Chapter 76
Miranda had just asked Hannah to fill her in on what was going on.
Apparently, the whole mess started when they got into a spat with Theo and ended up making a bet. Just as things were heating up, Alistair and Miranda arrived, joining the crew as well.
The stakes? The loser had to act like a dog. Now, They were pressuring Caius and Hannah to honor the bet.
It wasn’t surprising that Caius couldn’t match Alistair’s shooting skills. Alistair, being a lawyer, had honed his marksmanship back in college.
Both he and Dorian were members of a shooting club. While Dorian was more of a casual participant, Alistair took it seriously, practicing whenever he could.
Theo sneered with a smug air. “Oh, are you going to help them bark like dogs?”
He wasn’t at the Lancaster Group banquet last time, but he’d heard whispers of what had happened. Arabella had told him about how Miranda had somehow become Miss Lancaster, leveraging that title to embarrass Arabella.
To Theo, Miranda was nothing but a conniving woman who had gotten lucky.
Caius stepped protectively in front of Miranda, his voice cold. “This has nothing to do with my sister. I made the bet, and I’ll own up to it.”
Miranda was taken aback by Caius’s sudden declaration. Sensing seemingly her glance, he felt his cheeks flush slightly, though his voice remained firm. “Miranda is my sister. If anyone’s going to fulfill the bet, it’s me. She’s not part of it!”
Hannah nodded in agreement. She saw nothing wrong in what Caius had said. After all, with Miranda now being adopted by Lavinia, they were practically siblings. And she knew her brother had a soft spot for Mira.
Alistair’s usually composed face cracked a bit as he retorted coldly, “Since when is she your sister? Do you even know her last name?”
His reaction caught both Theo and Arabella’s attention. Theo was puzzled by Alistair’s outburst, while Arabella’s expression turned sour.
Caius frowned. “I don’t care about her last name. What matters is she’s part of our family now, so she’s my
sister.”
Caius and Hannah had grown up in a loving and disciplined home, which made it easy for them to accept Miranda. Not to mention, she had saved their grandmother and was both capable and beautiful. And now she was their aunt’s daughter. Having her as family was something they were grateful for.
Alistair’s expression grew even colder as he heard this.
“You’re awfully protective over someone who’s not even blood–related,” he said with a sneer. Arabella’s face
twitched at that comment.
Brows furrowed, Miranda couldn’t hold back any longer. “What’s with your double standards? You’d break the law for your adopted sister, and you dare question Caius? Calling you a jerk is an insult to jerks everywhere.”
Caius blushed at the way Miranda defended him. Her words left Alistair and Arabella flustered and speechless. They hadn’t expected Miranda to be so outspoken.
Was she crazy? What was she thinking, saying all that?
Alistair averted his gaze, a flicker of guilt crossing his face as he weakly countered, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?!” Arabella hissed at Miranda, her voice a low warning. “You better watch how you speak.”
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Chapter 76
Miranda’s lips arched. “And who are you to tell me what to say?”
If the world treated her madly, she figured she might as well return the favor in the craziest manner.
Trying to reason with fools only let them beat you with their well–practiced foolishness. So, Miranda never bothered playing nice with fools. She wasn’t the one with a guilty conscience, the one who did some unforgivable deed. She actually loved to see how these fools turned panicked.
For once, Arabella looked a bit scared for Miranda’s fearlessness, turning to Alistair for help. Even Theo, hearing Miranda’s words, glanced at Alistair and Arabella.
Rumors had been swirling about Arabella being an impostor. Could they be true?
