Vincent nced at his mom, Judy, mulling over the situation for a few seconds before he spilled the beans about how Michelle had been bad-mouthing and leaking Queen Mira''s personal info online.


    Upon hearing this, Judy''s face turned stormy, and she mmed her hand on the table. "Can you believe the nerve of that woman? Making mistakes is one thing, but that is no way to apologize!"


    Vincent jumped at the sudden bang on the table from Judy.


    "No way, Mirabe always seemed so soft-spoken and gentle, she''s bound to be pushed around. I need to check on her," Judy dered, standing up.


    Though she had only met the youngdy a couple of times, her impression of her was genuinely favorable. Besides, she was invited over for dinner, not to be mistreated.


    Seeing his mother''s reaction, Vincent quickly grabbed her arm, "Mom, please, don''t rush into this. It''s their private matter; it wouldn''t be right for us to interfere."


    Well, even though Queen Mira seemed... demure, he didn''t quite see her as someone who could be easily bullied.


    Getting the better end of the deal was more her style.


    "I..."


    Judy was about to argue when the cell phone on the table buzzed to life.


    It was Mirabe''s phone.


    She had casually left her phone on the table during dinner and forgot it when she left.


    Knox, who was sitting next to Mirabe, instinctively nced at the phone as it rang.


    He didn''t mean to snoop, but his eyes caught the caller ID marked ''James'' and he paused.


    Narrowing his eyes, Knox took a sip of his coffee, then set the cup down and fished out his own basic cell phone to make a call.


    Meanwhile, Mirabe stepped out of Herb & Hearth, finding a quiet spot outside as the evening sky darkened, streetlights beginning to glow.


    Turning to face Michelle and a heavily bundled-up Heather, Mirabe''s gaze was icy, her beautiful face expressionless.


    She didn''t start the conversation.


    For the first time, Michelle looked directly into Mirabe''s stunning face, feeling a pang of envy. Clenching her fists, she blurted out, "What exactly do you want from us to leave the Pledger and the Sharp families alone?"


    "I have no idea what you''re talking about," Mirabe responded coolly.


    Michelle''s eyes widened in disbelief. "Don''t y dumb. My cousin''s business is suffering. Are you going to deny you had nothing to do with it?"


    Heather, noticing her cousin''s confrontational tone, narrowed her eyes and sharply rebuked, "Michelle, apologize to Ms. Mirabe."


    Heather had warned her cousin multiple times on their way to see Mirabe, insisting on showing sincere remorse in front of her.


    But, it didn''t take long for Michelle to revert to her usatory manner.


    Hearing her cousin''s voice, Michelle quickly realized her mistake and took a deep breath before bowing deeply to Mirabe. "I''m sorry."


    Mirabe, however, simply stepped aside, her actions indicating she wasn''t interested in Michelle''s apology.


    Heather removed her sses, revealing her swollen eyes. Despite the sparse flow of patrons, she kept her mask on, mindful of her public image.


    "Ms. Mirabe, I''m truly sorry. My cousin''s actions were inexcusable. I hope you can see that the Pledger family has already suffered enough and kindly ask that you not pursue this further," Heather said earnestly, her tone devoid of its usual arrogance.