Wyatt''s hands were mmy with cold sweat as the situation spiraled.


    Usually, thanks to the Shepherd family''s top-notch security, he and Curtis didn''t need to be there in person. They could handle everything remotely, just like they did with the exhibition ten days ago.


    But now, they were blindsided by this unexpected emergency.


    "Any luck yet?" Wyatt pressed, his voice edged with anxiety.


    "Rx, keep it cool," James said, ncing at Curtis with a calmness that seemed out of ce in the tense atmosphere.


    Curtis, frantically trying to regain control, took a deep breath after James''s reassurance and gave it another go. But after ten seconds, he slumped back, defeated. "No good... The other guy''s skills are way beyond mine. We''d need someone from the top five hackers to crack this."


    James furrowed his brows, about to say something, when Mirabe, who had been quietly observing, spoke up.


    "Let me take a shot," she said, her voice carrying a seriousness and authority that was hard to ignore.


    Wyatt and Curtis turned to her, surprised to realize she was even there.


    "Uh... Ms. Mirabe, you knowputers?" Wyatt asked, echoing Curtis''s unspoken question. But something in Mirabe''s steely gaze made him rethink his skepticism.


    Before Curtis could react, Mirabe shrugged off her thick down jacket, took theptop from his hands, and started typing at a speed that made Wyatt''s head spin. It was clear she was in a different league.


    Curtis''s eyes widened in disbelief, unable to keep up with her rapid movements. In a sh, the chaotic mess on the screen resolved, and the surveince feed snapped back to normal.


    "Done," she said coolly.


    The whole thing took less than three seconds.


    Curtis was stunned.


    So was Wyatt.


    James, however, gave Mirabe a look that clearly indicated he was seeing her in a new light.


    "That was fast," Wyatt managed, throwing a nce at Curtis. It had taken Curtis nearly a minute to not solve the problem, and here was Ms. Mirabe, wrapping it up in three seconds. Curtis''s rank as the seventh-best hacker suddenly seemed questionable.


    Curtis met Wyatt''s look with a silent grimace.


    With the crisis averted, Wyatt quickly called the exhibition manager to report the all-clear.


    Mirabe nced at the now-normal surveince feed, handed theptop back to Curtis without a word, shrugged back into her jacket, and reverted to her usualid-back demeanor.


    Curtis watched her, his emotions a tangled mess. He wanted to ask her so many things, but he knew now wasn''t the time. He bottled up his curiosity and focused back on theptop.


    He tapped the earpiece he was wearing. With the surveince restored, he had everything back under control and needed no further help.


    Confident that the exhibition was safe, Mirabe got up, zipped her jacket, and told James, "I''m heading home."


    After a brief pause, she gestured towards Curtis''sptop and added, "Don''t bother seeing me out. You''re busy."


    James looked at her but didn''t insist on staying. "Alright."


    With a nod, Mirabe turned and walked out of the vi.


    "Time for bed," she thought. "Tomorrow''s update will be on time, and I''ll try to post it early!"