Niki jumped up to greet James as soon as he saw him walk in, his face lighting up with a barely contained joy. "James!" he eximed.


    "Hey, Niki," James replied with a polite nod, noting that Niki seemed to be in good spirits-not at all like someone who was under the weather.


    As Niki motioned for James to take a seat, he said, "I really should have been the one to visit you at your ce. I feel bad that you had toe all this way to see me."


    After speaking, he paused for a moment, then turned to ask Dane to check if dinner was ready in the kitchen.


    Dane, maintaining a neutral expression that gave nothing away, nced at James before heading to the dining room. In the past, he might have used this chance to chat and build rapport with someone from the Shepherd family, but now, after spending so much time with Presley, he figured the Shepherds weren''t all that special.


    Once Dane was out of the room, Niki turned back to James, lowering his voice. "By the way, James, are you feeling any better now?"


    "I''m much better, thank you for asking," James replied, returning Niki''s gaze with a polite smile.


    Niki nodded, still trying to puzzle out the meaning behind something Dane had said earlier, which had left him feeling a bit unsettled. He''d been wanting to catch up with James privately, but Dane had been keeping a close watch on him recently he couldn''t even leave the house or use his phone.


    He was surprised that James had gone out of his way to visit him today.


    Trying to ease his mind, Niki smiled again. "With Mirabe around, I''m sure everything''s fine. By the way, have you ever dealt with someone named Presley from the pharmaceutical association?"


    "Presley?" James echoed, shaking his head. "Doesn''t ring a bell."


    Niki added, "He''s a vice president at the pharmaceutical association; maybe he just slipped under your radar."


    "Perhaps," James said with a shrug, then casually asked, "What''s up with him?"


    Niki hesitated before saying, "He seems to have some connections, you..."


    "Dad, James, dinner''s ready. Let''s eat and chat," Dane called out, cutting Niki off as he returned from the dining room.


    Niki stopped himself, stood up, and signaled to James, "Let''s eat first."


    James nodded in agreement.


    Wyatt, observing the exchange, mulled over Niki''s mention of Presley. While James might not have recognized the name, Wyatt hade across it while digging into Mr. Boyd''s affairs. He''d O discovered that the chaos within the pharmaceutical association was linked to someone with thest name Qin, though he hadn''t looked


    too deeply into it at the time.


    Thinking about it now, it seemed unlikely someone could cause such a stir without some serious backing. Niki''s cautious demeanor suggested he was trying to give a warning.


    During dinner, Niki steered clear of discussing the pharmaceutical association, instead chatting with James about other topics. Everything seemed normal, just like any family dinner.


    ot


    After the meal, James didn''t linger long before saying his goodbyes. With Dane hovering, Niki didn''t push him to stay. Thankfully, Dane had been on his best behavior, putting a foot wrong in front of James. Yet, something about the whole situation felt off to Niki.


    Once their guest had left, Niki returned to the living room, his eyes fixed on Dane. Dane, keeping quiet, poured himself a ss of water and picked up an incense burner from the side table.