MasukMiranda glanced at the time and saw that they still had some room before the meeting. “Let’s eat somewhere near the lab.”Felix nodded, set the iPad aside, and stood up easily. “I’ll drive.”Miranda had pushed herself too hard the night before, and her head still felt slightly heavy. She needed whatever rest she could get before the afternoon meeting.On the way there, she sat in the back seat with her eyes closed, resting. Felix didn’t disturb her. He only glanced at her from time to time in the rearview mirror.By the time they pulled up outside a restaurant across from the lab, Miranda had fallen into a light doze. She woke when the car came to a stop, rubbed her temple, and looked up, only to meet Felix’s eyes in the rearview mirror.Their gazes collided there for a brief second.Miranda looked away first.“We’re here?” She lifted a hand and smoothed her hair.Felix nodded. “Yeah.”He unbuckled, got out first, and came around to open the door for her.The two of them walk
For once, the two of them were able to sit down to a quiet breakfast together.“I heard the test last night brought good news.” Felix looked up at her. Somehow, he always seemed to know the moment anything changed in the lab.A little light came into Miranda’s eyes. “It did. The results were even better than we expected. We successfully established a stable neural signal pathway—”She stopped there.Across from her, Felix had clearly been waiting for her to continue, only to realize she had cut herself off. Did she think he wouldn’t understand any of it?Miranda pressed her lips together. “It counts as a real medical breakthrough.”A trace of approval flickered in Felix’s eyes.Then Miranda’s expression turned more serious. “But the next step carries a lot of risk too. We need to implant microelectrodes in his brain, and that in itself is an extremely delicate procedure.”“With Dr. Zeller’s team involved, they should be able to pull it off,” Felix said, trying to reassure her.
Miranda shot to her feet, yanked open the office door, and hurried toward the lab. She stopped beside Raymond, her heart pounding, while he said with barely contained excitement, “We just completed the thirty-second simulation test. The target neurons showed a consistent response rate of ninety-three percent, well above the threshold we were hoping for.”Miranda stayed calm and asked, “What’s the margin of error?”“Completely within the safe range.” Raymond pointed to the screen. “More importantly, the neural wave pattern you built has formed a stable connection with the surrounding functional regions. As long as Major General Lloyd still has the basic capacity to receive external signals, we have a real chance of waking him.”Miranda felt her heartbeat kick hard in her chest. For the first time in three months, hope no longer felt distant. It felt real.“Miranda, we need to run the next round of testing right away,” Raymond said urgently.Miranda nodded. It looked like she would
Miranda gave a soft acknowledgment and stepped forward. “Let me take her.”Felix shook his head lightly. “I’ve got her.”Then, careful not to wake Mia, he rose and carried her into the master bedroom.Miranda followed behind him and watched as he gently laid Mia on the bed. The moment he set her down, Mia started rubbing at her eyes and shifting her legs restlessly, a faint sign of irritation in her sleep. Felix crouched beside the bed and ran his hand gently over her hair, letting her stay wrapped in the warmth and reassurance of his presence.Only after Mia had settled back into a deep sleep did he carefully pull the blanket up over her.Once Mia was tucked in, Felix turned to Miranda. “Get some rest.”Miranda walked him downstairs. When they reached the door, Felix turned back to look at her. In the dim light, his gaze was deep and unreadable.“How confident are you that you can wake him up?”Miranda paused, slightly caught off guard. After a few seconds, she answered hone
Just then, a woman’s voice behind him said, “Thank you.”Felix turned in surprise and met Miranda’s clear gaze. There was sincere gratitude in her eyes. It was obvious she had heard everything he and Dr. Zeller had just said.“You don’t need to thank me,” Felix replied softly.“That machine is important for Mike’s treatment. I’m thanking you for him.”Felix lowered his eyes. His lashes cast a shadow beneath them, and Miranda’s words made one thing painfully clear. Mike already held a place in her heart that no one else could claim. In a way that mattered, she already saw him as her own.At just the right moment, Dr. Zeller spoke up. “With Felix helping, Mike’s treatment should go much more smoothly.”Miranda nodded and looked at Felix again. A machine like that was not easy to get, and she knew he had gone to a great deal of trouble for it.Dr. Zeller checked the time on his watch. “I have to get to a meeting.”Both of them nodded and watched him go. Once he was gone, Miranda s
When the elevator reached the twenty-seventh floor, the cool-toned decor made the space feel even colder. Felix loosened his tie, went straight to the dressing room, changed into workout pants, and headed for the gym. The restless heat of the night and the emptiness inside him were twisting together, and he needed some kind of outlet.To the steady rhythm of the treadmill, sweat quickly soaked through the back of his shirt. In the two years since the divorce, nights like this had become routine.By day, he was the composed strategist at the head of a business empire. By night, the only way he could wear himself out was through exercise.Especially on summer nights like this, when the air itself seemed full of a restless tension that stirred the most sensitive corners of his mind.All he could see was Miranda as she had looked a little while ago, soft and quietly alluring. And with that came memory after memory of the nights they had once shared.After finishing a brutal round of
“Uncle Jeff specifically told me to take good care of you,” Mike said with a grin. “I wouldn't dare slack off.”In the parking lot, Xena got into the car to rest, but Felix didn’t get in with her. He stood outside the vehicle, speaking on the phone. By coincidence, Mike’s car was parked directly ac
Mia’s voice broke the quiet inside the car.“I had something I needed to take care of,” Felix said. His voice was slightly hoarse.“You’re not allowed to leave Mom and me overseas and come back by yourself again,” Mia complained. She had not been upset at the time, but the more she thought about i
Miranda didn’t like owing anyone favors, so she wanted to settle things as soon as possible.“Sounds good. I’ll pick you up at the DE entrance at eleven thirty,” Leo said.“There’s no need. I can drive myself,” she replied.“It’s no trouble. I’ll already be nearby,” Leo insisted.“Okay.” Miranda
In the end, Hayden finished the meal with Sienna. She held all her frustration inside, and he tried to comfort her with a few gentle words.When she returned to the hospital room and saw Xena, her composure finally broke. She covered her face and began to sob.“Am I really that terrible?” she crie







