When fate plays its hand
When fate plays its hand 919

Chapter 0919

In the hallway, Christine was the first to return to her room.

Paul took Miranda’s shawl from his arm and handed it to her. “Are you… alright?”

She knew what he was concerned about and smiled as she took the shawl. “Don’t worry,

I’m not drunk.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Dr. Jefferson, thank you for this morning,” Miranda said.

Paul chuckled. “Why thank me? I asked you to help with the questions. If anyone should be thankful, it should be me.”

“The questions weren’t hard. Anyone else could’ve answered them, but you called on me and gave me the chance,” she replied.

“I gave you a chance, but it’s up to you to take it. So, you should thank yourself, not me.”

Miranda blinked in surprise. “Thank myself?”

“Yes.” Paul nodded. “Thank yourself for the work you’ve put in. Thank yourself for your focus and dedication. Miranda, opportunities come to those who are prepared.”

“Yeah.”

“Go rest now. Tomorrow’s another busy day,” he said.

“Alright,” she replied.

Paul watched her enter her room and close the door. Then, he took out his room card before returning to his own room.

Elizabeth saw everything through the peephole. Seeing Paul’s gentle treatment of Miranda and recalling his coldness toward her, Elizabeth’s jealousy flared. She nearly bit her lip until it bled.

Just then, her phone buzzed on the table. She eagerly picked it up and hoped it was Paul, but the screen showed “Bryan Sundale” instead. Annoyed, she tossed the phone onto the bed.

Why was it him again? She found it irritating since Bryan had been calling her nonstop all day.

Elizabeth glared at the phone and let it vibrate endlessly until the screen went dark. She turned onto her side and closed her eyes to sleep. Before doing so, she made sure to set the phone to silent so Bryan could call as much as he wanted.

1/2

Chapter 0919

Sandy stepped down from the lab bench while removing her mask as she walked. Suddenly, she paused and noticed Bryan standing still by the break room door. She hesitated before calling out, “Bry?”

He turned around and forced a smile. “Hi, Sandy.”

“Why are you still here?” She noticed he was holding his phone as though he had been calling someone.

Bryan quickly put his phone down. “I still have two sets of data to analyze, so I’m staying to work overtime.”

“Don’t overdo it, though. Your health is more important. By the way, is your mom doing okay?” Sandy asked.

Bryan hesitated before answering, “It’s just a minor issue. She’s already been hospitalized for treatment.

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“Glad to hear that.” She nodded. “You get back to work. I’m leaving first.‘

“Alright, Sandy. Take care, and stay safe on the road.”

“Okay.”

After Sandy left, Bryan watched her retreated figure before turning his attention back to his phone. He wondered why Elizabeth wasn’t answering his call.

Was she too tired because of a packed schedule? He cursed himself for not thinking this through. Why was he still calling at this hour?

In the end, he sent a WhatsApp message instead. “Lizzy, don’t work too hard. Good night!”

The following day was the last day of the academic exchange. The morning session was a discussion forum with no guest speakers or big–name scholars. It focused on free exchange and open conversation. A microphone was set up on the stage, and anyone who wanted to speak was welcome.

Thanks to Christine’s introduction and the strong impression Miranda made while answering Paul’s questions yesterday, she drew a lot of attention.