Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 3469

Marina nodded.

At the entrance of the teahouse, the three of them exchanged their goodbyes and drove off in their separate directions.

As dusk gave way to night, the city streets ignited with dazzling neon lights. Marina navigated slowly through the heavy traffic, suddenly recalling Carson's earlier, possessive warning.

She could now confidently tell him that Nocturne was a perfect, well-mannered gentleman.

She hesitated for a brief second about whether she should mention this meeting to Carson.

But then again, he spent his private time surrounded by countless women, and she never interrogated him about it. Why should she have to report to him just because she met up with a friend?

Marina scoffed at her own hesitation and shoved the thought out of her mind.

That evening, Marina attended a dinner with a business associate, a woman a decade her senior. As they talked, they discovered they had graduated from the same university, instantly bonding over a shared history.

After wrapping up dinner, the two decided to treat themselves to a spa session at the hotel. There was a lavish banquet happening in the top-floor ballroom, and occasionally, women dressed to the nines in evening gowns would strut down the hallway. Marina's senior associate shot them looks of thinly veiled disdain.

By the time they finished their treatments, it was nearly eleven o'clock. As they took the elevator down, two stunningly beautiful girls in sleek slip dresses stepped in.

The girl in the red dress sighed in frustration. "I dropped six figures on this dress, thinking I'd actually get to spend some time with Mr. Foster at the banquet. All I got was a passing glance! I'm returning this the second I get home."

Her friend frowned. "Who was the woman clinging to him? I've never seen her before."

The red-dress girl rolled her eyes. "Then you're out of the loop. That's Giselle Monet, a famous socialite from H City."

"Why is someone from H City crashing a party in J City?"

"Rumor has it she moved here specifically to chase after Mr. Foster. She's currently playing floor manager at the Midnight Bar just to stay in his orbit."

"She's definitely gorgeous. Her body is insane. I looked closely—it's all natural, no plastic."

The red-dress girl puffed out her chest defensively. "She's nothing special!"

Carson approached the study and knocked softly.

"Come in," a calm, serene voice answered from inside.

Carson pushed the door open, looking at the woman seated gracefully at the desk. He smiled gently. "Did Buddha put you on the night shift, Mom?"

Miranda sat with perfect posture, her brush moving across the paper with unhurried precision. She didn't even look up as she smiled faintly. "Claire called you, didn't she? I had some new tea this afternoon and simply wasn't tired. She always makes a fuss over nothing."

With that, she finally set her brush down. "Alright, I'll go to sleep now."

She tidied up her desk and stood, walking toward the door. "You should get some rest too."

Carson escorted her back to her bedroom, waiting until she was settled in bed before switching off her bedside lamp and quietly stepping out.

The second the bedroom door clicked shut, the warmth vanished from Carson's face. "What happened?"