Miranda walked out of the private room, stumbling slightly and almost falling. She quickly steadied herself against the wall and slowly made her way towards the elevator.

The drug that Jordan had slipped into her wine was starting to take effect. She could feel her strength leaving her body and her mind slowly slipping out of consciousness. She had to leave this place before she lost consciousness entirely.

Miranda barely managed to make it downstairs and into the car. Once she was inside, she locked the door, reclined her seat, and started gasping for air.

Fortunately, Jordan had slipped her a sedative and not an aphrodisiac—she would have to be admitted to the hospital otherwise. Miranda quickly lost consciousness and drifted into a vivid dream.

In her dream was a scene she had imagined countless times—an outdoor wedding. She was dressed in a wedding gown she had carefully chosen a

The next morning, Miranda grabbed breakfast at a café before heading to work.

Although last night's dinner ended on an unpleasant note, someone from Shanridge Group still came over to sign the contract. After all, profit always came first in business.

"When are you starting in Evergreen, Ms. Jennings?" Wendy asked, striking up a conversation with Miranda after lunch.

Miranda massaged her temples and smiled bitterly. "It probably won't be anytime soon. Mr. Schneider just assigned another task to me, and it'll take me about a month to finish it."

"Does he not want you to leave?" Wendy asked bluntly. She only belatedly realized how inappropriate her question was.

Miranda remained calm when she replied, "It's just an exchange of conditions."

Wendy nodded and no longer continued with her questions.

…

Miranda was called to the CEO's office after her lunch break.

As Xavier was busy wit

Jordan's face turned a shade greener. If he hadn't believed that Miranda could hold her liquor before, he was now convinced.

He knew he wouldn't dare to make a move if he did not get her drunk—everyone knew of her crazy exploits, after all. As such, Jordan excused himself and walked out.

Miranda's gaze turned cold when she realized what he was about to do next.

"Ms. Jennings really knows how to handle her liquor. I'm sure you could close any deals having a secretary like her around, Mr. Schneider," George said with a smile.

Miranda wasn't happy hearing that. He seemed to be insinuating that all the deals she had closed were just a result of drinking and flattering others.

"You're giving her too much credit, Mr. Lennard," Xavier said.

He had an arm around Yovanna's shoulders as he casually toyed with her ear. "Whether a deal goes through or not has nothing to do with how much someone can drink."

Miranda's grip on the wine glass tightened. She wondered if he was defending her before banishing that thought completely. She found it incredulous that she had such an unrealistic imagination when she meant nothing to Xavier at all.

Miranda's face grew paler as she quietly chastised herself. 

George returned to the room, looking happier than when he just left. Miranda glanced at the bottle of wine in his hand with a hint of mockery.

George then placed the bottle of wine onto the table before opening it and eagerly poured some into her wine glass. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Ms. Jennings. Let's continue drinking."

His hungry gaze was fixated on Miranda's fair neck—it wasn't hard to tell what he was thinking about.

"Ah!" Yovanna suddenly yelped out loud, causing everyone to shift their attention to her.

"You're hurting me, Xavy." She cupped her ear, looking at Xavier with reddening eyes.

He hurriedly coaxed her, "Sorry, my bad. Let me tend to it."

His look of guilt made Miranda feel dizzy. She wondered if she was actually drunk.

In her daze, she felt as if she had been transported back to a few years ago. Xavier had accidentally scratched her eyes while grabbing something, and she started tearing up from the pain.

Upon seeing her tears for the first time, he was anxious and shocked. He then hugged her and apologized over and over, trying to make her feel better. That was the first time Miranda felt like a precious flower held in the palm of Xavier's hands—but that was also the only time she felt that way.

"I'll ignore you if you hurt me like this again, Xavy!" Yovanna softly complained.

Xavier chuckled and replied, "Alright, I promise not to hurt you again."

Miranda squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. When she opened them again, she downed her drink in a go. Xavier's gaze darkened when he glanced over.

"Ms. Jennings is truly something!" George said with a hearty laugh. "I'd seriously try to poach you as my secretary if it's not for Mr. Schneider's reluctance!"

"I'll let you have her if she catches your fancy, Mr. Hudson," Xavier replied.

Miranda felt a sudden chill creeping from beneath her. The resentment buried deep within her was bubbling to the surface all of a sudden.

Xavier was truly unbelievable. How could she not resent him? One would have formed a bond with their pet of seven years—and she was a living person. How could he treat her like this?

Yovanna said, "How could you say that, Xavy? Ms. Jennings is a person, not an object. How could you let someone have her as you wish?" 

