When fate plays its hand

Sebastian’s expression hardened.

“Ugh, who cares!” Madison waved it off. “Why overthink it? If the college is up to something, they’ll come to us.” She knew they would find out soon enough, so stressing over it was pointless.

Miranda agreed, “Exactly. Whatever comes our way, we’ll deal with it. Why worry?”

“Yes, you’re right,” he added. “Our research paper was published in ‘Nature Biotechnology ‘ again. Shouldn’t we celebrate it?”

“We totally should.” Madison turned to Sebastian for confirmation, and he nodded.

“Great! Let’s head downtown and treat ourselves. There’s a new Thalindra restaurant on Savannah Street that is getting rave reviews on Yelp. I’ve been dying to try it ever since I saw it online.”

Madison’s inner foodie was in full gear. Since their lab was in the suburbs, any trip downtown felt like “heading into town” for her. All content is © N0velDrama.Org.

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. “Can’t we celebrate in some other way?”

“I’m fine with Jovanian food,” she said.

He didn’t respond.

“Or maybe barbecue? Dolorianese? Anything is fine by me,” Madison said.

Still no response from him.

Ultimately, the three of them ended up at the Thalindra restaurant. By the time they finished dinner, it was already 8:00 pm. The city lights were bright against the dark sky.

“By the way, I haven’t seen Joli around.” Madison suddenly recalled glancing back at the lab before leaving earlier and noticing that Joli’s lab bench was spotless.

Sebastian frowned. “I haven’t seen him at all since the semester started. Miranda, what about you?”

Miranda shook her head. “I haven’t seen him either.”

“That’s strange…” Madison murmured. “Third–years don’t have many classes, and he’s such a workaholic. There’s no way he’d skip the lab.”

Before Christmas, Joli had mentioned he had two large data models to finish and planned to complete his thesis and submit it right after the break.

“Maybe he hasn’t returned to campus yet?” Miranda said.

Bedford College was flexible with its grad students. As long as they completed the online check–in process, it was okay if they showed up a few days late.

Madison nodded. “That could be it. If he were back, he’d definitely be in the lab by now.”

Miranda added, “I tried calling him the other day, but he didn’t answer. I’ve tried a few more times since, but his phone’s off. I’ll go to the campus tomorrow and ask around.”

A

The next day, Miranda asked other third–year students like her and learned they didn’t have many scheduled classes. And sure enough, Joli still hadn’t returned to campus.

She returned to the lab and changed into her coat. As she was about to start working, Madison burst in. “Miranda! I think something is off.”

Miranda looked up, puzzled. “What happened?”

Madison stammered, “I–I just went to find Theodore to ask about Joli, and I found out he hasn’t returned to campus. I had a bad feeling, so I asked some of the other third–years, and it turns out Joli hasn’t returned either.”

She paused before adding, “You’ve always said when things seem too coincidental, they probably aren’t just a coincidence.”

Miranda frowned. “So, neither of them has returned?”

“Exactly!” Madison replied. “If it were just Joli, I’d think he’s just running late. But Theodore? That guy is too careful to risk something like this.”

After all, first–year students were closely monitored. If they got caught slacking at the start of the semester, the consequences could be severe–from a warning to being expelled.

Theodore had just transferred to Christine’s lab and escaped the nightmare of working under Sophie. He valued this opportunity, especially since Christine had crafted a tailored training plan just for him.