Chapter 10

But at the end of the day, Yovanna was noticeably young. Xavier could easily guess what she was thinking. He was annoyed by this. It was like he could hear Miranda's name everywhere he went. And every time he heard her name, he would get irritated. He wanted to do things to Miranda, but he had to rein in his frustration. "Yovi…" Xavier said softly as he ran a hand through Yovanna's hair. Something sparked inside Yovanna as she blushed at the gesture. Her heart raced inside her chest. Xavier loved her, and he wouldn't touch her because of her young age. This was something that she should be pleased about, but Yovanna wanted to quickly take their relationship to the next level. "Xavy, I think our relationship could stand to be…" "Do you know what kind of women I dislike the most?" It hadn't been easy for Yovanna to gather her courage, but Xavier's words quickly shattered it. She had a bad feeling about this. "I… don't know?" Yovanna said nervously. Xavier continued to run his fingers through her hair, and there was an odd look on his face. "A woman who has already gotten what she wants, yet still plots and schemes for another woman's downfall." Yovanna shook, her face turning pale. "But you're not like that, right?" Xavier's smile was warm, but Yovanna felt a chill run down her spine. "Of course not," she quickly replied. "Good girl," Xavier said affectionately as he caressed her face. As the day the deal with Shanridge Group was to be closed crept closer, problem after problem popped up. Miranda was used to this as she quietly resolved them all. During her lunch break, Sharon called Miranda to yell at her. "The Andersons have brought that good-for-nothing mother of yours back, and several of the deals with the Andersons have fallen through. Xavier clearly wants to back them into a corner, so the Andersons are seething now. "They said that they're going to put your mother in prison, and she came crying to me. Does she think that her tears would do anything?" Miranda's chest tightened at her aunt's words. She remained silent. "You better not interfere. You won't have a good time if you get involved." Miranda looked down as she spun her pen with a pained smile on her face. "Alright, Aunt Sharon. I know where I should stand in this. I still have work to do, so I'll talk to you later." Without waiting for Sharon's reply, Miranda quickly hung up. Since it was lunchtime, everyone had already left to eat. Miranda was the only one left in the office. The quietness unsettled her. Her face was pale from Sharon's phone call as she finally left her seat. There was a cafe downstairs, so Miranda went there to order some coffee. After placing her order, she headed over to a corner. Although she had dumped loads of sugar into her coffee, it still tasted bitter when she took a sip. It was like her life. She just didn't know how to make things better for herself, no matter what she did. Fortunately for Miranda, she was a strong woman. She had managed to make it this far in life because of that. Now that she had downed half her coffee, she felt calm at last. "What a coincidence, Ms. Jennings," a familiar voice rang out close to Miranda. She turned around and looked up, only to see that it was Yovanna. Yovanna was dressed warmly for the weather, with a scarf obscuring the lower half of her face. It made her look even more delicate. Her eyes shone with mirth. "A coincidence, indeed." Miranda was not in a good mood, so her tone wasn't as cheerful. "Is something wrong?" Yovanna asked, frowning as though she was concerned for Miranda. Miranda didn't want to know if Yovanna was sincere, so she took her at face value. "Yeah, it's freezing." "Xavy, I think you should have dressed for the weather." Xavier entered the cafe at last, having only just parked his car. Immediately, Yovanna's gaze shifted to him. Miranda's heart wavered when she looked at him. Xavier had a pale purple scarf wrapped around his neck. This particular shade wasn't usually fetched on men, but Xavier's good looks made it work. Xavier disliked bright colors. Miranda knew without a doubt that Yovanna picked out the scarf. And since he loved Yovanna, he would wear it even if he disliked it. Miranda propped her chin up to stare outside the window. There was no use comparing oneself with others. Nothing good could come out of that. Xavier approached Yovanna and took her hands in his. "I don't feel cold. My hands are warm." "Then, please warm my hands for me." The current Miranda was different from the Miranda that Xavier was used to. She used to be a sturdy rock. She was always so strong and tenacious, no matter the challenges that came her way. That day, however, Miranda looked worried and wan. That look could only come from bone-deep exhaustion. What happened to her? "It seems that we keep running into each other no matter where I go, Ms. Jennings." Xavier's expression was frosty. He didn't want to speak with her, but even when he did, he wasn't all that friendly. Miranda looked at him calmly. "Maybe I've placed a tracking device on you." It was a joke, but Xavier froze. He frowned, a look of displeasure on his face. "Are you joking with me?" Miranda grinned. "Let's put it that way then." She got up and nodded at him. "I need to get back to work." "Good luck with your work, Ms. Jennings!" Yovanna called after her. Miranda chuckled lightly before leaving.