Chapter204 Harrison's Jealousy
Almost the moment she sent the message, her phone rang eagerly.
"Clifton" flashed on the screen.
The moment Miranda answered, the man's deep, pleasant voice came through, tinged with barely detectable amusement.
"Want to give me a gift?"
"Mm." Miranda responded, her fingers unconsciously twirling her hair. "But I can't think of what to give. Is there anything you particularly like?"
Silence on the other end for a few seconds.
The things Clifton wanted, he'd never lacked. Money, power were just numbers to him. However...
He seemed to think of something, his voice taking on some interest.
"Want to go to the mall together?"
Miranda paused, then agreed. "Sure, that works."
"Good. I'll pick you up at your company."
An hour later, Miranda walked out of her office building and immediately spotted a black jeep parked by the curb.
She raised an eyebrow and opened the passenger door to get in.
The man in the driver's seat wasn't wearing his usual impeccable suit. Just a simple black shirt, sleeves casually rolled to his forearms, revealing strong, powerful lines.
One hand rested casually on the steering wheel, his profile exceptionally striking in the sunlight.
Miranda's eyes brightened.
She had to admit, Clifton without the wheelchair exuded full presence, that bone-deep sense of control and aggression making hearts race.
While fastening her seatbelt, she asked casually, "You're not going back to Prescott Manor today?"
After all, he wasn't disguising himself now. In this situation, he generally wasn't planning to return to that place where he needed to "pretend his legs couldn't stand."
Clifton started the car and hummed in acknowledgment, his tone flat. "I'll get back in the wheelchair after shopping. Otherwise, it's inconvenient."
Miranda understood.
The car smoothly merged into traffic.
Entering the mall, Miranda noticed Clifton wasn't really "browsing." His destination was clear as he led her straight to the jewelry section on the third floor.
Seeing him about to enter a top luxury jewelry brand boutique, Miranda stopped him.
"Have you already decided what gift you want?"
Clifton stopped, turned around, his eyes fixed on her.
"Mm." He responded, uttering two words. "Wedding rings."
Miranda froze.
Clifton looked at her slightly dazed expression and spoke slowly, his voice deep and clear. "After getting our marriage certificate, we haven't bought wedding rings yet."
"Getting them now isn't too late." He paused, adding, "Plus, wearing wedding rings is more convenient in certain situations."
That last sentence carried implications.
Miranda immediately understood his meaning.
Wearing wedding rings would indeed ward off a lot of unnecessary trouble, like people who couldn't read the room like Harrison.
She nodded thoughtfully, suppressing that inexplicable flutter in her heart, responding seriously. "Indeed."
The two focused intently on selecting rings at the counter.
This scene fell precisely into another man's eyes not far away.
Harrison's assistant stood beside him, carrying five or six large branded shopping bags from their earlier spree.
He watched Miranda's back, his eyes narrowing slightly, the pressure around him instantly dropping.
The assistant behind him also noticed, his heart sinking with a silent groan: This is bad!
Everything the CEO bought today were brands Miranda used to love most, from clothes to bags to perfume, nothing missed. He'd planned to find an opportunity tomorrow to present them as a surprise.
Who could have expected they'd run into Miranda shopping at a jewelry counter with another man at the mall!
Looking at their intimate manner, the CEO must be furious!
A dangerous glint flashed in Harrison's eyes.
That man... was actually the police officer he'd met at the station!
Had Miranda really fallen for him?
The thought barely formed before Harrison crushed it.
No! Impossible!
That man must have sweet-talked and seduced Miranda!
A broke cop with no money or influence, what gave him the right to win Miranda's favor? He must have used some underhanded methods to trick her.
He wasn't worthy of Miranda at all.
He would make Miranda understand that in this world, only he was worthy of her!
Thinking this, Harrison lost all interest in continuing to shop. His feet seemed rooted to the spot, his gaze following Miranda closely.
At the counter.
Miranda picked up a pair of extremely simple rings and held them up to Clifton.
"How about these?"
The women's ring featured a brilliant square-cut diamond surrounded by a circle of smaller stones, dazzling and radiant.
The men's ring was completely different. A plain band with an inset groove running around the middle, densely set with diamonds inside.
Understated, yet when turned, revealing that reserved yet profound brilliance.
Miranda fell for this pair at first sight, especially the men's ring. That sense of steady strength concealing sharpness felt exactly like Clifton himself.
"Fine." Clifton looked at the ring in her hand, then at her bright, sparkling eyes, his lips curving slightly. "You have good taste."
Miranda smiled, her eyes crinkling.
She picked up the men's ring, looking up at him. "Can I help you try it on?"
"Sure."
Not far behind them, Harrison watched Miranda carefully putting the ring on another man's finger, his fists clenching white-knuckled with rage.
The luxury brand bags in his hands crumpled from his grip, making strained creaking sounds.
Only after Miranda and Clifton paid and left the mall side by side did Harrison withdraw his gaze.
He returned to his car with his assistant, his entire being shrouded in a terrifying low pressure.
"Bang!"
He slammed the car door hard.
He recalled having people investigate that police officer's identity before, but the investigation only turned up superficial, inconsequential information. This made Harrison's heart fill with a deep sense of crisis.
"Arrange for people to investigate that cop." Harrison's voice was ice-cold. "His identity can't be simple. Find the best private investigators. Use whatever methods necessary. I want every detail about him dug up! I want to know everything!"
"Yes, Harrison." The assistant agreed tremblingly.
After giving orders, Harrison's gaze fell on the crumpled shopping bags beside him, the terrifying hostility in his eyes gradually replaced by an obsessive tenderness.
Miranda, no matter who that man is, he can't steal you from me.
You can only be mine.
The villa.
Dominic's expression changed instantly when he saw the woman who'd suddenly appeared in the living room.
"Evelyn! Why are you here?" He strode forward, grabbing the woman's wrist, lowering his voice, his tone full of displeasure.
"Are you crazy? Don't you know Arabella will be home any minute!"