She cast a worried glance at Miranda before continuing, "You should stop drinking, Ms. Jennings. Drinking this much isn't good for our health—especially for us women."

Miranda cast a sideways glance at her. Everyone around the table had their own agenda, and this seemingly innocent young woman was no different. Every word of concern and act of defense was just her way of building an image for herself.

"You're right. I've been too careless with her." Jordan no longer needed to make Miranda drink, and now that his goal had been achieved,

He took away her wine glass and leaned in closer. "You've had so much to drink, Ms. Jennings. Do you need to refresh yourself in the bathroom?"

Jordan could barely keep his restlessness in check now.

Miranda looked up, her gaze cold. Slowly, she got up from her seat and gripped the glass turntable with her right hand. She then flipped it over, to everyone's shock.

"You're crazy, Miranda!" Xavier was fuming as he stared at her.

"Ms. Jennings—" Yovanna frightfully clutched at his arm.

"I'm sorry. I lost control of myself for a moment." Miranda remained unperturbed, as if she wasn't the one who pulled such a crazy antic earlier.

Jordan's expression darkened as he asked, "What do you mean by this, Ms. Jennings?"

"I don't know what just happened to myself either. It's as if my mind and arms suddenly went out of control," Miranda said, looking confused.

Her words were hard to believe. Just as Jordan was about to throw a fit, she suddenly looked down at him with a blank stare.

She said, "I wonder if it's the wine I had earlier, but I've heard there's something, once consumed, that would make someone do as they're told no matter what."

Miranda's icy tone sent a chill down Jordan's spine.

"What kind of nonsense are you sprouting, Ms. Jennings?" he said, wiping the sweat off his forehead. "Are you saying that I put something like that in your wine earlier?"

Jordan was truly an idiot. Miranda cast a disdainful look at him, who had practically confessed to his deeds.

She said, "Someone as upstanding as you could never do something so despicable, Mr. Hudson. I suspect someone else out there has an ulterior motive behind all these."

"You're right—that must be it!" George hurriedly said to smooth things over. Jordan kept quiet with a grim expression.

Miranda was never a meek person—she was far better than most men in terms of tactics and ruthlessness. If one pushed her too far, she would never stop until she tore them apart.

She was destined to stand above everyone else. Xavier suddenly felt as if his blood was boiling as he watched her.

Yovanna, who was beside him, felt anxious and quickly tried to draw his attention. "Is there really something that can make people do whatever you want, Xavy?"

"Perhaps so," Xavier replied, turning his gaze back to her as she wished.

Yovanna asked, "Where can I get it from?"

"What did you need it for?" Xavier asked.

"It's for you," Yovanna said as she nuzzled against his neck. "That way, you'll love me forever."

Xavier bopped her nose. "So greedy."

"Oh, it seems like you truly won't love me forever now." Although Yovanna seemed to be acting coquettishly on the surface, she was actually feeling uneasy deep down.

Miranda's fate had had its impact on her—she was afraid of becoming the next Miranda. Xavier chuckled softly and avoided her question. "You're talking nonsense."

"I'm not feeling well, Mr. Schneider. I hope you'll allow me to leave earlier." Miranda turned to look at him. She felt nauseous seeing the affectionate interaction between Xavier and Yovanna.

Miranda had never expected him to be so heartless to the point of pushing her into another man's embrace. Xavier was truly something. She had lost completely in this relationship of theirs.

He looked up indifferently as he asked, "Do you think it's appropriate for the project's biggest contributor to leave first?"

"It's rather inappropriate," Miranda replied with a smile. Yet, she insisted on leaving. She turned around and walked away under Xavier's cold gaze.

Miranda walked out of the private room, stumbling slightly and almost falling. She quickly steadied herself against the wall and slowly made her way towards the elevator.

The drug that Jordan had slipped into her wine was starting to take effect. She could feel her strength leaving her body and her mind slowly slipping out of consciousness. She had to leave this place before she lost consciousness entirely.

Miranda barely managed to make it downstairs and into the car. Once she was inside, she locked the door, reclined her seat, and started gasping for air.

Fortunately, Jordan had slipped her a sedative and not an aphrodisiac—she would have to be admitted to the hospital otherwise. Miranda quickly lost consciousness and drifted into a vivid dream.

In her dream was a scene she had imagined countless times—an outdoor wedding. She was dressed in a wedding gown she had carefully chosen and loved. Under everyone's well-wished gazes, she slowly made her way toward the man waiting for her

Chapter 15