When fate plays its hand (Miranda)

Chapter 0324

Paul, Miranda, and Winter stepped out of the restaurant.

“Paul, you’re so popular. You were surrounded by a bunch of seniors, just like fans do around their favorite idol,” Winter remarked.

“Idol?”

“Oh, it means celebrity,” she replied.

Paul chuckled. “It’s just for practical reasons. I’m not a celebrity, so linking me to them doesn’t make sense.”

Winter wrinkled her nose. “Have you been drinking? Did you drive here?”

“Just a little. I didn’t drive.”

She said, “Great. Let’s get in the car. I’ll send you and Mimi home.”

Winter drove her car to the alley entrance but couldn’t go any further. So, Miranda and Paul exited the vehicle and walked in together.

The moon was bright, and a gentle breeze brushed through the night. In the quiet alley, the soft meow of a cat occasionally broke the silence.

Paul stepped on a bag of trash and swayed slightly from the effect of the alcohol he had earlier.

okay?”

a few too many tonight.” Since Paul was worried that the smell of

his apology came across as particularly genuine. It made her pause

Hansel often drank and got home drunk. But he never seemed to think he

her

used to believe all men were like Hansel, Calvin, and Zach. They lived lives of

a reliable and down–to–earth, just

different he was. Despite being the center

always thought brilliance came with indulgence and that success brought arrogance, but Paul shattered that belief. He had every reason to be carefree and reckless, yet he was the most disciplined and

curiously, “Do researchers also need to

relationships and mutual exchanges,” Paul said. “But how do we engage? Alcohol often serves as a social icebreaker, though coffee,

+25 BONUS

Chapter 0324

they engage with

take their kids to visit relatives, and relatives visit you.

consider these interactions as simply spending time together, they don’t have to revolve around alcohol. Instead, activities like

framing it this way, these gatherings feel less socializing, right? If you stick with that first definition, it’s still

and she couldn’t resist asking, “So, does tonight’s meal count

a way, yes