Cassie stiffened, slowly turning her head to see a couple standing at the doorway, not sure how long they''d been there: "..."


    "Oh... my... God!"


    Mirabe leanedzily against the doorframe, a teasing smile on her face.


    "Heartless? Nothing but ws?"


    Cassie snapped to attention, quickly trying to defend herself. "No, sis, you must''ve misheard. I was just saying you''re the most beautiful!"


    "My hearing''s just fine," Mirabe said, pretending to clean her ear. "Seems like you''ve got quite a few thoughts about me."


    "Not at all." Cassie shook her head so vigorously it was like a bobblehead, almost ready to spill her heart out to prove her innocence.


    Mirabe raised an eyebrow, letting her gaze drift over the three boxes of study materials scattered on the carpet, not saying a word.


    Seeing this, Cassie quickly grabbed a book. "I''ll just get back to studying..."


    Wyatt, standing next to her, sighed softly, clearly aware of the pecking order.


    Mirabe didn''t step into the room but instead shot a nce at the man next to her. Before she could say anything, he chimed in.


    "What does status even mean? Is it more important than having a girlfriend?"


    James''s voice was smooth andid-back, like a gentle breeze.


    Mirabe stared at him for a moment, then gave him a thumbs-up.


    Can''t out-flirt that guy.


    James chuckled, reaching over to ruffle Mirabe''s hair.


    Cassie, sneaking a peek at the scene from the doorway: "!!!"


    Shameless flirt! Just then, a phone rang.


    It was Mirabe''s.


    She pulled it out, noticing it was an unknown number from the local Merrywoods


    area.


    Mirabe thought for a second, then stepped out of the room to answer.


    The caller was the old butler from the Davis family estate. "Miss Mira, do you have a moment?"


    Mirabe recognized the butler''s voice. "Hmm" The butler nced over at Jaime, who was sitting in the


    side room. "It''s about Mene


    your uncle I mentioned the


    day. He says he needs to see you. He''s at the house waiting.


    Mirabe had been at the hospital for the past few days and hadn''t- been back to the Davis estate, but she remembered the butler mentioning this uncle.


    10°


    After a quick thought, she said, "Alright, I''ll be there in half an hour."


    From the hospital to the estate, she figured it was better to see what was going on rather than avoid it.


    The butler on the other end sounded


    relieved. Although he didn''t know


    why Jaime was so insistent on


    meeting Miss Mira, at least she


    hadn''t t-out refused, keeping


    things polite.


    After hanging up, the butler returned to the side room. "Mr. Davis, Miss Mira said she''ll be back in half an hour."


    Jaime set down his coffee cup, a flicker of surprise crossing his face.


    He hadn''t expected her to agree so easily toe back; he thought it might take a bit more persuading.


    But being sensible was good; he wasn''t ready to resort to other methods just yet.


    Jaime''s lips curled slightly as he told the butler, "Alright, I''ll wait."


    ...


    Meanwhile, Mirabe put away her phone and turned to James. "I have to head over to the Davis estate. Can you keep an eye on things here for me?"


    Though Reid had arranged for the entire floor to be tightly secured, having Emmitt from the armory around made her feel more at ease.


    James looked at Mirabe. "Is something up?"


    Mirabe shrugged. "Just dealing with an uncle."


    James nodded quickly. "Okay, you go ahead. Call me if you need anything."


    Mirabe gave him a quick mock salute, turned, and left.