When fate plays its hand

Bram dropped the act and snapped, “We’ve been real patient with you. We’d teach women like you in my town a lesson for being this stubborn. Just hand over 50 thousand dollars, and we’ll be gone.”

Orson sighed as he switched to his “good cop” act. “Miss, why make this harder on yourself? If you’d listened to me from the start, my sons wouldn’t even be upset right now. All this over some money–was it really worth it?

“We’re here for the money. You’re driving a Mercedes–Benz, so 50 thousand dollars shouldn’t be a big deal for you, right? Don’t worry. We’ll keep our word. Give us the money, and you can walk away.”

Miranda was stunned by their boldness. They didn’t even bother pretending anymore and went straight to the point.

This wasn’t a negotiation–it was a robbery. She’d never been in a situation like this but knew money could buy her way out of trouble, but 50 thousand dollars? Not a chance.

Her expression hardened. “I only have 30 thousand dollars. Take it or leave it.”

Tobin snapped, “30 thousand dollars? You think that’ll be enough to get rid of us? Look at that car you’re driving. Just replacing a headlight costs more than that! Don’t try to act poor with me!”

“Does she think we’ll buy her story? Well, she’s asking for it. This kind of woman needs a good lesson!” he growled as he raised his hand to slap her.

Just before his blow landed, something stopped it. The next moment, he was kicked to the ground.

Sam calmly withdrew his foot and glared at Tobin, sprawled out on the pavement. “Who the hell do your think you are? How dare you touch her?”

He then turned to Miranda, and his face softened with concern. “Are you okay?”

She had instinctively covered her head when Tobin raised his hand, but the expected pain never came. Instead, she heard Sam’s voice.

She looked up and met his worried gaze. “You… Why are you here?” she blurted out.

Her reaction amused him. “If I hadn’t shown up, would you have let these guys scam you?”

“It’s not that…” Miranda smiled nervously. “I mean, how did you know I was here? How did you get here so fast?”

“I called you earlier, but you screamed and hung up. I called back, and you didn’t pick up. How could I think you were fine?” NôvelDrama.Org owns all © content.

“Sorry, I

“You’re not the one who should be apologizing,” Sam interrupted her. He glared at the three men, one of whom had started crawling back to his father and brother after being kicked.

“You–how dare you kick my brother?” Bram shouted.

Sam sneered. “Not only am I going to kick his ass, but also beat you up. You think I won’t?”

Bram froze. Then, several figures emerged from the dark and surrounded the trio,

“What… what are you doing?”

Sam took off his coat and wrapped it tightly around Miranda before nodding at the figures without a word. Within moments, Orson and his sons were hauled away.

Sam turned to Miranda, and his tone softened again. “Are you scared?”

“Actually, I’m fine. Because… She slowly opened her hand to show him a small folding knife. “I’ve got this.

His heart skipped a beat. “Whoa, you’re so brave! You were planning to fight with them?”

“Not exactly,” she smiled. “It’s just a backup plan.”

Sam laughed, though there was a hint of nervousness. “They just wanted money. You could’ve given it to them. No amount of cash is worth risking your life. Why bother arguing with these scumbags?”

Miranda nodded innocently. “That’s what I thought, and that’s why I didn’t.”

“Don’t think I didn’t catch you saying you only had 30 thousand dollars.”

“They asked for 50 thousand. If I gave them that right away, they’d think they could take more. With people like that, the more they get, the more they want. I was just stalling to make them work for it,” she explained.

ou were haggling with them?” Sam laughed.

“So, you

Miranda cleared her throat. “Well, my e–wallet really does only have 30 thousand.”

“So, what’s with the knife?” He took it from her and flipped it open to test the blade. To his surprise, it was really sharp.

Miranda’s tone grew serious. “What if money couldn’t save me? If it came down to it, I’d need another option, right?”

Sam fell silent.

She continued, “That’s why I said I wouldn’t use it unless I had no other choice.” It wasn’t about whether she would use it but about being prepared.

He sighed as if he was seeing her in a new light. “Your car’s bumper is scratched. You’re going to dealership anyway. Why not have them send someone to take it straight to the service center?”

“Okay.”

Sam opened the car door for her. “Let’s go. I’ll send you home.”

Miranda instinctively pulled the jacket tighter around her, then froze when she realized it was his.