"I reckon a few recipes won''t mean much to her," Dane shrugged off the concern. After thinking it over, he added, "Hasn''t she taken advantage of our family a few times before? Asking her for those recipes isn''t too much, right?"


    Niki, upon hearing this, pressed a hand to his chest, trying to calm the turmoil within. "What did the Reeves family do to deserve someone as shameless as you?" he asked, disbelief etched in his voice.


    Seeing his father struggling for breath, Dane, not wanting to push him further, whispered, "Think it over tonight when you get home. We''re family, after all. You should be looking out for my future."


    With that, Dane avoided meeting his father''s gaze, turned away, and restarted the car. As they drove on, he nced in the rearview mirror and, clenching his jaw, added, "If I can''t get those ancient recipes, with Presley''s ways, it won''t just be me our whole family will be in trouble."


    Niki''s eyes widened, disbelief clouding his expression.


    **


    Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Mirabe returned home. For once, she didn''t dive into a book but instead sat on the living room sofa, phone in hand, lost in thought.


    With David''s health in mind, she tapped on her phone, bypassing Grant, and instead dialed Wyatt''s number.


    Wyatt picked up quickly, surprised to hear from Mirabe. His voice was cheerful


    as he asked, "Ms. Mirabe, what can I do for you?"


    Mirabe, loungingzily on the sofa


    with her legs crossed, her eyes half-closed, replied in an even


    conne


    "It''s nothing major, just need some herbs."


    Wyatt, hearing this, quickly responded, "I''m not in Riverdale right now, but send


    me the list of herbs, and I''ll have someone get them to you."


    "Not in Riverdale?" Mirabe''s


    fingers traced the edge of her phone as she agreed, then paused before asking, "Is James not in Riverdale either?"


    "Yeah, didn''t he tell you?" Wyatt replied without thinking, then immediately wished he could take it back After a cough, he quickly added, "We left in a hurry, mainly because the signal isn''t great here."


    "Alright, then. You''re busy," Mirabe said, not pressing further.


    Wyatt added, "When James gets a chance, I''ll have him call you back." Mirabe simply replied, "Okay," and ended the call.