When fate plays its hand

The substitute lecturer was an unfamiliar face. He appeared to be in his 40s or 50s, with a balding head. His teaching method consisted of reading directly from the slides.

There was no interaction, no humor, and lacking in any sense of entertainment. Soon, he lost the students‘ attention.

“Where’s Dr. Jefferson?” Madison whispered to Sebastian.

He shook his head. “How could I possibly know if you don’t?”

Madison fell silent. What good was Sebastian for, then?

He continued, “I just sent Miranda a message earlier…‘

“What did she say?”

“She hasn’t replied yet.

Madison was at a loss for words.

Naturally, Miranda couldn’t reply. At this moment, she was on a flight to Moonville with Christine. Their plane landed at Pretoria Airport at 2:00 pm. They got into a dedicated shuttle and arrived at Peninsula Hotel 50 minutes later.

As soon as they got out of the car, they saw a massive sign outside the hotel that read, “13th National Interdisciplinary Academic Summit Forum.” Nearby, there was a check–in counter for VIPs.

Miranda had come to Moonville with Christine to attend the academic summit. The reason she hadn’t told Madison and Sebastian was simply that she didn’t have the time.

She received an urgent call from Christine just after waking up that morning. She was instructed to pack up her luggage and rush to the airport.

It wasn’t until Miranda arrived at the airport that she learned about their destination. She was rushing nonstop, from boarding, takeoff, landing, and getting on the shuttle to the hotel. Throughout the journey, she had to keep an eye on Christine apart from taking care of herself.

Christine had been hospitalized for several days after falling ill last month. Her health required constant attention.

Since this was an interdisciplinary summit, the attendees included prominent figures from other related disciplines as well as important leaders from the field of biology.

The only reason Miranda was here was thanks to Christine’s invitation. After the two checked in at the front desk, they ran into two familiar faces as they were about to head upstairs.

“Dr. Young, Miranda! You’re here too? When did you arrive?” Paul greeted them with a

smile.

“Paul! I thought you weren’t arriving until tomorrow.” Christine was clearly glad to see

him.

The summit lasted for three days. The first day was for checking in, the second day for academic lectures, and the third day was for activities and a closing banquet organized by the hosting committee.

Paul replied, “It’s better to come early to prepare. I don’t want to be caught off–guard later.

“That’s true. You’re one of the guest lecturers. However, I think you’ll handle it perfectly even without preparation,” she said.

Paul dismissed her compliment with a wave of his hand. novelbin

At that moment, the woman next to Paul spoke up, “Dr. Young, nice to meet you.”

Only then did Christine shift her gaze onto the woman. “And you are?”

“Hello, Dr. Young. I’m Elizabeth Lincoln, a researcher from Dr. Jefferson’s lab.”

Christine nodded slightly. “Nice to meet you.”

Elizabeth turned to Miranda with a smile. “Hello, Miranda. You’re here too?”

Miranda returned a polite smile before saying to both of them, “You two can go ahead and check in. Dr. Young and I will head up first.”

Paul replied, “Sure.”

Elizabeth watched their retreating figures as the two walked away. She had a smile on her face, as if she was bidding them a polite farewell. Yet, a fleeting trace of resentment flashed in her eyes.

So Miranda came too. This high–profile academic summit was usually attended by renowned experts in their respective fields. The lowest–ranked participants were researchers, at the very least.

What could a graduate student like Miranda possibly understand? Why did she even bother showing up?

“Lizzy, your ID.”

“Huh?” Elizabeth snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Paul calling her. She put on a bright smile and asked, “Dr. Jefferson, what did you just say?”