Independence

Miranda stood there speechless.

Was Winter doing this on purpose? How else could it be that the moment she made the call, it just so happened to go straight to Paul? If it had been anyone else, they couldn’t have arrived this fast!

Ten minutes later, Miranda settled Winter down and quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

When she turned, she saw Paul sitting on the living room couch. His eyes were fixed on the mess of beer bottles that were still scattered around.

“Did she drink all of these by herself?” Paul’s voice wasn’t exactly harsh, but Miranda felt an inexplicable

pressure.

She told the truth, “I had a bit too.”

“Just a bit?” Paul stared at her intently. His gaze was piercing

Miranda gave up resisting. “Uh, okay. Maybe two bottles… It’s not that much, right? But I’m really not drunk

Winter was drunk partly due to her mood, and she was trying to drown her sorrows. It was also partly because she opened a bottle of wine from the hinet Mixing the two drinks had a stronger effect.

Paul seemed a bit exasperated. “Sit here. I’ll clean up the table.”

it to process

Maybe because of the alcohol, Miranda’s reactions were a bit slow. It took her a moment to Paul’s words.

When she finally did, she saw Paul had already rolled up his sleeves and was cleaning up efficiently. She hesitated for a moment but eventually chose to do as he said, obediently sitting on the couch.

By the time Paul finished tidying up, it was already 9:00 pm.

“Wait here for a moment,” he said. “I’m going out to take the trash.”

As he opened the door, Miranda stood up too. “I’ll come with you. I could use some fresh air.”

Paul glanced at her and said, “Grab a jacket.”

“Oh, okay!”

In the dimly lit hallway, Paul walked ahead while Miranda trailed a couple of steps behind.

The man was tall, and the side lighting cast a long shadow on the floor. Miranda walked forward, stepping on his shadow the entire way.

“Earlier this afternoon, Natalie called me,” Paul suddenly broke the silence.

“Was it about the matchmaking?”

Winter had complained about it a few times before, so Miranda guessed it might be related.

Paul nodded.

They reached the first floor and threw away the trash. Instead of heading home, they walked side by side,

continuing along the path under the streetlights.

“Given the Jefferson family’s current status, there’s no need for an arranged marriage to secure anything. and Winter understands that too.” Property of Nô)(velDr(a)ma.Org.

That was why she found Natalie’s insistence on an arranged marriage incomprehensible.

From Natalie’s perspective, even if the family didn’t need a marriage alliance, the old rule would still pass down through generations. Winter’s husband would need to be someone well–matched in social status. That shouldn’t be disregarded!

Evelyn herself came from a prestigious family and followed her family’s arrangement to marry Damian. She never felt oppressed or resentful about being controlled by her family; in fact, she was quite satisfied with the marriage.

As it turned out, she made the right choice. Her husband was not only gentle and composed but also loved and cherished her.

Because she benefited from a “well–matched” union, sue hoped her daughter could have the same, suffering the slightest bit in her marriage.

never

However, Winter wasn’t someone who liked being told what to do, especially after living so many years of freedom following her college graduation.

Miranda pressed her lips together.

“She and Natalie had a huge argument today. She probably won’t be going back home for a while,” Paul said calmly. “Fortunately, she has you, so she’s not left with nowhere to go. I’ll need to trouble you to look after her during this time.”

“You’re being too polite,” Miranda replied. “Winter is my friend, after all.”

She just didn’t expect…