Michelle''s grip tightened on the steering wheel, her voice edged with tension, "So, what are we gonna do now?"


    Even though the Pledger family was in the hot seat, her own family, the Sharps, wasn''t doing much better. Sharp Enterprises'' stocks had been nosediving for a week straight. Another dip and they might be looking at bankruptcy.


    Heather, massaging her temples in frustration, snapped, "This is all on you. If you could''ve just kept your jealousy in check, would we even be in this mess?"


    Michelle bit her lip. She had backed Heather''s decision back then, but now wasn''t the time to argue. All she could do was take the me.


    "Let''s sort this out when we get back," Heather sighed, sounding defeated.


    Meanwhile, as Mirabe and James walked into the private dining room, Knox had already ordered a fresh round of dishes.


    "Mirabe, those two didn''t give you any trouble, did they?" Aimee asked, her concern evident.


    Mirabe smiled and shook her head, "No, thank you, Marian."


    Aimee sighed in relief, "If you ever run into any trouble you can''t handle, just let Marian know. No need to be shy."


    "Okay," Mirabe nodded, looking every bit the well-behaved girl.


    Seeing this, Aimee regretted, for the umpteenth time, not having another daughter.


    Knox asionally chatted with James, but given they were at the dinner table, the conversation stayed light.


    Soon after finishing their meal, Mirabe and James said their goodbyes and left. Once in the car, Mirabe immediately grabbed James''s wrist to check his pulse. She had noticed that he hardly touched his food, and even when he did, his hands trembled slightly. It was subtle, but she caught it.


    James nced at her, "Is Heather giving you a hard time?"


    Mirabe stayed silent, focusing on his pulse. After a moment, she let go, "You really push yourself too hard. Every time youe back, you''re either dealing with an old injury or a new one."


    Caught, James''s expression didn''t change. He just brushed it off with, "It''s just a scratch."


    Mirabe shot him a sidelong nce before answering his earlier question, "She came to apologize."


    "Over that Twitter thing?" James raised an eyebrow.


    "Yeah, something like that," Mirabe shrugged. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, cutting the conversation short as she took it out.


    It was Zach calling.


    Not surprised, she told him she''d be home in about fifteen minutes and hung up.


    Turning back to James, she reminded him, "Make sure you get some rest when you get home."


    The car''s interior light illuminated her pretty face, her eyes sparkling. James looked at her and softly replied, "Yeah."


    He then turned his gaze to the car window, a slight smile ying on his lips.


    *


    When she got home, Zach, who had been waiting for Mirabe, called her out to the garden.


    "Mirabe, did that Shen womane looking for you?" Zach had received a call from Heather, saying she wanted to meet and talk. That''s how he knew Heather had sought out Mirabe at school.


    Mirabe was a bit surprised, "Zach, how''d you know?"


    "She called me, said she was gonna apologize to you," Zach kicked a pebble at his feet, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Don''t bother with her. Some people just never learn."


    Hearing the ''never learn'' part, Mirabe crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow, "So, what exactly did you do to her? Why are you asking me to let her off the hook?"