Nick, holding the medicine bottle, said, "Alright."


    Mirabe yawned and, with azy stretch, burrowed deeper into the couch. Brewing potions was a real energy drain, and making top-notch elixirs took even more focus.


    Seeing how tired she was, Nick didn''t say much. He got up, poured a ss of warm water, ced it on the coffee table, and then quietly settled back into his chair. Picking up his book, he continued reading.


    For a while, the living room was enveloped in silence until a ringtone broke the calm.


    It was Mirabe''s phone. She casually pulled it out of her pocket and saw an unfamiliar number. Her finger hovered for a moment before she answered. A middle-aged man''s voice came through the line.


    Mirabe only listened for a couple of sentences before a frown creased her brow, and she promptly hung up. The Gilberts had been pestering her non-stoptely, and now it was Bernardo''s turn.


    Less than a minuteter, her phone rang again with the same number. Annoyance shed across her face as she hit the decline button.


    Nick nced up at her.


    Feeling his gaze, Mirabe waved her phone dismissively. "Telemarketers," she said.


    "Maybe install a call-blocking app," Nick suggested softly.


    "Good idea," Mirabe nodded, quickly cklisting the number.


    Meanwhile, at the Gilbert household, Bernardo, frustrated after countless failed attempts to reach his foster daughter, tossed his phone onto the coffee table with a loud tter.


    Mandy, sitting beside him, jumped at the noise and frowned. "What''s got you so riled up?"


    Bernardo ignored her and said, "Try calling her."


    Mandy''s lips curled in disdain. "Ever since she went back to her biological parents, she''s blocked my number ages ago."


    "She blocked you too?" Bernardo''s frown deepened. The timid, mild-mannered foster daughter he remembered seemed like a different person now.


    Hearing the word "too," Mandy couldn''t help but ask, "You''ve been on the phone this whole time trying to call her, haven''t you?"


    Bernardo grunted in affirmation.


    Mandy shook her head. "Stop humiliating yourself. She doesn''t care about the Gilberts anymore. Don''t expect any help from her."


    "Doesn''t care about the Gilberts?" Bernardo''s lips curled into a bitter smile. If she was going to be that ungrateful, they had no reason to hold back.


    Gilbert Corporation was already in shambles.


    Mandy eyed him warily. Something about his demeanor felt ominous. She wanted to ask more but decided against it. Life in the Gilbert household was already stifling; better not to make it worse.


    That very night, an anonymous tipnded on the city prosecutor''s desk, and another letter exposing ethical misconduct arrived at a local news agency.


    *


    The next day was the weekend. Mirabe and Leo, as usual, spent the day recording their segment for "Country Comfort."


    The director''s challenges were insanely tough, nearly knocking everyone out. Once they wrapped up, the group joked about dragging the director out for a well- deserved beating.


    All the while, Michelle kept a close eye on Mirabe the whole day.


    Draft after draft was written and rewritten. The final post would go live around midnight.