The incense on the burner had long since burned out, leaving just a pile of white ashes. Still, the air carried a faint trace of its rich scent. Dane emptied the ashes into the trash, tidied up the burner, and put it back in its ce. He nced around, then opened the living room''s doors and windows to let thest of the incense aroma drift away. Presley had assured him it was just ordinary incense, harmless to anyone healthy, but Dane couldn''t shake off his skepticism.


    After finishing up, Dane sank back onto the couch. Niki observed him quietly for a while before breaking the silence. "Dane, have youe to grips with everything these past few days?"


    Dane pursed his lips, wiping his fingers with a tissue. He figured Mirabe would soon hand over the form on her own, so he avoided arguing with Niki and simply replied, "Yeah, Dad, you have a point. I can''t afford to cross the Shepherd family."


    Niki sighed, sensing his son hadn''t let go yet. "Chasing after someone else''s form? That''s never a good sign. Trust me, distance yourself from this mess and steer clear of Presley."


    Dane rubbed his temples, tired of hearing his father''s warnings about Presley. He stood up, "Dad, you should get some rest. I''ve got things to take care of."


    He was about to leave the room when he remembered something. Turning back to Niki, he said, "Oh, by the way, Dad, since you''re wrapping up things at the hospital, I''ve booked a flight for you to head home in a couple of days. Sound good?"


    Niki frowned, about to speak, but Dane cut him off. "Great, that''s settled then."


    Dane''s voice carried a certain finality. Without waiting for any reply, he left the living room. Before heading upstairs, he made sure Marian was on top of clearing out all the trash from the house.


    **


    In the car, Wyatt answered a call. After hanging up, he nced at the rearview mirror. He''d already had his car taken elsewhere, so he was driving James''s. "James, just got a call from a colleague at the security office. Ben''s been bailed out."


    James, who had been resting his eyes, opened them slowly, "Bailed out? Who did it?"


    "Someone from the pharmaceutical association," Wyatt said, turning down the music, "Presley."


    James tapped his fingers lightly on his knee, "The same Presley Niki mentioned earlier?"


    "Yep," Wyatt nodded, "Should we have someone follow them quietly?"


    Since it


    Ms. Mirabe who


    originally had him thrown in tracing things back to her


    jail,


    be too difficult. Content be


    James''s eyes narrowed, aware of the recent happenings at the


    medical college. Getting some


    out like that showed serious@lout. "When did this happen?" Content Belongs to


    "Today, didn''t catch the exact time," Wyatt paused, pulling out his phone, "I''ll find out."


    James nodded slightly.


    Wyatt wrapped up the call quickly, "Paperwork was done around 1 RM, but it''s been six or seven hours since. Tracking him down now might be tough."


    James squinted, "Find him anyway."


    "Got it," Wyatt replied, fully understanding that James''s concern was also for Ms. Mirabe''s safety.