Ex-boyfriend.

After work, Miranda said goodbye to her enthusiastic colleagues and took the elevator to the underground parking lot with a big bouquet of tulips in her hand.

When Richard heard the car door open, he turned sideways to have a look and saw Miranda climbing into the car with a bouquet of tulips.

A few housekeepers came out of the house and quickly approached them when Richard got out of the car with Miranda.

"Mr. Richard, Ms Miranda"

When she got to the entrance of the building with Richard, she faintly heard footsteps from afar.

The moment she raised her head, she saw a slender figure approaching them at a quick pace.

"Richard!" She called out to him in a delicate yet melodic voice. "Miranda, come inside," Nicole said.

Richard, however, merely hummed in response. When he was about to hand his coat to the housekeeper, Nicole stretched her hands out before anyone else could react. "Give it to me."

The moment the housekeeper led Richard and Miranda into the house, Miley greeted them happily with a smile.

Upon seeing that, Nicole bit her lips bitterly, and her body became weak.

With a gentle and lovable voice, Miranda handed the bouquet. "Mother, This is for you."

"Thank you, I'm extremely blessed to be your daughter-in-law." She held Miranda's hand and led the latter to the living room.

Nicole then turned his gaze to Marilyn, who was standing before them. When he saw her bit her lips and had a pale face, he creased his brows subtly.

"Don't just stand there," Richard voiced, "Your back will hurt if you stand for a long time."

Though the man's voice was cold as usual, Nicole spotted his concern toward her through his words. Instantly, the jealousy and frustration inside her vanished without a trace.

In living room, Miranda peeled the orange as she talked with Miley. Nicole was in the living room then too. She couldn't even chime in, She focused on peeling the apple skin and cutting it into pieces for Richard.

Upon noticing Nicole's actions, Miley glimpsed at her and said, "Be careful not to hurt yourself."

"It's okay. Richard and Miranda are guests, after all." Nicole smiled faintly.

Noticing Richard coming down the stairs Nicole carelessly held the knife. The sharp blade slit opened her finger's skin, and blood immediately oozed from the wound.

Richard frowned the moment he spotted the blood coming out of her finger while sitting on the other side of the couch. He grabbed the tissue paper from the coffee table and personally wiped away the blood on her finger.

Miley's eyes darkened as he fixed his gaze on Richard's back.

"Thank you," Nicole said. After that, Nicole tried to stand up while announcing, "I'll go check the kitchen. Please continue without me."

"That won't be necessary." Miranda quickly said. "I've learned a few dishes from my Grandma. I planned to let Mother have a taste of my cooking skill when I come here today. Hence, I'll take charge of dinner today." She shot a smile at Nicole.

-----

Miranda personally placed two plates of dishes on the dining table. "Mother, my stir-fried beef might not be as good as the chef's. I hope you won't mind it."

"Thank you." Miley smiled and added, "I don't expect you to remember my favourite dish."

Miranda had already pulled a chair and was ready to sit next to Richard when she heard that. She turned her head and saw Sophie and Amelia entering the dining area.

"Miranda, I heard that you were locked up in jail days back." Amelia paused briefly before asking concernedly, "Are you all right?"

"Thank you for your concern, Amelia." Miranda took a piece of fish and placed it on her plate.

"And I heard that you are quite famous in your school. Because of your famous boyfriend." Amelia said with a mock face.

"Amelia, why did you bring that up?" Sophie said in displeasure.

"Why? You told me that her ex-boyfriend was the famous footballer Austin Hart and she dumped...."

Miley had had enough. She slammed her fork heavily on the table, causing heads to turn in her direction.

"Both of you! Don't you have any respect for your brother?" Miley roared.

Miley took a glance at Richard. His eyes twitched in displeasure.

-----

Miranda asked the housekeeper about the location of Richard's room. Just as she was about to open his room door, someone opened the door from inside. The next moment, Nicole walked out of the room.

Not only were her eyes puffy, but they were red too. It seemed like she had just finished crying.

"What happened? I saw Nicole. She was crying" Miranda asked.

Holding a cigarette between his fingers, Richard picked up her coffee on the table and said, "Sleep! We have to go early in the morning."

Miranda pursed her dry lips in confusion. She knew that the person she had seen outside the cafe that day had to be Nicole and Richard.