Miranda had no idea whether it was a lot or not because Paul wasn’t replying to her messages anymore. Once she was done making all the rolls, she packed ten crab rolls into a bag, planning to bring them over to Paul.

She knocked on his door for about half a minute, but there was no answer. Taking out her phone, she typed a message.

Miranda: “Dr. Jefferson, are you home?”

This time, Paul responded quickly:

Paul: “I’m at the lab.”

Miranda: “I made some crab rolls and packed ten for you. Will you come get them when you’re back tonight?”

Paul initially thought of replying with a polite decline. As he typed it out, he realized that rejecting a gift like that so coldly would be rather rude, especially since the crab rolls were homemade and she was offering them with kindness. Plus, refusing might make him seem guilty.

Paul: “Alright.”

Miranda put her phone away and returned home. After tidying up the kitchen and just sitting down to relax with a drink, her phone rang again–it was Winter.

“Honey! Are my crab rolls ready yet?” Winter’s excited voice burst through the line.

“They’re ready, all set! I made dozens today, plenty for you to feast on, you little glutton!” Miranda teased.

Winter, who had just stepped out of her office building in her high heels, was practically flying to Miranda’s house in excitement. After a week of nonstop work, her project was finally completed! She couldn’t wait to get out of the office.

“Oh, shut up! You’re the glutton! Wait for me. I’ll be there in a flash!” Winter playfully responded with a sing-song voice and a wide grin on her face.

Just as she ended the call and put her phone away, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Zach?” she said, spotting him standing nearby with his hands in his pockets, his face as dark as a thundercloud.

“What are you doing here?” Winter raised an eyebrow, walking up to him. As she got closer, his expression looked even more sour than she expected.

“Oh, am I in the way of your lovey-dovey conversation?” Zach sneered sarcastically, imitating her playful tone, “Oh, shut up.”

Winter’s mouth twitched in irritation. “Did you take the wrong meds or something?”

“Meds? Nah, I’m not as greedy as you, you big glutton,” Zach shot back with mock sweetness.

Winter was speechless.

“Come on, are you in a hurry? Someone’s probably waiting for you, right? Here, let me step aside,” Zach taunted, pretending to make way for her. “Oh, and you should probably take off those heels; you’d get there faster barefoot, seriously.”

Winter clenched her teeth, thinking, “Where’s my knife when I need it?”

Zach continued to provoke her, “I drove here, you know. How about I give you a lift? No charge, it’s on me.”

“Are you out of your mind, Graham? Either move or get out of my way already! Don’t waste my time!” Winter snapped. Her crab rolls were getting cold!

“Well, I don’t wanna…” he goaded, stepping closer.

Winter shoved him aside, not in the mood for his antics. “Don’t push your luck with me, Zach, or I swear-”

“Or what?” he challenged.

“Or I’ll break your third leg!” she threatened, glaring at him fiercely.

Zach’s eyes went wide, and he clamped his legs together in shock. “Are you even a woman? How can you say stuff like that!”

“What’s being a woman got to do with it? There’s no rule about what women can or can’t say,” Winter retorted, unfazed.

Zach opened his mouth but found himself at a loss for words.

Winter’s patience was wearing thin. “Enough already, move! I have something important to do!”

“Rushing off to see your little boy toy, are you?” he pressed.

“No, seriously, Zach, what’s up with you today? Why are you acting so childish, and when will you drop it?”

“You’ve got some nerve!” Zach shot back. “I’ve been messaging you for days! Why didn’t you reply? And you didn’t even answer my calls! Do you know how unprofessional that is?”

Winter rolled her eyes, utterly exasperated.

“Those were messages? ‘What are you up to?’ ‘Had lunch yet?’ ‘Did you sleep well?’ Or random emojis like picking your nose or eating… stuff. What exactly am I supposed to say to that?”

Zach stood there, speechless.

“Come on, Zach. I’ve been working my butt off, doing overtime for a whole week. Today is my day off! I don’t have time for this nonsense–I want to eat and rest!”