Caught between a rock and a hard ce, Joen''s actions were a textbook example of "cutting off your nose to spite your face." His assistant stood there, eyes wide, as Joen ripped up the check. It happened so fast, he didn''t even have a chance to intervene. "Dr. Joen, you..." he started, disbelief coloring his voice.


    Joen looked at the confetti of paper in his hands, momentarily stunned by his own rashness. But he quickly pulled himself together and said with a cool detachment, "Just note it down to be deducted from my ount."


    The assistant hesitated, nervously scratching the tip of his nose. "But sir, your ount doesn''t have that kind of cash flow," he mumbled.


    A million dors, gone in a blink.


    Torn to bits.


    Truly reckless.


    Joen: "..."


    Meanwhile, Mirabe and her crew were making their way to the hotel when someone suggested grabbing dinner together and maybe swinging by a well- known jazz bar nearby. Mirabe was busy texting, lost in her own world, so ze nudged her for her thoughts.


    Since Dn found out she was in Merrywoods, he''d been bombarding her with messages, trying to find a time to meet up. With the DO Group''s HQ also in town, she was juggling her schedule.


    Mirabe looked up to find everyone watching her and said, "I''ll pass on the jazz bar, but you all go ahead and have a st."


    "Why not join us, Mira? It''ll be a good time with everyone," ze said, sounding puzzled.


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, "It''s just not my thing."


    Before ze could push further, Patrick gave him a nudge. ze nced over at Patrick, who cleared his throat and said, "Mira''s in a different boat than the rest of us."


    ze blinked, still not getting it, "How so?"


    Patrick leaned in and whispered, "Mira''s got a boyfriend. You don''t."


    ze felt the sting of realization: "..."


    "Why not bring your boyfriend along, Mira?" ze suggested, tilting his head. "You''re abroad; it could be a nice little getaway."


    As ze mentioned the boyfriend, Yara, who was chatting quietly with a ssmate, gave Mirabe a quick look. Her grip on her friend''s arm <.


    tightened slightly at the word "boyfriend."


    Mirabe shook her head, a smile ying on her lips, "He''s tied up tonight."


    ze seemed a bit let down but didn''t push it, "Alright then."


    Mirabe nodded, "Have a great time, everyone."


    With that, she returned her focus to her phone, fingers dancing over the screen.


    Yara watched, her gaze dropping in thought. After all, someone from the illustrious Shepherd family wasn''t likely to join a bunch of students at a bar.


    She gave herself a small, self-aware smile.


    Before long, the group caught a cab to the restaurant. They snagged arge private room, perfect for over a dozen people, and in their high


    spirits, splurged on a couple of bottles of wine.


    Knowing her limits, Mirabe avoided the wine and stayed quiet through dinner, concentrating on her food and rarely joining in the chatter.


    By the time dinner wrapped up, it was just about 7 PM local time. Mirabe had set a meet-up with Dn around 7:30.


    Once the bill was settled, ze and the others ordered three cars to take them to the jazz bar.


    "Mira, how about I drop you off at the hotel first, then head to the bar?" ze offered after arranging the ride, wanting to make sure she got back safely.


    With aid-back ease, Mirabe


    tucked her hands into the pockets of


    her trench coat, her loosely curled


    hair flowing freely. "No worries, a friend is swinging by to pick me up."