Mirabe felt James''s eyes on her and instinctively shifted a bit to the left before ncing up at him.


    "The ne," James said, leaning casually on the chair with a yful tone, "Are you wearing it?"


    Mirabe just stared for a moment. Lying never ends well; it has a way of catching up with you. She cleared her throat, sat up straight, and replied with surprising ease, "Well, I might''ve lost it when I was helping out a friend the other day."


    It was odd, really. Being as alert as she was, she should''ve noticed it slipping off. But when she woke up and found it missing, she couldn''t recall how it happened.


    Thank heavens it wasn''t the heirloom from her grandmother; she''d have been beside herself.


    James looked at her, recognizing her attempt to stayposed, and sighed softly. He ced a clean set of utensils in front of her. "Alright, let''s dig in."


    Mirabe blinked, then added, "Honestly, I have no clue how I lost it."


    James nodded, pondering. "No worries. I''ll get you another one in a few days."


    After discovering that the pendant Catherine left had some special significance for Mirabe, he had it looked at by experts. While nothing unusual about the material was found, he learned that others were on the hunt for a pendant with the same design.


    After mulling it over, he had a few warm jade pendants crafted, hoping they might have the same effect. He still hadn''t cracked the mystery of Mirabe''s strange low-temperature sleep fromst year, so the pendant from Catherine was crucial.


    Mirabe quietly nced at James again, then picked up her chopsticks and started eating.


    After dinner, she went to her room for a shower, finally feeling more at ease.


    James was on the couch, texting Wyatt. When Mirabe emerged, dressed and ready, he sent onest message and put his phone away. "Heading back to the hospital? he asked. Mirabe nodded, "Yeah, I''m worried about the kid."


    "Aside from being a bit weak from blood loss, he''s okay. Wyatt''s looking after him, so don''t fret, everything will be fine," James reassured her as he stood up. "Come on, I''ll walk you there."


    Mirabe gave him a look but didn''t say no.


    The hotel was just a short walk from the hospital, about seven or eight minutes, so they decided to stroll over rather than drive.


    It was already midnight, and the streets were practically deserted. The streetlights cast their long shadows, giving the scene a cozy, peaceful vibe.


    Out of nowhere, a few headlights sliced through the calm, and the roar of fast- moving cars quickly broke the night''s silence.


    Three ck sedans zipped past Mirabe and James, heading straight for the hospital.


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow and nced ahead, but the cars were gone in a sh.


    The street settled back into its midnight tranquility.


    **At the hospital.


    The three ck sedans pulled up to the entrance. From the lead car, someone hopped out and swiftly opened the back door.


    "Mr. Davis."


    Jaime stepped out leisurely, dressed


    in a sleek ck suit, casually


    spinning a rosary in his hand. He nced at the hospital entrance, a slight smirk on his lips, and strolled inside with his crew following closely.