Miranda had long considered Hannah her little sister, so naturally, she couldn''t
stand by and let her get bullied. She knew Hannah always had her back, and hence, no matter what trouble Hannah found herself in, Miranda would always be ready to defend her.
Miranda could see that part of the reason Celeste was targeting Hannah was because of her. At thest banquet, Celeste had a run-in with Miranda, and despite her grudge being against Miranda, the close rtionship between Miranda and Hannah meant Hannah got caught in the crossfire.
Celeste wouldn''t have dared to provoke the Lancaster Group otherwise. Even though Hannah was rted to a smaller branch of the family, she was still a Lancaster heiress. The Lancasters were well-known for fiercely protecting their own.
Celeste''s targeting at Hannah was the consequence of her resentment towards Miranda.
Hannah had just returned home after picking up some medicine from Miranda''s ce. Meanwhile, Wendy was still at the vi, briefing Miranda on somepany matters and the follow-up to a magazine shoot.
"Miranda, about this video." Wendy inquired.
Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Send it to Maximus. He''ll know what to do next."
Wendy nodded in understanding. "Got it."
After speaking, Wendy cast a cautious nce out the window and whispered, "Miranda, don''t you feel someone''s been following ustely?"
Miranda nced outside as well. "Maybe someone hired us some bodyguards."
These people were getting more tant, not even bothering to hide anymore, just hovering around trying to make their presence known. No wonder Elian said they''d shamelessly cling to her.
Wendy seemed reassured by Miranda''s exnation. "If that''s the case, that''s a relief. I was worried it might be something sinister."
Not far from the vi, a couple of guys were huddled in an alley, munching on take-out burgers.
"Man, aren''t we supposed to be low-key? Why are we being told to show ourselves, even make sure she sees us?"
"Beats me, orders from above. They say she needs to feel our presence."
"What''s so special about this girl that the higher-ups are so interested?"
"That''s not for us to know. But remember, there are still some foreign mobsters with their eyes on her. We must be cautious, if she kicks the bucket, and we might end up in a court-martial."
As they chatted and ate, their breath misted in the cold air.
Miranda was about to head upstairs with a steaming cup of coffee when her phone rang.
"Hello, is this Ms. Lancaster?"
"This is she," Miranda replied.
"We''re from the Global Institute of Medicine. Is Crystal associated with you? We''d like to invite her to join our institute. Would you be willing to let her go for broader opportunities?"
Miranda hung up and headed straight to Crystal''sb. Theb was filled with the young sprouts of new herbal nts Crystal had been cultivating.
Crystal had be obsessed with growing special nts ever since she started following Miranda''s instructions. She spent every day in the greenhouse andb, which only improved the quality and
effectiveness of Miranda''s herbs.
Miranda could have cultivated these nts herself. She had even taken some agriculture courses back in the day to grow the herbs she
needed. But since Crystal was eager to learn and offered herbor for
free, Miranda let her take over.
Unexpectedly, Crystal had even managed to cultivate some new varieties.
"First it was a multinational
pharmaceuticalpany, and now the Global Institute of Medicine. How many people have you given my number to?" Miranda asked, a
hint of exasperation in her voice.
Crystal didn''t even look up, focused on watering the seedlings. "I don''t know. I just gave your number to everyone who asked for me."
Miranda was speechless. "That''s harassment, you know."
Crystal remarked, "Hey, you''re my boss. They have to get your approval if they want to poach me."
Miranda rubbed her forehead, helpless against Crystal''s asional antics.