Gracie was still fretting when Lisa, trying to keep her cool, decided not to tarnish her mother''s rosy view of Ben. She softly said, "Dad, Mom, I''m heading to my room."


    Gracie paused, ncing at Lisa. Noticing her daughter didn''t seem worried, she instinctively turned to Thomas. His face had indeed darkened with displeasure.


    Gracie felt a pang of anxiety. She was aware of the friction between Lisa and Ben. Lisa''s usual fits of temper were one thing, but acting like this in front of her father was another...


    Before Thomas could blow his top, Gracie quickly interjected, "Lisa''s been feeling offtely. She''s probably just really concerned about Emmitt..."


    Lisa managed a sad smile, kept quiet, and slowly made her way upstairs.


    **


    After hanging up with Lisa, Mirabe opened her Messenger app. The message she sent to Grant earlier in the afternoon still hadn''t gotten a reply.


    Crossing her legs, Mirabe absent-mindedly traced the edge of her phone, wondering if she''d pushed the envelope with her frequent requests for supplies from the association.


    James walked over with a te of freshly washed fruit, setting it on the coffee table, then sat next to her. "What''s on your mind?"


    Mirabe turned to James, her eyes bright and thoughtful, simply stating, "Maybe I''ve been taking too much advantage."


    "Hmm?" James raised an eyebrow, not entirely following her, but said, "Depends on who you''re dealing with, I guess."


    Mirabe''s cheek twitched as she leaned over, grabbed a cherry from the table, and popped it into James''s mouth. "I think it''s best if you stop talking."


    James chuckled softly.


    Ignoring his amusement, Mirabe finished the fruit, checked the time, and stood up. "I''ve got some things to handle. Better head back."


    She still had some leftover supplies


    at home she needed to turn into medicine for Nick. Even though the medical school was temporarily covering for them with a virus, it was hardly a permanent fix. She O wondered what exactly Nick was searching for at the medical school.


    Seeing her get ready to leave, James didn''t try to stop her. He got up, grabbed his coat, and just said, "Alright."


    **


    Meanwhile, over at the pharmacy association, Grant had just left the storage room when he ran into Presley. He hesitated, his hand instinctively clenching inside his coat pocket.


    Grant quickly nodded at Presley, "Presley."


    Presley, acting as if he hadn''t noticed Grant''s gesture, stepped closer, eyeing the folder in Grant''s hand with a friendly smile. "You''re putting in somete hours, Grant, still working on those supply tallies."


    Grant''s gaze dropped, and he replied quietly, "Just doing my job. The sooner we wrap up the inventory, the smoother the end of the month will be."


    Presley nodded, his eyes returning to Grant''s face. "It''s crucial to get the count right. Any mix-ups, and exining to the chairman would be a nightmare."


    Grant said nothing, keeping his head down.


    Presley gave another smile, continuing, "So, we can''t afford to lose even a single pill from the storeroom."


    Hearing this, Grant looked up at Presley. It was a clear warning.


    Grant rxed his grip on his pocket slightly. After a moment, he assured, "Don''t worry, not a single pill will be missing."


    Presley nodded approvingly, always pleased with those who understood the stakes. Moving on from supply counts, he started on another topic. "By the way, about that honorary vice-chairman the chairmano discreetly brought in..."