Independence

When they were passing Wilkie Road, countless drones hovered in the air and formed various shapes in an orderly manner,

It was a drone light show. A show of around 10 to 20 minutes would cost several million dollars at the very least. A crowd of people had come out to watch the show.

The place Sam and Miranda were passing through happened to be a location with a good view. So, Sam parked his car by the roadside.

Then, he gazed out of the windshield and watched the drones form different 4D shapes in the sky with great interest.

Miranda followed his gaze and looked up. She was instantly impressed by the beautiful light patterns formed by the drones.

Sam asked, “Can you tell how many drones are there in the sky?”

Miranda asked him back, “Can you tell?”

“Of course.‘

“I can’t tell.”

“I’m guessing…” Sam paused for a bit. “About 99?”

“Why that number?”

“Don’t people like to use that number when making a proposal?”

Just then, Miranda spotted the drones forming the words “marry me” in the night sky. “How did you know it was for a proposal?”

Sam signaled with his eyes to an observation deck somewhere in the distance. A man in a suit was hiding a bouquet of roses behind his back.

“Impressive.” Miranda praised his sharpness.

In the past, she’d thought that Sam was just another spoiled, rich kid.

Yet, she’d found out today that he was very different from the impression she’d had of him. It turned out that he was very knowledgeable and observant.

Earlier when they’d been talking about her major, Sam had briefly mentioned the fluctuations in Narssen Biotech’s stock price.

+25 NONUS

Even though he’d just briefly mentioned it, she’d realized how much of an expert hel was in financial trading.

Then, it had occurred to Miranda that Hansel and his group of friends were all experts when it came to making money.

The world that these elites belonged to was far more complicated than she could imagine. Therefore, leaving with her dignity intact while she could was the best option she had.

“My place is right there. Thanks for dropping me home.”

Sam pulled up by the roadside since his car couldn’t enter the alleyway. Then, Miranda got out of the car.

Sam knew that they weren’t close enough for him to walk Miranda up to her place. After watching her enter her building, he finally drove off.

Not long after he left Miranda’s place, he received a call from Calvin.

“Where are you guys? How come you guys disappeared after I’d just left the table for a second?”

Calvin had been about to return to their table after making payment. However, he’d bumped into his ex–girlfriend, Gabby Owens, whom he’d broken up with about a year ago. Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

They hadn’t been in contact since then. Yet, Gabby had stuck to him like glue as soon as she’d seen him. She’d kept trying to ask him to join her for a meal while flirting nonstop.

It had taken Calvin quite some time to finally get away from her.

“Oh. You were gone for quite some time, and Miranda had to leave first because something urgent came up. So, I took her home.” Sam came up with an excuse.

Calvin asked, “What about Hans? Didn’t we agree to bring him here and make it seem like a coincidence? Why did you come alone?”

He’d been wanting to ask these questions the entire time, but he’d held back until

now.

Sam said flatly, “I couldn’t find him. He was his girlfriend.”

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Calvin didn’t sense anything suspicious about Sam’s explanation since Hans did

Indeed meet Ingrid from time to time.

“It was such a great chance! What a shame…” He sighed.

After he ended the call, Sam pulled up by the roadside. He found an unknown bank account number and transferred some money to the account.

The person called after receiving the money. “As expected of you, Mr. Cooper! You’re so generous. I’look forward to working with you again next time.”

If Calvin had been there, his jaw would’ve surely dropped in shock. After all, the person on the other end of the line was the annoying ex–girlfriend he’d run into just

now!

Sam replied, “Likewise.”

“I’m curious, though. Why did you want me to hold Calvin back for at least ten minutes? Was it really necessary?”