When fate plays its hand

Paul also seemed stunned as well. As their gazes locked, Miranda suddenly shot him a

radiant smile.

The unexpected brilliance of her smile dazzled Paul and threw him off guard. The calm waters of his heart stirred and caused rippling waves of emotion that he couldn’t suppress

At that moment, Sam suddenly coughed loudly, “Ahem!”

Miranda and Paul snapped back to their senses and averted their eyes quickly.

Sam snorted inwardly, “Hmph!”

Out of concern, Madison asked, “Mr. Cooper, are you okay?”

The words came out of her mouth faster than Sebastian could act. He was about to tug her sleeve under the table, but it was too late, and he ended up grabbing nothing.

Sam answered, “The food’s a little spicy.”

“Oh, is it that spicy for you? Why do I think it’s just fine? You should drink some water.”

“Alright.” He could only thank her for her concern.

Madison turned to Sebastian. “Seb, why did you pull me just now? Do you need something?

Sebastian remained silent.

No, he didn’t dare to answer. It was better to leave it at that.

…

After dinner, Ollie was busy tidying up. He washed the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Madison sat on a chair in the living room, warming her feet next to two charcoal braziers. Julie knew that she was afraid of the cold and lit the braziers specially for her. She even brought it over personally. “Madison, you can use this for now. I’ll come back to add more charcoal later.”

“Oh, thank you! You’re so sweet, Julie!”

Embarrassed, Julie scurried back to her bedroom.

Madison warmed herself by the fire, feeling toasty. She watched as Ollie’s shadow moved back and forth busily on the kitchen wall. He seemed not to feel exhausted at all.

She watched his figure, lost in thought. This was the first time she realized that men could also be so adept at kitchen chores. The idea that men should stay away from the kitchen or

shouldn’t cook didn’t apply here.

More importantly, neither Wanda, Joli, nor Julie seemed to find it surprising. They seemed entirely accustomed to it.

Sebastian suddenly broke the silence. “What are you thinking about?”

Madison rested her chin in her hand. “I’m thinking of marrying a man who can cook in the future! That way, I won’t have to cook for myself or eat out at restaurants to enjoy delicious food every day!”

Sebastian asked incredulously, “That’s it?”

Madison retorted, “What’s wrong with that? Is that not enough? Don’t you know what it means if a man knows how to cook?”

“What?” Sebastian was puzzled.

“It means that he knows how to live a good life, has a good temper, and is patient. Most importantly, that skill is appealing to foodies like me!”

“Is that so?” Sebastian fell into thoughtful silence.

In the backyard, Paul and Sawm had called Joli over for a private conversation. Miranda was present as well.

Paul handed him a business card. “This is the card for Dr. Derrick Rowan, the country’s leading nephrology expert. I’ve already contacted him.

“On the 3rd of next month, he will be in Yalemont for an academic exchange and will be seeing patients at the Oasis Hospital for a month. Take your mother to see him. He will arrange for an examination and plan her treatment subsequently.”

Visibly moved, Joli accepted the card. “Thank you, Dr. Jefferson!”

“No need to thank me. You can call the number on the card if any issues arise later.”

The number on the card was most likely Derrick’s private line. Ordinary people wouldn’t have access to it. Even if they had the number and made a call, there was no guarantee that he would take the case. NôvelDrama.Org owns this text.

However, Paul had already taken care of everything.

Sam suddenly asked Joli, “What’s your plan going forward?”

He was taken aback. “Plan?”

Sam instinctively reached for his pocket, clearly intending to pull out a cigarette. He stopped mid–action upon seeing Miranda out of the corner of his eye. Instead, he shoved both hands into his pockets to cover up.

2/83

He said, “That’s right. The Sneider brothers have been arrested, and they’ll definitely face heavy sentences. But their father is still out there. Given their family’s upbringing and values, I’d bet he’s not much better…”