When fate plays its hand

Chapter 0593

Mason paced back and forth, muttering, “You’ve never cared about what people say before, so why suddenly try to lose weight? Is someone bothering you?”

Madison had always been taught well–confident and cheerful, unbothered by her appearance. Even when she was excluded by classmates in elementary school for being chubby, she stayed upbeat and didn’t think twice about it.

But now she said she wanted to diet? His silly, big–hearted daughter, willing to commit to dieting… What kind of big deal could’ve triggered this? Mason’s heart was pounding.

Hearing his worry heading into conspiracy territory, Madison quickly explained, “Health videos say that moderate weight loss is good for you. I can’t just stay this way forever, right? So I thought I’d give it a try…”

Mason frowned. Health videos? Something didn’t add up!

He knew his daughter well; her biggest passion was eating, followed by spending hours in the lab experimenting with various vials and containers.

Over the years, with the rise of live–streaming and social media, she’d barely touched her phone, let alone watched videos. And suddenly, just one video prompted her to start dieting?

Then, a thought flashed in his mind, and he blurted, “Wait, don’t tell me… are you dating someone?”

Madison’s face instantly flushed red. Luckily, she was on the phone, so he couldn’t see her reaction. “N- No! I’m here to study, not to date! Ugh, Dad, I’ve got a class coming up, and I’m about to be late. Gotta go, bye!”

She quickly hung up.

Mason frowned. “A reaction that strong, and she says she’s not?”

His precious daughter was still young. If any guy dared to take her away now, he’d have to answer to him!

Meanwhile, Madison grabbed breakfast and headed straight to class. Today, it was Paul’s lecture. When she arrived, Miranda and Sebastian were already seated, with ten minutes left before class.

“Still eating so little?” Miranda looked at her breakfast with some concern. Sebastian’s brow was furrowed tightly, as they had been for the past few days. However, no one knew who or what had gotten

on his nerves.

In the brief time it took for them to chat, Madison had already finished her corned beef hash. Staring at her lone sandwich, she found it hard to take a bite–it was her last one, after all.

Sebastian asked without expression, “Is what you’re doing truly necessary?”

“Of course, it is! I’ve lost five pounds, five whole pounds!” That was the weight of a chicken! A chicken that could make probably 15 sandwiches!

Sebastian replied flatly, “You’re torturing yourself.” Then he turned away and began flipping through his book, the pages rustling loudly.

Madison raised an eyebrow, thinking, “Why’s he so worked up over me losing weight?”

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+25 BONUS

Chapter 0593

“Oh, what’s this? Madi, did you drop something?” Miranda picked up a business card from under the seat.

Madison glanced at it and was about to respond when Miranda exclaimed, “Wait, this is Bryan’s card.”

“Miranda, you know him?”

“Yes! He’s part of Dr. Jefferson’s team and also works as a counselor at Bedford College, I think.”

Madison’s eyes sparkled. “What’s he like?”

“Very polite and capable. He’s someone who has worked his way up on his own and has a strong academic record.”

“Is he married?” Madison felt it was best to ask outright. She’d been curious but hadn’t found a good opportunity to ask anyone reliable.

Miranda shook her head. “As far as I know, he isn’t.”

Madison relaxed a little, only for Miranda to add a second later, “But he does have a girlfriend.”

A girlfriend… Madison’s face fell.

“Why are you asking about him?” Miranda had a suspicion.

“Last time at the event, I bumped into him. He wasn’t mad at all and even helped me carry a tray. I just thought he seemed really nice, so I was curious.”