Ingrid was so furious that tears streamed down her face. She shouted hoarsely, “I told you I don’t have money! I’m broke! Even if you kill me, I can’t give you any money. What more do you want from me?”
Lucy only heard the words “no money” and nothing else. “If you don’t have money, then go and sell your body! The money will come once you sleep with them! I taught you this since you were little. How could you still be so dumb?”
“What men? No one wants me anymore! Who am I supposed to sleep with?” Ingrid shouted.
Lucy’s eyes flickered. She finally picked up on something in Ingrid’s tone. Realizing that this might affect her chances of getting more money from her daughter, Lucy reluctantly left the card table and found a quiet spot to continue the conversation.
“What do you mean by nobody wants you? Where’s that rich boyfriend of yours? Didn’t you say last time you were about to marry into a wealthy family? What’s going on? Did they change their minds?” Lucy asked.
Ingrid heard the urgency in her mother’s voice and mistook that as genuine concern for herself. Overwhelmed with grief, she began sobbing and told Lucy everything that had happened recently.
Lucy was furious after hearing the story. “This family has no sense of decency. My pure, innocent daughter slept with him and even carried his child. How could he abandon you just like that? They didn’t even give her any compensation! This was too much!”
At that thought, a calculating glint appeared in Lucy’s eyes. “Don’t worry and just wait, dear. Your brother and I will buy tickets and come over right away to back you up! We can’t let them get away with this so easily!”
Meanwhile, Miranda was in the final stages of completing her thesis. As a result, she spent almost all her time in the lab.
“You’re really working too hard!” Sandy said when she saw her.
Miranda sighed. She had no assistant and no teammates. She had no choice but to push herself.
At noon, she headed to the break room for a nap after lunch. No matter how busy she was, she would make time for a break. A good rest allowed her to work efficiently in the afternoon.
Paul had a full day of classes that day, so he wouldn’t be coming to the lab. Miranda had the entire break room to herself.
She stretched leisurely before lying down on the folding bed to enjoy her afternoon nap.
Sandy, Silas, Bryan, and Elizabeth each had their own break rooms. There were only five break rooms in total. Since Miranda joined later, there wasn’t one left for her.
Luckily, Paul’s break room was quite spacious, and it was set up like a suite. Miranda bought a folding bed and placed it behind the door of the inner room. The spot was hidden with dim lighting, making it perfect for sleeping.
Usually, Paul would rest in the outer room during lunch break. One would be in the inner room while the other was in the outer room, separated by a door and walls. They didn’t feel uncomfortable as they had their own independent space.
It was Paul who had suggested she use the inner room.
After checking out the place, Miranda only agreed after ensuring that it wouldn’t cause any inconvenience for Paul. Moreover, she really needed a quiet place to nap in the afternoon.
Sandy and Silas both agreed that the spot was perfect. “This inner room is great. It’s shaded from the sun, cool, and blocks out light.”
Bryan and Elizabeth came to take a look too.
“Dr. Jefferson’s break room is really spacious,” Bryan said.
Elizabeth pursed her lips when she saw the folding bed in a corner. “Luckily…”
The bed was far enough from the outer room. Each of them would have their own space, and Miranda wouldn’t dare to have any inappropriate thoughts.
Paul had a full day of classes that day. He didn’t plan on coming to the lab. However, a student accidentally spilled some soup during lunch break at the cafeteria. He was passing by coincidentally, and his shirt was ruined in an instant.
He remembered he had a change of clothes in the lab’s break room, so he decided to stop by. He planned to quickly change and leave, as he still had classes in the afternoon.