It was enough that things seemed polite on the surface; no one needed to push further.Hansel usually stayed neutral, avoiding taking sides and pretending not to notice any issues. He never really tried to fix the problems between his girlfriend and his mother.Miranda understood this and didn't for
Miranda smiled faintly. "It's okay, we can talk about it."Even with her reassurance, the conversation fell silent.Then, Winter's side of the call got noisy. "Mimi, I need to go. The family dinner's starting, and my mom's looking for me.""Alright," Miranda said.After they hung up, Miranda was abo
On the other end of the line, Paul heard Miranda's gentle, calm voice. It sounded like she was smiling as she wished him a Merry Christmas.In his mind, he pictured her holding the phone, the Christmas lights casting a soft glow on her face. She must have looked beautiful.…On Christmas morning, Mi
During winter break, the school was very quiet since most students were away.The security guard saw Miranda at the gate and said, "You must be back from college for the holidays. Are you here to visit your old teachers?"With some senior students still in class, he waved her in and added, "Just kee
Lionel's face went serious. "Mrs. Hoven, my daughter Miranda is a great young woman. Whatever you've heard, please stop spreading these nasty rumors."Such talk is just gossip," Lionel said firmly. "It's not how a teacher should behave."Then, Lionel walked away, clearly upset.Judy watched him go a
"Oh my! It really is you, Miranda!" Karen's loud, surprised voice came through the door. "I almost thought I was mistaken!"Karen Larden, the loud neighbor next door, was known for her gossip. Her husband also taught at Earnest High, and they moved into the staff quarters the same year as Miranda's
Miranda shook the mop and continued to swing it at Karen. Karen held her head and ran toward the door. "I'm not done with you! That damned wisteria from your place has spread into my yard. I'm burning it all down tomorrow! It's so annoying!" Karen yelled, then ran off as Miranda chased after her wi
Jenny worked at the power plant.With a stable job and no real stress, she was rather plump and cheerful. Today, she wore a bright green sweater and had her short hair styled in fluffy, wool-like curls, making her look like a robust Christmas tree."What are you talking about? Can't you speak proper
Going downstairs, Miranda found Aren and Paul still sitting at the same spot as before. They were facing each other over the chessboard, deep in thought. She wondered if she had dreamed of taking a nap. "Mimi, are you up already? Come help me take a look. Paul is something else. He's already beaten
On second thought, Sawyer figured that Sam was Miranda's older cousin. It was normal for him to be annoyed after seeing through his intentions. After all, it was natural for families to feel protective over young women like Miranda. Sawyer quickly put on a smile. "Mr. Cooper, you're right. Since I'
Sawyer answered, "Alright."Soon, Miranda entered the house. "Grandma, did you call for me?""Come here, Miranda." Fiona beckoned her over. "Let me introduce you to the young scion of the Jensen family, Sawyer Jensen. You two probably met during the birthday banquet.""Nice to meet you," Miranda gre
Paul remained silent as he watched Sam walk away.How childish.Meanwhile, Miranda frowned. That couldn't be right. She had picked each one carefully and they all looked sweet. Sam was probably unlucky to eat a sour one. Paul and Sam picked two large baskets of strawberries and handed them over to
However, Sam's mind had long wandered elsewhere. Coincidentally, he stepped out of the study with a bright smile on his face when the maid came to call him. Sam hadn't gone to the office as he knew Miranda would be visiting. He specially came to the Garrison estate to wait for her instead. Sure en
Miranda felt that if she didn't find an excuse to get Joli out of the lab, he could easily stay there for an entire day. Then, he would pull another all-nighter. Did Joli really think he had some kind of superpower? He worked nonstop for two days with barely any sleep and no proper meals. Yet, he s
Miranda began, "Grandma, I—" "Aren, can you keep an eye on the fire for me? It's been stewing for three hours, and I just need this last touch. Make sure it's perfect, okay? It's too noisy here, so I'm going out to talk to Mimi."It sounded like Fiona had walked into the living room since the noise
Paul paused, then chuckled. "Why do you ask?"Miranda responded thoughtfully, "Because I think it's you. Am I right?"After a brief pause, he nodded. "Yeah."She smiled. "I knew it… No wonder you said we should let things calm down before making any moves. You'd already planned this beforehand, hadn
Madison sighed. "You don't get it."Sebastian gave her a puzzled look."I'm so stressed out," Madison wailed."What can I do to help?" When he saw the tears in her eyes, Sebastian panicked."I'm not getting enough sleep… Can I cut the morning run by ten minutes?" she sobbed."Sure," he said.Madison