405 Things Change

The next few hours felt like a battlefield.

Quickly processing documents, booking tickets, getting through security, finding the boarding gate—it was all a whirlwind. Steven almost had to drag Emily along at a half-run. By the time they finally reached the gate, the cabin doors were just about to close. They managed to get on the plane at the very last moment.

Steven let out a breath of relief. "Miranda, it really hasn’t been easy getting you here."

The flight had no first-class tickets left, so they ended up in economy class. The legroom was extremely cramped, and the space felt tight. To make matters worse, next to Emily sat a rowdy young boy, around ten years old. He kept climbing up and down, unable to sit still for a moment. Several times, he stepped on Emily's feet, leaving smudgy footprints on her dress.

Emily sat in the middle, with Steven by the aisle. Seeing the situation, Steven immediately stood up. "Miranda, why don’t we swap seats?"

Emily didn’t object. Her dress was an