When fate plays its hand
hand 669

Chapter 0669

At that moment, Miranda was absorbed by an item on another shelf, completely oblivious to the silent battle that had already raged between Paul and Sam countless times.

Paul, having just finished paying, turned to see Miranda gazing at a display case featuring a five–tiered fondant cake. Each layer was adorned with intricate figurines.

“Looks nice, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“It’s beautiful,” Miranda nodded. “The detail is incredible.” She pointed to the second tier. “Dr. Jefferson, don’t you think the figure with glasses and a frown looks a bit like you?”

Paul studied it for a moment, then said, “I don’t think so. I don’t frown often.”

Miranda grinned. “Maybe you do, but you’re not aware of it. Like, say… right now.”

Paul froze as he was caught off guard, feeling unexpectedly sheepish.

Miranda laughed. “Dr. Jefferson, you’re adorable.”

Just as the three of them left the cake shop, Paul’s phone rang. “Hello, Mom?”

“Paul, come home. Now,” Susan’s voice was tense and firm.

“What happened?”

“I’ll explain when you get here.”

“Alright.” After ending the call, Paul turned to them in concern. “Sorry, something’s come up at home. I

need to head back.”

Miranda was about to nod when Sam’s phone rang as well. “Alright, I got it.”

After a quick exchange, he put his phone away and looked at Paul. “What a coincidence, Dr. Jefferson. Something’s come up for me, too. But first, I’ll take Miranda home. You go on ahead.”

Miranda quickly interjected, “No, really, you both go ahead with your plans.

Paul hesitated, but Miranda pressed, “Honestly, there’s no need. I can walk home in ten minutes, I don’t need an escort.”

She then looked at Sam. “You too. Go on, don’t let me delay anything important.”

Sam and Paul exchanged glances, each seeming unwilling to concede to the other. Finally, with Miranda’s gentle urging, they both left.

As soon as they were gone, Miranda let out a long sigh of relief. Those two had finally left.

It was supposed to be a simple shopping trip, but she felt more drained than after three days in the lab. She made a mental note to avoid such outings in the future.

It was exhausting!

On his drive home, Paul was worried that something serious had happened and pushed the speed limit all

the way. But when he arrived, he found everything was perfectly calm.

Knowing his mother was impulsive and dramatic, he figured it might be another one of her whims. But to clear any doubt, he asked her if everything was alright.

Susan stared at him in silence for a long moment, making him feel slightly uncomfortable.

“Mom, why are you looking at me like that? Are you sure nothing’s wrong?”

Paul frowned while trying to piece things together. Alex was still abroad on business, and Yale had recently taken on a complicated case, but it was nothing he couldn’t handle.

As for his father, he was practically semi–retired after Alex took over. He’d spend his days relaxing and fishing, so it couldn’t be about him.

Then what on earth had his mother so concerned?

“No, the family’s fine. Your brothers are taking care of themselves. It’s you I’m worried about. Every day, you bury yourself in research and experiments. Have you given any thought to what we discussed last time?”

Susan took a deep breath, opting for a roundabout approach instead of directly addressing her concerns

Paul raised an eyebrow. “Which matter are you referring to?”

“You remember Mr. Jacobs‘ youngest daughter, don’t you? The one who used to follow you around as a kid? Their family moved overseas over a decade ago, but they came back last week. Mr. Jacobs suggested we all get together soon, and you…“