جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 410

“Alright then, I won’t bother you. Goodbye.”“Goodbye.” Miranda waited politely for him to hang up first, but to her surprise, Mike didn’t. He seemed to be waiting for her instead.After a moment of silence, he chuckled softly. “You hang up first.”Miranda blinked, a little caught off guard, before ending the call.The morning sun streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the study. Miranda sat at her desk, typing quickly as lines of data filled the screen. Her ankle had gone down quite a bit, but it still ached faintly when she walked. She massaged it gently and went back to work.New messages kept popping up on her computer.Ben: “The military just added new testing requirements. Can you adjust the plan?”Brandon: “Miranda, the stability test data came back. Something looks off—need you to confirm.”Layla: “Miranda, I finished compiling the meeting notes. Sent them to your email.”Even though she was working from home, she barely had a moment to rest.T

Keith called to ask if Miranda could spare some time in the afternoon to attend a meeting at the Moutin Hotel.Miranda glanced at the time and replied, “Can we schedule the meeting for the evening instead?”“Of course, Ms. Stone,” Keith said promptly. “I’ll set it for seven tonight. You can have dinner at Moutin before the meeting starts.”“Alright,” Miranda agreed.The short holiday break was just around the corner, but for Ben’s research team at DE, this was crunch time. No one was getting days off. Still, since the pay was triple for working during the holidays, no one complained.Miranda hadn’t checked her salary in ages. She never worried about money and she wasn’t much of a spender either. Her car was five years old, her clothes were simple and practical, and her watch was from an old collection.At four thirty, Miranda went to pick up Mia. When she mentioned she still had a meeting later that evening, Mia’s eyes lit up.“Mom, can I come with you?” she asked eagerly. “I pr

“Daddy.”Mia’s voice cut through the music in the banquet hall. Felix turned sharply, his gaze landing on Mia standing beside the champagne tower.His expression froze in shock. He quickly set down his glass and hurried toward her. “Mia, what are you doing here?”Xena’s smile stiffened instantly. “Mia?* How could she be here? Did that mean Miranda was here too?” she wondered.Outside the door, Sophie had already pulled out her phone and called Miranda while pushing open the door to the private hall. The sight before her made her gasp. Mia hadn’t been mistaken. Felix was there, attending Xena’s celebration party.“Where’s Mia?” Miranda’s anxious voice came through the phone.Sophie took a steadying breath and replied, “Don’t worry, Miranda. Mia’s with Felix. We’re in the banquet hall on the tenth floor. You should come up.”After hanging up, she greeted Felix politely. “Mr. Gibson.”“Where’s Miranda?” Felix asked immediately.“She’s in a meeting downstairs. I was looking after

Just then, Felix’s phone rang. Taking the chance, Miranda turned and walked away quickly, asking a waiter to send a small cake up to the lounge.By the time she returned, Felix was gone.When Miranda opened the door, Sophie pressed a hand to her chest in relief. “You scared me. I thought he came back,” she whispered.“He’s gone,” Miranda said calmly.“Mom, where did Daddy go? I saw him walking with us just now,” Mia asked curiously.Miranda brushed a hand over Mia’s soft hair. “He had something to do, so he left.”“Oh.” Mia blinked, accepting the answer. A few minutes later, the waiter arrived with the cake and some fruit pastries. Miranda sat with Sophie, sharing the treats while they talked quietly.Her meeting had been handed over to Keith, who would send her the report once it was done.“Mom, can we stay here tonight?” Mia asked hopefully.“Sure,” Miranda said with a smile. “Why don’t we invite Aunt Sophie to stay with us too?”Around nine o’clock, in Miranda’s private su

At six-thirty that evening, the Japanese restaurant was quiet and softly lit. In a private dining room with warm lighting and a quiet atmosphere, Fiona sat waiting. It was the perfect place for a private conversation.When Adrian opened the door, a light sheen of sweat still clung to his forehead. He had clearly come straight from the lab. Dressed simply in a plaid shirt and jeans, he looked a little tired, his eyes behind his glasses faintly bloodshot.“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic smile as he sat down. “I got held up finishing the experiment.”Seeing Fiona all dressed up, her makeup flawless and her dress form-fitting, he scratched the back of his head awkwardly. Back in school, Fiona had been the cool, untouchable beauty. A guy from an ordinary background like Adrian never would have stood a chance with her if not for his academic record. So when she suddenly asked him out to dinner, he couldn’t help but feel flattered.Fiona chuckled lightly. “Wow, you’ve turned into a fu