“Your mom has been held back terribly all these years,” Warren had said.

His words made Miranda’s heart sink.

Warren had wanted to meet Mindy in person, but Miranda explained that her mother was in Lumberville and still under contract with Edith. Miranda hadn’t wanted to cause any disruption to her mother’s mood, as it might affect her writing. Upon hearing about the contract, Warren had asked for an electronic copy.

“No rush then. I’ll study your mother’s contract first. Feel free to keep me updated on any developments. I’ve decided to sign your mother up!” Warren had exclaimed.

Miranda felt like she was dreaming when she heard Warren’s words. It sounded to her that Warren wanted to sign a contract with her mother, but hadn’t he only been interested in signing works, not authors? She wondered if he had misspoken or if she had misheard him. Nevertheless, she hadn’t dwelled on it for long.

Lionel paused what he was doing when he noticed her suddenly so solemn. “What’s going on, Mimi? Is there something wrong between your mom and the editor?”

Miranda replied, “There are some issues, but nothing major. I’m already working on the solution. Just don’t tell Mom for now. You know how she’s easily influenced by external circumstances.”

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye on her.”

Miranda finished her meal and ended the video call. Then, she cleaned up the kitchen and went downstairs to take out the trash.

It was still early, so she took a short walk nearby to aid digestion. The evening breeze carried the slight humidity of early summer. The wind blew gently on her face, making her feel refreshed.

As night fell, Miranda still had the lingering fear from the memory of being stalked by a pervert. She didn’t dare stay out too late and hurried home quickly.

After taking a shower, she sat down at her desk. Miranda started reading through her thesis and taking notes. It was her nightly routine, and she had never skipped it.

Suddenly, some WhatsApp notifications appeared on her phone. Miranda opened it and saw that it was from Sam. “Are you busy?”

Miranda: “What’s up?”

Sam: “Can’t I find you even if there’s nothing urgent?”

Miranda hesitated for a couple of seconds, unsure of how to respond. However, it turned out that Sam didn’t care about her reply. He sent another message immediately, “Is it convenient to talk on the phone?”

Miranda straightened up. “Sure.”

Soon, a call from Sam came in. There was no small talk or flirting. He even skipped the greeting and got straight to the point. “The stalker who followed you last time has been caught. We have conclusive evidence, so he will be in prison for a few years.”

Miranda was a little surprised. “How did you catch him?”

Sam let out a low chuckle. “I can if I want to.” It sounded a little arrogant, but it wasn’t surprising. He had the means to make it happen.

“Even though the threat has been dealt with, you should still learn your lesson,” Sam said. “Try not to go out late at night. As the saying goes, it’s not getting robbed that you should fear, but being targeted by robbers, right?”

Miranda agreed. “I understand.”

After a pause, she added, “Thank you.”

Sam felt a headache coming. “Why is it always these two words?”

“Well, that’s all I know how to say…”

“You do know how. You just don’t want to.”

“If you already know that, why even ask?”

Sam was at a loss for words. She sounded pretty confident, didn’t she?

Miranda yawned, “Is there anything else?” She was feeling sleepy.

“Yes, there is.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about Dr. Sanchez. I can’t explain it over the phone. Let’s meet tomorrow.”

Miranda frowned. “I have to go to the lab tomorrow…”

“I know. You’ll have a lunch break in the afternoon, right? Can you spare 15 minutes?”

“15 minutes? That short? Can we even finish our conversation?”

Sam shrugged and said, “Of course, I wouldn’t mind if you could spare me a few hours, or even half a day. I have no complaints.”

Miranda replied, “Well, let’s stick to 15 minutes.”

“Fine, see you tomorrow.”

After the call, Miranda put her phone down and closed her thesis. Then, she turned off the lights to go to sleep.

She slept soundly, without any dreams.

Early the next morning, she got up and prepared breakfast. She also prepared her lunch at the same time before heading out to the lab.