When fate plays its hand

Chapter 1043

Paul was stunned upon hearing Silas‘ remark. He nodded in agreement and said, “Yeah. I think so, too.”

Silas raised an eyebrow and couldn’t believe he actually laughed at that. “Paul, I’m just as busy. It’s hard for me to manage everything when you just drop everything on me like that.”

Paul responded, “Your performance bonus is doubling this month.”

“Okay. Go ahead and do your thing. I’ll take care of things here.”

Paul gave him a pat on the shoulder and walked away. But halfway through, he turned back. “I just remembered your uncle works in the Department of Land and Natural Resources, right?”

“Yeah. Why?” Silas asked.

“Can he pull information on land use and development from there?”

Silas replied, “They should be able to provide it. Local files are submitted to the upper levels, so they are probably available.”

“Then, can you do me a favor?” Paul asked.

About 30 seconds later, Silas looked puzzled. “What exactly are you trying to do?”

Paul grinned before he even spoke. “Meet the parents.”

Silas was even baffled by that response.

“Send it to me when you have it. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”

With that, Paul left the bewildered Silas standing there.

“No… I…”

Wait… Meet the parents? Whose parents? Wasn’t his relationship moving too fast?

That afternoon, Lionel just whipped something up for lunch.

“Didn’t you buy shrimp and beef this morning?” Miranda asked. “I don’t see them anywhere.

Mindy replied lazily, “He said he’s saving it for dinner when Paul comes over.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow.

Lionel chimed in, “When you’re having guests over, you’ve got to make something delicious. That’s just good hospitality, you know?”

Mindy and Miranda weren’t sure how to respond.

In the afternoon, Mindy was in the study writing while Miranda napped.

When she woke up, she found Lionel sitting on the balcony. She assumed he was messing with the plants again. But when she got closer, she saw him wearing reading glasses, with a pig’s trotter in front of him. Was he

plucking the hair from the pig’s trotter?

“Dad, what are you doing?” she asked.

He was startled at her voice. “Whoa! You scared me. Why sneaked up on me like that?”

“What’s that?”

Lionel grinned. “I’m making pig’s trotter soup for dinner. I had the butcher clean up the trotter, but they didn’t get all the hair off. So I just went downstairs to grab some tweezers, and now I’m almost done.”

Miranda swallowed. Suddenly, she looked uneasy and looked up at the sky. “You’re doing this outside? Isn’t it hot? Why not do it inside?”

“The raw pig’s trotter smells terrible. Your mom doesn’t like it.”

“But she’s in the bedroom. She won’t even smell it,” she said.

Lionel responded, “She’ll come out soon. Her nose is super sensitive. Even after a while, she can still smell it.”

Miranda felt sorry for her dad and decided to open the balcony door to let the cool air from inside flow out.

“My daughter is the best,” he remarked

She rubbed her nose and suddenly felt guilty.

Just then, Lionel spoke up again. “Last time I was here, I mentioned our region’s specialty dishes to Paul. He seemed really interested in this pig’s trotter soup, so I figured I’d make it for him to try today.” noveldrama

Miranda’s guilt only deepened.

At that moment, her phone rang. She answered it while walking into the house since the heat outside was unbearable. “Hey, Madi.”

“Miranda, did you go to the lab today?” Madison asked.

“No, I didn’t. Why?”

Madison quickly replied, “Oh, nothing. Just asking.”

Miranda raised an eyebrow but didn’t press her. “So, where are you and Sebastian now?”

“We’re in Echo Bay. We were in Shenzania yesterday, and now we’re taking a break at the hotel because it’s too hot outside,” Madison replied.

“Sounds like a good plan. Make sure to stay hydrated and wear sunscreen,” Miranda reminded.

“Of course! By the way, I got a hotel membership here and three free months every year. Seb and I won’t use all of it, so if you and Dr. Jefferson want to visit, you can stay here. The place is nice, and Seb and I love it!” she said, chuckling.