Chapter109 Questioning My Stamina?
Miranda stepped forward, her gaze clear and sharp.
"I was good to you because I'm sincere in relationships."
"When I, Miranda, love someone, I hold nothing back. That's because I'm worth it, because my love is valuable, not because you were so great or deserving!"
The words hit Harrison like a slap across the face.
Harrison's face went pale, his mouth opening. "You..."
"Don't rush to deny it."
A mist appeared in Miranda's eyes, tears for the foolish version of herself who gave so much.
"Three years of marriage. How many times did you stand me up for dinner dates because of Ariana? Did you remember our anniversary even once? No, not once."
The sour feeling rushed to her nose. Miranda took a deep breath, forcefully pushing down the tears, her voice becoming even more resolute.
"And that kidnapping."
At those three words, Harrison's pupils constricted sharply and his body went rigid.
Miranda stared hard into Harrison's eyes, enunciating each word.
"When the kidnappers made you choose, you picked Ariana without hesitation. Even when I was dragged away right in front of you, even when I cried out your name, you never looked back at me once."
"Miranda, that was..." Harrison panicked, trying to explain.
"Shut up!" Miranda shouted. "In that moment, Harrison, every feeling I had for you, even the slightest bit of resentment, died completely."
"The person standing in front of you now isn't Mrs. Whitmore who revolved around you. This is Miranda."
Harrison's face turned deathly pale, as if all his strength had been drained, swaying unsteadily.
He wanted to say it was because Ariana was in poor health, that he thought Miranda would be fine... but looking at Miranda's cold, emotionless eyes, all his excuses stuck in his throat.
So she remembered everything.
So she really didn't love him anymore.
Panic instantly swept through him. Harrison instinctively reached out to grab her. "Miranda, let me explain. I was just..."
Miranda stepped back in disgust, moving aside to reveal the tall, imposing Clifton behind her.
"My bodyguard is right here."
Miranda looked at him coldly. "Harrison, are you sure you want to get physical with my bodyguard? If you get hurt or disabled, Whitmore Group's stock price won't look too good."
Clifton cooperatively stepped forward, his eyes behind the sunglasses sharp as blades, as if he would break that hand without hesitation if Harrison dared reach out again.
That pressure from an elite special forces officer was something a pampered rich boy like Harrison could never withstand.
Harrison's hand froze in mid-air, unable to advance or retreat.
Finally, he could only drop his head in defeat, helplessly watching Miranda walk into the elevator with that man without looking back.
The elevator doors slowly closed, cutting off Harrison's desperate, unwilling gaze.
"Ding."
The top floor suite.
Miranda swiped the key card and entered. Once inside, she dropped all her pretenses, exhaling tiredly.
She tossed her bag onto the sofa and turned to take the suitcase from Clifton.
"Give it to me, I'll unpack myself..."
Before she finished, she turned and crashed directly into a hard, burning chest.
"Oof!"
Miranda rubbed her sore nose and instinctively stepped back, but a large hand steadied her waist.
"What's wrong?" She looked up, meeting Clifton's deep, whirlpool-like eyes.
Clifton removed his sunglasses and casually tossed them on the entryway table, his gaze locked on her small face, his voice low and serious.
"What you said was right."
"Huh?" Miranda was confused.
"Your love is sincere. You're wonderful." Clifton's thumb gently caressed her reddened eyes, his tone carrying barely detectable heartache. "Harrison is the trash. Not you."
He was telling her not to doubt herself because of that scumbag.
Miranda's heart trembled, that sour feeling rushing to her nose again, but this time from warmth.
She suddenly laughed, and her heavy mood instantly lightened.
"Yeah, I am pretty great."
Miranda gave a self-deprecating smile. "But I was blind for a while. Otherwise I wouldn't have missed Harrison's disgusting feelings for Ariana and wasted three whole years feeding a dog."
Clifton watched her forced lightness, his eyes darkening, saying nothing but tightening his arm around her waist.
Miranda didn't want to dwell on this topic. She lifted her wrist to check her watch.
"By the way, when do you leave for your mission?"
Clifton paused. "Tonight."
"That's still several hours away." Miranda pushed at his chest, trying to step out of his embrace. "You should go rest for a bit, preserve your energy and focus. You can't make mistakes on tonight's mission."
She was genuinely worried about his injury and wanted him to conserve his strength.
However, to a certain man who had been restrained for a long time and just got provoked by Harrison, those words took on a different meaning.
Clifton raised an eyebrow, a dangerous glint flashing in his eyes.
He suddenly leaned in close, pressing Miranda against the entryway wall, his hot breath washing over her face with an aggressive edge.
"Preserve my energy?"
The man's husky voice exploded in her ear with a hint of playfulness. "Miranda, are you questioning my stamina?"
Miranda's brain went blank as she realized the ambiguity in her words.
"No! That's not it!"
Her face instantly flushed red as she frantically waved her hands to explain. "I didn't mean that! Your stamina is great, really great! I was just... just..."
She was only making it worse.
Clifton watched her flustered state, his Adam's apple bobbing as he chuckled low, then scooped her legs up with one hand and lifted her like a child.
"Ah! Clifton!"
Miranda cried out, instinctively wrapping her arms around his neck.
Clifton carried her in long strides toward the soft bed in the bedroom, his voice carrying a wicked edge.
"Since you're so worried about my stamina, let me prove it to you."
"I have plenty of energy. I don't need rest."
He gently tossed her onto the bed, then covered her body with his, his hands planted on either side, looking down at her from above, desire burning in his eyes.
"What I need... is release."