But she turned him down. She said having Maximus was enough.


    When Lavinia heard the name, she decided not to involve the legal team but still added, "Sweetie, if you ever need anything, just let me know. Mr. Grey might be a bit overwhelmed, and our legal team is ready to jump in whenever you say the word."


    She replied, "Okay," and headed straight to the police station with Maximus. Yet, on the way back, she was with Elian.


    As Elian drove, he asionally nced at Miranda with a smirk tugging at his lips. "With your temperament, I bet you''re dying to let loose, huh?"


    The Miranda he knew was someone who dealt with grudges right then and there. It was unusual for her to wait so long before putting the Hawke family behind bars.


    At first, he didn''t get it. But soon enough, he did.


    Just locking them up would have been too easy. They hadn''t yet felt the sting of losing everything.


    She was making those people endure the same pain she once did. She knew how to hit someone where it hurt. And for some folks, that was worse than death itself.


    He''d seen the Hawke family when they were taken away. Each face looked like they''d been hit by a freight train, with none of the vitality a normal person should have.


    He understood well that when someone went through a series of traumatic events, those memories haunted them forever.


    Compared to prison, this could shatter a person morepletely. Even in death, they''d carry those nightmares.


    For her to have this kind of patience indicated that the person she used to be might as well be dead. And every single one of them was a "murderer".


    Miranda just chuckled. "I''m fine. It''s just the punishment they deserve. Everyst one of them."


    Elian raised an eyebrow. "After all, I did lend a helping hand. Aren''t you gonna thank me?"


    Miranda decided to satisfy him and yed along. "Thank you."


    Elian''s grin widened. "Just a thank you? That''s it?"


    He could tell Miranda was in a good mood, so he pushed his luck.


    "What else?"


    Elian teased, "Well, how about letting me call you wifey?"


    Miranda shot back, "Get lost!"


    Even as she scolded him, Elian was all smiles. Miranda was puzzled. Why did he seem to enjoy gettingshed out on?


    "What are you grinning about?"


    Elian felt his joy continued. "No idea."


    His handsome face, even when goofing around, was annoyingly attractive. It


    seemed that good looks really could make up for any foolishness.


    Miranda found herself smiling too, feeling unexpectedly happy. Beyond her own satisfaction, the lingering consciousness of the original Miranda inside her seemed to be at peace too.


    It felt like she was finally letting go leaving this worldpletely. The deep-seated hatred and resentment in he memories seemed to be fading away.


    But she left behind gratitude in those memories. This gratitude wasn''t tied to any specific event, but Miranda could feel it. She knew it was meant for her.


    "Wifey." Elian started to say, but seeing the needle in Miranda''s hand, he quickly shut his mouth.


    Then he shifted gears, his voice softening, "I''m nning to leave Zephra."


    He pulled the car to a stop, looking at her earnestly. "But I want to take you with


    me."