When fate plays its hand

“You What’s wrong?” Miranda asked.

The beat from Paul’s palm was like a burning hot iron. The moment he touched her wrist, Miranda felt an extraordinary scorching sensation from his skin.

“Miranda, do you know what you’re doing?”

Miranda waved the fever patch in her hand. “I’m about to stick this on your forehead. Is there a problem?”

Paul’s gaze deepened. “You’re sheltering a man who’s been drugged.”

“So?” She raised an eyebrow.

“You’ll be in danger.”

“Will you even let me be in danger?” Miranda countered.

Paul gave her a bitter smile. “I’m not as noble as you think. I might lose control under the influence of the drug.”

The moment he grasped her wrist, Paul felt as if he were holding a soft piece of velvet. The delicate and tender sensation stirred an irresistible longing in him. He wanted more…

Not just her wrist, but…

Other parts too.

However, Miranda replied, “But you are.”

Paul was taken aback. “What?”

“You are just that noble. If you were going to lose control, you would have done it earlier in the bathroom, wouldn’t you?” novelbin

Paul let go of her wrist without arguing further.

Miranda asked as she applied the fever patch on his forehead, “Do you feel a bit better now?”

“Yes, the medication should bring my fever down soon.”

Miranda cleared her throat. “I wasn’t talking about the fever. I meant… your body. Has that… subsided?”

Paul’s already flushed cheeks suddenly burned a deeper crimson. “You…”

Did she hear him? How much did she hear?

Would she think that he was a… pervert?

However, Paul realized that voicing these questions were harder than he expected when he

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tried to speak.

Miranda noticed his silence and realized that her question had been a little forward, but…. she had already tried to be as tactful as possible. Did he really need to blush this much?

Miranda cleared her throat again and said, “Well you should lie down for a while. I’ll get you another glass of water. You need to stay hydrated when you have a fever. Yes, drink more water

She held the glass and took a deep breath. Then, she went over to the bed and handed it to Paul. The atmosphere grew awkward when their eyes met.

After Paul had finished the drink, she took the glass from him and placed it aside. Miranda asked, “So.., what do you plan to do next?”

Paul’s gaze turned icy. “I can guess who it was. Her behavior afterward confirmed my suspicions, but the drug…“.

He carefully recalled what happened, his brow furrowing. It smelled like lavender with a hint of jasmine. The smell was light and not overpowering.

Of course, the scent might have dissipated somewhat since he returned to the room, so it was less noticeable.

Miranda was unaware that the air was drugged. She assumed he had ingested something he shouldn’t have. “Was it from the banquet or from the hotel?”

Paul shook his head. “It wasn’t the water. It was the air.”

“Huh?”

Miranda quickly realized the severity of the situation after he explained about the faint scent, I took a course on pharmaceutical biology. Aphrodisiac drugs like these typically come in liquid, pill, or powder forms that get ingested into the body.

“The inhaled drugs we see in TV dramas are theoretically possible, but they require very specific conditions such as a sealed space, continuous burning, and ultra–high concentrations. Not one condition can be lacking.”

In other words, it was extremely difficult for an inhaled aphrodisiac to produce the effects Paul had just experienced earlier. Moreover, he had only caught a faint whiff of the scent.

Faint…

That indicated a low concentration.

Paul said, “Given Elizabeth’s abilities, she wouldn’t be able to get her hands on a drug like this.

“Do you mean… someone is behind her?” Miranda asked. 1

“It’s just a suspicion.”

“Then what do you plan to do next? Are you going to confront her? Or interrogate her?”

Paul gritted his teeth and said firmly, “No, I’m going to call the police.”

Miranda was stunned.

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