instructing her team on adjusting the parameters when she noticed Samantha gesturing for her to come out. Han
“Yeah!” Mia said innocently. “She told me she’s going to take me to the amusement park next time.”When the light turned red, Miranda stopped the car and looked at Mia seriously. “Mia, if someone gives you a gift, you have to ask me first before accepting it, okay?”“But Aunt Xena isn’t just someo
Miranda smiled. “Of course I’d love to.”In the kitchen, Leo tied on an apron with practiced ease. His fingers moved confidently as he chopped vegetables. Miranda stood beside him rinsing greens, and they worked together in quiet rhythm.She hadn’t expected him to be such a good cook. Leo explaine
That night, Mia stayed over at Felix’s again. Miranda knew Mia loved the cheerful, festive atmosphere that came with the holidays.For the past few days, Miranda had spent nearly all her time in the lab, and the house still looked bare. There were no decorations, no color, and no warmth. She made a







