Wade watched as Mirabe strolled into the office, herid-back vibe setting her apart from the get-go. He figured she''d stay in her own world unless he snapped her out of it.


    "Quit lounging around, or you''ll end up like a fossil," Wade said with a smirk.


    "That''s what you''re here for, right?" Mirabe shot back, raising an eyebrow.


    Wade caught her drift immediately: "..."


    "You''re really something," he chuckled.


    Mirabe nodded, "Thanks for noticing."


    Wade just shook his head.


    Their back-and-forth was like a private show, leaving everyone else in the office with mixed reactions. Zane was unfazed, having seen Mirabe''s boldness before. Calvin and Meg, though, had different takes. Meg''s surprise quickly morphed into envy.


    She couldn''t help but feel a twinge of jealousy over how Wade interacted with Mirabe so differently from others, and how Mirabe could banter with him without ruffling his feathers.


    Mirabe then shifted her gaze back to Wade, "Mind if I borrow yourptop for a bit?"


    Wade, who had seen thising, gave her a mock re but then fished out a card from his pocket, handing it over. "Go on, take it."


    Mirabe clicked her tongue in amusement, took the card, and with a teasing nce, said, "You know, stress isn''t good for the liver. Take it easy." Wade: ""


    As Mirabe left the office, silence took over.


    Calvin was stunned at how easily Wade handed over the card-one that wasn''t just for office ess but could open any door in the Biology Department, even the top-secret archives. The level of trust Wade ced in her was surprising.


    Feeling a bit uneasy, Calvin realized Wade wasn''t the type to be soft with just anyone. Clearly, Meg hadn''t been entirely truthful with him.


    Mirabe returned in no time with Wade''sptop. She settled into a chair, fired it up, and finally turned her attention to Meg and Calvin.


    "Data records are just fluff. The real deal is how you crunch the numbers. Since Sister Jiang said theputation data was your team''s brainchild, you should know it inside out. A dataparison will reveal whose idea it really was."


    Theptop had a startup password, but before Wade could mention it, Mirabe''s fingers were already flying over the keys, and she was in.


    Wade, caught off guard, was left speechless: "???"


    Mirabe then pulled up another chair, motioning for Meg to join her with a casual wave and a pat on the seat.


    Meg, who had run these calctions a million times and was pretty confident, bit her lip but walked over without a second thought.


    With theptop bnced casually on herp, Mirabe looked over at Meg, "Do you want to kick things off, or should I?"