James tapped his fingers on his knee, letting out a grunt before speaking up, "So, you really think a grand is enough to get rid of me?"


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, gripping the medicine box tighter as she tilted her head to look at him.


    James''s mouth twitched into a half-smile, choosing to overlook her gesture. "What, no dinner invitation?"


    At the mention of food, Mirabe''s face brightened, and she shed an enthusiastic ''okay'' sign with her hand. "Sure thing. Let''s hit up Knox''s Herb & Hearth sometime soon. Could use a bit of pampering and, you know, that whole wellness vibe."


    James: "..."


    Just then, Mirabe''s messenger app pinged with a new message. She nced down at her phone and quickly said, "Gotta dash, hun. We''ll catch upter."


    With that, she stood up and walked out with purpose.


    Watching her retreating figure, James rubbed his temples in frustration. Was this a case of losing money andpany?


    As that thought passed through his mind, his phone buzzed on the coffee table with a notification. It was a bank transfer alert.


    【9999999】


    There was no sender''s information, but it wasn''t hard to guess who it was from.


    James held his phone, lost in thought, not really surprised that she knew his personal ount details. His finger tapped the screen lightly, and a yful smile spread across his lips. His eyes scanned the amount once more. Was it meant to symbolize ''forever''?


    *


    Back home, Mirabe put away the medicine box and changed her clothes, ready to head out again.


    "Mirabe, where are you off to?" Zach had just rolled out of bed, stumbled downstairs for a ss of water, and upon seeing his sister all dressed up, he casually asked.


    Mirabe''s eyebrows lifted slightly, "Autumn invited me out for lunch."


    At the mention of Autumn''s name, Zach, who had recently been blocked on messenger, immediately perked up. "How''d she end up inviting you?"


    "Just to chat, I guess," Mirabe shrugged nonchntly.


    Zach chuckled darkly at this. "That woman sure knows how to y her cards." First, she blocks me to get my attention, and now she''s cozying up to my sister. He remembered how Autumn had asked for his sister''s phone and messenger details. It was all starting to make sense.


    Pfft, he''d seen these kinds of games before.


    Mirabe nced at Zach, unsure what was going through his mind, but simply checked the time. "Zach, I gotta run."


    Zach hastily set down his water ss and grabbed Mirabe''s arm. "Wait, let me throw on some clothes, and I''ll give you a ride."


    Sometimes Mirabe could be a little over the top, but he wasn''t about to let her get swindled.


    With that, he dashed upstairs.


    Half an hourter, the siblings arrived at the venue Autumn had chosen a quaint, hidden gem of a bistro.


    Zach initially insisted on waiting outside, but seeing his eagerness, Mirabe called Autumn and after a polite inquiry, she invited him in.


    Entering the private dining room, Autumn stood up and greeted Mirabe warmly. "Little Mira, you made it."


    Then, turning to acknowledge Zach with a polite nod of the head, her demeanor was noticeably different from before.


    Zach internally rolled his eyes at her theatrics but paused when he caught sight of Owen nearby.


    As awyer, he regrly interacted with a range of clients, from private individuals to corporate and governmental agencies-so he recognized Owen instantly.


    What was he doing here?


    Scratching his head, Zach''s gaze shifted from Owen back to Autumn. Owen... bothst names were ''Fang''. Could these two actually be rted?