Gracie was too focused on the ss of water and medicine in her hands to notice her daughter''s subtle movements. She walked over to Lisa''s bed, took a seat, and asked with genuine concern, "Are you feeling any better?"


    Lisa pulled the nket up higher, trying to avoid looking at Ben standing behind her mom, her eyes dull and tired. "Still feeling awful. I just want some peace and quiet."


    Gracie set the ss down and touched Lisa''s forehead. No fever. A small relief. "If you''re really not feeling well, we should see a doctor. Don''t let it be something serious."


    "It''s just a little cold," Lisa replied, eyes closing to signal she didn''t want to talk about it.


    Gracie let out a small sigh and gestured toward Ben. "Emmitt dropped everything toe check on you as soon as he heard you were sick."


    Lisa smirked slightly, knowing her mom was charmed by Ben. She just mumbled a nomittal response before pulling the nket over her headpletely.


    Gracie nced awkwardly at Ben, puzzled about why her daughter, once so attached to her brother, now acted so coldly towards him.


    Clearing her throat, she couldn''t bring herself to say much in front of Ben. She noticed the fast-acting cold medicine he''d brought from the medical school on the nightstand. Tugging at Lisa''s nket, she said, "Take your medicine before you sleep."


    Lisa turned but didn''t budge, so Gracie nudged her again.


    Even with Ben turned away, Lisa could feel his presence and it made her uneasy. After a few moments of stubborn silence, Lisa sat up, swallowed the medicine with a gulp of water, andy back down.


    Gracie watched her daughter burrow under the covers again, sat quietly for a moment, and then tucked her in before leaving the room with Ben.


    Once outside, Gracie gave Ben a weary smile. "Lisa''s just going through a phase. Try not to take it personally."


    "It''s fine. Maybe there''s something I''m not doing right as her brother," Ben said with his usual calm demeanor.


    Gracie struggled to find the right words for her daughter, finally saying, "She''lle around eventually and see how much you care."


    Ben nodded, checked the time, and said, "Well, Marian, I should be going."


    "Not staying for dinner?" Gracie asked, caught off guard.


    "No, the research institute is keeping me busy," Ben replied inly.


    Seeing he was set on leaving, Gracie didn''t push it.


    **


    Meanwhile, Mirabe didn''t bother sending more messages after Lisa cut their call short.


    After dinner, as she was about to leave early, she bumped into Wyatt on his way


    in.


    James had tasked him a couple of days ago with finding out who was behind that mysterious bottle of medicine. Wyatt had gathered some leads and came straight over to


    report, not surprised to see Mirabe there.


    swnovel


    "The folks at The Mirror didn''t reveal who owns the medicine, but they did give me


    a name."


    Wyatt shared his findings sinctly.


    Mirabe, lounging on the couch,


    was a bit taken aback by Wyatt''set


    news. She nced over at James, surprised he had taken the initiative to investigate.  Swnovel


    Sensing Mirabe''s gaze, Jameszily


    feed his head, his sharp


    features softened by an air intrigue, and simply said,  swnovel


    Driven by curiosity, he had looked into it.


    uriosity."


    Mirabe just nodded with an "Oh," choosing not to call out his flimsy excuse.