Chapter 9

Adrian stormed off in a fury. Miranda looked up at Xavier before averting her gaze. "Thank you, Mr. Schneider." "How is your arm?" Xavier frowned as he looked at her red and swollen wrist. "Did Adrian do this?" he asked. "It's not a big deal," Miranda replied. She tended to bruise easily, and this could be easily resolved with a topical cream. But then Miranda recalled the situation with the Anderson family. She hesitated before speaking up, "About the Andersons…" "You intend to speak up for them?" Miranda didn't answer. "I hadn't pegged you for a saint," Xavier mocked with a languid expression on his face. "I don't hold grudges against people. And Ms. Yates came out alright in this incident because of me. Not to mention, my mother is still missing…" Miranda trailed off before she continued. "I know that you can't bear to see your own darling hurt, but the Andersons also did not come out the worse for wear. Let's just treat it as a small warning to them." Adrian was a narrow-minded man. The Andersons would be forced to either swallow their pride and allow things to continue or release Miranda's mother into Xavier's custody. If that were to happen, Miranda would be in trouble. However, an inexplicable wave of irritation sprang up inside Xavier as he listened to Miranda. His expression chilled. "This isn't something you should care about." Miranda sighed, but she didn't continue. Miranda was dressed lightly for the weather, and it was getting late. "Let me send you back," Xavier suggested. "It's alright, Mr. Schneider. I can drive myself back…" Miranda wanted to decline as Xavier already had a girlfriend. Yovanna also wasn't pleased that they had a relationship in the past. Miranda didn't want to ruin Yovanna and Xavier's relationship, and she didn't want any misunderstandings to occur either. However, Xavier suddenly snapped a picture of her. "Let me just inform Yovanna," he said. He wanted to inform her. Miranda had no words. After the last seven years as Xavier's secretary, Miranda knew Xavier's schedule like the back of her hand. However, she was completely in the dark when it came to his personal life and relationships. When it came to her relationship with Xavier, she had always admired him. Yet, she felt unworthy. But now, Miranda didn't need Yovanna to explain things to her. Xavier had learned to be direct yet caring in a romantic relationship. Shortly after, Yovanna sent a voice note. "Drive safely, okay? Tell Ms. Jennings that I said hi. Love you, darling." Miranda let out a laugh. "You really don't have to, Mr. Schneider." Just as she was about to leave, Xavier suddenly grabbed her wrist in a fit of annoyance. Without any regard for Miranda's protests, he shoved her into his car and drove off. The air-conditioning was on full blast. Miranda clenched her fists in her seat. She didn't want to see Xavier, so she looked out of the window instead. Gradually, she fell asleep. Miranda's dream was odd. Although she wasn't much of a bubbly and affectionate person, in her dream, her arms were around Xavier. Her dream self also had a sweet smile on her face. "Oh, Mr. Schneider, you rascal! Are you sure that you should just let anyone call you 'husband'?" "You're rather stiff, Ms. Jennings." Xavier let out a low chuckle as he pressed her onto the bed and loomed over her. He pressed a kiss to her lips. "What else should you be calling me then? Even if not now, you'd still have to in the future…" He rarely brought up marriage with Miranda. Most of the time, after they had a fight, they would butt heads, and neither party would give way. But those few times, didn't it end that way? Miranda remembered them all, and she held them close to her heart, scared to forget them. By the time Miranda woke up, Xavier's car had already reached Miranda's apartment building. She opened her eyes. It was definitely very late now. Xavier had a cigarette in his mouth as he looked at her. "You're finally awake?" he asked in a noncommittal tone. "Thank you so much for today, Mr. Schneider," Miranda replied politely, just like their first meeting. Miranda's pale skin shone faintly under the moonlight, giving her an underworldly look. Something stirred inside Xavier. It was hard to describe, but he also felt a sense of frustration when she called him "Mr. Schneider". He put out his cigarette before suddenly turning to pull Miranda into his arms. "Are you not going to invite me in?" he asked. This was less than polite of him, and Miranda couldn't discern his motives. Neither Miranda nor Xavier were saints. In this line of work, morals weren't something you could hang onto. However, she also wasn't interested in playing relationship games, nor did she want to crash Yovanna and Xavier's relationship as Xavier's ex-girlfriend. Miranda pushed away Xavier's girlfriend. "Ms. Yates would not want to see us like this. If you have any requests in that vein, you should look for her instead." "Yovanna