---- Chapter 2 Irritated, I rubbed the center of my brows. Kiara stood at the door with teary eyes and softly said, " I'm sorry, Mr. Jones..." Seeing how pitiful she looked, I could not help but grumble in my heart that Miranda's temper was worsening. "She's just acting spoiled. Don't take it to heart. Go back to work," I comforted her. When it was time to clock off, I stayed behind in the office until Miranda called me. I picked up and sounded troubled. "I'm sorry, Miranda. A new task suddenly popped up, and I have to work overtime again." Miranda started whining and grumbling about my work. It got to the point where I lost my patience. " If you have nothing else to say, I'm hanging up. T'll finish up as soon as possible and go home to keep you company." Miranda sighed and grunted in disappointment. ---- After that, I went to my friend's bar just as I had promised. I also ran into Kiara, who went there with her friend after work. Kiara was really shocked to see me, but she was smart enough to not say much about it. She only smiled and gave me a nod. After that, she maintained the perfect distance colleagues should have after work. I was satisfied with this and paid her bill for the night. I was worried about smelling like alcohol and making Miranda suspicious after I went back. So, I stayed in a hotel that night. The next day, Kiara sent a clean suit to the hotel for me. She gave me a mischievous wink, and we decided to keep the whole thing a secret. I thought that Miranda would not know. After all, she never read much into such things. ---- However, I finally understood why Miranda's temper got increasingly strange ever since that day. She would start dropping by my office regardless of the time. I would even have to make sure that my story tallied with my friends if I wanted to go out for a drink. When we first got to know each other, I loved Miranda's optimism. It was as if nothing could trouble her. My family drained me, but she healed me with her wonderful personality. She had always been a free soul, like a bird who would take flight at any moment. I tried winning her over for a long time, and it felt like I was chasing after the sun. During this time, I noticed she also had her own mental scars that never healed. After her parents got divorced, she lived her entire childhood shuffled around between relatives. She never got to settle down with a family.