novelxo Chapter 19
Miranda furrowed her brows. So, it was him.
She glanced at Theo, whose lip was practically badly battered.
That was a pretty brutal hit.
With Elian's unexpected testimony, everything Miranda had just said stood unchallenged. No one dared to contradict Elian.
Even if Theo wanted to explain, he knew Mr. Ashcroft had done it on purpose. He could only swallow his pride and mumble reluctantly, "Mr. Ashcroft, maybe there's some misunderstanding here.
Arabella chimed in, her voice exaggeratedly sweet, trying to sound like she was on equal footing with someone like Elian.
"Mr. Ashcroft, surely you must be mistaken. Theo would never harass her. Everyone at school knows she was the one chasing after Theo, and he wasn't interested. That's why she's doing this. You can't just go by what you've seen, right?"
Her last words were laced with a hint of a coquettish plea.
Elian's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you saying I'm blind?"
Arabella quickly backpedaled, "No, that's not what I meant. Mr. Ashcroft, how do you even know her?" Miranda raised an eyebrow, noticing Arabella was still trying to fawning over him, but her confidence seemed shaken.
The bodyguards Elian had left behind earlier were now surrounding him, creating an intimidating presence.
"Mr. Ashcroft, Mr. Blackwell." the manager who had brought Elian was now caught in an awkward situation.
Ignoring Arabella, Elian stepped closer to Miranda.
The space between them shrank, and the subtle scent of cedarwood he had became more pronounced. Miranda frowned slightly. Elian bent down, his eyes meeting hers, hands bracing on the table behind her, effectively trapping her there.
Despite the height difference, Miranda stood her ground, unflinching.
"Doctor, you chased after him?" He asked as if puzzled by something beyond understanding.
Elian's ridiculously handsome face was full of mischief, his eyes brimming with a rebellious charm.
His eyebrow arched slightly. "Is he even worth it?"
Miranda replied coolly, "Not really. But I'm not deaf, no need to get so close."
Oh boy. Now everyone not only knew Theo wasn't worth it, but they also realized this lady knew Elian. The onlookers were buzzing with excitement. Some couldn't help but start shipping them right there! Their height, their looks... it was picture-perfect.
Arabella's eyes were practically shooting sparks of jealousy. How did Miranda know someone like Elian? And Theo, with his face now swollen, looked mortified. If it weren't for the bodyguards holding him up, he might've just wanted the ground to swallow him whole.
Just then, someone from the director's team came over to announce the results.
"Ms Miranda Hawke, congratulations on landing the role of Dr. Ember Sinclair in City Secrets."
The staff member was nearly speechless at the scene in front of them.
Both Miranda and Elian turned their attention to the staff member. Elian straightened up, adjusting his cufflinks, and the brief glimpse of his toned arm muscles disappeared back under his shirt sleeve.
Miranda's gaze lingered on the calluses on his fingertips for a moment.
"Thank you, I appreciate it," Miranda replied with a polite smile.
Arabella's voice suddenly shot up a couple of octaves. "What did you say?"
She stormed over to the staff member, demanding, "Why her?"