Mirabe and James quickly followed the security guard into the association. It wasn''t until they were out of sight that Grant finally tore his gaze away. He''d heard the new vice president was young, but seeing her in person was still a shock.


    Shaking off his surprise, Grant turned to Paul with a friendly tone, "Paul, ready to head out?"


    Paul nodded, taking a few steps with Grant before casually asking, "Who was that young woman?"


    "Oh, she''s part of our association too," Grant replied simply.


    Paul thought for a moment and then chuckled, "She looked quite young."


    Grant nodded, his thoughts wandering a bit. "Yeah, she''s probably the youngest here. The medicine that got swapped in today''s assessment? That was her doing."


    Grant was relieved he''d set that medicine aside; otherwise, today''s chaos might''ve been a whole different story.


    Paul was a bit taken aback. He hadn''t seen the medicine himself, but with all the rave reviews, it had to be something special. For someone so young to have such talent was impressive.


    Soon enough, Mirabe arrived at the assessment venue. David had been antsy since her call, but he kept his cool in front of everyone. As she drew near, he stood up to greet her, but his words caught when he noticed the man with her.


    He knew she was bringing a friend, but he didn''t expect it to be someone from the Shepherd family.


    David immediately shifted to a more formal demeanor, greeting Mirabe and then nodding to James, "James."


    James gave a polite nod back, "David."


    It had been over a year since Davidst saw James, back when he''d had some health issues. But with so many people around, it wasn''t the time to chat, so he quickly invited James to sit.


    The other vice presidents and officials, except for Presley, hadn''t met James before. They were puzzled by David''s respectful tone, so their eyes lingered on James with curiosity.


    James? From the Shepherd family in Riverdale?


    Their curious stares didn''tst long, though. James had an imposing presence that made prolonged eye contact feel intense, so everyone''s focus quickly shifted back to Mirabe.


    "Is this the alchemist you''ve been talking about?" Presley spoke up first, having gotten over his initial surprise at seeing James.


    "That''s right," David confirmed, picking up the medicine his assistant had retrieved from the vault. "I knew the medicine Conrad presented today wasn''t his own because this had already been logged in our stock two weeks ago."


    Presley lightly pinched the medicine, casting a nce at Mirabe. Hearing David''s exnation, hemented, "It''s not that I doubt you, but having such a young alchemist doesn''t inspire much confidence."


    What he really meant was, even if it was for show, they''d have been better off with someone who appeared more seasoned.


    Mirabe shot Presley a look and, not waiting for David to jump in, quipped with a grin, "What, feeling a bit threatened by someone younger and more talented?"


    Presley''s expression darkened—no one had ever spoken to him like that before.