Chapter31 Past Passions
Miranda looked expressionlessly at the glaring photo on her phone screen. The tenderness Harrison showed in the picture was something she had once desperately yearned for but never received.
Her heart remained completely unmoved. She only found it laughable.
Her fingertip tapped lightly. Delete and block, all in one smooth motion.
After finishing this, her finger paused for a second on the phone screen, then she logged into a social media platform.
A long-dormant account popped up, with the ID "T."
The account had over a million followers.
Miranda's fingertip scrolled downward. The screen displayed nothing but medical content sharing.
Some were explanations of obscure theoretical knowledge, some were interesting first aid tips, and others were meridian diagrams of the human body she had drawn herself.
This was her account from her university days. Back then, she had been obsessively devoted to medicine, spending her free time running this account. She never expected it would become somewhat successful.
But after changing majors, she had never logged into this account again.
"Click."
The sound of the door opening made Miranda withdraw her thoughts. She exited the account interface and looked up toward the entrance.
Clifton was back.
He was still sitting in his wheelchair, wearing the same casual outfit from this morning, but his expression carried an unmistakable weariness.
His gaze fell on the dining table. Seeing dishes that clearly weren't from the hotel, he paused slightly, then looked at Miranda. "You made these?"
"Yes." Miranda stood up and served him a bowl of soup. "To thank you for helping me today."
The aroma of the food was warm and comforting, wafting into his nostrils. Clifton felt that the tension and fatigue from his mission seemed to be somewhat eased by this homey atmosphere.
He took a bite. The food had a simple, homestyle taste, yet it perfectly soothed his stomach.
"Tastes good." Clifton offered sincere praise.
Miranda smiled and placed a piece of fish on his plate, asking casually, "Has the school explosive matter been resolved?"
"Already reported to the police. Don't worry, there were no casualties." Clifton's tone was flat.
"That's good." Miranda finally relaxed completely.
The meal was quiet and warm.
Watching the elegant dining manner of the man across from her, Miranda suddenly remembered what Professor Zara had said to her in the lounge today.
Her gaze unconsciously fell on the man's lifeless long legs wrapped in dress pants.
Clifton's eating motion stopped abruptly.
He looked up, his deep eyes meeting Miranda's gaze that she hadn't had time to withdraw. The corner of his lips curved into an ambiguous smile.
"Miranda, if you keep staring at my lower body like this, I might get the wrong idea."
Miranda's cheeks flushed instantly, burning hot. She quickly looked away, stammering to explain, "I, I didn't mean it that way! I just... I ran into my college professor at school today."
"She's a professor at the medical school, quite renowned in neurosurgery. I was thinking I could ask her to help take a look at your legs."
The playfulness in Clifton's eyes faded. He had already had people investigate Miranda's background and naturally knew about her former major.
"You're very interested in medicine?"
The light in Miranda's eyes brightened, but quickly dimmed again. "I used to be, but now I just want to help my brother manage the company well."
Though she said this, a voice whispered quietly in her heart: if the company crisis could be weathered, she still wanted to pick up medicine again. After all, she had already divorced Harrison, and her father couldn't control her anymore.
She looked at Clifton and asked seriously, "Do you really not plan to seek treatment anymore? Maybe this time there will be a different result?"
Clifton's hand holding the chopsticks tightened, then loosened.
He lowered his eyes, his long lashes casting a shadow beneath them, concealing all the emotions in his gaze.
"I've tried many times," his voice was soft, carrying a barely perceptible loneliness. "Each time, all I heard was disappointing news. Actually, the way things are now is also fine."
He spoke casually, but Miranda caught a hint of deeply hidden desolation beneath that calm exterior.
Her heart suddenly clenched with sympathy.
A man who once commanded authority and stood at the peak, now confined to this small wheelchair, what unbearable torment that must be.
No.
She couldn't just give up like this.
Miranda suddenly thought of Zara's achievements in nerve repair, and an idea began growing wildly in her mind.
Even if Clifton was unwilling to accept more treatment, couldn't she learn from her professor first? Even if she just learned some basic therapy and care methods, at least she could help maintain his current condition before his leg muscles completely atrophied and deteriorated.
With this thought, Miranda quietly made up her mind.
The next day, Miranda got up especially early, prepared some gifts, and planned to personally visit Professor Zara.
Following the address, she found the upscale residential community where the professor lived.
However, just as she stood before that familiar door, about to press the doorbell, an extremely familiar voice came from behind.
"Miranda? What are you doing here?"
Miranda frowned and turned around, only to see Harrison and Ariana walking toward her side by side.
The moment Ariana saw Miranda, especially the gifts in her hands, her expression changed instantly. She glared at her warily and spoke first, her voice full of accusation.
"Miranda, you didn't find out that Harrison was bringing me to visit Zara today and deliberately followed us to cause trouble, did you?"
Miranda was almost amused by her ability to distort the truth.
She never expected that simply visiting her mentor would result in running into these two people here.
Before she could explain, Harrison was already looking at her with displeasure, his eyes clearly showing he believed Ariana's words.
After all, there couldn't be so many coincidences. He had just decided to bring Ariana here yesterday, and they happened to run into Miranda.
"Miranda," Harrison's tone carried heavy displeasure and warning, "I'm bringing Ariana here today for a very important matter. Don't make trouble at a time like this!"
Make trouble?
Miranda laughed coldly. "I'm just here to visit my professor. Isn't Mr. Whitmore overstepping his bounds? What right do you have to control me?"
Seeing that not only did she not listen to his advice, but she also acted completely justified and was about to knock on the door, Harrison's expression turned completely dark.
"Stop her!" He coldly ordered the two bodyguards who had followed.
The two bodyguards in black immediately stepped forward, blocking Miranda's path from left and right like two mountains.
Seeing this, Ariana's eyes reddened with grievance. She tugged at Harrison's sleeve and sobbed, "Miranda, do you have to compete with me over everything? I know yesterday's speech made you unhappy, but you can't do this."
"Compete?" Miranda's voice was mocking. She stared at Ariana's pretentious face and questioned her word by word, "Ariana, who exactly is taking whose things?"