When fate plays its hand
198

Chapter 0198

Elizabeth didn’t even bother to hide her aversion. The others hadn’t expected her to be so uncooperative, and the atmosphere grew tense.

Feeling the weight of an awkward glance, Bryan forced himself to step in and smooth things over. He to Elizabeth, “Come on, you brat, I’ve already run predictions on that set of experimental data for you.

“The results won’t be ready until tomorrow morning at the earliest. It’s rare for everyone to have time together–wouldn’t it be nice to relax and have a meal?

said

“Besides, everyone knows how busy Dr. Jefferson is. He barely has time to breathe. Now that he’s inviting us, you can’t just turn him down, right?”

Elizabeth hesitated, but when she heard Bryan’s last comment, she bit her lip and glanced up.

Paul’s handsome face remained indifferent. His shirt was perfectly buttoned, making him look like a god removed from earthly concerns yet still somehow captivating.

In the end, Elizabeth took the opportunity to concede. “Fine, I don’t want to ruin everyone’s fun.”

Bryan breathed a sigh of relief, though a tinge of disappointment lingered. This young lady was truly hard to please, and only Paul could sway her decisions.

Sandy was from Saltsberg, known for their love of spicy cuisines. So she was especially pleased with the choice for today’s gathering.

Bryan, who was always the most outgoing, took it upon himself to warmly welcome Miranda. He treated her like a younger sister since there were so few young women in the lab.

“Miranda, order whatever you like. Don’t be shy. Whenever Dr. Jefferson treats us, he’s always generous and easygoing, so just relax.

Sandy nodded in agreement, smiling as she half–jokingly added, “Usually, you can’t trust half of what Bryan says, but he’s telling the absolute truth today.”

Bryan joked, “Sandy, can’t you leave me with a bit of dignity? Just say the nice things next time, and skip

the rest.”

His playful remark instantly lightened the mood. Miranda had a good impression of Bryan and couldn’t help but smile slightly.

Only Elizabeth remained silent, her beautiful face cold and distant, as if someone owed her millions of dollars.

Bryan quickly slid the menu over to her. “Didn’t you say your stomach’s been bothering you, and you wanted something light? This one isn’t spicy, how about this? I also ordered your favorite fish florentine They said it’s amazing here. You should try it…”

“You’re so annoying. It’s not like I don’t have hands of my own… Elizabeth grumbled irritably while. frowning. In the end, che didn’t reject his suggestions.

Bryan seemed accustomed to her attitude and didn’t mind. He simply closed the menu with a grin and

+25 BONUS

Chapter 0198

continued chatting with everyone.

Miranda took a sip of her drink. It wasn’t sweet but slightly sour–just the way she liked it.

As Sandy sat next to her, she leaned in and whispered, “Bry’s been pursuing Elizabeth for years. Pretty obvious, right?”

Miranda usually wasn’t interested in other people’s private lives, but since Sandy brought it up, she nodded. “Yeah, I noticed.”

“It’s been a while since we’ve had a couple in our lab. Who knows if those two will make it. By the way, do you have a boyfriend, Miranda?”

Sandy sighed, and somehow the conversation turned back to Miranda. Her voice wasn’t too loud. But Paul, who was sitting nearby, easily overheard their exchange.

“No, I don’t,” Miranda replied

Sandy was a bit surprised. A beautiful woman like Miranda was still single?

While she did enjoy a bit of gossip, like most ladies do, she wasn’t one to pry into others‘ private lives too

i

much.

Noticing that Miranda wasn’t keen on discussing it further, she let the topic drop without pushing any further.