Just as Grady was about to respond, he paused mid-step when he heard voicesing from the elevator. Turning around, he saw a group stepping out, and to his surprise, it was Robert and Mirabe''s three friends.


    Grady''s face was a mix of shock and confusion. "What''s going on?" he wondered. Hadn''t Miss Mira just told him she was having dinner with these very friends?


    On the other end of the line, Mirabe, blissfully unaware that her little lie had been exposed, said cheerfully, "Alright, Grady, you go on. We''re about to have dinner. Bye!"


    Grady just stood there, speechless, his cheek twitching slightly as he slowly pulled the phone away from his ear.


    Robert, spotting Grady as soon as he stepped out of the elevator, felt a bit intimidated by his presence but walked over politely. "Mr. Davis," he greeted.


    "Hello," Grady replied with a slight nod, his face giving away nothing. He nced at the group behind Robert and asked, pretending not to know, "Isn''t our Mira with you?"


    "Oh, she should be having dinner with her friends," Robert replied.


    Grady had already pieced it all together. He nodded to Robert, thanked him, and walked off, his expression nk. Clearly, someone had led Miss Mira astray.


    By two in the afternoon, the mathematics department''s professor arrived with a team of students to meet up with Robert and the others, ready to head to Riverside University. They gathered outside the hotel entrance.


    "Why are you missing a student?" the professor asked, ncing behind Robert.


    Just as Robert was about to answer, he spotted Mirabe getting out of a car across the street. Quickly


    Qging his response, he svel


    students are here."


    "All


    He pointed outside. The professor followed his gesture and, deciding not to press further, simply said, "Great, let''s get going."


    Yara, who had been chatting with a ssmate, had already seen Mirabe get out of the car. Her eyes kept drifting in that direction.


    Her ssmate noticed her sudden silence, "Yara, what are you looking at? We should be going."


    Yara snapped out of it, hiding her confusion with a smile. "Oh, it''s nothing."


    Maybe she was mistaken; it probably wasn''t who she thought.


    "Oh," her ssmate said, not thinking much of it, as they linked arms and followed


    the professor. "I''m a bit excited about visiting Riverside University."


    The university wasn''t far, so they decided to walk. Yara''s mind drifted back tost year when she had a chance to study there as an


    exchange student, but life had other


    ns.


    With a faint smile, Yara shook off her disappointment and nced back once


    more.


    Mirabe was trailing behind the group, looking rxed, like she was just another tourist.


    ze slowed his pace to walk alongside her, striking up a conversation, "Oh, by the way, Mira we ran into your uncle downstairs earlier He''s got quite the presence, like one of those crime bosses from TV shows."


    Mirabe, who had been focused on the ground, suddenly stopped in her tracks


    at the mention of her uncle.