Summer''s eyes were as cold as ice when she scoffed, "What? Are you backing down just because it''s a bit tricky?"


    "Not at all. It''s just that we don''t have the nerve to cross the Shepherd family," the man replied,pletely unfazed by Summer''s sarcasm.


    Summer felt a wave of frustration. Thest few people she''d hired had mysteriously failed, nearly exposing her in the process. It was her fault for underestimating the situation, thinking she could easily extract someone given Mirabe and James''s special connection.


    But now, with the situation practically serving itself up on a silver tter... Summer''s lips curled into a sly smile. She brushed aside the question of why Mirabe was even allowed at the exchange conference and simply said to the person on the phone, "Since you''re not up for it, let''s just call it off."


    And with that, she hung up without waiting for a reply.


    If Mirabe was walking straight into trouble, that was on her.


    Summer let out a cold chuckle and turned back toward her dorm.


    Linda was still there, glued to her phone. Summer''s eyes flickered as she approached her. "Hey, Linda, you mentioned that campus is buzzing. How about we go check it out?"


    She needed to confirm whether Mirabe was actually on the list for the exchange conference.


    Linda was a bit taken aback by Summer''s sudden enthusiasm, but with nothing better to do, she agreed. "Sure, let''s go."


    "Great."


    Summer grabbed a jacket from her closet, and soon enough, she and Linda were out of the dorm building.


    The conference was set to take ce in a massive auditorium at Riverside University, capable of seating over a thousand people. But Summer wasn''t heading there. After a stroll with Linda, she made her way to the administration office.


    Dr. Joen had tasked her with helping at the conference, so it made perfect sense for her to pick up the student list from the admin office.


    Once she had a copy of the list, Summer left the office.


    Outside, she began to carefully go over the names.


    Linda, curious, asked, "Summer, are you looking for someone on that list?"


    Summer didn''t respond immediately; her eyes were scanning the names rapidly. And then, there it was-Mirabe''s name.


    Seeing it, Summer''s grip on the paper tightened.


    Her mentor, Dr. Joen, had only managed to get her in as a floor manager. So how did Mirabe get the nod to attend such a prestigious event?


    First, it was a paper; now, it''s an exchange conference. Mirabe seemed to pop up everywhere, like an unshakeable shadow.


    Jealousy flickered in Summer''s eyes.


    Linda happened to catch a glimpse of Summer''s expression and felt a twinge of unease. She had always known Summer as a hardworking,


    movie''d


    kind person. This was a side never seen before-a little intimidating.


    Sensing Linda''s gaze, Summer quickly lowered her eyshes, then looked back up with a smile. "I just wanted to see if there were any friends of mine on the list.


    Linda blinked, seeing no sign of the intimidating look she thought she''d seen.


    Maybe it was just a trick of the light?


    Summer calmly folded the list and


    tucked it into her jacket pocket. "Linda, just remembered Dr. Joen something from me.''ll have


    to go."


    U/


    Linda snapped back to reality and nodded quickly. "Oh, okay, you go handle that."


    Summer gave a slight nod and started towards theb building.


    As Linda watched her walk away, she felt a bit embarrassed and rubbed her nose.


    Must have been seeing things, right?