Independence

Chapter 0136

+25 BONUS

Miranda smiled faintly. “It’s okay, we can talk about it.”

Even with her reassurance, the conversation fell silent.

Then, Winter’s side of the call got noisy. “Mimi, I need to go. The family dinner’s starting, and my mom’s looking for me.”

“Alright,” Miranda said.

After they hung up, Miranda was about to put her phone away when she got several WhatsApp messages.

It was from Sam.

He sent over documents about an international lawsuit, along with receipts and a quick update on how things were going. There were also a few forms she needed to sign.

Miranda was surprised at how quickly things were moving with the lawsuit, considering how complicated and slow international cases usually are.

Miranda downloaded the documents, signed them online, and sent them back to Sam.

Sam quickly confirmed he got them and then sent a playful message, “You trust me that much? Aren’t you worried I might betray you?”

Miranda replied, “You wouldn’t.”

Sam felt a warm feeling inside and smiled. Her trust seemed to make him happy. He then typed, “Don’t worry, it’s just some routine paperwork. Nothing more, I promise.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow, not impressed. She wasn’t naive. She had carefully checked every document before signing. Besides, if Sam wanted to deceive her, he wouldn’t use such obvious methods.

A few seconds later, Miranda’s phone buzzed again.

Sam: “Merry Christmas Eve, Miranda. I hope my wish comes true next year.”

Miranda turned her phone face down on the bed. She wasn’t Santa Claus, so why should she care about his wish?

“Mimi, your dad’s carved the turkey! Come eat!” Mindy called from downstairs.

Miranda quickly got up and replied, “Coming!”

By 9:00 pm, the Christmas special was on TV.

Sitting on the couch with her parents, Miranda enjoyed the warmth of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy. The TV host’s cheerful voice filled the room, and her mom occasionally gave her sweet apple ple. It was a perfect, happy Christmas Eve.

At midnight, as the TV hosts counted down to Christmas, the neighborhood was filled with colorful Christmas lights reflecting off the snow, making it look magical.

In the yard, Lionel was busy setting up a small bonfire.

Chapter 0136

Mindy stood nearby in her coat, reminding him, “Be careful…”

The crackling of the fire added to the festive feeling of the night.

+25 BONUS

Miranda was smiling at her parents when she felt her phone buzz. It was a call from an unknown number. Normally, she wouldn’t answer, but since it was from Elgerson City, she decided to pick up.

“Merry Christmas,” said a calm and familiar voice on the other end.

Miranda smiled even more, looking at the Christmas lights in the sky. “Dr. Jefferson, Merry Christmas.”

Paul had pieced together from Winter’s comments that Miranda might have gone home for the holidays. After his family dinner, he went to his study to work on some experiment data. But he kept thinking about his phone.

He found Miranda’s number–the one she gave him when they first met–and decided to call it.

As he dialed, his heart raced. When she answered, he blurted out, “Merry Christmas…”