In a sudden twist of fate, her mentor fell gravely ill, and it was Mirabe who stepped in, pulling him back from the brink of death.


    Her subsequent arrangement for the presidency of the association was methodically executed.


    Presley''s capture, followed by leveraging the influence of the Davis family to elevate him to the presidency, ensured that not a single person within the association dared to voice dissatisfaction. Such feats required immense wit and intelligence, all of which Mirabe possessed in spades, making her the perfect candidate for president.


    Devon sighed internally, regretting that she had no interest in the position.


    Mirabe gently sipped her coffee, sensing another opportunity to showcase her brilliance. She texted Devon, "The presidency isn''t for me. I think the vice- presidency is quite nice, plus there''s room for a sry bump."


    Devon couldn''t help but smirk, fully understanding the subtext of her message.


    He chuckled softly, wondering how Presley would feel knowing that the presidency he had desperately sought was less appealing to Mirabe than a share of the profits.


    Shortly after their conversation, Devon made a point to call the finance department.


    *


    Meanwhile, at a hotel, Santos had just received information about the youngster being acquainted with someone from the Shepherd family.


    Initially, when he received the dossier from Asa, it merely stated the youngster was associated with the Davis family, with no mention of any other connections.


    Dealing with one Davis family was already challenging, let alone adding the Shepherd family into the mix. Santos touched his face, still concealed by a mask, and his eyes suddenly turned cold.


    It seemed he needed to meet this youngster in person.


    After standing silently in the hall for half a minute, Santos headed to the bedroom. Paul was still asleep on the bed, sedated.


    Santos didn''t bother waking him with incense. After a cold nce, he took out his phone and dialed, "Prepare for our return home, at thetest in two days, and arrange for the transfer back to the research base..."


    Hanging up, Santos''s emotionless masked face suddenly revealed a sinister feeling.


    After dinner, Mirabe and James drove back to their neighborhood.


    Upon arriving home, Mirabe called Catherine, but the phone rang for a long time without an answer.


    Asleep already?


    Mirabe hung up, nced at the time-it was just eight o''clock. Even in the countryside, it wasn''t consideredte.


    While she was pondering, Nick


    downstairs with hisptop,


    came


    l.ne


    "Mirabe, could you help me check


    if there''s something wrong with this


    code..."


    Hearing Nick''s voice brought her back to the moment. She put away her phone without further thought and took theptop from him.


    The two sat in the living room, discussing and tweaking theputer program,


    and before they knew it, more than an hour had passed.


    "By the way, Nick, I''m thinking of visiting Elm Creek to see Catherine in a couple of days," Mirabe stretched and said.


    Nick had just closed hisptop when


    he remembered that Mirabe''s school was on winter break. He


    looked at her, "It''s a good idea to visit. It''s not easy for the old Tady to be there alone."


    Mirabe nodded, humming in agreement. She took out her phone again to check, but there were no missed calls.


    "Let Uncle As apany you," Nick suggested.


    Mirabe didn''t object, "Okay. How long will you be busy with the institute?"


    "Until the end of the year, but I might not be


    thable to spend New Y


    with you this time," Nicki


    out