Just then, Michelle, who had been standing outside, couldn''t hold back any longer. She flung the curtain aside and walked in.


    Pulling off her mask, she didn''t bother with anyone else. Her eyes locked onto Mirabe, and her voice was both urgent and loud. "Mirabe, don''t act like you don''t know me. My cousin and I need to talk to you. Can we step aside for a moment?"


    As soon as she spoke, Knox, Aimee, and Vincent all turned to look at her.


    Knox and Aimee were clueless; they didn''t follow reality TV or streaming dramas, so they had no idea who Michelle was.


    Vincent, though, was a different story. Usually buried in his studies, he rarely wasted time on TV. But when he found out Queen Mira was on a reality show, he''d caught a few episodes and instantly recognized Michelle.


    He frowned, remembering the Twitter fiasco where Michelle had leaked Queen Mira''s info.


    How she found this ce was a mystery. Vincent nced at Mirabe and, without waiting for her to say anything, stood up with an icy demeanor. "Sorry, we''re having a private dinner here. Please, don''t interrupt."


    Michelle, a former student from Parkside High School and a year ahead of Vincent, had graduated six months ago. She remembered Vincent, the academic prodigy, and his background. She hadn''t expected him to be so close to Juztin''s sister and to speak up now.


    Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Michelle addressed Vincent. "Look, I really need to talk to Mirabe."


    Vincent raised his hand, his voice cold. "You don''t need to get chummy with me. We don''t know each other. And anyone with basic manners would call ahead instead of tracking someone down to their dinner."


    Michelle stood there, mortified, unable to say a word in response.


    Aimee, seeing this, narrowed her eyes and stood up. Without asking for any exnations, she turned to Jamie. "Jamie, would you mind escorting thisdy out? Vincent''s right. Anyone with manners would make a call first."


    Jamie''s face reddened. Aimee''s words were aimed at Michelle, but the jab at his ownck of manners was clear since he''d brought her. With a resigned nod, Jamie agreed. "Alright."


    But Michelle was desperate now, biting her lip. She quickly scanned the room before turning back to Mirabe. "Mirabe, I''m sorry, okay? Leaking your info online was wrong. Please, I''m begging you to show some mercy on me and my cousin."


    Thinking about the predicament the Sharp family and the Pledger family were in, Michelle was genuinely scared.


    Mirabe set down her utensils and stood up, calm and collected. "Let''s talk outside, so we don''t disturb everyone else."


    She then turned to Knox and Aimee, apologizing politely before stepping out of the private dining room.


    Michelle, relieved that Mirabe agreed to talk privately, quickly followed her.


    Aimee wanted to call Mirabe back but seeing how quickly she left, she let it go, turning her attention to Vincent. "Vincent, who is that woman? Do you know her?"


    The way Michelle pleaded for forgiveness left a bad taste, as if she was painting Mirabe as some kind of unreasonable viin to those who didn''t know the full story.