Nick casually tossed the bottle of soy sauce into the air with a ir that bordered on theatrical, catching it smoothly despite the dangerous glint that shed in his eyes as he hissed, "Scram."


    His voice was ice-cold, and the veins on the hand holding the bottle bulged menacingly, as if he was struggling to restrain himself from something far more violent.


    Summer, upon witnessing this, shuddered in fear and hastily took several steps back, only to collide with a kid riding a bike. She nearly fell to the ground from the impact.


    The kid, looking bewildered but afraid of being scolded, quickly pedaled away, leaving a trail of confusion behind.


    Summer was both angry and annoyed, but the moment she caught Nick''s icy stare, she forgot all about her bruised leg, clutching her bag tightly and scampering away, not daring to linger for a second longer. She abandoned any thoughts of visiting her grandmother''s house.


    Soon, her figure vanished from Nick''s view, her hurried escape reminiscent of a scene from a kidnapping case years ago.


    Unnoticed, a light drizzle mixed with snowkes began to fall, melting quickly upon touching her hair and clothes.


    Nick looked up at the sky, and after a moment, redirected his gaze, tucking Mirabe''s package under his coat before walking unhurriedly toward Catherine''s house.


    As he reached the gate, he saw Mirabe, bundled up and holding an umbre, her beauty striking even under the dreary sky. Her warm gaze instantly melted away the cold.


    Nick''s face, previously masked in emotion, softened.


    "Nick, took you long enough to get a bottle of soy sauce; I thought you got lost," Mirabe teased as she extended the umbre over him.


    Nick pressed his lips together, nodding slightly, "Took a wrong turn on the way to the corner store."


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, "You and Leo both needing a memory boost?"


    At that, Nick yfully tapped the back of her head, "Even you dare to make jokes at Nick''s expense, huh? Cheeky."


    Mirabe touched her earlobe, tilting her head slightly, here we go again. This wasn''t the first time!


    They soon entered the house.


    With the heating on, Mirabe took off her coat and hung it on the coat rack.


    James was sitting in front of the sofa, brewing a cup of artisan coffee, and politely greeted Nick upon his return.


    Nick nced at him, and after a brief pause, acknowledged him with a grunt, mostly out of respect for his sister''s presence.


    Mirabe took the soy sauce from his hands to the kitchen for Catherine, returning shortly after.


    Nick then handed her the package, "Your delivery."


    It was only when he passed it that he noticed theck of shipping information on the box, no courierbel in sight. He mentioned casually, "Didn''t notice it before, but there''s no shippingbel. Check if anything''s missing, Mirabe."


    Without opening it, Mirabe waved it off, "No worries, the site I buy from always does this. No shipping info."


    Nick, surprised, responded, "There''s actually a site like that?"


    James looked up at the box in Mirabe''s hands but didn''t make much of it, returning to his coffee.


    "Yep," Mirabe nodded, then sighed slightly, "It''s just that the shipping fees are a bit steep."


    "A charge of fifteen percent of the total amount, such a rip-off!"