When fate plays its hand

“That’s great news, Mr. Zeller!” Joli almost jumped in excitement. “My parents and I are heading to the city in two days, so we’ll stop by to visit Theodore then…

“Don’t worry, everything’s taken care of… It’s true. I’m not lying to you. The Snider brothers were taken in by the police yesterday.”

He paused briefly. “Alright, we’ll talk more when we meet.”

As he hung up, Madison blurted out, “Is it news about Theodore?”

Joli’s eyes reddened as he turned to Paul. “Dr. Jefferson, thank you… I mean it. Thank you so much. Mr. Zeller insisted I thank you on his behalf as well.”

Madison blinked in confusion. “Wait. What’s going on?”

“The call was from Mr. Zeller. He said Theodore has woken up!”

“Really? That’s great news!” She beamed. “But why are you thanking Dr. Jefferson?”

Joli explained, “Mr. Zeller said Dr. Jefferson arranged for Theodore to be transferred to a hospital in the city and brought in specialists to consult on his case. Amazingly, he regained consciousness without even needing surgery.”

Miranda looked at Paul in surprise. “When did you arrange this?”

“Yesterday.”

“How come you never brought that up?” she asked.

“I contacted the hospital while we were on our way here,” Paul replied.

“You always think of everything,” Miranda said.

Sam frowned in confusion. When had Paul managed to make that call? They had been together the whole day yesterday—except, of course, when Sam went to meet Gerald to borrow a few men.

Sam thought, “Good grief! Paul managed to take advantage of even that brief moment to arrange everything.”

The group spent another night at the motel and left for Elgerson the following day. Joli didn’t join them since he wanted to ensure his parents were settled in before returning to school.

To ensure the Sneider family wouldn’t cause trouble after they left, Sam assigned two bodyguards to the Clifford residence. These were his own men, not Gerald’s.

Curious, Madison asked, “Mr. Copper, is there a reason for that?”

Sam was in a good mood and didn’t mind explaining. “Gerald and I aren’t close. We only got connected through a series of introductions. From how he handled the Sneider brothers, it’s clear he helped, mostly out of amusement rather than obligation.

“People like that can’t be trusted. They might smile at your face and then turn on you the moment you’re not looking. It’s just safer to rely on my own people.”

By afternoon, they reached Elgerson. Both Sam and Paul offered to drop Miranda off.

Paul said, “It just so happens I’m also going home, so it’s on the way.” Content provided by NôvelDrama.Org.

“Thank you, Dr. Jefferson.” Miranda smiled and nodded.

Sam sat in the back of a business–class Mercedes. He watched the two left in a cab through the rearview mirror before turning his gaze away.

“Drive,” he instructed the driver.

“Where do you want to go Mr. Cooper?”

Sam paused briefly before answering, “Back to the Cooper residence.” He wanted to check in on Nelly.

Timothy was ruthless and followed through on his word. Since moving out of the Cooper residence, he hadn’t returned.

The butler mentioned that Nelly had gone from being emotionally unstable to much calmer, almost as if she had come to terms with her situation. But Sam doubted his mother would give in so easily.

May soon arrived, and the weather began to warm. Spring was in full bloom, and everything seemed to come alive.

After returning from Yalemont, Miranda went to the faculty department to update them on Joli and Theodore’s situation. She helped them arrange some time off and handled all the necessary paperwork.

She also made sure to inform Christine. When she heard about Joli’s struggles, she turned away, and Miranda could tell she was wiping away tears.

“I always knew he was talented,” Christine said. “Sometimes, I regret that someone so gifted ended up under Sophie’s mentorship, but I never imagined his family would be in such dire straits.

“After he transferred to my mentorship, I didn’t pay much attention to these details. I should’ve paid more attention.

“Here’s ten thousand dollars. Take this to him. It’s not much, just a small gesture of respect from me as his mentor. I doubt he’ll accept anything more.”

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