Chapter 175
Hansel was getting a headache from Tina’s unreasonable outbursts. The mention of Miranda, however, instantly tensed him.
After returning from Marvedis, he’d sent countless text messages to Miranda using different numbers, receiving no reply. He’d also made countless trips to her apartment, the frustration of not finding her making him restless.
Hearing Tina mention Miranda again shocked him. “What are you talking about? What does Miranda have to do with this?”
Tina snapped, “Everything! She aced the exam and came in first. Do you know how frustrating that is? Dr. Young is only accepting three students this year, and I barely missed the cut—I was ranked fourth.” If Miranda hadn’t been accepted, Tina would have moved up a spot. The anger of almost succeeding, yet ultimately failing, consumed her.
Hansel was stunned. “Are you saying she passed the exam?”
“Yes, and she did really well. Is that what you wanted to hear? She’s thriving without you and has enrolled at Bedford College as a postgraduate student.”
“Are you regretting letting her go now? You should have kept a better eye on her. She’s making my life miserable!” Tina broke down in tears. “You kept her confined for six years. Couldn’t you have held onto her a little longer? Now she’s gone, and she’ll only get further out of reach. You’ll never get her back—”
“Enough!” Hansel glared at Tina fiercely. “Your poor results show your incompetence. Stop blaming others. I won’t listen to this nonsense again. Otherwise…”
The room fell silent; Tina recoiled at his threatening look.
The tension broke when Evelyn entered. Seeing the mess on the floor and Tina’s frightened posture, she realized she’d overheard the entire argument. She was stunned to learn that Miranda had passed the postgraduate admission exam. Evelyn had previously seen Miranda at the library and thought she was merely pretending to study to impress her. She never imagined Miranda was seriously preparing for the exam. Miranda had not only aced it but also enrolled at Bedford College.
Evelyn sneered. So what if Miranda did well? Regardless of her qualifications, Miranda would never be welcome in the Johnson family.
“Hansel is right. If you didn’t make it, try again. Throwing a tantrum won’t help. Are you hoping Miranda will fail because of it? How did I end up with such a foolish daughter?”
Tina clenched her fists. “I spent two years preparing for this exam, and she only studied for six months! How could she pass so easily? There’s something suspicious about this. I need to confront her and get to the bottom of it.”
Then, she stormed out.
Hansel pinched the bridge of his nose, fed up with the mess, and walked away. Evelyn also wanted to leave but first needed to clean up. It seemed her children were only adding to her troubles.
Tina, having previously visited Miranda’s apartment, drove straight there, using her phone’s navigation history. Her anger grew with each mile, and by the time she arrived, she’d already planned how to confront Miranda.
But as she got out of the car, she saw Miranda laughing and talking with a man as they entered the building. Gasping, she recognized the man as Paul Jefferson, a professor from Bedford College and one of the second-round interviewers.