When fate plays its hand

Chapter 0679

At that moment, Paul was attending an academic conference. Night had fully fallen, and it was nearing 7: 00 pm. The conference was reaching its conclusion, and when the host called his name, Paul stepped up to the podium to deliver the closing remarks.

During his speech, his phone vibrated twice, but he couldn’t answer. He suddenly felt a gnawing sense of unease. It was a flutter of nerves that wouldn’t let up.

Paul gave a concise summary of the main points discussed during the conference. His remarks were insightful and to the point while the audience listened intently, nodding in agreement. But those who knew him well noticed something was different about his presentation that day.

Usually, Paul’s reports were thorough, methodical, and detailed, yet today he wrapped up with remarkable speed. After a quick bow, he thanked the audience, leaving them surprised as he strode out of the hall.

He picked up his phone and immediately called back, but a recorded voice answered, “Sorry, the number you’ve dialed is currently engaged…”

He wasn’t blocked–someone was simply on the line.

At that moment, Madison had turned to others for help when she was unable to reach Paul, She remembered that on the day of the lab’s grand opening, Matthew Sanchez from the Department of Computer Science had shown up to support them.

He seemed to have a good rapport with Miranda. So Madison was thinking that with Matthew’s wide network, perhaps he could help.

Matthew, who was currently in another country leading a student team for a programming competition, answered Madison’s call from outside the competition hall. Already frazzled with nerve the news of Miranda’s disappearance left him even more anxious.

Knowing Paul’s busy schedule, Matthew wasn’t surprised he hadn’t answered right away. Suddenly, another name came to mind, someone who might be the right person to call.

“I’m tied up here until the competition ends,” he told Madison. “I’ll text you a number to call–explain the situation to him, and he’ll definitely find a way to help.

“Thank you, Dr. Sanchez,” Madison said. As soon as the call ended, Madison received the contact info and immediately dialed.

“Hello, I’m Madison. Dr. Sanchez gave me your number and asked me to explain what’s happening, saying you’d be able to help… Here’s the situation, you see. Miranda Sutton’s…”

Hearing Miranda’s name made Sam sit up instantly, putting him on high alert. At that moment, he was in the middle of a business dinner, negotiating a 0.5% discount that had stalled for half an hour.

He knew the client’s strategy–to push for the maximum benefit. So, while chatting casually and savoring his meal, he’d subtly pointed out flaws in their product, leaving them scrambling for a response.

Just as his strategy seemed to be working, Sam’s phone rang. The calm, decisive man they’d been negotiating with sprang to his feet within seconds of hearing the situation. His facial expression had changed entirely, and without another word… he just left.

Sam had left behind a multimillion–dollar deal without so much as a backward glance.

The vice president of the company was equally stunned. Sam was always the epitome of professionalism and had never let anything disrupt a meeting What could possibly have made him act like this?

“Apologies, everyone,” the vice president stammered, attempting damage control. “Mr. Cooper had an urgent personal matter to attend to, so he had to leave, I’ll take over from here…”

He quickly covered, though the excuse was a lucky guess.

At the guest house in the botanical garden, Willow had just finished her shower and stepped out of the bathroom, her face faintly flushed from the steam. Her group had already completed their ten basic plant samples, which meant they could simply submit and secure their final grades.

She was in a good mood because of this. Then, she thought about how, with tomorrow being Friday, she’d be back on campus by 6:00 pm if they left at 5:00 pm.

Perhaps it was the right time to finally ask Hansel out for dinner?