Chapter55 How Will We Know If We Don't Try?
Prescott interrupted her sharply, "I saw it with my own eyes and heard it with my own ears. Are you still trying to deny it?"
He snorted coldly, authority in his aged eyes.”Miranda is the Mrs. Prescott I personally approved, Clifton’s wife. If you dare disrespect her again, you need not wait until later; I will have you thrown out of the Prescott family right now.”
Celeste's face was pale, her lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.
Prescott looked at her drenched, miserable state, his displeasure intensifying. "Look at you! It's disgraceful! Your sister-in-law was right; hurry upstairs and change! Stop making a spectacle of yourself here!"
Celeste's eyes welled up with tears of humiliation. She glared fiercely at Miranda, who was giving a slight smile. She glanced at her grandfather, who was clearly protecting Miranda. Finally, she gritted her teeth, stomped her foot in frustration, and ran upstairs.
The living room instantly grew quiet.
The anger slowly drained from Prescott's face. He turned, his gaze softening on Miranda, and his tone became much warmer.
"Miranda, I apologize you had to deal with that. Celeste has been spoiled since childhood. Please don't take it personally."
Miranda shook her head, her voice gentle. "Don't worry, Grandpa, I won't hold it against my cousin."
"Good." Prescott nodded approvingly and sat down on the sofa next to her. He sighed, then said, "Remember this: you are Mrs. Prescott. In this house, no one is allowed to treat you poorly."
Those words were the greatest affirmation and backing Miranda could receive. A warmth spread through her heart. Miranda said sincerely, "Thank you, Grandpa."
Prescott waved his hand, his expression completely relaxed. He looked at the tablet on Miranda's lap, smiling as he changed the subject: "How are the preparations for Clifton's birthday going?"
Miranda turned the tablet toward Prescott, her slender fingers lightly tapping the screen.
Her voice was gentle and organized: "Grandpa, I've prepared three options with slight differences in lighting, theme, and menu. I plan to wait for Clifton to get back from the office tonight so we can discuss and finalize the plan together."
She paused, then looked up. "Also, I've made some adjustments to the guest list. I've crossed off the families that turned on Clifton and canceled their contracts after his injury."
Hearing this, Prescott's shrewd eyes instantly lit up, and his smile broadened. He had only agreed to the marriage initially to find a woman to look after Clifton. He hadn't expected his granddaughter-in-law to be so much more capable.
She wasn't blinded by wealth. Instead, she thought of Clifton first in every matter. Her decisiveness and clear head in handling social affairs already showed the composure of a true Prescott matriarch.
"Excellent! Proceed as you've planned!" Prescott nodded firmly, his voice full of praise. "The people the Prescott family associates with don't need fair-weather friends."
Prescott reminded her a few times to take care of her health, then left, satisfied.
As soon as he left, Miranda changed clothes and left the manor, driving straight to her company. She hadn't been to the office in almost half a month since her injury.
Her car parked below the building. She took a deep breath, pushing down her scattered thoughts, and walked into the lobby in her heels.
Pushing open the door to her private office, Miranda stepped in and abruptly stopped. A strange, indescribable feeling immediately washed over her.
Everything in the office was neatly arranged, just as she had left it, but she felt that something was wrong. A faint, unfamiliar presence seemed to linger in the air.
Miranda calmly walked to her desk and sat down, then picked up the internal phone.
"Lisa, please come in."
Soon, Lisa opened the door and entered.
Miranda looked at her calmly and got straight to the point: "While I was gone, who else besides you entered my office?"
Lisa was taken aback, then immediately shook her head. "No one else. Only the cleaning lady comes in every afternoon to tidy up, but the office door is always open then, with people walking by, so she wouldn't touch anything. Plus, after she leaves, I personally come and lock your office door."
Miranda nodded, not pressing the matter further. She pushed down the strange feeling and asked about the company's recent project progress.
Lisa gave a full report. Miranda listened carefully, occasionally asking a few key questions.
Before they realized it, the sky outside darkened. Employees gradually left the office, and soon Miranda was the only one left on the entire floor.
She turned off her computer and walked to the office door, her hand on the light switch.
But a moment before turning off the light, she paused, suddenly turned around, and flipped all the office lights back on. The bright lights illuminated the room like daytime. Her sharp gaze swept over every corner.
That unsettling feeling of her territory being violated still lingered, refusing to go away.
Miranda's eyes darkened. She pulled out her phone and quickly sent a text message to Lisa.
[I'm going to call you in a bit. Whatever I say, just play along.]
Lisa's phone screen lit up with a near-instant reply:
[Got it.]
Seeing that single word, Miranda took a deep breath, dialed Lisa's number, and put the call on speakerphone.
The moment the call connected, she intentionally raised her voice. Her words echoed clearly in the empty office.
"Lisa, I've completely revised that new project proposal. It's saved right here on my office computer."
"The password is [redacted]. Make sure you write it down."
"This proposal is highly confidential. You must not give the password to anyone. When you need to review it, come to the office alone. Only then should you hold the project team meeting!"
"By the way, I have some personal business next week, so I'll be out of the office for about a week. Keep a close eye on things here."
Lisa, on the other end, understood perfectly and immediately replied in a serious, reliable tone.
"Okay, I've got it noted! Don't worry, the company is secure with me!"
Having done all this, Miranda hung up. The last trace of warmth vanished from her face, replaced by cold indifference.
She turned off the office lights and walked out, her high heels making a sharp, solitary tap-tap sound on the polished floor.
After getting into her car, just before starting the engine, her phone screen lit up again with a text from Lisa:
[Miranda, if we do this, will the person behind all this... really take the bait?]
Miranda looked at the words on the screen, her dark eyes devoid of warmth. A dangerously cold curve touched the corner of her mouth.
She gripped the steering wheel with one hand and quickly typed a line of text with the other before hitting send.
[How will we know if we don't try?]