Lisa watched Mirabe hop into her car before she slowly trudged over to the one waiting to pick her up.


    Once in the back seat, Lisa kept her head down. After a minute of silence, she nced up at the young man in the driver''s seat, puzzled.


    "Why aren''t we moving?" she finally asked.


    Ben had been staring into the rearview mirror, seemingly ignoring her. Only when the car in the mirror was out of sight did he start the engine.


    "Why''d you take so long?" Ben asked coolly, his voice crisp and detached. Despite his handsome features, there was an unsettling edge to his demeanor. A ck ring adorned his index finger, resting on the steering wheel.


    Lisa sighed, turning to look out the window. "Had a ss," she muttered.


    Ben nced at her briefly before making a U-turn. "The girl you were with, is she a ssmate?"


    Lisa frowned, irritation ring up. "What''s it to you?"


    Unfazed by her tone, Ben pressed on. "What''s her story?"


    Lisa''s hand tightened into a fist on her knee. She shot him a frosty look. "You''re seriously messed up, you know that?"


    Ben smirked slightly. "Must be a good friend. What''s her name?"


    Lisa clenched her fist tighter but eventually let it go, refusing to respond or even look his way.


    Ben was her half-brother, sharing the same father. Everyone thought he was a perfect gentleman, but only she knew the truth-he was a total nutcase.


    Lisa felt a surge of irritation. She hadn''t expected Ben to pick her up today, let alone start asking about Mirabe.


    Ben, with his deep, unreadable eyes, noticed her silence but didn''t push further. Instead, he turned on some music.


    **


    Elsewhere, in another car:


    Mirabe sat in the passenger seat, tapping away on her phone. After a bit, she looked over at James, who was driving.


    "Someone invited me to dinner. You free?" she asked.


    James had his left hand casually resting on the car door, his fingers long and elegant. He gave her azy nce but didn''t say anything.


    Seeing his look, Mirabe cleared her throat. "It''s at that bistro we went tost time," she added.


    "Alright," James finally replied. As they approached an intersection, he turned on the signal and changed directions.


    Twenty minutester, they arrived at the bistro.


    The owner recognized Mirabe right away-hard to forget a pretty face and a regr customer.


    He led them to a private room.


    Waiting there was Adler, who stood up with a smile as soon as he saw Mirabe. "Hey, Mi-"


    He cut himself off when he spotted James behind her, suddenly looking uneasy. Adler didn''t know James, but he could tell from the guy''smanding presence and sharp gaze that he wasn''t someone to mess with.


    Mirabe noticed Adler''s hesitation and raised an eyebrow. Stepping aside, she gestured to James. "This is my friend, James."