Independence

Chapter 0012

Christine patted Miranda’s back with a wrinkled yet tender hand. Her heart slowly softened. “Hush, now. You’re already all grown up, yet you’re still a crybaby. How embarrassing is that?”

Paul watched the entire situation quietly. When Christine and Miranda

hugged and made peace with each other, he silently left the living room for the balcony. He was giving them space to have a chat.

Now that Christine had finally reconciled with her student after all these years, she couldn’t help but ask Miranda how she was doing. However, she steered clear of the topic of romance.

Seeing how Miranda had admitted she was wrong, it was clear that the path- or, more precisely, the person she’d chosen–hadn’t been a good choice.

If that were the case, why should Christine rub salt on her wound?

Miranda replied, “… I rented a place near the college. I’ve been revising the syllabus, preparing myself so I can join the postgraduate program under you by the end of the year-”

Christine’s eyes lit up. Surprise overwhelmed her. “Really? Do you really mean that?” She even had to reaffirm what she’d heard.

Nodding, Miranda hummed in acknowledgment. She felt embarrassed to look Christine in the eye.

Years ago, her career path had been nicely laid out before her, yet she’d refused to walk down it. But now she wanted to start over…

“Excellent! You should’ve made this decision a long time ago! Don’t you dare lie to me. I’ll take that as a promise! Finally, I won’t be reserving that spot in vain this year…”

Miranda was stunned. She had an inkling that Christine might’ve saved a spot for her when she’d visited Christine at the hospital. Still, she found it hard to believe now that her assumption had been affirmed.

“Oh, Miranda,” she thought to herself. “What have you done to receive such kindness?”

+15 BOHUS

“Dr. Young, I can’t say for sure that I’ll pass the admission exam. You shouldn’t…” Her voice trailed off. She hoped Christine wouldn’t have her hopes up.

Christine replied, “You’ll make it as long as you put your heart into it. I know best how capable you are. That’s unless you flunk the test on purpose to tease this old lady here!”

“Why would I?” Miranda was amused.

“It’s late. You and Paul… Where’s Paul?”

Paul walked in from the balcony. “Dr. Young.”

“It’s late now. You and Miranda should have lunch with me. I’ll prepare the food myself!”

Miranda was horrified when she heard that idea. Even Paul had a complicated look on his face.

“I think… you should just leave the cooking to me.” It wasn’t that Miranda didn’t appreciate the gesture, but she was worried that Christine would set the kitchen on fire..

Christine cleared her throat awkwardly. Clearly, she knew she wasn’t the most skilled in terms of cooking. However, she had to uphold her dignity in front of her students.

Clearing her throat again, she tried to gloss it over, saying, “That works too. I’m still recovering from my illness. Perhaps I shouldn’t cook…”

Miranda swiftly put on an apron and entered the kitchen.

Paul rolled up his sleeves and followed her. “I’ll help.”

Christine’s darted between the two of them, and her grin widened..

The fridge was filled with fresh cooking ingredients. Since Christine had just been discharged from the hospital and was still recovering, Miranda planned to cook something mild.

Paul asked, “How should I help?”

+15 BONUS

Miranda glanced at the colander. “Do you know how to wash the vegetables?” Paul was stunned. “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

Miranda stepped aside. Although Paul seemed unfamiliar with the task, he

took it seriously. He cleaned up every speck of dirt on the leaves.

Miranda casually asked, “Is there anything you don’t eat?”

“No.”

“And what cuisine do you prefer?”

“I can eat anything.”

“You’re easy to please, huh?” she muttered. He wasn’t like Hansel, who was a picky eater and had all sorts of demands.