is my beloved, but she's still young. I don't want to frighten her." Xavier's eyes darkened. At first, he had only wanted to catch Miranda off guard. Every time Miranda had this cold and calm look on her face, he would feel irritated. But with how soft she felt in his arms now, his heart softened as well. All of a sudden, Miranda's eyes prickled. She shoved Xavier away with a frosty expression. "Do not make me think the worst of you, Mr. Schneider." Miranda's nose was a light red, as though she was about to cry. Xavier's irritation grew, and he wanted to burst out laughing. What was she crying about? Was he really just a cruel and heartless playboy in Miranda's eyes?" "Get out of my sight!" Xavier ordered coldly as he averted his gaze. But Miranda let out a sigh of relief instead. Xavier's hot and cold attitude was something that she knew all too well. She left and went upstairs to her apartment. Xavier watched her go and lit another cigarette before getting back into his car. When he arrived home, the rest of the Schneiders were still awake. Although it was late, they were still up and chatting. Yovanna sat across Bernard Schneider, engaged in conversation. Meanwhile, Xavier's stepmother clapped, a pleased look on her face. Xavier's voice was low as he stepped into the house. "Yovi, what were you chatting about with Ms. Quinta?" he asked. Quinta Anning was Xavier's stepmother. Xavier's birth mother had passed away when he was a child, so Bernard remarried. Quinta was young and beautiful, and she was also a gentle and well-behaved woman who treated Xavier well. In turn, Xavier was nice to her as well, treating her with kindness. Seeing Xavier had returned, Yovanna blushed. "Nothing much. I was just talking about this art exhibition with her. There's an art exhibition nearby. We should go together one of these days, Xavy." Quinta and Bernard smiled as Xavier and Yovanna talked. But Quinta couldn't help but ask, "Why were you late? Did you have a lot of work to do?" "No. I saw that Miranda was being heckled, so I gave her a ride back to her home," Xavier replied as if he was just talking about the weather. However, Bernard and Quinta frowned. Bernard knew about his son's personal life, not to mention that Miranda had spent the last seven years with him. It wasn't that Miranda was a bad match for Xavier. Other than her circumstances, she was an outstanding woman. She was smart and ambitious, not to mention brave as well. However, marriage was not the same as being colleagues at work. Xavier was already an ambitious man. A tenacious young woman who was at least as ambitious as him might not be a good match. Fortunately, Xavier and Miranda had broken up. But Bernard hadn't expected Xavier to still have some lingering feelings for her. Seeing the dismay on their faces, Yovanna quickly piped up. "Xavy told me about this earlier. It's understandable that emotions would come into play sometimes. I trust him and Ms. Jennings." Bernard and Quinta finally relaxed after Yovanna's explanation. However, Bernard still told Xavier, "Once this business is over, let Ms. Jennings return to her subsidiary. You should also draw some boundaries. "This young lady is not someone you should be involved with. I didn't agree when she insisted on marrying you back then. In truth, if it weren't for her performance at work, I would have fired her." "I understand." Xavier's eyes were dark, his expression indiscernible. His gaze fell upon the carved figurine on the coffee table. That was a birthday gift that Miranda had given to Bernard back when she first met him. Miranda had helped Xavier with his father's birthday gifts when she worked as Xavier's secretary. Bernard loved the figurine, so he had it displayed in the living room. Though it had been a few years by now, the figurine was still as beautiful as the day it was first purchased. It gleamed under the light, just like Miranda's skin did earlier under the moonlight. Xavier sat down to talk with the rest of his family. By the time they were done, it was already late. So, Yovanna stayed the night at their house. Xavier loved her, but since they weren't married yet, neither of them shared a room. "By the way, Xavy, is Ms. Jennings alright?" Yovanna couldn't help but ask as Xavier walked her to her room. She relaxed when Xavier explained the situation to her. She batted her eyes at him. "To be honest, I actually am bothered by whatever you have going on with her. You are my boyfriend, after all. "But it seems that I don't have to be too worried now. There is no smoke without fire, and as far as I can see, there is none so far. I believe that Ms. Jennings knows her place in this, too, so she will know what to do." Yovanna then averted her gaze. Miranda was a thorn in her side, but if she were to do anything now, she would not be able to catch Miranda off guard. She wanted to let Miranda back off and quietly disappear altogether from her life with Xavier.