When fate plays its hand

While Miranda chose a car, Paul didn’t say much. But he stayed by her side and always offered a gentle reminder whenever she overlooked something. What kind of friend would do that?

From the moment they stepped inside, his focus was entirely on her. The care and attention in his eyes were unmistakable–there was no hiding it.

It was just like those newlywed couples Freya had seen before. Even if Miranda and Paul weren’t newlyweds, they definitely looked like a couple. That was probably why Freya had asked the question.

This wasn’t the first time Miranda had dealt with such a misunderstanding. She avoided looking at his face and waved it off. “No, you’ve misunderstood.”

Freya quickly apologized.

Paul didn’t say a word, but his gentle gaze remained fixed on Miranda.

Freya looked confused and wondered if they weren’t actually a couple.

While shopping across the street, Nelly suddenly remembered her car needed servicing, so she decided to swing by the dealership. As she stepped out, she was surprised to spot a familiar face.

She tipped her hat up, blinked, and then took another look. Sure enough, it was Paul, Susan’s youngest

son.

Standing next to him was a woman. Her profile seemed oddly familiar, but Nelly couldn’t quite place where she had seen her before.

An idea struck her, and she quickly pulled out her phone. She snapped a few pictures of them from behind. Then, she sent them to Susan with a text message. “Hey Susan, is this Paul? Does he have a girlfriend?”

At the beauty salon, Susan saw the message and jumped up without noticing that her mask had slipped off. She immediately asked Nelly for the location, which the latter promptly shared.

“What’s wrong, Mrs. Jefferson?” The wealthy women accompanying Susan were startled by her sudden reaction and asked in unison.

“It’s nothing.” Susan immediately put on a smile. “It’s just a minor issue.

If she hadn’t been clenching her teeth, her words might have sounded more convincing.

Susan threw the blanket aside, slipped into her slippers, and headed for the door. “Sorry, ladies. I just remembered there’s something urgent I need to handle, so I’ll have to leave now. Put everything on my tab today. Enjoy yourselves, and don’t hesitate to indulge.”

Those wealthy women quickly reassured her, “Go ahead and don’t worry about us. What matters is the task at hand.*

The beautician blinked and looked confused. She mumbled, “But… Mrs. Jefferson, you haven’t even

removed your mask yet. Are you sure it’s okay to leave like this?”

Susan didn’t care about any of that. She marched straight toward the location Nelly had shared earlier.

Where are they?”

“You’re quick?” Nelly was surprised to see her arrive so fast.

Susan looked across the street at the Mercedes–Benz dealership. “Are they inside?”

Nelly replied, “They were, but they just left.”

Susan frowned. Even though the photo only showed their backs, she immediately recognized Paul and Miranda. She asked, “What were they doing at a car dealership?”

Nelly replied, “Of course, they came to buy a car. The woman already picked it up and drove off.”

“Did Mi… um… was it the woman who bought it?”

“Yeah. A white Mercedes–Benz C–Class. Why would a guy drive that? Most of the owners are women.”

Susan pursed her lips, and her expression darkened.

“I’ve never seen you this worked up. What’s going on? Did something happen? Is Paul really seeing someone?” Nelly asked tactfully with a poker face.

Susan just waved it off. “It’s nothing.”

It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it.

. “Well-

Nelly was about to suggest they go shopping, but before she could finish, Susan said, ‘I’ve got something else to do. I’m leaving now.”

With that, she hurried off.

Nelly watched her retreating figure and frowned as she muttered, “Wait… that figure…”