In the afternoon, Mirabe strolled out of school. Just like clockwork, a sleek ck sedan was already waiting by the curb, a few minutes early as always. She swung open the passenger door and slid into the seat next to the driver.


    As she buckled up, she shot a sideways nce at James, the guy who''d thrown down a race challenge that morning. The question that had been on her mind all day finally spilled out, "Were you serious about that race earlier?"


    James fired up the engine and smoothly turned the steering wheel, responding with a nonchnt grunt.


    Mirabe fiddled with her nose, "Why challenge me to a race?"


    It wasn''t until they were cruising down the main road that James finally nced over at her puzzled expression. He seemed lost for words but eventually shrugged and said, "Figure it out yourself."


    Mirabe blinked, "Figure out what?"


    She felt like she was being used of something she didn''t do. Throughout the drive, she tried to coax more out of him, but he barely gave her the time of day. This left her second-guessing herself, wondering if she''d done something outrageous that she couldn''t recall.


    Before long, they pulled up outside an exclusive, members-only restaurant. The first floor was bustling with patrons, but James had already secured a private room upstairs. He took Mirabe''s hand, leading her up.


    Yara, sitting by the window and deep in conversation, nced up just as James walked in. Her words faltered, surprise etched across her delicate features. It was clear she hadn''t expected to see him there.


    Her gaze quickly settled on the girl beside James. From where she sat, she could only catch a glimpse of the girl''s side profile, but the intertwined hands were unmistakable.


    Momentarily stunned, Yara knocked over her coffee cup in her distraction. The freshly poured coffee spilled across the table and sttered onto her leg. The hot ssh snapped her back to reality, and she quickly stood, dabbing the mess with a napkin.


    Her friend across the table stood too, asking if she was okay. Yara just smiled, shook her head, and signaled for a waiter to tidy up. Once everything was sorted, she settled back into her seat.


    Though her friend continued chatting, Yara''s mind was elsewhere, reying the scene she''d just witnessed.


    *


    In the private room upstairs, James was immediately engrossed in a phone call. Mirabe nced at him before calling over a waiter and casually ordering a few dishes.


    Once the waiter left, she took out her phone, ready to dive into a quick game. But just as she was about to start, a Messenger notification popped up. It was from Sophia.


    "Hey, you there, boss?"


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, replying with a smirk, "Not here."


    Sophia: "... You''re hrious, boss."


    Mirabe: "Thanks, what''s up?"


    On the other end, Sophia hesitated, typing and deleting messages repeatedly, second-guessing herself. Mirabe, watching the screen sh "typing..." for what felt like forever, couldn''t help but grin. Was sheposing a novel?


    Finally, after nearly five minutes, the message changed.


    Sophia: "Boss, I wanna buy some meds~~"


    Mirabe chuckled at the message and shot back, "That''s all?"