Mirabe was still mulling over Devon''s words, "My mentor''s not around." After a moment''s pause, she stood up, nodded, and said, "Sure, I can do that."


    Devon let out a sigh of relief. He wasn''t entirely sure what to make of Mirabe. When he first looked over Presley''s contract, he worried she might be tempted by Presley''s offer.


    Without sparing Presley another nce, Devon gestured towards the door and politely invited Mirabe, "Shall we head out?"


    Presley''s face darkened even more, if that was possible. "Devon, don''t push it!" he barked.


    Snatching someone away right in front of him? That was downright disrespectful, ignoring his role as vice president.


    Devon, seemingly oblivious to Presley''s outrage, kept his attention on Mirabe, signaling her to leave with him.


    Mirabe, hands casually tucked into her coat pockets, paused mid-step, then turned to Presley with a nonchnt look. "Not interested in the VP role, and definitely not in the president''s chair, either."


    With that, she turned and walked out. Devon was caught off guard for a second but quickly followed her.


    Presley watched them disappear through the door, his expression nk. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he sent his coffee cup crashing to the floor.


    The sound of the shattering cup mirrored his foul mood. He''d never dealt with someone so dismissive before.


    Outside the office, Dane was on his way to see Presley with some papers when he ran into Mirabe and Devon. He gave Mirabe aplicated look.


    He''d witnessed the whole association assessment and was genuinely surprised to discover she was also an alchemy expert.


    Back at the Reeves family, when she treated Owen, he thought she was just a skilled doctor. Her somewhat arrogant demeanor hadn''t left a great impression.


    Later, when his brother mentioned


    over the phone that she might be a formidable alchemist, Dane brushed


    it off


    elieving someone@so


    young could be that talented.


    Turns out, she was not only talented but also had a good rapport with the


    president. This realization left Dane feeling a bit uneasy.


    If he''d known about her skills earlier and tried towork, maybe he could''ve built


    a strong connection with David over the past two years.


    But hindsight is always 20/20.


    Dane sighed internally. Luckily, David was stepping down as president soon. If he''d gotten too close to David, with Presley''s scheming, staying in the association might''ve been tricky.


    With this in mind, Dane let go of his lingering bitterness. Heposed himself, didn''t greet Mirabe, and simply nodded at Devon before heading into Presley''s office.


    Devon wasn''t chummy with Dane, felt neutral towards him, but seeing him enter Presley''s office made him smirk.


    Looked like another one had fallen under Presley''s sway.


    *


    As Dane stepped into the office, he noticed the shattered coffee cup on the floor, momentarily surprised. He cautiously nced at Presley.


    Reflecting on his encounter with Devon and Mirabe at the door, he figured... maybe things hadn''t ended well?


    Realizing his timing might not be ideal, but knowing it was toote to turn back, he quietly asked, "Presley, everything okay?"