Mirabe clutched her phone, feeling a sudden pang of breathlessness as she interrupted Adler, "Stop, please."


    Having just blown through her birthday money, she felt unworthy of hearing about bonuses.


    Adler cleared his throat awkwardly, thinking he might have overstepped, and promptly fell silent.


    Despite being young, Adler''s skills made it difficult to see him as anything other than extraordinary, certainly not your typical eighteen-year-old girl.


    So, bonuses and such were just trivial, external matters to him.


    "How about we grab a bite when you get to Riverdale?" Adler smoothly changed the subject.


    Outside the room, Delh was urging her to hurry up. Mirabe nced towards the door, a hint of mncholy in her voice as she agreed over the phone, quickly wrapping up the conversation with Adler.


    Today was a celebration banquet, and Mirabe had changed into a new outfit for the asion.


    The banquet was held at the city''s most renowned five-star hotel. As Mirabe arrived with her parents, she noticed a congrattory banner and a red carpetid out at the entrance, the hotel decked out in festive decor.


    By ten, guests had already started to arrive. Delh and Shawn were busy


    greeting them and introducing their daughter to friends.


    Mirabe managed a few polite exchanges until she spotted James entering. She paused, then made her way over, "You made it."


    "Yeah." James nodded, handing her a gift he''d brought along.


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, "This is unexpected."


    With a slight smile, James didn''t venture further into the party but nced inside briefly before exining, "Something came upst-minute, so I''ll be leaving soon. Apologize to Uncle Marian for me, will you?"


    Theings and goings at the entrance and the growing crowd inside made for a lively atmosphere.


    After Mirabe handed off James''s gift to a designated attendant, she suggested, "Shall we step outside?"


    James agreed with a nod.


    They stepped out into the zing July sun, with James subtly positioning himself to shield Mirabe from the worst of it.


    A luxury car pulled up nearby, its passenger window rolling down halfway to reveal a woman in sunsses, her features obscured, who inquired about the banquet taking ce there.


    "Yes, ma''am. It''s for her daughter''s valedictorian celebration for the final exams. They''ve invited many friends over for dinner," the driver responded respectfully.


    The woman, her lips a striking shade of red, seemed surprised, "Valedictorian for the final exams?"


    "Yeah, but it was in the humanities. Apparently, there was a mix-up, and she was raised in the countryside until justst year," the driver exined softly.


    Hearing this, the woman''s interest seemed to wane. She tapped her manicured finger against the window, instructing him to convey a message to her sister waiting inside.


    "Of course," the driver acknowledged, unbuckling his seatbelt and heading towards the hotel at a steady pace.


    **


    Meanwhile, after exchanging a few words with Mirabe, James added, "I''m heading back to Riverdale. I''ve asked Wyatt to prepare those herbs you wanted. Keep an eye out for the delivery."


    Mirabe''s eyebrows rose in interest, "Sure thing."