Miranda spent three days locked away in her studio, determined to perfectly convey her thoughts and emotions on canvas. During this time, she forgot herself entirely-forgot to eat, drink, or even check on Winnie, who had been sent to her grandfather’s house.
On the first day of her isolation, Tony arrived with his routine flower delivery.
It was Shannon, the housekeeper, who opened the door for him. Tony struggled to carry a bouquet taller than himself, carefully placing it on the coffee table. He called out Miranda’s name several times, but no one answered.
Shannon gestured for him to lower his voice, then pointed silently to the studio door, which was tightly shut.
From a distance, Tony noticed a piece of paper taped to the door. Curious, he stepped closer to read it. In Miranda’s neat handwriting, it said: Do Not Disturb.
Tony frowned and asked Shannon in a hushed tone, “How long has she been like this?”
Shannon shrugged, indicating she wasn’t sure.
“Did she eat anything?” he pressed.
Shannon shook her head again.
“This isn’t good!” Tony exclaimed, his voice rising in frustration before he caught himself and lowered it. “What have you been preparing for her?”
Shannon listed, “Rosemary-seared steak, Thai lemon shrimp, tomato stew, olive oil sauteed asparagus-”
Before she could finish, Tony interrupted, his tone tinged with reproach. “She’s focused on painting, and you’re making such elaborate meals? No wonder she hasn’t touched her food.”
Shannon asked, “What should I make, then?”
“Keep it simple-burgers, sandwiches, cheese bites. Something she can eat in two or three bites.”
“Understood. I’ll get started right away!”
Inside the studio, Miranda finally set down her paintbrush, satisfied as she admired her completed work. She picked up a can of fixative spray, shook it, and coated the canvas evenly.
With a deep sigh of relief, she grabbed her phone to check the time. To her astonishment, three days had passed.
During those days, she hadn’t even glanced at the people bringing her food, mechanically grabbing bites and focusing solely on her work.
When she opened WhatsApp, the first thing she saw were several messages from Eric, inviting her out.
Although she hadn’t replied, he seemed to understand she was busy and refrained from following up. His patience warmed her, and she smiled as she scrolled through their past conversations. Mostly, they consisted of Eric initiating and her giving brief replies. She appreciated his effort and attentiveness.
After some thought, she sent him a simple message to let him know she was okay, but she didn’t mention her painting-she wasn’t ready to share it yet.
With that done, Miranda stretched, stood up, and opened the studio door-only to be greeted by a massive bouquet of roses. The fresh scent of petals filled her nose as she struggled to push the flowers aside, finally revealing the man behind them: Tony.
Tony handed her the bouquet with a cheerful grin. “Miranda, congratulations! You’ve finally finished!”
The sight of the roses instantly brightened her mood, and she beamed at him. “Thank you. They’re beautiful. I’ll keep them.”
Tony’s smile widened, revealing his charming dimples. “As long as you like them!”
“Miranda, have you heard of LiveHive? I sometimes do live streams there with my fans, and this time, I want to invite you to join me!” Tony’s tone was enthusiastic as he extended the invitation.
Miranda, about to take a bite of an apple, paused mid-motion. She glanced at Tony, her tone resigned. “Tony, don’t joke around. I have no experience. I don’t want to ruin your live stream.”
“You won’t,” Tony reassured her quickly. “I’ve always had a monthly guest section for my streams, where I will invite a beautiful lady like you for a chat. This month, I want you to be that guest.”
Miranda playfully tossed the apple at him. “A beautiful lady, every month? Wow, Tony, you’re such a charmer!”
Catching the apple, Tony detected the sarcasm in her voice and hurried to defend himself. “Miranda, it’s just work! In my heart, there’s only-”
Before he could finish, she interrupted him, unwilling to give him false hope. “Alright, Tony, I’ll do it.”
—
On the day of the live stream, Miranda sat in front of a green screen, visibly nervous.
Tony gently grabbed her hand. “Relax, Miranda. I know you’ll do great!”
Miranda subtly pulled her hand away and signaled to his assistant, Cresson. “Let’s begin.”
The live stream started.
At first, there were only a handful of viewers and Miranda and Tony just played some usual games, paying no attention to the real-time viewer count. Meanwhile, Cresson grew increasingly anxious.
The previous guests had all been celebrities from the entertainment industry, bringing their own fanbases. Today’s guest, however, was a relatively unknown woman. Cresson worried the stream might flop.
Suddenly, a message appeared in the live chat: OMG, she’s stunning!
More comments followed quickly: She looks absolutely gorgeous-best of the year!
Before Cresson could process what was happening, the viewer count began to skyrocket. From 10 to 100, then 1, 000, and finally over 10, 000, all in just a few minutes.
Cresson realized his fears had been completely unfounded.
Miranda and Tony remained oblivious to the growing audience. When they finally wrapped up their game and returned to the screen, they were stunned by the flood of live chat messages.
Most of the comments demanded Tony reveal Miranda’s social media accounts, with viewers all eager to follow her.
One persistent user repeatedly asked: Hey, beautiful, do you have a boyfriend?
Tony noticed the comment, and an unexpected wave of irritation surged within him.
Regret washed over him for introducing Miranda to the public. To Tony, her beauty was something he wanted to keep for himself, away from prying eyes.
He quickly answered a couple of questions from the live chat, deliberately ignoring those about Miranda’s personal details, and abruptly announced the end of the stream.
While Tony grappled with his emotions, Miranda’s mind was elsewhere.
For the first time, she realized how much potential the live streaming industry held.
She began calculating whether Sora Group had enough funds to acquire a streaming platform.