When fate plays its hand

t

Jordana froze momentarily, then chuckled “Your aw right through me. Fine. I’ll lower it by 10

but that’s my bottom line.

Miranda raised an eyebrow “30%. That’s my limi”

Jordana paused.

Miranda set her coffee cup down, stood up, and casually finished her drink. “Looks like we won’t reach an agreement today. Hopefully, we can work together in the future.” She turned to walk away.

Jordana was stunned by her decisiveness and quickly stood up. “Hold on! The price is negotiable…”

Miranda stopped in her tracks and turned around. “I’m not great with words, so I’ll keep it short. If you agree to 30%, we sign the contract. If not, I’ll be on my way since I’ve got work to do at the lab.”

Jordana hesitated. Seeing that Miranda was really going to leave, she gritted her teeth. “…Fine.

Miranda smirked. “Deal.”

After they signed the contract and arranged delivery times and installation details, she stood

to leave.

“Ms. Sutton…” Jordana called after her.

Miranda turned around to look at her.

“Has anyone ever pointed out how good you’re at playing hardball?” Jordana said.

Miranda wanted to buy the equipment but played it cool and acted like she could walk away at any moment. It wasn’t until the contract was signed that Jordana realized what had happened

but it was too late.

Miranda responded, “No.”

Jordana said, “I don’t believe it.”

“But I do understand one thing,” Miranda replied.

“What’s that?”

“The one who takes things too seriously is the one who loses.” Miranda smiled and walked

away.

Jordana was stunned by her remarks. She had been in sales for over ten years, but today, she had been schooled by an outsider.

The weather changed faster than a flip of a page. As Miranda stepped out of the café, it was already drizzling.

There was a bus stop nearby, and it

wouldn’t stop for a while, and walls a perfect place to take shelter. It looked like the rain

phone to call for a ride. novelbin

back to the lab wasn’t an option. So, she pulled out her

Just then, a white BMW 5 Series glided to a stop in front of her. The window rolled down to reveal a bright, smiling face. “Hey, Miranda! I thought I was seeing things, but I didn’t expect it to be you.”

“Mr. Jensen? What a coincidence.”

Sawyer grinned. “Hop in. It started raining out of the blue, and there’s no telling how long it’ll last. Where are you headed? I’ll give you a ride.”

Miranda glanced at the ride–sharing app’s wait time and decided not to turn him down. She opened the passenger door and slid into the car. “Thanks. Just head straight, take a left, and drive for another half mile.”

“Got it.” He shifted the gear to drive and signaled left as he merged onto the main road. “So, what brings you here?”

“I’ve had an appointment to discuss a few things,” she replied.

“Oh! Are you busy lately?”

“Yeah.”

Sawyer muttered quietly, almost to himself, “No wonder you haven’t replied to my messages…

“What did you say?” Miranda asked.

He quickly replied, “Nothing. It’s nothing. Just wondering… Do you usually post anything on social media accounts?”

“Occasionally,” she replied.

“I see…” Sawyer was about to keep the conversation going, but the distance was so short that they arrived before he could say much more. He parked the car in the open space in front of the lab, where a shelter covered the area.

“Thanks for the ride.” Miranda opened the door and stepped out.

Suddenly, he said, “Wait!”

She turned and looked at him.

Sawyer quickly got out of the car and chased after her. “I think you dropped this…” He opened

Chemerote

his hand to show her the earring.

Miranda immediately touched her earlobe and realized it was missing. “Thank you.” She took the earring from his hand.

When her fingers brushed against his palm, he stiffened. A jolt coursed through him as if every pore on his body had been electrified. He felt a mix of unfamiliarity and fascination.