Jasper hadn''t really nned on giving the cake back to Carter. But then he caught Miranda''s half-amused look, and his resolve crumbled. He handed the cake back to Carter and raised his hands.
"Alright, alright, here you go."
Miranda finally turned her attention away. "What are you doing here, Jasper?" Carter clutched the cake protectively, suspicious. "You two know each other?" Frowning, Jasper shot Carter a sideways nce before turning to Miranda. "I live here in Virell. Zephra''s kind of lost its charm, so I figured I''de back."
"Besides, with you here, Elian and Sebastian are bound to show up," he uttered as he swept a designed look at Carter, as if eager to watch some drama unfold.
The look in his eyes inly said, "If those two show up, you''re toast."
Carter blinked in confusion.
"Looks like you''ve got a lot of time on your hands," Miranda said coolly.
Jasper pointed across the street. "I saw you guys from over there. There''s a club right across the road. I was just hanging out."
Miranda nced over and noticed the swanky joint he was talking about. Jasper was the type who knew all the city''s secrets and had a knack for finding the best hangouts.
Back in Zephra, it was Jasper who''d first introduced Miranda to the ck market.
"By the way," Jasper cautioned, "don''t say that I didn''t remind you. Elian may be elusive, but he hasn''t left Virell yet, right? You showing up like that, I''m afraid this guy would get back luck."
He knew better than anyone what kind of person Elian was. He didn''t worry Miranda, but this guy instead, daring get entangled with Elian''s woman; he might have a death wish.
Miranda''s brow furrowed. "What nonsense are you spouting now?"
Carter, now visibly irritated, shot back with a cold sneer, "I''m not scared of anyone. You wanna settle this one-on-one?"
Speechless, Miranda rolled her eyes at Jasper''s provocation but feltpelled to level with Carter. "You wouldn''t stand a chance, just let it go."
Jasper had some skills, a rich kid who knew how to throw a punch, but Carter clearlycked any formal training. He was no match for Jasper.
Carter remained silent, a hint of hurt in his eyes as he looked at Miranda.
Jasper nced at Carter, then at Miranda. "You know, you two kind of look alike. What''s the deal? Secret siblings or what?"
Miranda shot Jasper a look. Jasper instantly plopped down next to Carter.
"Get lost!" Carter grumbled. Yet Jasper didn''t budge, even stealing a bite of the cake.
Carter wanted to shove him away but remembered him being Miranda''s friend and her words about not standing a chance and decided against it.
Hearing that, Miranda cast a nce at Carter. No wonder she felt a pleasant feeling towards him; turned out he bore a resemnce to her.
"This is Jasper Vane," she introduced. "And this is Carter Hawke."
They exchanged nces at her introduction.
Carter felt curious. Jasper? That sounded familiar.
"No way, is he also a Hawke?" Jasper couldn''t help but tease. "You really are
tangled up with the Hawke family, aren''t you?"
Carter was aware of the
bet
entanglement between Miranda and the Hawke family; he frowned, "So whatif we share ast name? I''m nothing like them."
Miranda raised an eyebrow at Carter. "You know about that too?"
Carter sheepishly held up his phone. "Looked it up."
He''d been careful, wanting to avoid bringing up anything that might upset Miranda, considering her past ties to the Hawke family.
???
Miranda nodded, understanding. She almost forgot she was something of a public figure. The Hawkes and the Zades dramas were still fresh gossip fodder, especially after the recent events with the Zade n, which was enough to stir up a rising tide ofments once more.
Despite suspecting Carter was just some fling of Miranda''s, Jasper held his tongue. Miranda''s presence kept him in check, and besides, he was eager to see how things would unfold. He couldn''t imagine Elian sitting idly by if he found out Miranda was out with another guy.